Prepping for BFAS 3

Things are starting to get busy now.  I'm constantly in check of my personal emails because I have put out the announcements for the bazaar this November and December.  So here come the busy days.  I look forward to it of course, and I am also pretty excited since, 4 days into the announcement I already have several booths reserved.  That goes a lot in saying I've done a great job with the past two years.  Its really exciting.  I'm happy that the sellers are coming back.
This year is going to be different though because on the last day I will be out because of the wedding of my brother in law.  I'm not fearful though, I'm quite sure my parents would do a lovely job at the bazaar.  Me thinks I'll be there in the morning then leave it to them in the afternoon.  The wedding is at 6pm so I still have time for other stuff.  So no, I am not worried.  I can just leave the keys to mom and dad and have them bring back the stuff home.  Of course, I will miss the fun of the last day of the bazaar too. :-(
But its too early to think about that now.  I look forward to the busy days! and here's the ad for this year's event!

Meet the MAC OS Lion X

Ok, I'm not quite sure which comes first or last between these 3: OS Lion X.  Whichever it is I don't really care. Anyhow, I'm quite happy and satisfied.  When we bought Macky the other week I knew we were automatically qualified for an upgrade to the Lion OS X, since what is installed in the laptops are still the leopard versions.  The guy from PowerMac told us it generally takes around 2 weeks, so I was really happy when I got the email last night that gave the password for me to download the free upgrade (a $29.99 deal in iTunes!).  It was a whopping 3GB that had to be downloaded and I was getting up in the middle of the night.  I almost didn't get to finish the download this morning, luckily it did and I was able to install it before I went to the office.  I'm so far happy with it, like shifting from a Windows XP to a Windows 7 (pardon the comparison, but its the simplest way to say it!).  I've yet to learn all the other perks of this new OS, but so far I'm liking it.  In the scheme of things though, in so far as Mac expertise is concerned, I'd say I'm 5 out of 10! Lots to learn still!!!!

Short Family Day

Spent a few hours today checking out SM Masinag.  Well, its my second time there and the first for he kid and the hubby.  Didn't spend too much time too. Just went to buy some books for the little girl, and then she and hubby found nice shoes at Payless. Then spent some time in the grocery buying meats and veggies for the house.
Someday I wish I can do some unique dishes.  Kinda getting tired of the usual: menudo, nilaga etc stuff.  Looking to cook something unique the next time.
P.S. Nice to be back to blogging for a change.  My Macky is effective in making me a good blogger again!

Angelica's birthday

Today is August 13.  Four months ago, I was prepared to be in the hospital at this exact date, giving birth to our second baby daughter, Angelica.  God had other plans, and Angelica is now with Him in heaven.  But of course, I can't keep out the sadness of the what could have beens.  Like, I could have been holding this little girl in my arms now. Changing diapers and breastfeeding.  Life as I know it now may have been different.  But God had plans.  I am not questioning them of course.  I'm quite sure our little angel is watching over us now.  I did light a candle for her though.  For my sweet angel who's in heaven.
Happy, Happy birthday Angelica!

Got my wish! ME and MACKY!

For so long a time, I've wanted a macbook.  It wasn't just a spur of the moment thing, it was the type of thing I wanted to own because I loved how it looked and its a perfect tool for my creative side (ok, i'm not that creative, and windows can do the same things, but a mac looks so much nicer!).  And for me, if ever I were to buy another laptop, why waste money on another windows-based laptop (no matter how powerful) when all I really want is a mac?  But its just too expensive, right?

So anyway, fast forward to a few months after.  I had to have my office laptop reformatted because the system we use in our office got corrupted (by Adobe Photoshop... so they say).  After that, I was told not to install photoshop there so I won't corrupt the system again.  Problem is, I've been meaning on working on the digital printing business for the longest time, and I need photoshop for that.  The only laptop with Photoshop now is the netbook, which is also being used by my studying housekeeper, and I don't really want to deprive her of that.  Besides that, its also so slow, that it takes a while getting anything done.  

So really, I'm just justifying that I needed the mac, the VERY EXPENSIVE MAC, which by the way, I can't pay in cash.  Now comes the tricky part!  I was looking through the internet for possible sellers and all of them are actually pricing the mac the same way.  I was really hoping I can get something that would allow me to pay it in installment.  And then it hit me that perhaps, we can transfer some of hubby's credit limit so that its converted to an SIP (Installment credit line).  And when I called the customer service of the bank, they said its possible.  Next hurdle is to convince the hubby.  This was not too difficult since he knew I had the means to pay for it if its installment anyway.  And I was only plotting for a simple white macbook but he was the one who told me I should get a macbook pro instead.  So in the end, he agreed.  And here we have my new baby!  Its not paid yet, but i love it to bits!  Here's to many years of friendship for me and my mac!

Week end ends.

Ok, so its 7:30 pm Sunday and there goes the weekend.  We've just had dinner. Stayed at home the whole day, and yesterday too.  Well, yesterday after work the yaya asked to go out, and the other one went to school, so we just stayed at home and rested.  Like I said in my previous post, saturday is not such a good time to go out. Come sunday, we initially planned to go out in the afternoon.  I just went out to go to the wet market in the morning and did some cooking too. Planned my menu for the week.  I might be out next weekend.  Poor Jess won't be seeing the mall for 2 weeks at least.  I'm sure she'll get over it though. hahaha....
Will just make it up to her the following week, as am not quite sure if I will be in Cebu this weekend.  :-)

In other news though, our weekend was spend eating.  This week I was in a "cooking" mode so I was able to do a lot of cooking.  Pancit, crispy pata, champorado, dinuguan (not so good since the blood seemed old and had a bad smell) and calamares.  It was good to be back on the groove.  I am still hoping that one day I can still be in "experimental" cooking mode and mix up something I saw on TV.  I like watching all those cooking shows: Iron Chef, Top chef, Masterchef Australia, Barefoot Contessa, and Everyday Italian.  I really like their recipes.  If I did not have Saturday classes I might even have enrolled in some cooking classes.  Howell. Someday.

Hope everyone enjoyed their weekend.  Good night and have a productive week ahead!

Weekend mode: Mall review

We finished our management meeting early today, started at 7:45 and ended at 9:30.  So I'm now spending the last one hour in the office alternating between doing this price monitoring worksheet, checking FB, and blogging. I rather like that this is a no-pressure day, and it will be a no-pressure weekend as well.  No commitments this weekend, though I am contemplating going to the mall, but really wondering which mall it would be with not too many people, and no traffic to deal with.
Saturdays are hell days in terms of traffic in our area these days.  Marcos Highway, which will lead us to Quezon City, Manila, and all other areas in the north, is really heavy on saturdays, what with all that drainage construction ongoing, there's only one or two lanes open and the volume is big on this day (don't know why, it seems people from the East (Rizal) simply like to travel on saturdays.
I also don't like overcrowded malls on Saturdays and Sundays. Harder to park.  Lots of people walking around, especially in my favorite mall which happens to be Megamall.  Somehow, the other big malls don't appeal as much to me (Eastwood, Galleria, The Block, Trinoma and MOA).  It's just not my type of format.  I like that Megamall is one simple mall, only two sides and not many sidestores/hallways you can get lost in.  Plus it has all the amenities you need: grocery, hardware, cinema, department store (large selection too!). Fave stores: Payless, Toy Kingdom.  Its a no-brainer mall.  And its middle class.
If I wanted the ambiance of a high end store though, I think the place to be is Rockwell.  Hubby and I share the view the Rockwell is a nice place to be to see lots of "beautiful" people, models, artists, rich classy businessmen.  Its the only place where you see the old rich ladies all dressed up in the grocery. :-)
We also have several malls nearby, but they don't really satisfy my taste and preferences all too much.  IMHO, they are malls to frequent only when you need something and are either too lazy to go to a bigger mall, or in such a hurry that you buy one thing only.  Like last week, it took me 10mins in and out of Toys R Us in Robinsons Metroeast just so I can buy a gift for a party we're already running late to.  Imagine that.  No time to search for an ultra cool gift. I got the most educational thing I can find and bought a card and paperbag. I call it cramming! LOL
Well, now I'm about to start my weekend and I'm wondering if I want to go to the mall later.  The little girl hasn't been out the whole week (Hubby and I went to Megamall thursday to watch transformers).  And next week she may also be stuck at home IF my out of town trip is cancelled.  So now I wonder if I want to go out. Hmmmmm...

How do you start doing other things you love to do?

(DISCLAIMER) I am practicing typing on the iPad. So if you find some typo errors on this post, I blame it on the iPad.
I'm too lazy at home to be productive in anything else. I know I should really be more productive. Sometimes I think it also has to do with the fact that I have two yayas/house help at home so I really don't need to do any household chores. Since there is only one child to look after, and not many chores to do at home, I would really have to exempt myself from chores otherwise I'd feel like I was overpaying them. Problem though, I am too lazy to do other things, like perhaps do some digiscrapping or some arts and crafts, or start working on the digital printing business.
I do hope I will find the energy to start an evening routine soon, though I am not really guilty that I don't do Anthony, because I also know that the time at home should also be spent with the family. And I am happy that I have lots of that time for hubby and Jess.

Here come the Rainy days

Last friday brought a a lot of rains to Metro Manila. And it was scary.  But looking at the glass half-full, we felt blessed in a lot of ways.
First, we were able to go home, though not to early, we were braver in going through the flooded roads inside our village since we were riding our Escape, rather than the black Sentra.  Now we feel that it was indeed a good choice to get this car rather that settle for a car (it cost us much more since we had to add equity to pay for the upgraded car).  But seeing that we can go through 5-6 inches of water makes if so much more worth it. For the past three years when a situation like this happens we were forced to wait it out near the village gates, where we would have to stay for 5-8 hours until the roads are passable. So for instance, if we arrived there at 6 or 7 pm and the roads aren't passable anymore, we would need to stay there for up to 2 am.  Add to the anxiety that there might be some water inside the house (will get to that later) and we're not there to help.
Second, this weekend's floods were really scary, but thank God that we were spared from an Ondoy-like situation.  Some water came into the house from underneath and there were flashfloods inside the village, but all in all the situation was manageable.  We had to do some cleaning Friday night but only the floors, we managed to lift most of the stuff out of floor level (except of course so heavy appliances) so there's no damage to any of our stuff.
Third, our office (being 10minutes away from home) was almost flooded, but thankfully it was spared. Highest level was at 35", a few inches shy of the floor levels of the plant and the office, but it didn't get into the plant.  If it did, it would mean a lot of damage and longer days and nights for everyone in the office.  So yes, I am so thankful that we were spared with that.
Life really has a way of reminding us of the many blessings we have day to day.  And this is one case where I am really thankful for the blessings (even if it is disguised as a typhoon.) :-)

Miscarriage at 20 weeks ... Our story

March 20 AM - I decided to treat myself and my daughter to a bonding day at the mall (In cubao).  So we went out, had her play at the playroom there while I went around naman and did a little window shopping.  Got home around 3pm

March 20, 6PM - I felt this GUSH of WATER come out of me all of a sudden, similar perhaps to the bag of water bursting to those who are on term already.  I don't know really, I didn't experience this when I gave birth to my first daughter.  Anyhow, I called my OB right then and there since it just continued to drip, and she advised us to go to the hospital.  We went to TMC. They tested the fluid and it came out as amniotic fluid na nga.  They confined me and put me on bedrest.

March 21 - My birthday.  Short of saying the saddest yet most memorable bday so far.  Good thing no plans were made yet, since I'd end up cancelling them anyway.  Had ultrasound, blood tests, urinalysis. Bedrest and IV the whole day. Ultrasound results indicated my amniotic fluid level was at .88cm. Two weeks ago when I had another ultrasound, the level was at 5.3cm.  The heartbeat of the baby was strong though, and I can feel her strong kicks.

March 22 - Spent the day in waiting. Bedrest still. We waited for the OB but she never came and just texted me that its too soon for a repeat ultrasound.  Despite the difficulty, I could still feel the baby moving.

March 23 - OB visited us, and we told her we wanted to go home already and i preferred to be at home instead.  After all, hospital bedrest isn't helping, what with nurses coming in every 2 hours for vitals and I can't even get enough sleep.  I can feel the baby fighting and I know I would fight for it also, but being away from my daughter isn't calming me at all.  My bitchiness is starting to set in.  My OB instead, told me the baby will go out TODAY OR TOMORROW! She tells us there is no chance of survival, she will just monitor it since it will surely come out in a day or two.  She advised the nurses to transfer me to the labor room for "monitoring".  It was the longest 4 hours of my life.  They were monitoring contractions (NON-EXISTENT) and heartbeat of the baby (STRONG!) and I can feel her kicking all the while. And then somebody would go to me and ask me what happened and I'd have to narrate it again (sometimes I declined) and I'd end up crying.  Finally I said wanted to go back to my room.  If baby was fighting, who am I to give up on her.  So they transferred us back to the hospital room. My daughter was also there and it lessened the sadness I really felt.

March 24 AM - Against my OB's advice, I said I wanted to go out and have the bedrest at home.  The hospital expense is piling up, I don't trust my OB, and I can feel the baby fighting. I missed my daughter.  My hubby and I decided instead to go directly to another OB (one I visited when I miscarried last year), for a second opinion.  She advised for another CBC and another ultrasound before I left.  The heartbeat was still good but the fluid level is still going down (meaning the tear isn't healing yet).   So we were discharged from the hospital

March 24 PM - We visited the other OB and though her prognosis was that the chances are really slim at 90%bad, 10%good, she did say it can take days or weeks to finally come through (the miscarriage). I guess it was then that we finally accepted that the baby may not really survive, but I was still carrying on that as long as I can feel the baby fighting, then I will.  She even checked the baby on the ultrasound and heartbeat was still good so she was positive about it. I was happy to be home with my daughter that I missed so much!  until I slept that night, I could still feel the baby. 

March 25 - At 6am, I was feverish, and desperately waiting for the baby to move, but NADA. By 6:30, I was having chills already and my teeth were chattering.  It was not good, I knew the baby was gone, and it seems my body was really fighting the infection. Hubby rushed me to Cardinal Santos where my new OB is.  I came in with a 40.2degree fever.  when I went into the labor room it was 39.8.  They tried looking for the baby's heartbeat but it was gone.  They transferred me to the labor room already for induction, put me on IV/oxytoxin.  I had to push the baby out because they didn't want her disfigured if they pull it out.  Finally delivered her at 3:15pm.  Slept through the D&C and they woke me up only before transferring me to the recovery room. 

It was the recovery room period that was really troubling, since my blood pressure levels continued to drop.  They had to put 3 doses of epi on me to push up the BP only for a while.  I was supposed to be back the room by 5:45 but my BP was at the 77-80 levels so they couldn't let me out.  At 6:30 they finally decided to have blood transfusion (2 bags). I was finally released back to the room at 1:30AM the following day.

March 26 - OB referred me to a Cardio for 2D echo and ECG, because she feared the BP levels and the high heart rate I had the day before may have other effects. I was still on IV antibiotics and continuous monitoring of BP and temp.

March 27 - finally discharged from the hospital.  

The baby was already fully formed. Right now, we've already accepted that she's gone and she will always be our little angel looking at us from heaven.  We're positive that someday, God will give us another one, when the time is right.

Back to blogging post

Ok, so two months is again a long time for me to go back.  I even planned on a Project 365 but stopped right smack on January (1st or 2nd week). Duh.  Well, time for me to do some creative thinking since spending Saturdays here in the office without the management meeting can be really boring.

Well, anyway, lots of updates up ahead.  I guess I should make a long post in case I don't get to blog again in a month! I'll just number my updates so I get to see just where I am right now and hopefully the next time I read it I get to give better (and more up to date) updated.

1. On Jessica.  Jessica will be graduating Nursery on March 25. Yey! I always laughed and said I only had 16 years to go to have a daughter with a college degree. yey!  But anyhow, I heard from her teacher she'll be 2nd or 3rd place in her nursery class (of 8 students! LOL).  I really don't want to sound too proud of her, but I am happy that at the minimum effort, she has actually been a great student and eager for school.  To think I just wanted her to interact with other kids, and still she managed to get good grades.  I've seen a lot of improvements too.  She can identify letters, numbers, she can count, she can color well.  And my oh my, can she speak well.  She speaks like she's 7 years old.  Its so nice to be in a conversation with her because she really can speak like a normal adult.  I'm really happy how she turned out with one year at school.  I won't be enrolling her in the same school but with a bigger one, since now we can more or less afford a better school. But nevertheless I am happy with her experiences on her first preschool year.

2. On Baby No. 2. Well, she's a GIRL! I went for an ultrasound yesterday (hey, I've always said I had really short EQ, so I HAD TO KNOW).  We would have wanted a boy of course, so we can stop at 2 kids, since a 2nd girl brings about the pressure of a baby no. 2.  But I can't be all sad knowing we're gonna have another baby girl who I can dress up again, and who I know will be really cute and look like me. :-)  And I am happy, she's as trouble free as Jessica was, and so I know she will just be as smart and pretty.  Baby boy will have to  wait, if at all, at least another 3 years (still subject for discussion though).

3. On Household stuff.  Well, nothing much has changed.  The house is till the house, not much renovation.  One major change coming up though is that I am gearing up Jessica's nanny (and our all-around) for school.  I told her time and again that I was willing to pay for her education, so I made my research with the nearby college here in Cainta called ICCT.  The tuition is quite affordable at 5k per trisem for a bachelors degree, and I guess its money I am willing to let go to see that my yaya will have a good future someday.  I planned her to be in school for the afternoon sessions, that's 3-7pm.  So in the morning she can tend to Jessica first, who will go to school mornings.  In the afternoons normally its just sleeptime for them anyway.  She usually does housechores in the morning.  Well, when I called up the school regarding their entrance exams I learned that they require a 75% passing mark in the exam to qualify for a bachelor's degree, so that put pressure on me for yaya to pass. I don't want her to take a vocational course because a bachelors course could take her farther.  So I bought her reviewers and told her she can study first before taking the test.  Hopefully she will pass.  Its been 3 or 4 years since she graduated high school so she has a lot of catching up to do.  And so plans are already made to ask for the yaya no. 2 to come in 2 months earlier than my EDD.  Though it will be an added expense, its ok since it will take a load off my having to do household chores too, specifically cooking and going to the market.  Its a plus that this new yaya is a friend of my yaya now so I hopefully will have less worries of them not getting along.  I don't want to have to deal with that stress.  That said, I still will need to buy them a double deck bed and an additional closet space.  But its a plus that the new helper worked in our neighborhood before so she knows the stress come the rainy days (i.e. potential flooding).

4. On Career.  Work has been fairly easy and less stressful these days, probably because I already know my job now so I can deal with it easily, as I always do.  Oh, and we already got my company car, which we paid to upgrade from a Vios to a Ford Escape.  We wanted something bigger for the rainy days.  Before we wanted to get an Innova but we found it too expensive for being too bare.  So we got the Escape instead.  I also get 100L free gasoline with it so it helps take a load of fuel expenses.  Hubby prefers not to use the car on weekdays to Makati because its easier for him to commute.  So technically, 100L of gas can take us weekends out malling or to go around a bit, plus every once in while to go out of town.  Oh, and I already get to drive to the office by myself.  So in a few months time, I'm sure I can go out on my own already! :-p

hmmm... that's that for a while.  I have not blogged about the biz or or recent trip to Baguio. I hope I can do that soon enough,

till next time!

January 2: Malling and Haircut for Jessica

Today rather than to stay at home and say goodbye to the last day of the holidays, we decided to go to Megamall for some family time.  That is after I finished packing up the Christmas tree and all the lights and decor.   Now that the home space if free from the clutter of the Christmas season (except for some gifts that I need to give away), there is more free space for the little girl to play and run around.  But I digress, so we went to Megamall, got to see the new Toy Kingdom (which is huge), ate at the Food Court (Sizzling Plate), then brought the little girl to Cuts 4 Tots for a haircut.  Jess' hair has already grown and we decided to cut it down by 2 inches  (its actually still too long, might need another haircut in a month or so).  After the haircut the girl asked to play at Kidz Republic.  So we left her and her yaya (who is fresh from a 2day vacation btw) and went around the mall.  After getting her back we finally went to Girbaud where I was able to buy a wallet for me and for my sister who's having her birthday tomorrow.
On the pregnancy: I still have not gone to the OB, will probably do so 2nd or 3rd week of January, where hopefully the baby's heartbeat will be there already.  Meanwhile I am religiously drinking the vitamins (folic acid + prenatal vitamins) to keep healthy.  We are hoping this will be a good pregnancy now and come around August we will have the newest member of the family.

Oh btw, this is the second days of (hopefully) Project 365.  Off to a good start, I hope to finish at least with half and I will be happy.

2010 Recap

The past year has been so memorable (in both good and bad ways) that it deserves a recap.  I feel I should keep this in mind because someday when I look back, 2010 will be the year with the most challenges for me and for our family.
We started the year with me jobless (by choice, and hoping for a good year ahead with the bazaar business.  At some point I know I will have to look for a job back at corporate because it was hard for us to save with me just into business.  All of hubby's salary was going to daily expenses.  I had a bazaar coming up but that didn't turn out well.  In the end it was a frantic search for THE next job. Unfortunately the next 2 job offers that came were not to my liking, not even close to what I had with the Selecta job.  And hubby patiently told me to hold off until I find what is worth me.
So careerwise, things started getting better when I got this interview with a food manufacturing company whose office is just outside our village. It was a pleasant surprise that it was so near, and the position they were offering was really something I liked.  It took a good month and a half before I got the offer and it was really a dream come true.  A good career position, directly under the General Manager's supervision, with great benefits and competitive salary.  I had under me 5 staff to supervise, and the real plus part is that the office is just outside our village.  It is truly a dream.  Of course, dreams don't last forever and now that I have it, its no bed of roses, but I'm learning and its a matter of time before I can excel in what I do, just as I always do.
Homewise.... we started the year without a helper/yaya after I fired the previous one (for abuse of authority --- aka shouting and harassing my little girl). I was a full time homemaker for a total of 3 months.  No regrets though, being able to take care of my girl, no matter how difficult, is really something to be proud of, in a modern world like ours, not all careerwomen get the opportunity to stay home full time to take care of their kids and watch them grow up.  In February we finally had a new helper/yaya, and she is heaven-sent!  I can't begin to say how she has become family to us and I do hope she stays with us for a long time.
And then I thought we were going to have someone new in the family.  Found out I was pregnant sometime in October, but that ended soon with a blighted ovum.  It was a sad and trying time, having had an easy pregnancy with Jessica, this came as a surprise.  But then I had to be strong and we just decided to try again. After the miscarriage we hoped we could have it easy and and fortunately it paid off.  I haven't gone to the OB yet but the last 2 home pregnancy tests came positive so I am hoping this one will take off, and smoothly too.
Since June, things have started to get better for us, a new job, great career ahead, financial stability.  Finally we have enough to live a more comfortable life.  Hopefully in 2011 we will have an additional member of the family too.
So I hope things will go well for you too.  :-)

Weekday bonding time

Its 5:15 and I am waiting for my daughter and yaya to arrive so we can go to Megamall.  Somehow I like that we get to spend some hours at the mall for some bonding time (dinner + malling).  Because normally during the weekends time is spent for chores or resting at home or going places we need to go to.  And malls are usually very cramped on weekends and parking is hell.  Weekday traffic can be bad as well but at least we don't have trouble parking, and the number of people around the mall is forgiving.  I don't know yet if it will get any worse with the Christmas season, thereby we will have to cut back on the weekday visits.  I guess two or three more weeks will be ok, but by December I can forget about it with all the traffic that is Ortigas.

First Checkup for the Baby No. 2

Yesterday afternoon I was finally able to tell the boss that I am pregnant.  I've been contemplating for the past 2 weeks how to tell him, it was sheer luck that he put me through a feedback session.  And since it was a no-holds barred session anyway, I already told him in all honesty about my pregnancy.  It takes a lot off my mind to be honest with him on that.  And luckily he was ok with it and appreciated the honesty and the very early advise. :-) I was relieved.
And then this morning, I finally decided to spend lunchtime going to The Medical City-SM Marikina to have my first check up.  I was kinda delaying it thinking that I want the first ultrasound to have a clear pole and heartbeat already however it was not the case.  Though by age based on my last LMP I am already 6 weeks along, by the trans-V ultrasound I was just actually 4 weeks and 6 days.  No heartbeat yet.  I need to wait another 2 weeks for another trans-V ultrasound and hopefully we would have the heartbeat by then.  I need to take the vitamins, folic acid and the anmum now to supplement.
So all is well,  I am hoping this is a successful pregnancy.  The two weeks wait is a long stretch but then time flies fast and next thing you know I'd be hearing Baby No. 2's heartbeat already.

Lunch Break

Testimony to my newly found laziness: I am now at the office for the 3rd consecutive day during lunchbreak.  I don't know if its because I'm pregnant that's why I'm lazy or its because I've no shopping money right now, but I don't really feel like walking out the door during lunch breaks as I usually would, up until last week.  Now I want to just stay in the office and hug my cute pillow during the break, get a shut-eye for 15-minutes, and then wake up still sleepy at 1pm.
Oh, and I'm really happy that so far, there are no pregnancy symptoms yet.  Last time I didn't get any, I'm hoping this time its the same, a few cravings here and there, and then some throwing up a FEW times is ok.  I did that for like less than 5 times during my first pregnancy and I'm hoping its the same thing now.
Oh, I'm glad I am back to blogging now.  Hopefully, I'll be able to write down my experiences from now on, its something I miss doing, but now I resolve to write again.  I want my second pregnancy to be just as memorable as the first one.

Blessings come when you least expect it

A few months ago, to be exact when hubby when to the US for a month, we decided that I stop taking pills already.  One, to guard my health.  My family has a history of cancer and we're fearing that prolonged use of the pills will have a negative effect.  I've been using it for more than 2 years before giving birth and another 3 years after Jessica.  No other means worked for me.  We are not good at withdrawal and NFP and injectables shook up my hormones a bit when I tried it.  We're not so thrilled of using C's.  So the pills were still the most stable thing we could think of.  And so in July I stopped using it.  When hubby came back it was more the calendar method.
When my period didn't come this October, I didn't think any of it. Might be delayed. I might be stressed.  We did our counting and all seemed well.  Or so I thought.  Just for the fun of it, I tried taking the test with an old kit I kept at home.  For some reason I can't even remember why I had it.  And then it turned positive.  And with the many things I read about the topic, I could remember so well that its more common and probable to have a false negative than to have a false positive.
And the rest, as they say, is history. :-)  Jessica is turning 4 in May and I'll be due in June.  Hopefully I can give Jess a jollibee party before I'm due as a tribute to being the only child. And so she won't feel too jealous when the baby comes out.
We are happy for the blessings.  While its a bit earlier that we expected it, we're just as happy knowing that we have been blessed again.  God is really great.  He gives us what our hearts truly, truly desire.

A year since Ondoy

Its been a year and one day since that fateful day when Ondoy struck hard and changed lives of millions.  Us included.  As I look back to the year that was, its more so that I feel blessed for all the experiences, hardships, and gifts of love for the past year.
I've just stopped from work last July 2009 so when Ondoy happened, I was staying at home and was able to clean and put back what Ondoy destroyed.  Despite being one of the thousands flooded that day, all I felt after the flood was through and the electricity was up and we could look at the news, was to thank God for sparing our lives, and while we had to throw so many stuff away and it took us a month to put life back to normal, a lot had it worse, suffering the loss of loved ones, homes, cars, and livelihood.  All our appliances worked after Ondoy. Our car, although it was wet and a bit flooded, survived without any major problems and there was no need to bring it to an auto shop for repairs. We received a lot of help from family and neighbors and friends, and no one got sick because of the flood waters.  It was an experience we won't forget but rather than to feel remorse or abandoned, I feel blessed that whatever damage was brought about by Ondoy, we were able to move on.
A month after I had my first stint at business and I'd say it did well.  Now even as I do it part-time I know it will work and I know some people already trust me to become repeat customers.  I will still work on the bazaars despite working full time.  That I know for sure.
I let our 1st househelp go last December.  I was seeing things that I felt were not good for my daughter and didn't like the way she was acting up.  While I was tired at night having to bring a toddler everywhere, I was thankful that I could spend time with her, while a lot of moms having full time jobs don't get as much chance.  I spent 3 months as full time nanny and wife before the blessing of another househelp, twice as good as the first, came.  I still consider her as one of my blessings.
Starting January I actively started looking for work again.  It was hard in that I was looking at getting into a senior/mid-manager position but a lot that was coming in was more of supervisory posts.  But I tried anyway. I got some offers but they were far below expectations.  And I was finding it harder and harder to balance the home budget.  I was never a big spender but I wanted to have the liberty to go out with family and spend some for them.  And I felt guilty that all the earnings of hubby went to the family.  I always did let him have the things he wanted, spend for his hobbies.  But he stepped up and offered to give everything and just leave some allowance for him. He was even the one to tell me to reject the offers that came that were too low.  He felt I deserved better.
The job offer I was waiting for finally came in June.  It was near our home and the pay is good.  The position was what I was waiting for too.  Its a good company and I enjoy what I do.  Now, three months into this career and there are no regrets.  We get to enjoy some family eat-outs and I can splurge a little when I want to.  Life is good.
So the past year was one great roller coaster ride.  But it brought me closer to family, and while it was the hardest we have had so far as a family, it made us realize priorities and made us want to plan more for the future.  Now life is back on track and while I find myself so busy at times, balancing work, business, some more outside work, family, and friends.  Sometimes I feel I don't even have time to spend for myself.  I'm in dire need of a haircut, a massage and waxing.  But I go to sleep at night and always, always feel thankful for all the blessings we've received.
Sometimes it takes challenges for us to be wiser and stronger. And for me the past year was exactly what I needed. :-)

House.. house...house...

There is truly a great joy in living at your own place.  Ok, in our mortgaged place, if I may correct myself.  One major, major (tribute to Venus!) is not having to ask permission from anyone to do anything there.  Like if I wanted house repairs then nobody really cares about it and I can do it anytime.
And so I took advantage of hubby's one week vacation to Dumaguete (he went with his friend/officemate), to do some stuff at home.  Pictures to follow, was too busy with the activities to take any pics.
One thing I planned to do on the onset was to paint the single wall in the Dining area that was not white.  Backgrounder: we got a 20yr old house, so it was not exactly in "mint" condition, the previous owners who sold it to us did paint it white before they sold it so it looks ok, but the house itself was built on two parts, the original house had some wood on it separating the dining area to the room (what we now call the hobby room).  All the other walls in the living room, kitchen area, dining area, were concrete and painted white.  So when two weeks a go hubby and I took advantage of a buy-one take one sale on makro of 3-layer shelves, which sold for 2 for 500, or 250 each, I felt what needed to be done was to paint that single wall with white so everything turns out white around the dining table. And so when hubby finally decided to push through with his vacation I took the opportunity to do the painting.
So Sunday morning Jess and I went out to Robinsons MetroEast to do some paint-shopping. I had in mind to use odorless paint so there's a more forgiving smell once I put in on, since its indoors and not exactly a lot of windows around it.  Unfortunately after a long discussion with the hardware guy, I found out odorless paint can't be applied to unpainted surfaces, you will still need a primer, or flatwall enamel in our case, to put there before putting the odorless paint.   Then there is the issue of size.  The odorless paint sold gallon sizes only. And with the primer plus the odorless paint (which costs than Php 500 per can by the way), I felt I did not need all the leftover paint.  So I had to make do with smelly paint and just bought the flatwall enamel, around half-liter which supposedly can cover around 20-25 sqm, my wall was around 2x3 meters only so it should be enough for two coatings already.  Bought a paint tray and a roller, a bottle of paint thinner and one paintbrush.  And then I bought another can of gold spray paint because I wanted to paint an old aluminum table gold so it looks new.  But I'll get to that later.
When I got home I prepped the area, took out everything that's hanging there, set aside the new shelves, and put masking tape along the circular mirror on that wall. I had no plans of taking out the mirror and risk breaking it.  Someday I will take out the whole wall and replace the old wood, so what I was doing was not at all permanent.  I painted the wall with one coat using a roller, and for the small gap-things that was supposed to be part of the design, I had to use a brush since its brown in there.  I felt I did fine, after a few hours I painted a second coating, and left the electric fan open throughout the night to let the wall breath. I put some vinegar and baking soda there as well, to help absorb the paint.  The result was nice, there were smudges of paint on some brown framings near the ceiling, but its no big deal for me.
The next day I painted the old table gold, after spending an hour taking off the rust and the stuff there, I suppose they were because of oxidation.  I used the spray paint which was a really nice idea, and the gold color was a good choice.  I am very pleased with the outcome.
And then I realized I actually need some white spray paint to paint some discolored areas of the wall. That's another small project for me.
All in all, I'd say the past weekend was very fulfilling. I got to do a lot and that pleases me.  I do need some rest though, but this week is going to be quite a busy week, so these activities will probably have to wait until the next weekend.
(Pictures to follow...)

July Update

Ok, so I haven't updated my blog for a while.  Its been a month since I last blogged and again, I feel bad I always forget, when it makes me feel good that I actually blog.
But anyway, there is quite a few stuff to update, the past month, as I said, was the first time hubby left for a short onsite stint, so for a month it was just me, yaya and Jess at home.  Did a couple of things to while away my time. That is, aside from actually working and transitioning myself back to the corporate world.  But I will forever be grateful that I landed this job, I believe its really more than what I could ask for.  A great role that is both a challenge and a sign of achievement (naks!), pretty good compensation (I am not super highly paid, I just feel that I am fortunate to land a job where I can comfortably stay and not feel underpaid), and winner location, where I actually do walk from outside the village to the office.  Its not something people are lucky to get.  I won't mind working in Makati if it would give me a good role or good pay, but this one, this is just a dream.  And I love it because of that.  One month forward and I'm ok with work.  I love that it doesn't kill me with pressure.  There are downsides of course, such as half-day saturday work which is a first, but since I live too near home I don't mind.  The people in the office are ok, my boss is trying to mentor me, but I think I am slowly getting in the stream of things.  So work-wise, there is a lot to be thankful for.
Last month I got myself to finally work up the courage to enroll in driving school.  Thankfully, I can now drive the car to work (and sometimes a bit farther too!).  Yey for me! I have yet to go a longer way, but I'll let that be slowly. I still like it better when I'm the passenger anyway.
Hubby is finally home, and we're now enjoying time together, as if we're newlyweds! Kidding! We will get back to the mainstream though, just as soon as he's recovered from jetlag.  But all in all, he's ok. And I feel the time away from each other has also helped us see the value of the marriage and being together and actually spending time together (believe me, these are entirely two different things, which you will only realize when you are away from each other).
In summary, the past month was a great one for me, and hopefully a start of better things to come. :-)