Young Manila Mom

Imperfect Mom

2009-05-11T01:36:00.001+08:00

I was suddenly in a writing mood again and remembered this blog. I am kind of embarrassed that my last entry was more than a year ago and in that particular one, I had hoped to be more ‘regular’ in my blogging. An entry and 16 months later, here I am. *sigh* I was mulling over whether to sign up for a new blog but honestly, I couldn’t come up with a cool name. So I’m stuck!

A lot has happened since I last blogged. I started a new business (all mine from scratch this time) and had another baby. Life is good, if not a bit hectic and stressful ALL the time.

I find myself relying on the househelp and yayas a whole lot more now. I have come to terms with the fact that I chose to be a full-time working mom and there are just many things I have to delegate to other people. My children are still my top priority and I still set aside work to take them and/or pick them up from school, watch them learn how to swim and wait patiently for at least an hour or two before their pediatrician can see them. Hubby and I still read to them before bed. (Although some nights I can hardly keep my eyes open. “Mommy, wake up! Open your eyes!” LOL) The daily mundane things like giving them their baths, taking them to the potty, feeding them, I’ve left to the yayas.

I have accepted that I can’t have it all. First and foremost, my body was not programmed to be a superwoman. I need at least 6 hours of sleep to function during the day. Second, I wasn’t programmed early on to be a super mom. I grew up with a Mom who worked, with a Dad who we hardly saw during the week and yet it was a happy and memorable childhood. Lastly, I am simply not very domesticated (for lack of a better term). I don’t cook, I hate housework (but I can and I know how to do them), I even hate grocery shopping.

Yes, I feel guilty. Guilty for not being that Mom who co-sleeps, for not making yoghurt from scratch, for not having filled in their baby books because I forgot when they cut their first tooth, for not even knowing what they ate for lunch. The list is LONG. Trust me.

Maybe it is all in God’s perfect plan to just give one Mom to each child. In their eyes, we are the best Moms in the world. They have no one to compare us to. What they don’t know can’t hurt them right?

Happy Mother’s Day!

It's been a while...

2008-01-25T00:26:00.000+08:00

...9 months actually. I seriously need to get back to my blogging. I have lost track of how many times "I should blog this." entered my mind.

I went to Rockwell today after work and is it just me or has Rockwell has changed so much in the last couple of months!? I haven't been to Rockwell (or any mall for that matter) since November. Hubby and I have managed to get our Christmas shopping done without stepping into a mall. Can you tell that a lot of our family received angpaos last Christmas?! Haha! I know it sounds awful but 90% of our godchildren got the same gift...a twist car!

I do not know if our godchildren loved this gift but I can tell you it's a hit in our home. Hubby and I fight over who gets to drive it with DD...yes, an adult and a toddler can fit in it! And I know Yaya cruises around our living room on it while DD is taking a nap. Haha!

Ok, back to my Rockwell trip. I stopped by The Face Shop, was there for about 15 minutes (the variety was overwhelming) and managed to buy a (phallic-looking) bottle of liquid foundation and cotton swabs (these had wooden stems which are so difficult to find...and 300pcs for P45 was a good deal!). I tried the foundation on the back of my hand and just jumped the gun and bought it. Crazy huh!? Let's hope it works out.

I will be sharing my make-up finds once in a while. I have been silently battling an addiction to make-up and I think it is only wise to start therapy. "I am YMM and I am a make-up addict!" Haha!

I stopped by Rustans yesterday after my surprisingly easy visa renewal interview at the U.S. Embassy. I received gift certificates last Christmas and spent them at the Bobbi Brown counter. I LOVE LOVE the Velvet Plum Metallics palette (Limited Edition and out of circulation in the U.S. already. I would try to sell one on Ebay except it's already much more expensive here to begin with!) and the Tinted Lip Balm in Brown is a must-have for all skin tones (very flattering without the goopiness of lipstick).

I also tried on the Dior Extreme Fit liquid foundation (this is the equivalent of Diorskin Forever in the U.S.) and got shade # 011. I realized it was too light for me when I got home and had our ever trusty EE go back to have it exchanged for a darker shade (# 021). Unfortunately, they didn't have it on stock. So I am holding on to the bottle and will probably exchange it for another Bobbi Brown palette next week.

Gymboree

2007-04-27T18:25:00.000+08:00

I am a Gymboree parent. Yup, we finally succumbed to societal pressure and took DD to her first ever Gymboree class! Before class began, DD was very sociable and actually played with another girl slightly younger (but already talking) than she is. As the teacher introduced herself and started to sing loudly to pump up the class, DD grew quiet, rubbed her hands together and just stared at everyone.

Uh-oh, we don't do well with loud noises. (Side note: DD cried while everyone sang happy birthday to her at her 2nd birthday. Everyone thought it was because an older cousin blew her candles so somebody relit the candles and everyone sang again. DD bawled even louder after that.) As the other kids jumped, rolled and "made pizza" with Teacher, DD promptly turned her back and seeked out a ball.

I was stunned. I had thought that DD would actually revel in the environment as she would approach kids anywhere and wanting to interact. I guess we sheltered her too much. I had wanted to bring her to Gymboree for the longest time but
1. DH didn't think it was necessary. I think he's just in denial that his little baby is not a BABY anymore.
2. (Don't want to put the blame entirely on DH...) We don't have a driver and I could not make myself commit to driving DD to and fro Shang Mall twice a week.
3. We heard that exposing DD to other kids makes her more susceptible to coughs and colds. Our pediatrician is extremely popular and I'd hate to go see her unless it's for routine checkups.

Oh well. Despite DD being a non-participant, she was very aware of what was going on with Teacher and the other kids. She went up to try a slide after the class left that particular area and the four of us (Yaya, DH, DD and I) pushed the giant log and giant ball on our own. I guess it is just a matter of time before she eases out of her shell and brave the hustle and bustle of Gymboree.

TDK

2007-04-27T18:18:00.000+08:00

Have you ever used the term "TDK"? If you know what I mean, then this entry will make sense to you.

My family always has this thing for acronyms. We love inventing our own Tsinoy acronyms and using them out of the blue to impress each other. That said, I swear to you that I invented the acronym TDK! And now that everyone (well, almost) knows what it is and is using it, I feel the need to claim it and be recognized for it. IT'S MINE! MINE! MINE!

Of course, not even DH believes me. *sigh*

Swapping

2007-04-14T01:06:00.000+08:00

Wow, has it been that long since I posted? Five months today. Yikes!

I have been obsessed with anything about SWAPPING recently. The only thing that has been stopping this full-blown obsession is that I swap mostly with people in the U.S. which means I have to send stuff to the U.S. through other people and wait for balikbayan boxes to arrive Manila before I see the items I swapped for.

The past few months have seen me checking MakeUpAlley (MUA) every hour. (I'm surprised I haven't been fired...Haha!) I listed skincare and makeup stuff I do not use anymore and swap them for stuff I want to try. Ok, I know for some people this sounds icky but let me assure you that I swap for stuff that can be sanitized (lipliners can be sharpened, lipsticks can be chopped, fragrances are in sealed bottles, etc). I've been trying to build my collection of Shu Uemura brushes and have swapped for 5 since I started. These babies cost P1,500 and up and all you need to do is bathe them with baby shampoo bath and an alcohol-based brush cleaner. Of course, I am more of a skincare junkie than a makeup whore so not a lot of people want to swap with me :-( Americans are obsessed with eye makeup (MAC pigments...huh?) which unfortunately I do not own a lot of since I hardly know how to apply them. Bummer!

In the last two days, I've resurrected my account with LibraryThing. It is a free site where you can list all the books you own and/or have read. I have 270 books on my account and I just began listing the books Hubby and I (and now DD) co-own. Hmm...I should head off to my parents' house next and list the books I left there.

I also signed up with PaperbackSwap and Swap-a-CD. Books are harder to send through friends because they are heavier so I have decided to swap CDs (I don't think I'd ever want to listen to Livin' La Vida Loca anymore. I still haven't heard the end of it from Hubby!). CDs are lighter to send and I earn credits that are transferable to PaperbackSwap so I can get more books!!!

In case you're interested to know, I print out USPS shipping labels purchased at Paypal. I then wrap the books with 'kraft paper' (or bubble mailers for cosmetics) and then ask relatives/friends travelling to the U.S. to mail it for me when they get there.

And if you do a lot of internet shopping like I do, remember to go through Ebates. You earn rebates on your purchases if you go through their site first.

If you are going to sign up with any of the sites I mentioned, please click on the hyperlink so I get referral credit. Thanks!

Starbucks habit

2006-11-14T23:09:00.000+08:00

My brother and I spend too much of our money at Starbucks. Until recently, I had to buy a cup from them every single day. As much as I hated looking for parking, I would pass by my local Starbucks everyday and wished there was a vacant space in front lest I completely forgo my daily java or pay extra for parking across the street. Argh!

I went so often that the moment a barista sees me, she would whip out a Venti cup and started scribbling down my order. (Café Latte with 2% milk and 2 packets of Splenda). Occasionally, I’d go ‘Iced’ just to shock them (in that case, it’d be just 1 packet of Splenda.). Haha!

Oh, and I say this in all seriousness, you have me (ME!) to thank for now that Starbucks actually has Splenda packets in their outlets. Previously, I’d bring in my own packets for them to add to my cup before they poured the espresso. I hounded my baristas to ask their head office to supply them with Splendas. They actually did and for months promised me with statements like “sabi nila next week they’ll deliver”. Then when I came home from a trip in September, the baristas actually waved away my own Splenda packets and said: “Meron na kami niyan, Ma’am!” (“We have those, Ma’am.”) Finally!

Our baristas are super friendly. They would always ask about my day and make appropriate small talk depending on my outfit. If I wore gym clothes, they’d ask where I work out or how often I go in a week. If I was in work clothes, they’d ask if I just left work or working overtime or if I had breakfast already. And if I answered no to the breakfast question, they’d push their bread products. They were also very good about needling me for details. I’m usually quite tight-lipped about myself but they’d managed to find out where I work in just one week just by asking me one new question each day.

And they didn't stop there. One day, a barista asked me if Danny was my driver. (Note the first-name basis.) I told the guy that Danny was my brother’s driver. He said he connected Danny to me because a few days ago Danny came in with packets of Splenda for an order (vs. the usual grande Café Mocha he orders for my brother). Apparently, I’m the only B.Y.O.S. (bring your own splenda) customer.

My youngest brother told me at Sunday dinner that he was at my local Starbucks recently and had asked the baristas if they knew me and Danny. They answered: “Of course!” and proceeded to enumerate our usual orders. Brother dear was thoroughly impressed and promised not to doubt my stories of how “sikat” (popular) I am at my local Starbucks! Haha!

I just realized that if I continued my Starbucks habit , I will be P41,250 poorer each year. OMG!!!!!!!!!!!! And that is, if I only buy 330 days out of a year! So, I have been brownbagging my own java as often as I can in the last month. I splurged on a Keurig B60 after reading so many good reviews on the Single Serve Coffee forum. Unfortunately, the coffee ain't all that great so I'm just going through my stash. Brother and I are eyeing a new coffeemaker and if we do get it, 2007 is going to be javalicious I tell ya! Can't wait to share it with you.

How Hubby and I Met

2006-11-09T22:56:00.000+08:00

Only our closest friends know how Hubby and I met. Don’t know why but I do not like telling a lot of people because I’m sorta kinda embarrassed about it.

Back in 1997 when dial-up was the only way to access the internet from our homes and sequel.net was the only big provider, I was a ‘chatroom addict’. I would log on each night and chat with a bunch of people who hid behind corny monikers. My cousins told me which chatrooms to go to (mostly where people from their school hung out) so the whole thing didn’t felt as creepy to me. After a few months, I was a ‘regular’ at this one chatroom where the people were nice and had the same interests as I.

At our first EB (eye-ball, meaning where you meet up and see eye-to-eye), I met everyone at Café Ysabel. I asked my friend JR to come along in case things didn’t work out and I had to bail out early. Everyone was really nice and we took group pictures and all that. But wait…Hubby was NOT at the EB ok!

After the EB, KC (one of my chatroom friends) showed our group picture to his bestfriend Hubby and pointed me out to him. KC was convinced that Hubby and I would get along very well and that he should meet me. Hubby wasn’t convinced because he couldn’t see pass my “sexy curves” (ahem!…haha) he still joined our chatroom nonetheless in order to get to know me. True enough, we hit it off VERY well and I remember spending most of my time away from the chatroom and instead chatted one-on-one with Hubby in another window.

Next step, we exchanged beeper numbers (baduy! Haha!). He beeped me one day and asked whether we could call me on the phone. I agreed but all along thought he was this dentist-guy (same name as Hubby) that I was chatting with from time to time. It wasn’t until we were 5 minutes into our first phone conversation that I realized that it was Hubby and not Dentist-guy. Haha!

And the rest as they say is history….a LONG one at that! Just consider this, Hubby and I got married in 2003…six years later! I’ll continue my story…someday. 

Christmas Wish List

2006-11-07T01:20:00.000+08:00

A lot of people think I’m difficult to buy gifts for. I, on the other hand, THINK I’m very easy to please. Yes, I tend to lean towards luxury things (bags!) but here are really common, everyday things that will make me very VERY happy.

(2 minute pause…)
Hmm…I just realized that I have a strong penchant for gift certificates. Well, I like the freedom to be able to choose my gifts but receiving ang-paos (red Chinese money envelopes) feels slightly impersonal to me. And, I feel guilty about spending cash gifts so it goes directly to my bank account…and I don't get pleasure from that!? Haha!

Here’s my list :
1. Fully Booked GCs (ahh…Hubby, DD and I go nuts in there!)
2. Starbucks GCs (the baristas at my local Starbucks know me and my preferences so well, it’s not even funny! I don’t enjoy anonymity when I walk in anymore.)
3. Magazine Subscription/s from Emerald or Bufini (I’m a member of M.A. – Magazines Anonymous.)
4. Jollibee or McDonald's GCs
5. Amazon.com GCs (for my DVD Collection and for anything else under the sun!)
6. a Flavia Fusion and a year’s worth of coffee packs (in that case, I won’t be needing # 2)
7. Vicky Belo or Marie France GCs (no explanation needed!)
8. a full-time Driver (just for me and DD)
9. any spa GCs (plus a driver who will take me there)
10. custom pair of jeans from Viktor Jeans (shop at Podium)
11. Everyday Minerals GCs (another new addiction!)

While I’m at it, here’s DD’s Wish List (she “told” me to tell people!):
1. Gymboree GCs (we haven’t tried a class but if she loves it, we will need all the financial help we can get!)
2. Fully Booked GCs (she’s trying to build her library)
3. SM GCs (in case we need something from Toy Kingdom or The Baby Store)
4. more Megabloks (her favorite toys!)
5. Closet space…for all the clothes that she gets!

Happy Shopping for us!

Babywearing

2006-11-03T13:18:00.000+08:00

I’ve been heehawing with the idea of babywearing for the longest time. Well, ever since I saw JCC at a party and marveled at the idea that there ARE Manila moms who are hip! Haha! I was pumping exclusively so I didn’t think I needed a sling. But now that our holiday trip is coming up, the idea of babywearing is becoming more and more practical. I’m thinking our stroller would be separated from us at some point before or after our flights and I can’t imagine carrying DD for more than 5 minutes at a time. She looks lean but she’s siksik/heavy!

I initially contacted Ella to get one. I’ve emailed her a couple of times for purchase/delivery details but when I found myself at Glorietta on Halloween, I decided to stop by Babyland and I bought a sling! Yey!

Unfortunately, DD wasn’t too hot about the idea. I already knew as much (she’s 19months and quite independent) but had hoped that she’d take to the sling like fish to water. Yeah, right! She wouldn’t stay in the ‘pouch’ and would start squirming as soon as she felt my arms let go of her body a bit. I guess she doesn’t trust the safety of the sling as much as my Dad. (He told me to return it. I guess he thought I got in the States.)

I’ll probably experiment with DD again this weekend. Keep your fingers crossed for us!

All children deserve better...

2006-10-30T23:34:00.000+08:00

Hubby has a soft spot for little sampaguita vendors. His car passes by a bunch of them everyday to and from work. He has his sukis and would point them out to me whenever I’m with him. We were coming home from a wake (the 3rd this month!) earlier tonight and stopped at a light on Ortigas. We saw this little sampaguita girl in a blue raincoat offering her flowers to a taxi passenger in front of us. The guy refused to buy. Hubby asked me to gather up some coins so that we can give it to the little girl. “We’ll just give it to her and not take the sampaguita.”, Hubby said. We rolled down our window just as the little girl came walking up to our car. Hubby handed her our coins and she picked out a strand of sampaguita to give us. Hubby waved away the flowers but the little girl insisted. I told Hubby to take it since I heard somewhere that these kids are not allowed to go home if they don’t sell all their flowers. Our stoplight turned green and I looked to my right to catch a final glimpse of the little girl. She was crouching on the sidewalk and had a coughing fit…so that’s why she was bundled in a raincoat with the hood up (even if it wasn’t raining). It broke my heart. I turned to Hubby and said: “It isn’t fair……” I wasn’t even done with my sentence when he said: “I know.”……”I’ll look out for her tomorrow and give her some money.”

Why oh why are innocent children like her given to parents who cannot even nurture them? There are so many deserving couples who yearn for a child but cannot conceive. And yet, irresponsible and incapable people plop out babies like they were a factory?

It just isn’t fair. ALL children deserve the better.

Stop the Vicious Cycle!

2006-10-28T11:33:00.000+08:00

I was on my way to the dentist yesterday when I saw a sampaguita boy hanging on the back of a delivery van with a big smile on his face. I worried. It is about to rain. The boy is going to catch a cold. Does his Mom know where he is? I think about my daughter back home snug as a bug and taking her afternoon nap. How can two innocent children live so differently? I thought…the sampaguita boy’s Mom must not love him very much.

I know I should not say that about another mother because who wishes for her child to be out in the rain selling flowers? Who wants their child to live in poverty? More often than not, the mother just don’t know any better. Her mother probably didn’t know any better either. A vicious cycle.

I may be generalizing here but it pains me to think that this child was brought into this world because his parents were simply horny and Dad refused to use a condom. Exactly the story of our Driver, AC.

AC has had 6 kids in a span of 7 years. Simply put, his wife had not gotten her period back yet when she became pregnant again. My youngest brother (who’s 22) has even advised him to learn family planning. AC really TRULY cannot afford another child. Everyday he wishes that someone in my family will need him for overtime so he can earn some extra cash. But that takes away his time with his family. I surmise there are times when he doesn’t see his kids for days.

My Dad finally stepped in and talked to him about ‘keeping his pants on’ for the children’s sake. AC reasons that his in-laws have been helping them financially naman. Recently though, I heard that his in-laws’ small business has gone kaput. Does that mean AC is now responsible for them too?! Our older driver RG has advised AC to get a vasectomy. Yeah right! Show me a Filipino man willing to do this and you’ll be my hero for life!

Which brings me to my point. AC’s wife should have put her foot down. If she loves her children, she will take charge in learning family planning, get her man to use a condom for pete’s sake and start educating her family! I wanna tell her…Your children were already born into poverty, the least you can do is do everything to help them rise above it (by making sure they get an education). In turn, your family’s future generations will not have to experience poverty. Stop the vicious cycle!

What's with Halloween nowadays!?

2006-10-26T14:10:00.000+08:00

My colleague brought a spider costume to work today to lend to one of our staff. Last night, my friends were talking about swapping the kiddie’s costumes.

What is it with Halloween in Manila nowadays!?

Prior to having a baby, I was quite oblivious to the makings of the holiday. It has always been a normal workday for us worker-bees and so it has been a few years since I’ve seen children go trick-or-treating in our village. I would usually leave for work in the morning eyeing the loads of candies to be given away and then go home later in the day with empty baskets to welcome me. I’d see the househelp dishing stories about the cool and cute costumes they saw earlier while munching candies. Apparently, they also go trick-or-treating.

I didn’t bother to get DD a costume last year because I thought she was too young to join in the ritual. This year, it wasn’t August yet when my brother started bugging me to reveal my ‘costume ideas’ for DD. He went as far as searching online for Supergirl (I guess he had ideas of his own!) costumes and egging me on to order.

I’ll reveal DD’s costume after Halloween!

Which brings me to my point…What is with Halloween in Manila nowadays?!

I am simply amazed as to how the retail world, hotels, villages, parents and kids go all out for Halloween. Toy shops are brimming with pumpkin baskets, costumes, accessories (fairy wands, etc.) and decorations. Hotels and villages organize their own parties. My brother’s condo organized a pre-trick-or-treating magic show with a merienda buffet. And, parents actually shell out money to outfit their kids!

When I was growing up, we only had those thin plastic mold masks as our ‘costume’ and a sando bag to put our candies in. If our Mom allowed us to use an old pillowcase to cut out for a ghost costume, we considered ourselves lucky! We also thought the kids with the plastic orange pumpkin baskets were COOL because they must have gotten it abroad. (Wow, imported!) Side note: A few years later, I saw some kids use Tiffany and Louis Vuitton paper bags for their candies. Sheesh…

All these hoopla for Halloween just goes to show how deeply imbedded American rituals/traditions are in our minds. I wouldn’t be surprised if one day, we will start celebrating Thanksgiving too. It probably is not that far off because I already know of a couple of Manila restaurants that add turkey to November specials.

Impossible!

2006-10-25T23:55:00.000+08:00

Nothing gets me all pumped up (or riled up, depending on the situation) than when people tell me something is IMPOSSIBLE or HARD to do or to get. It is the same feeling I get when a salesperson throws the term 'Limited Edition' and the words “Buy Now!!!” appears in a thought bubble above my head! Hubby said (and I agree) that those two words get me in trouble everytime!

Anyway, I had dinner with a group of friends earlier and I told them of our plans to bring DD to the U.S. and that we are going to ask Yaya to apply for an U.S. visa. One of the girls said that if Yaya hasn’t been to the U.S. before : “Malabo yan. Impossible!”

Grrrr…..

Even if the chance of getting a visa for Yaya is indeed 50-50, who is she to say with certainty that it’s impossible!? She’s allowed to THINK it but she didn’t have the right to say it to my face. Talk about dashing someone’s hope in a split second. She even added: “Kung ako sayo, huwag ka na pumunta kung di kasama si Yaya. Ang hirap. Baka di mo makayanan.” (If I were you, I will not go without Yaya. It’s hard. You might not be able to manage.)

Double Grrrrr…… Triple GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR……………

And so, I texted my cousin whose Yaya got a visa recently. She assured me that one of her friends’ Yaya got a visa despite never having traveled before. She also told me not too worry. Now, isn’t that nicer to the ears?

This incident reminded me of those times when people loudly comment “Tumaba ka noh?” (You got fat, huh?) to me in front of many people. Some people are simply rude and insensitive. And more often than not, these statements come from people who are fat themselves. It’s like they’re miserable with their weight and they aim to make others as miserable as they are. HELLO? Of course I know I gained weight! And really, I don’t need someone to throw it to my face.

I say…if you don’t have anything nice to say, better not say anything.

Breastmilk vs. Formula

2006-10-22T16:16:00.000+08:00

We had dinner with my in-laws last night and my sis-in-law brought her 8-month old daughter. We were viewing pictures and videos on her digital camera and I saw that my niece has started to climb up by herself using her parent’s bed board as support. I commented loudly how ‘advanced’ she is as opposed to DD who didn’t climb up by herself that early. Anyway, our aunt turned to me and asked: “Do you think she’s advanced because she’s takes formula?”. I was stunned into silence. Our aunt continued, “…maybe because formula is more complete…everything is in there.”

Her statement was a personal affront to me because I had proudly (as in PROUDLY!) pumped breastmilk for my baby for 13 months. I thought I was the BOMB!...for having done it for that long. It had suddenly seemed that I unknowingly gave my child “incomplete” nourishment for the first year of her life. It felt like what I had done was for naught.

Earlier today, I told Hubby what his aunt told me last night. And he basically-more-or-less agreed that formula is more complete.

He likened breastfeeding to herbal medicine and formula to antibiotics. You can use either to cure an illness but it is up to you to decide which one you’ll use. The antibiotics kills both the good and bad but the herbal medicines kills only the bad. He also said that the content of breastmilk really depends on what the mother has eaten. Whereas, formula is consistently complete. If a Mom doesn’t eat well, the breastmilk has more water than nutrients. I think he said something like “flavored water”. Sacrilege!

I do not want to “slay” Hubby here (and he’s on cold and cough meds so he’s HIGH). He had been most supportive when I was pumping, did a lot of PR for breastfeeding to our friends, and was the first to declare sincerely how proud he is of me for having done so. I’m just frustrated that no matter how much I thought I knew about breastfeeding basics, I grappled around like a blind woman when it came time to defending it. I failed in advocating breastfeeding to my OWN family!

It hurts to think that there reside some doubt in my husband’s and family’s mind about the ‘completeness’ of my breastmilk. It definitely didn’t help that the statement first came from my in-laws. But those are just my insecurities…and its 5-minutes are UP! (Positive thoughts…positive thoughts…deep breath…)

I know that there are thousands (if not millions) of mothers out there who will rally behind me. There is no doubt in my mind that I have done what’s best for my baby and that I played a big role in possibly preventing her from developing diabetes (it runs in my family) and more allergies (aside from the mild eczema she has now). I pray her good health will continue to be a testament to the merits of breastfeeding.

P.S. Before writing this, I opened my new issue of Metro Working Mom (October 2006) and Apa Ongpin wrote an article titled: “Why I Love Boobs: A father’s breastfeeding crusade”. It came at the right time. Here’s what made me feel a whole lot better:

“…many Filipinos believe that formula is better, an idea persisting from the postwar era. This was when infant formula was first introduced by multinationals from developed countries. These countries, incidentally, also produce a lot of beef. If you’re going to raise cows, they will make milk, and you have to milk them because if you don’t, they get very upset, then they explode. Then you have all this milk. Formula was sold as superior to breastmilk, in blatant defiance of scientific research until legislation that took effect in the late 1980s made this claim illegal (to the ire of many cows).

There is nothing intrinsically wrong with infant formula—many babies have been in excellent health while being fed nothing else. But this scientific fact: breastmilk is far superior, in infancy and far beyond. It is so complex that modern science has yet to figure out its ingredients, or duplicate its benefits.

Take colostrums, secreted the first few days after birth. It is believed that mothers’ bodies produce different “mixes” of colostrums in response to environmental factors, giving infants highly tailored packages of nutrients and resistance builders (making them more resistant to allergies and sickness). Formula, on the other hand, is “one size fits all”.”

Finding Lea's Blog

2006-10-19T18:36:00.000+08:00

I finally found Lea Salonga’s Multiply site! I read an interview of Lea in the Philippine Star a few days ago and the writer mentioned that Lea has a blog. If you know me well, you know how ga-ga I am over Lea! “The Making of Miss Saigon” documentary gave me goosebumps and made me cry (coz I was so PROUD of Lea. Hahah!) I do not keep a lot of stuff from my childhood but her LPs (think Rainbow Connection, Tomorrow, etc.)…I definitely still have them.

Anyway, I found the following questionnaire in her blog and (like her…) wanted to fill it out too so here goes—

Last cigarette:
1999 with Hubby…although we were only “best friends” then. He was smoking a cigar and I lit up one of those slim ciggies. It was pretty daring of me considering we were at the Manila Pen lobby and my parents (or any of my 1000 relatives) could walk in and see me!

Last car ride:
Just over an hour ago. I borrowed Dad’s car to drive myself from his house to my maternal Grandma’s house.

Last good cry:
Last night while watching an episode of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. The show built a house for this Filipino family who migrated to the U.S. ten years ago. The Dad just recently completely lost his eyesight, his 2 daughters can still partially see shadows (they got the rare genetic disease from their Dad), the son is deaf (his Mom had German measles while pregnant) and the grandma is also blind. The family faces so many adversities each day and yet they remain steadfast and truly care for each other. What really hit me the most was that the father and son could not communicate. The Dad could not see his son’s sign language! So the show gave them this computer program wherein whatever the Dad says is translated into sign language for the son to see. Isn’t modern technology AMAZING!!!????

Last Library book checked out:
Can’t remember which book but it definitely was in college, 11 years ago.

Last movie seen:
Lake House. Hubby made me see it and it was a wonderful movie!

Last book read:
On my flight back from L.A., I read: Free Gift with Purchase: My Improbable Career in Magazines and Makeup by Jean Godfrey-June. After reading The Devil Wears Prada a couple of years ago, I have been secretly addicted to books like: Bergdorf Blondes, You’ll Never Nanny in this Town Again, Chore Whore, The Debutante Divorcee, Everyone Worth Knowing, Wolves in Chic Clothing, etc.

Last food consumed:
Godiva truffles. I dove into Dad’s stash…uh-oh!

Last crush:
the new Superman! (see July 2nd blog entry)

Last phone call:
with Mom…she wants to know where I am!

Last TV show watched:
Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. Before that, the new episodes of Grey’s Anatomy (downloaded from the ‘net…hehe!)

Last time showered:
This morning before going to work.

Last shoes worn:
Black d’orsay with ankle straps and 3” heels from Bandolino.

Last CD played:
my baby’s Backyardigans CD. We both love it. My favorite song is: Castaway. DD's favorite: the Backyardigans theme song.

Last item bought:
tons of local magazines from Fully Booked, including the Moms & Babies issue with Lea & Nicole Chien

Last downloaded:
more episodes of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.

Last annoyance:
A few hours ago when my manicurist told me she couldn’t accommodate me today. I made an appointment for 5:30pm but her 4:00pm client had not arrived by 4:30pm which means they’ll finish by 6pm at the earliest. She clocks out at 6pm so TOUGH LUCK…for me! Grrrrrrrrrr..

Last disappointment:
I had time to spare for a massage today (my last one was ages ago!) and then I remember I couldn’t have one because I have my period.

Last soda drank: Diet Coke.

Last thing written: a blog entry yesterday but haven’t posted yet.

Last key used: Dad’s car keys

Last words spoken: OK! (to Mom. She wanted me to drink a cup of herbal soup she prepared. Told me to ask the maid to warm it up.)

Last sleep: Last night.

Last IM: with Hubby…when I was in L.A. last month.

Last sexual fantasy: To jump Hubby in broad daylight…of course, in the comfort of our own room. Haha!

Last weird encounter:
hmmm…nothing comes to mind.

Last ice cream eaten:
Last Saturday, I bought Selecta ice cream for a get-together with friends.

Last time amused:
Yesterday. Yaya recently cut DD’s hair and she woke up from her nap with pouffed up hair but still looking like a boy!

Last time wanting to die:
Never happened. Although I do think about what my family will be like if I’m not around anymore.

Last time in love: Still am…with Hubby! 

Last time hugged:
Probably this morning…I can’t remember because I’m usually dead asleep when Hubby gives me one before he leaves for work.

Last chair sat in:
Dad’s office chair…at his house…where I am right now.!

Last time you went dancing:
At a friend’s wedding last month in L.A. Couldn’t help it…they played YMCA and Twist! (God, I’m getting old!)

Last web page visited: Lea Salong’s multiply site and Amazon.com

Last fruity photo taken: Uh…fruity???.

December Travel Plans

2006-10-18T23:29:00.000+08:00

Hubby and I are planning to take DD to the U.S. for New Year’s. My whole family’s going to be there and Hubby hasn’t been back since DD was born so we’re really looking forward to it. Of course, this idea doesn’t sit well with my old school “traveling-is-a-luxury-only-reserved-for-deserving-adults” in-laws. They must have been blaming (yet again) the B.I. daughter-in-law (me!) as soon as Hubby told them of our plans. You see, Hubby hardly traveled before we were married. And after our honeymoon, the travel bug/beast in him was unleashed!

Ok, I always tell people that I do not care what my in-laws say about me. As long as I fulfill my obligations to my husband, my daughter, and to them (bare minimum as per Tsinoy standards), my conscience is clear and I can rest easy at night. The wise man that he is, DH keeps me in the dark about what my in-laws do say about me. What I don’t know can’t hurt me, right? But if it is really crucial, DH gives me the filtered version.

Going back to my point…

We had our weekly dinner with my in-laws last Saturday. This is the short conversation between FIL (father-in-law) and Hubby (in Chinese) --

FIL : Uncle R is taking his whole family to Singapore for the long Nov. 1 weekend. I told him to just leave Siobe (the youngest daughter) at home. I am completely against taking kids abroad. Kids don’t remember anything from the trip. It’s a complete waste of money. (Note: Siobe is 8 years old.)

Hubby: (again the wise man that he is replied…) Bringing the kids abroad is really not for the kids…but for the parents. The parents want the whole family to be complete and be together.

FIL: (Silence. This ends the topic.)

I wanted to slap Hubby in the back and shout: “you go, BOY!” Woohooo!!!! You did me proud!” Of course in reality, I just kept quiet and acted like the conversation flew by me.

A few days later, I brought up the topic with Hubby and thanked him for standing up for our plans. He said he was the poster boy for “traveling-is-a-luxury-only-reserved-for-deserving-adults” and he didn’t want that for our daughter. He didn’t complain when he was younger but when he hit his mid-20s, been working his a** off with no vacation days whatsoever, he realized that he had been royally screwed. Still being the obedient son that he is, he never complained.

My parents, on the other hand, are firm believers in traveling as a way to open a child’s mind. My brothers and I were always the underachievers (school-wise) in the family but we were always the confident, personable and adventurous ones. I could check my family out of a hotel at the age of 10 (calling my Dad over when it’s time to sign the bill), read a map and be Dad’s navigator around Los Angeles, and find alternative lodgings for my family in Orlando before I hit my teens. Maybe these examples are no biggies now but it sure was during my time! (Ok, now I feel old!).

I can only wish the same opportunities for my daughter. I want her to travel. Not to be overwhelmed by the sights but to embrace the world beyond her shell like it was her birthright to explore every nook and cranny. I want her to go out and own the world.

Yaya's passport saga

2006-10-16T21:24:00.000+08:00

Since April, I’ve been asking Yaya to renew her passport. The holidays are six months away and my parents have been throwing around the idea of taking DD abroad in December. The problem was Yaya can’t seem to find her expired passport. She was always under the impression that her Mom in the province was keeping her passport because they do not want her to work abroad anymore. And so, she asked her sister to search for it in secret. To no avail.

August came and after much prodding from me, Yaya asked her aunt who works for a travel agency to file an Affidavit of Loss for her passport and to apply for a new one. She also asked for a renewal of her NBI clearance (“valid for travel”). The wheels started turning and in mid-September Yaya’s aunt called and said that there was a problem. The NBI office claimed that there was another person applying for an NBI clearance with the exact same name as Yaya’s. Same first, middle and last names. Same birthdate and same birthplace. The travel agent contacted the other person and set up an appointment wherein she and Yaya can meet face to face.

Yaya finally went to the NBI Head Office to meet the “imposter” and at the first mention of the word “fraud” called her brother who works for the military. Her brother then called his ‘kumpare’ at the NBI to help her out. Yaya was brought into the kumpare’s office as the imposter was being interviewed.

The imposter actually had in hand Yaya’s birth certificate (requested from NSO) and expired passport. The NBI officer asked her the usual, “What’s your complete name?”, “Where were you born?” etc. The woman had the gall to ask why the officer was asking her all these questions when the information is all on her birth certificate. The officer then proceeded to ask for her family’s contact info in the province. The woman said that her entire family is now residing in Manila. Unfortunately for her, the NBI officer knows Yaya’s family very well and also knows that everyone except for Yaya still lives there. Next, she was asked to give the name and contact info of her previous employer in Dubai. (Yaya was an OFW). The woman said it had been a while and she doesn’t remember. Wrong answer, Yaya was worked for the Dubai employer for 12 years so it was highly unlikely she will forget a detail like that. The woman was a fraud! Things happened so fast after that. The woman was handcuffed right before Yaya’s eyes.

Here’s what happened.

When Yaya arrived from her 12-year stint in Dubai, her soldier-brother picked her up from the airport. She handed her passport to her brother for safekeeping. Her brother gave it to his wife who placed it in a drawer. Yaya and her sister-in-law promptly forgot about the passport.

Yaya’s brother has a place in Manila so when the family’s in town, they ask his best friend’s maid to come and help clean their house. Yaya’s imposter was the maid. I guess she saw the passport has been in the drawer for the longest time and no one seems to remember it and so she stole it. The woman proceeded to apply for a job abroad as a domestic helper using the passport. Apparently, she got a placement fairly quickly since the passport showed a previous Dubai employment visa. The woman was applying for an NBI clearance as the last step to her application process. It was all she needed to have her passport released from the POEA (or was it DFA?) and she was set to leave for HK the following week. Had Yaya delayed her NBI renewal application a mere 7days, the imposter would have left for HK already and it will be hell from there for Yaya.

The NBI officer is helping Yaya with the paperwork to clear her name as well as set up an appointment with DFA for another interview.

Just when we think these things only happen to other people, it hits close to home! Take care of your passports, everyone!

Pet Peeve

2006-10-09T23:35:00.000+08:00

One of my biggest pet peeves is when people invade my ‘physical’ space. It’s when strangers stand too close to you, or if someone smokes and the smoke blows my way, or when someone passes by you and their elbow or butt hit you. Grrrr!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

For some reason, I always experience this “invasion” at Unimart. The employees there REALLY need a lot of etiquette training and the maids who shop there should also be trained by their employers. What’s so difficult in saying “Excuse me” or “I’m sorry”? I am overly polite to all people and I expect the same from others.

I was in front of the mayo display deciding which brand to get when suddenly an arm darts across my chest and its hand reaches out for a Lady’s Choice Mayonnaise. Uhh, hello??? Did the term “excuse me” go out of style? Or was I hogging the entire mayo section without my knowing? She could have moved to my left and used the five-inch clearance between my arm and the Lady’s Choice section! Strike one, I swallowed my anger.

Then we’re off to the checkout counter. Just ten days ago at our last trip to the grocery, I reprimanded the cashier at the next counter “Miss, magsabi ka naman ng excuse me kung dadaan ka.” (Translation: Miss, please say ‘excuse me’ when you want to pass.) The girl had the gall to look through me and walk away without saying sorry. Yaya probably have never seen me that angry!

See, Unimart has the narrowest checkout counters in the world! I mean if I were just 30 pounds heavier, I swear I will not fit in that tight space to save my life. I actually heard a wife asked her husband: “Kakasya ka ba?” (Will you fit?) just when the poor guy was about to pass through. I think he turned sideways to fit. And so you can imagine me, watching the cash register, with my sexy (ha!) butt facing the cashier at the next counter. Lucky me, I caught the tail end of a shift so there were two cashiers in the next counter counting bills and coins. One of the cashiers strutted in that minute space like she was in a 20 square meter lot and her butt kept hitting mine. First time, I let it go. Second time, I was beginning to get really irked. Third time, that’s when I faced her and told her off. Not that it got me anywhere. I should’ve added: “Di ka rin pala marunong mag-sorry.” (You also don’t know how to say sorry.)

Today, something similar happened to me (shift change AGAIN!) except I actually stepped aside and stood beside the bagger so that I don’t open myself up to an irksome situation. The next counter’s new shift cashier actually planned to walk through me like she was a ghost. I swear she didn’t see me till our faces were 4 inches from each other. Good thing she gave me a big smile and said: “Ay ma’am, paraan po.” (Ma’am, may I pass?) or she would be deaf (from my roar!) by now.

Ok, got that out of my system. Good night!

TV Shows

2006-08-02T23:32:00.000+08:00

It’s crazy how I get so involved in the premise of the TV shows that I watch. Right now, I’m into Grey’s Anatomy. I did a two-day marathon on the first 2 seasons and my dark eyebags and screwed up sleep schedule are testaments to that. I so wish I am a doctor…and a surgeon at that. It seems such a noble cause to be able to save lives. There is a higher purpose versus the careers most of us have which is basically to earn money and then spend more money. That sounded hollow and greedy. Hmm…perhaps if I were a doctor I wouldn’t be in the family business. I could’ve become a dermatologist…low stress + high profit. Haha!

Prior to Grey’s Anatomy, I was into CSI for a time. I actually told Hubby that I wanted to move to Las Vegas and work with Gil Grissom. So much so that I had a full-out I-remember-every-detail dream and told Hubby about it the next morning while half-asleep (he was probably running late for work and I kept him another five minutes). The weird thing was in the dream I worked on a crime scene in a wet market in Quiapo. *yikes* Hubby called me “CSI: Quiapo”. Fine, it was realistic since I’m in the Philippines but couldn’t I have had a more sosy site like Makati!? Geez!

While on my CSI addiction, I was into West Wing as well. God, I actually wished I was a U.S. citizen so that I could legitimately apply for a job in the White House. OK, President Bartlett (Martin Sheen) was a honorable leader and I wouldn’t mind working for him. But George W. Bush…no f#**king way! Just looking at him gives me the creeps. He ranks up there with GMA…but she’s Malacanan Palace and that IS Hell so forget I even mentioned it.

Next up: the Law & Order series. Law & Order: Criminal Intent is awesome! I love the guy detective there, Vincent D’Onofrio. He’s such a good actor and his character is so intuitive and smart…he ‘psychologizes’ his suspects! I so want to be him. (side note: He plays Vince Vaughn’s older brother in The Breakup and as usual, he was GOOD!) I’m so addicted to the CI series that I’m strongly considering ordering the Season 2 from Amazon UK even if it costs twice as it would’ve been if it was already available in the U.S.

I spend so much on DVD sets it’s not even funny. If I like the show, I want to buy the DVDs. Hubby doesn’t understand why I bother since we could easily download the shows from the ‘net (ok, I shouldn’t have said that). Plus I can watch the episodes as soon as it airs in the States. Can’t explain why…just one of my quirks.

Other DVD sets we own:
Friends (We love this series so much. It carried me through 9 months of pregnancy.)
Sex and the City
Everybody Loves Raymond (Hubby & I both love this.)
Will and Grace (Hubby’s homophobic so enough said.)

Tired

2006-07-11T23:19:00.000+08:00

"The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak."

I always think of this statement whenever I feel that DH and I don't spend "alone" time together anymore. Meaning, no dates.

I'm sure my Baby wants to take me out except he's so damned tired at the end of the day. I can see it in his eyes when he comes home...he literally looks drained. One one side, I feel sorry for the guy. He hates his work environment (over the top stressful) and can't do anything about it (he works with his family). The only plus side he says is: "I'm good at what I do." (Yeah, he kicks a**!) On the other hand, I seriously think DH has to get some form of exercise. He needs to deal with stress head-on. But he reasons that he doesn't have time to exercise and that he'll be even more tired if he works out. Of course, I told him that it's so NOT true.

I know I shouldn't complain because DH is really such a great husband but I wish he wasn't so tired all the time. I wish he didn't look so spent when he indeed takes me out on a date. I feel guilty about asking for a date when I know all he wants to do is close his eyes and take it easy. I wish we could go for a weekend brunch sometimes. But he only gets to sleep in on weekends and I don't want to deprive him of his much needed rest. Besides, our weekends can be brutal. We have parties to go to, dinners out with the family, errands to run, etc. There's too much happening in our world. Not enough "just the three of us" time. DH actually wishes we could just disappear and move to another place on earth where no one knows us then we'll have all the time in the world.

[I also wish we could also travel more and not worry about what his bosses think. Let’s just say the term “vacation leave” does not hold much in their minds. But that’s another story.]

Anyway, I worry because DD is growing up so fast and we need to have a weekend ritual and a more active lifestyle for her sake. Pretty soon we would need to start going to church together, do an athletic activity (or some sort of exercise) together and then cater to our other obligations (family, parties, etc.) Our weekends are going to be even busier and I want DH to be up for it.

I guess we’ll take it one day at a time.

Busy Day

2006-07-10T23:15:00.000+08:00

We are trying to finalize the ‘finishing’ for our new office. DB1 (dear brother 1) and I are at odds over the color scheme, choice of flooring and woodworks. I don’t know how we’re going to resolve this quick enough because we want to start construction before the “Chinese July” which commences on July 25th. We went to MC Home Depot to look for more tile choices and what a big disappointment! 75% of their tenants have closed down shop and the selection in the general area is abysmal. Whatever happened to MC Home Depot!!!? DH and I got a lot of finishing materials there for our new home three years ago. Today, we left with nothing…zero!

We passed by Corinthian Hills on the way back and saw a new Starbucks (it still had a newly-painted smell…they opened June 29). We stopped for our usual caffeine fixes. It was DB1’s 2nd grande because he was up all night till 5am watching the World Cup finals with Dad and friends! I, on the other hand, had to psych myself to go to sleep last night and woke up groggy but still got to the gym. *brag brag*

Late afternoon, I took DD to her uncle’s wedding rehearsal. She loved the vastness of the ballroom and walked her heart out. Unfortunately, she wouldn’t walk down the aisle in a straight line. She veered towards the left or right midway down the aisle each time. We’re hoping DD will be good and hold on to the older flower girl. I’m already dreading the possibility that I will have to hold DD by the hand and lead her down the aisle! Aaahhh! DH can’t do it since he’s the best man and therefore already in front.

Side note: I get nostalgic when there is a wedding the family. Brings me back to my own wedding which was around this time 3 years ago. I was X pounds thinner then and loved all the fuss and frills that surrounded me. DH was so glad when the wedding was over (he found the whole thing quite stressful) while I suffered withdrawals. I had to dissuade myself from reaching out for another wedding magazine three months after we said I do.

Anyway, Yaya and I noticed DD's fascination with other kids and her unabashed desire to make friends. She would try to hold another little girl’s hand and give a hug or a shake of hands with just a word from us. Overall, DD is Ms. Diplomatic. She is generous with her hello hand waves, flying kisses, and blesses (mano). I think she will be ready for Gymboree in a couple of months. I want her to socialize with kids her own age. Being the first grandchild on DH’s and my side of the family, she has no playmates except for her uncles!

Milestones: DD is good with the shape sorter now. She’s familiar with circle, triangle, square and the more difficult star. It’s cute how she would fix the position of the shape in her hand so that the shape/block will slid in to the shape sorter easily. And she executed the perfect ‘bless’ today. She took my hand and put it against her forehead. I was sooo proud as I only told Yaya to teach her that a couple of days ago.

Wedding countdown (not ours though): 5 days to go.

Fever

2006-07-09T21:40:00.000+08:00

DD went to visit her Nai-Nai (Grandma in Mandarin) last Friday because my Mom was leaving for Taiwan the next day. She got home half an hour after we got back from the wake. Yaya already said that DD felt warm. We took her temperature and it was 38.2. Yikes! Our househelp and Yaya (wearing a mask now) had been fighting colds the past 2 days and we got worried that DD was the next victim.

I slept in DD's room last night and she seemed ok except she was particularly clingy all night, wanting to cuddle with someone instead of sleeping alone in her crib. Her temperature fluctuated between 37.9-38.2. I wasn't that worried because her appetite (for milk) was the same.

I called our pedia Saturday morning and she just told us to keep giving Tempra every 4 hours and to watch out for colds and cough. She said sometimes fever precedes those two. A minute later, DD had a runny nose. Another minute later, it was gone. So I guess teething was the culprit.

My in-laws came over for dinner that night. They were expecting DD to be listless and in bed and were shocked to see her walking, pulling out books from the shelves and eating up a storm as usual. She still had a temperature at that point but my baby is indeed a Supergirl! (She loves it when my brother, her Aku, would swing her up and down like she was flying. Been doing that since she was 4 months old. Fearless!)

To date at 15 months, it is the 2nd time that DD came down with a fever. First one was due to a vaccination and this one due to teething.

Oh, we used our Braun Thermoscan ear thermometer on DD. Our pedia preferred checking her temp via the armpit but the Braun was so much quicker (less than 5 seconds) and easier to use. And I thought the Braun gave a more accurate temperature. DD was really warm and yet the regular digital thermometer read 37.2. Huh?! I think DH and I need to bust out the manual and relearn how to use the Braun properly.

Death

2006-07-08T19:06:00.000+08:00

We learned the other night that our close friend JS’ Dad passed away. We didn’t know his father well but we do know how much it would affect our friend. (JS is a friend who’ll do anything and everything for you. He is naturally helpful and selfless. JS became our friend by affinity…he married one of my closest childhood friend, KS.)

Before I go on, one weird quirk in my family is that we are allergic to anything to with death. Blame it to my Grandma who has this deep fear of anything to do with death. We weren’t allowed to wear black clothes. Ok, this is common in Tsinoy families but my Grandma was adamant that my parents talk to my nursery teachers to excuse me from wearing black shoes to school. Thank God, my Dad put his foot down. Also, Grandma forbade us to go to wakes and burials, visit my Grandpa’s grave or even talk/insinuate about death. Grandma’s paranoia became so much a part of our lives that we now have this almost-paranoia in us.

I do not remember the last time I ever went to a wake. My maternal Grandma died when I was pregnant with DD and it was simply a given that I would not attend the wake and burial. But it was without question that I would go to JS’ Dad’s wake. (He’s almost like family!) DH had to brief me on “wake etiquette” and honestly, I was kinda nervous about going. The first-time type of nervousness.

JS and KS seemed ok. Although their Dad knew for 9 years that he had a heart problem and refused to be operated on, his death at 77 years old still came as a shock to his family. He was fine prior to that. JS & KS lived in the unit beside his parents so they were affected the most since they saw their Dad everyday and their DD (our godchild), JK, was Grandpa’s favorite. I was pretty calm as they recounted the hours (as it was told to them) before their father’s death but almost broke down when they expressed their worries about how to tell their 3-year old DD where Grandpa is. I could not help but put myself in their shoes. How do you ever explain the death of a loved one to a child?

We also got to talking about life insurance, memorial plans, cemetery plots, etc. Isn’t it insane that a cemetery lot is more expensive than a residential lot? And that a casket can cost up to P750,000! DH said it’s impractical to spend that much on a casket and he refuses to be duped by the funeral parlor guys. But I said, in your moments of grief and mourning, do you think you’ll be lucid enough to ponder on the specs and make of a casket? And, wouldn’t you want to give your dearly departed the very best?! I digress.

JS said it seemed a good idea to invest in a memorial plan and a cemetery plot right now. Not to be morbid but to save our children from financial worries and from making difficult decisions about our postmortem situation. In a memorial plan, you get to decide what to do with your remains, which type of kabaong you want and how simple or lavish you want your wake and burial to be.

All this got me thinking. I should write my will. I do not have much to put on the will but whatever I have I want them to go to the right people. I told DH that I would specify in my will that he can only touch his “inheritance” from me for emergency purposes. Lest he wastes my precious belongings on a mistress who will maltreat my daughter. Hahah! Wild imagination, I tell ya.

Seriously now, no harm in writing that will. And think about this: consider donating your organs. What goes around, comes around. Who knows? One day, it might be your loved one or even you who will need an organ and wouldn’t you want to be helped?

Birthweek

2006-07-06T15:27:00.000+08:00

My birthday is officially over. I refuse to accept the fact that my birthday is only a one-day affair each year. DH and I call it our “birthweek”. We have 7 days to celebrate and get special favors from each other. A few days ago, he caught me eating a piece of my birthday cake: “I thought you’re on a diet.” And I promptly reminded him that it is my birthWEEK and he conceded.

Last night, the birthweek has officially come to a close. Our friends treated me to dinner at the Teak (Power Plant Mall). It was my 2nd time there and that morning I was thinking of calling one of the girls to request that we change the venue. I couldn’t think of a better alternative in the same mall so I decided to just give Teak another chance. Surprisingly, the food was good that night. I shared the squid ink paella, pasta with tinapa & dill cream sauce, the mahi-mahi and tomato soup with the girls. We always share so that we can taste more dishes from the menu. The guys always order their own entrees.

It was great sharing with fellow mommies. From pictures of the kids (great work from the genius that is The Picture Company who suck parents like us DRY!), latest developments of the kids (my DD is walking!), new preschools (MGC, Explorations, Beacon and the oh-so expensive British School), and of course our never-ending topic : househelp. Why oh why are the people who make our lives easier be the same people who are the bane of our existence? My househelp and nanny are great but I could still relate to my friends because my first call of the day is from Mom who reports her daily frustrations with her help! I am more than glad to pay my help a little bit more than norm if only to keep them in my employ. The girls took note and will try to keep their nannies as far away as possible from mine. Haha!

Anyway, the waiters came around and sang for me and I blew the candle on the Chocolate Ganache Cake of my choice (from Karen Young’s kitchen). Soft, moist and sinfully chocolatey. Yummmmmy! I specifically requested for this cake after reading Lori B.’s blog article on the top five chocolate cakes in Manila. So much for my South Beach diet.

It was well over 11pm when we left the Teak. I’m just an ordinary person now with a birthday that is year away.

Do you think I could still get away with nibbling on the leftover Chocolate Ganache tonight? Hmmm…

Wine Glass Tasting

2006-07-05T23:37:00.000+08:00

A few years ago, I attended a seminar in HK and the host treated us to dinner and “wine glass tasting” afterwards. Nope, I didn’t make a mistake there. It WAS wine GLASS tasting.

The premise of the whole thing was that the glasses you use can make or break a wine. You have to use the correctly-shaped glass to enjoy the wine to its fullest…both in aroma and taste. So before us on our table, were 6 different crystal glasses for Bordeaux, burgundy, white wine, champagne, etc. and standard restaurant-issue glasses (with the thick rims). The lecturer asked the waiters to pour the same wine into both types of glasses.

Before I go on, I’m not saying cheap glasses are the wrong glasses nor do you need them to be crystal. There are many reasonably-priced wine glasses that serve its purpose well. The key word when you shop is Shape.

Red Bordeaux Glass

Red Burgundy Glass

The difference in shape seems minimal but notice the body/shape, height, rim and the mouth diameter of the glass. All those factors can affect you the taste and aroma of your wine.

(www.riedel.com) Each individual is the sovereign of his palate. We cannot dictate rigid rules that override personal preferences. We can, however, give some valuable guidelines – and over the years the response of wine lovers to our suggestions has been overwhelmingly positive. Physical movements and adjustments of head and body are controlled subconsciously. The shape of the glass forces the head to position itself in such a way that you drink and do not spill. Wide, open glass shapes require us to sip by lowering the head, whereas a narrow rim forces the head to tilt backwards so that the liquid flows because of its gravity. This delivers and positions the beverage to different “taste zones” of the palate.

Next, we took a sip from the cheap glasses (kinda bitter, but still ok. We knew the wine wasn’t cheap so who were we to say it’s bad?) and then from the crystal Bordeaux glass (uh…was that the same wine?). The difference was AMAZING!

(www.riedel.com) The glasses are designed to emphasize a wine’s harmony, not faults. Riedel has always viewed the wine glass as an instrument to bring together: the personality of the wine, smell, taste, appearance (including the beauty of the object).

To fully appreciate the different grape varieties and the subtle characteristics of individual wines, it is essential to have a glass which has a shape fine-tuned for the purpose. The shape is responsible for the quality and intensity of the bouquet and the flow of the wine.

The initial contact point depends on the shape and volume of the glass, the diameter of the rim, and its finish (whether it is a cut and polished or rolled edge) as well as the thickness of the crystal.

As you put your wine glass to your lips, your taste buds are on the alert. The wine flow is directed onto the appropriate taste zones of your palate and consequently leads to different taste pictures. Once your tongue is in contact with the wine three messages are transmitted at the same time: temperature, texture and taste.

Our sensory perceptions affect the way we enjoy our wine. Meaning, the “feel” must be there (the glass must have the right weight and size), the “smell” (again, the right glass releases the aroma effectively), the “sight” (the color of the wine must be enticing thus the need for clear glasses), “sound” (the musical clink of crystal?) and of course “taste” (the first 4 senses sets the stage for this all-important factor). I surmise that if I bought a within-my-budget P300 bottle of wine, it would taste like P600 in the right glass.

Now, I cringe when I think of the time an uncle lovingly brought out a bottle of St-Emilion only to be served in the wrong glasses. What a waste! So, if you can splurge on an expensive bottle, please invest on a correct glasses.

P.S. We were given our own set of crystal glasses after the seminar. Now, I’m saving up for a set of 8. Till then, I’ll hold off dipping into Dad’s wine collection. Hehe!

Wanna Lose Weight

2006-07-04T23:51:00.000+08:00

I want to lose 10-15 lbs. I went through the South Beach Diet a couple of weeks ago and lost about 5 lbs...and 10 more to go. Isn't it crazy how hard it is to lose the last ten? So near yet so far away. *sigh*

I think I'm going to resort to taping up a picture of the new & improved Kirstie Alley in my closet so as to motivate me. She did say: "If I can do it, so can anyone." And she did lose 71 lbs. as of date. I wish we had Jenny Craig or Weight Watchers here in the Philippines.

If she can do it, so can I! (Wish me Luck!)

Happy 4th of July to DD!

Superman

2006-07-02T23:12:00.000+08:00

I am in love!

DH and I went to see Superman today. When I saw the trailer a few months back, I told DH that "we are sooo watching Superman!". This statement gained me a big laugh and now we use that phrase if we want to make a point about anything and everything and at the same time make each other laugh.

So, we hied off to Power Plant today to see it. Truth be told, I wasn't excited about seeing it today since I was more in a "The Lake House" mood but as soon as Brandon Routh came on the screen, I swooned. He was so DREAMY...a Dreamboat!

Apart from the fact that Superman is beautiful, the mere thought of him saving the world made my knees go weak. The character conjures the prince-charming-knight-in-shining-armor that every girl dreams about. If only there is a real Superman, then our world would be a better place.

And when Superman took Lois Lane up in the sky to see the city and they glide just above the water so that Lois ran her fingers through the water, I sighed.
I looked at DH and whispered: "How come you never take me flying?" (For one moment, I wanted to shove DH away and elope with Superman.)
DH: "I'm just the Wolverine". (He identifies with this X-Men character)
Me: What good are your claws? And what's with the weird pointy hairdo? WAAAA! Why can't you be Superman!?
DH: I want to buy tight-fit t-shirts with the Superman logo to wear inside my workclothes. After work each day, I'll rip off my clothes and you'll see Superman.
Me: If you do that, I'll jump you every night. Hahahaha!

GOOD NIGHT, LOIS! Aaaaahhhhhhh! I luuuuv you Superman...join me in my dreams!

Binondo Girl

2006-06-29T23:32:00.000+08:00

How does that saying go..."you can take out the girl from ___ but you can't take out the ____ from the girl"? Gotta ask DH tomorrow.

I went to Binondo with Mom today and I gotta tell you...I love the place! No matter what DH says about the place: "I will only venture there on my accord for a minimum of 500 grand!" and the fact that I haven't lived there in almost 20 years, I am still a Binondo girl at heart.

The place has become some sort of shopping jaunt for me, Mom and SIL (sis in law). We start off with lunch at VIP Cafe where the turo-turo (literally means point-point)is still in place. Meaning, you point at the dish you want to order from the cafeteria-style spread. The food is good and almost comfort food to me. It brings back so many good memories with Dad. (We used to eat lunch there everyday until I moved offices). Anyway, the highlight of the meal there is the COFFEE and at P35.00 a cup, it's a steal! There is no coffee shop in Manila that has come close to what VIP serves. A rather groovy old chick there named Abi makes the coffee and only she knows the secret. The recipe will die with her or so I was told. I also love the fact that everybody seems to know everybody at VIP. I may not know the name of the Grandma at the next table but I remember her face and send a small smile across the room. The waitresses know me by name, ask about my baby and automatically serve me a cup of coffee after clearing our plates. Great customer service, don't you agree?

Next stop is the New So's Trading store right beside VIP. They sell all imaginable sizes of ziplock bags, plastic bags, garbage bags, takeout containters, etc. They sell mostly to restaurants so you can imagine their prices! I felt kinda guilty about hoarding ziplock bags by the 100s. It's BAD for the environment!

Then we drop in a couple of office supplies store. We buy supplies we think we need for the house. I say "think" because I'm sure we have 2 spare staplers and 8 rolls of packaging tape somewhere but can't find. Oh, we buy toilet paper by the bulk there too. They sell those no-brand coarse toilet paper for P300 per 48 rolls which Mom got for the househelp. I go for the Made in China toilet paper (2ply and much friendly to the skin) called "Fresh" that goes P75 for 12 rolls (Mom thinks I spoil my househelp!). I did some math on the way home and realized that both types go for P6.25 per roll much to Mom's dismay. Now, she know which type of toilet paper to buy.

We cross the street to the little alley called Carvajal where small stores sell anything from sea urchin to Chinese medicines to hopia. I stop at Poland Bakery to buy hopia for the help and fresh taho for DD. Then I start my fruits & veggies shopping. The produce there seems more fresh and if the mangoes you buy from your suki (regular vendor) turned out to be sour, you can always return the goods with no questions asked.

Today, I ventured deeper into Carvajal (midway towards Quintin Paredes...the Ayala Avenue of Binondo) and entered Merriam Webster Bookstore. Whoa! They could rival any big National Bookstore branch anytime...in terms of office/school supplies of course! The file boxes that I've been looking for so long, they had on stock! Yey!

We were there for a good four hours so it was time to hit the road again. Had a 5:30pm appointment at Paul Cabral's. DD is a flower girl at her uncle's wedding so she had to go and fit her big-poufy-petticoated white dress. She looked so adorable! DD made a little fuss about putting the dress on and I'm not sure if she will be amenable to walking with it on on the big day! *sigh* I hope so.

Primary Caregiver

2006-06-16T23:49:00.000+08:00

I can now boast that I am DD's primary caregiver. Yaya left for a 2-week respite last night and I officially became a full-time mom (albeit temporarily). For months before yesterday, I would tell whoever would listen how worried I am that magbabakasyon si Yaya and I wouldn't be able to manage my now very mobile DD.

I really shouldn't have worried too much because without any bias, DD is really a very "easy" baby. She does not refuse any type of food and gobbles up whatever you give her. She sleeps peacefully and only whimpers when she gets hungry in the middle of the night. She's friendly and is Ms. Smiley so I don't run out of "yaya volunteers" (aka grandparents and their househelp). Yes, she loves walking and exploring but isn't every 1-year old the same? The cute thing is she takes orders now. She comes walking back to me when I say and gesture "come". She recognizes my reprimand voice so that stops her in her tracks.

My fears of the past few weeks were simply my insecurities. I shall deal with myself later. Gotta go...its feeding time for DD. Nighty night!

reMUneration

2006-06-15T23:14:00.000+08:00

Well, I'll be damned! I didn't realize till today that I have been spelling the word remuneration wrong.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Remuneration is pay or salary, typically monetary payment for services rendered, as in an employment.

I have always been spelling it as reNUmeration when it should actually be reMUneration. Geez! That means I've also been pronouncing it wrong.

I should be thankful that I learned something new today. At the same time, I feel like a dodo head for not paying attention to spellcheck. I'm sure it has come up at least once before when I do spellcheck but I might have just chosen to breeze through the whole thing and ignore reMUneration.

Reminds me of my first month at college. Somebody wanted to know the spelling of the word camaraderie.
Mr. Know-it-all started spelling: "c o m r a d e r i e".
Me : No, it's "c a m a r a d e r i e".
Mr. Know-it-all : (Rather smugly...)Do you know where the word 'comraderie' came from? It came from comrade...you know, like a friend or colleague."
Me : Let's check the dictionary then.
Mr. Know-it-all : (after he found the word...) No way, it is "c a m a r a d e r i e"!
(Take that you white trash...I may have been educated in a third world country but I'm still way smarter than you!)

...and your reMUneration will come from me after you go down-on-your-knees beg me for a job! Bwahahaha!

Baby's Closet

2006-06-14T23:05:00.000+08:00

I should be off to dreamland but here I am multi-tasking. My other window is on polo.com and I’m scouring for bargains for DD. I know I shouldn’t buy her any more outfits because her drawers are seriously and literally brimming with clothes and we have 3 plastic cases of never-worn stuff! Most are gifts from her birthday, Christmas and pasalubong. I had to segregate the clothes to “must wear”, “maybe” and “give away” (ok, I recycle gifts…so sue me!).

The “must wears” are gifts from the grandparents, uncles, and aunties. The grandparents have gone a bit overboard with the Burberry stuff…to date, she has 2 pairs of sneakers, 5 outfits (3 dressy + 2 casual), 3 pairs of socks, 4 bibs and a hat. The other set of grandparents gives her Gymboree clothes and they too just go crazy inside the store. Her Mommy (me!) on the other hand wears Kamiseta and Bayo. Sometimes, I find myself consciously trying to dress better for fear of being mistaken as DD’s yaya when we go out! The “maybe” pile are the clothes that we (Yaya and I) like but would only delve into if the “must wear” pile is running low. So many outfits, so little time. The “give away” pile are outfits that I have deemed no-no’s for DD. They include two-piece bathing suits, short skirts, spaghetti-strapped blouses, halter tops, belly-baring shirts, tees with silver dust or sequins (to avoid choking accidents), beach sandals, and anything that remotely resembles what a slutty teenager would wear.

Since we’re at it… I am kinda OC when it comes to the way my child and her Yaya must be dressed.
1. DD must wear baby socks and closed shoes when going out. Absolutely no sandals or slippers. (I fervently hope DD will never ask me to buy her Dora the Explorer sandals and Barbie sneakers!)
2. For Yaya – # 1 applies to her too…no open-toed shoes. And she must wear all-white (if not her uniform) when we go out. No claw clips and/or updos…hair must be neatly tied back!
3. DD must always be in a dress at parties. Be it a kiddie party or a grown-up party.

I’ll enjoy dictating what DD should wear while I still can. Next thing we know, she’d be adamant about picking her own clothes and go for the ones that I passionately hate. God forbid!

Yaya the Reporter

2006-06-13T22:48:00.000+08:00

Took DD to the pedia today for her monthly checkup. I love seeing other moms with their children and what better place than the pedia's waiting area?! I am too shy to strike up a conversation with the other moms but I fear not, because Yaya (nanny) does it so well. My family and I like to tease Yaya that’s she our “reporter”. Almost always, we see her chatting with other yayas and we can expect to hear a full report later on. On our recent trip to Tagaytay, DD approached another toddler girl named Alexa and Yaya promptly chatted up Alexa’s yaya. The full report –
* Alexa is almost 3.
* Her family is from Bacolod and rich! (Yaya’s from the same province so she knows.)
* Although they are based in Bacolod, the family also have homes in Manila and the U.S. (I was about to cut in and ask why the U.S. home was relevant to their conversation when…yaya continues that…)
* Alexa was also born in the U.S. and her first nanny was there when she was born. The yaya today is already the 3rd one because the first two couldn’t handle her and quit.

Ok, enough said. Oh, should add that the conversation took about 3 minutes only?! Haha!

At Mother’s Day dinner, we saw this young actor who recently fathered twin boys with his bestfriend/business partner. The babies were there too with their yayas and our Yaya zoned in. Later on, she reports that the babies have 2 yayas each (one for A.M. shift, the other for P.M. shift) and they have a live-in R.N. (nurse) to monitor their feedings, the food they eat and also act as staff supervisor. The babies are formula-fed and that they were born in the U.S. too because the mother is apparently filthy rich.

On the other side of the coin, Yaya is a certified braggart too! She loves comparing DD’s height (as we’re taller than most) to other babies and throws the defense when it comes to DD’s weight (she’ll tell you that although DD’s lean-looking, we’re no lightweight). Yaya also will slyly ask what formula the other baby is on (Anong gastas niyo?) and will brag (Ay kami galing sa Mommy niya.) that DD is on breastmilk. Later on, she’ll comment rather condescendingly: (“Kaya pala mataba yun baby.”) “That's why the baby is fat!” One time, she taught another first-time Mom on the dos and don’ts of storing pumped breastmilk. She will also recite the words DD knows the sign to so she can show off DD’s sign language skills.

On another topic. I saw a baby girl about DD’s age at the clinic as well and had to ask the Mom how old her baby is because DAMN!...the mom was reed thin. As in thin-never-been-pregnant-before-THIN! I was so envious I lamented to Yaya. She said: “Ma’am, huwag ka na magkipag-compare. Tingnan mo naman mukha niya at yun sayo. Pantay ang Diyos!” (“Ma’am, don’t compare yourself. Look at her face and yours. God is fair!”) Leave it to Yaya to make me feel better. Thanks, Ya!

New Beginning

2006-06-12T20:02:00.000+08:00

This is a new blog. It’s not my first one. I had to disassociate myself from the first one because I didn’t feel “free” doing it. I told some of my friends about the blog and regretted it. I started to watch what I say in my blog for fear of angering someone or revealing my identity to the general public. In this one, I think I can be myself. I don’t know if I will tell DH about this blog…hmmm.

Some intro about me…I am happily married to DH. I could not imagine being married to anyone else. It sounds corny but it’s true. We have a cute DD (who’s 1 year old) and she’s the apple of our eye. I am also a daughter of Tsinoy (Chinese-Filipino) parents…also a sister, a sister-in-law, a daughter-in-law, a grandchild etc. So you can imagine the myriad of stories I can share for each role that I play.

I want to write this blog for the only reason that I want it to be like a journal. I have started so many diaries/journals before but never got past 50 pages. (My Mom actually “required” me to keep a diary when I was 10. She would check every day to make sure I made an entry so I can improve my writing skills. It was a great idea until I was entering puberty and realized that maybe I shouldn’t be so honest since Mom was reading it!)

Anyway, not to sound morbid but perhaps one day when I am already in heaven (I hope!), my family will stumble upon my blog and laugh and cry…because they’ll be reading about themselves! Hahah!