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Dec 23, 2006

Backpacking

We'll be going to my hometown, Badian, without Mark after Christmas. We will stay there until New Year.

We'll be travelling by bus -- Librando fan kay silingan man namo. It'll be first time for Migi and Meg to be on a bus. I'm so excited to see their reaction. For sure, they'll love it.

I'm also excited to let them experience for a few days the childhood life I had which is just the best.

My problem is how to pack light. Just the thought of the feeding bottles... =(


Dec 21, 2006

teenage mother angst

burn out and suicidal -- my current state of mind.
* the tasks i dreaded and trying to get away from are thrown at me just days before christmas. perfect timing.
* my kids are over to the max hyperactive + hardheaded - perfect mother-killer combination. i'm sooo tempted to give them sleeping pills
* and, i can't start doing the new dreaded tasks assigned to me because my kids are all over me. (and, here i am multiplying)
* i feel so tired and worn out, i need some upper so i eat.
* eating to feel happy is bad because it makes me more obese.
* more obese = deeper depression
* two weeks enrolled to gym but only been there twice. big clap for my effort.
* major insensitive husband -- don't let me start on this.
* now, i don't know where to go,what to do. i'm like groping in the dark and i wish that i'd fall into a deep endless manhole.

i feel like getting so drunk and puking out my guts, then roll over my puke! it would definitely make me feel better.

(rose, stop it! think of those mothers alone taking care of their 8 kids in a row -- they survive! you're such a major whiner! no christmas presents for you!)

but let me be, i rarely complain! i'm crazy! owkeis, i'll think of mothers who have 12 kids in a row, alone taking of their kids plus household chores plus working out to bring food to their table! shame on me!

God, thank you for every thing but for now please let me whine!


Dec 20, 2006

My Thank-You's


As Christmas is just days away, I would like to say my big Thank You to Lord God for all the blessings and not so blessings He give to us.

1. Good health -- majorly, every one in my family is in good health, no major sciky problems.
2. Jobs and Opportunities -- I'm so blessed that after quitting from the 'corporate world,' He provided me with something I can earn from with the privilege of working at home near my kids. He also provided my husband jobs/projects where he truly enjoys doing.
3. Financial blessings -- enough to provide us with some luxuries -- like being able to eat out at Jollibee at least twice a month and being able to buy some toys.
4. Little troubles - that came our way which helps us to become a better person and have wider perspective of things.
5. Generous husband - he may not have a romantic side, he may be the most insensitive person in the world, he may not be the best father but definitely he has a very good heart not only for his family but for others as well.
6. My out-of-this-world KIAT babies - who keep me always biting my lips from frustrations and anger. They may not be Gerber babies or perfect little ones and sometimes they make me want to deposit them at DSWD but they never fail to melt my heart at the end of the day. God knows how to play tricks.
7. Friends - they may not have the most incredible fashion sense but definitely
8. Babysitters/Yayas -- the most underrated occupation. They may not be ala Von Trapp nanny but they have the biggest heart for my kids. Big enough to put up with me and Mark's childishness and immaturity and our kids' wickedness. They somehow have more patience for my kids than us.
9.

Dec 16, 2006

mastercard moment

I was 100% done with gift-buying. But, now I'm back to 95% because my kids opened some of the gifts and play with them. =( The thing is it's fun watching them enjoying the gifts not theirs. The look of their faces when they open the boxes is, as mastercard ad say, PRICELESS!


Dec 15, 2006

shopping is not for the weak


Shopping would be much EASIER if I do NOT need to look at the price tags!!! You know the feeling that you finally find the perfect item but when you turn the price tag and see that it costs your entire shopping budget, it's just so frustrating. Then, you'd turn and turn the price tag hoping that there is a 50% off printed somewhere on the tag, or you'd ask the sales staff if it this on sale but then no. You wish! Next thing is you'd try to look for something similar with lower price but unfortunately, either the most close to what you like has also a most close similar price to the original one or they come cheaper but they just do not have the 'feel' like of that of the original.

It kind of sucks when it's Christmas time and you're financially poor.
You can do nothing but look for another item that would fit into your budget, but you will always have that nagging feeling of so-near-yet-so-far. It's like losing in a losing battle (does this make sense?)! That's why I hate shopping. It reminds me of how I and Gretchen Barreto are worlds apart!

MERRY CHRISTMAS, multipliers! I wish you get more than what is in your wish list.




Dec 12, 2006

Mugshot

I want to have this look in my ID picture -- so effortlessly chic. =) Di man layo sa tinood!





Janiz



My classmate from Kindergarten to Grade 6 back in Badian. My schoolmate from 1st year high school to 4th year college in UPCC. My laugh mate on our life's shallowness and stupidity. We drift apart from time to time, she changes boyfriends and I got married and have kids, we don't see each other that much or text often for updates but everytime we two get together, it always feels home.

Strange though how we became best of friends when I hated and still hate her guts so much! =)

Happy 25th Birthday, Janice Ann Casalme!!!

eeewww, tiguwang na ka. you no longer have the reason to be kiddoish! =)



A Whole New World


Last Friday, we went down to IT Park to see a friend. And, we're like 'wowwww!' We passed a lot of times on IT Park but I have not really looked at it closely. The place looks super sosyal -- it's just so not Cebu. I mean not the usual Cebu I know of. We feel so out of place. Everything there just looks so posh -- the people, the buildings with the restos, coffee shops, and whatnots. =) They say mura na daw Manila - well, I don't know, I've never been to the business district of Manila.

If Id' work there, feel nako mahurot ra ako sweldo kinaon sa mga kan-anan didto. =) Plus, people with cave-days fashion sense don't have a place there. Like me! =)

Lately, except for the Koreans, I noticed that local people are dressed up na jud. It's a good sign, I think. Though, I miss those days na mag laroy2x mi around Cebu, from Ayala (miss LFS) to Fuente to good old The Village (in IT park) in our slippers and ready-for-sleeping outfit and we'd never feel out of place. =) I think I'm stuck with the old Cebu. I need to move on -- move to the mountains! =)







Dec 8, 2006

Yakmo?



I noticed way before that Meg is medyo 'yakmoon' (upper teeth behind lower teeth). I already asked her pedia about it before, and she said that she's too young for us to tell that yakmo jud sya, and might be corrected over time. It's not really a suprise though because on my husband's side, it exists. But looking at this picture, yakmo jud sya tan-awon. I wanted it be corrected as early as possible. Braces? Yayy, stupid me.



She has a new hair. She looks weird in this picture, like some with a DS (God forbid! Ayaw tawon liwat sa mama).


Manong knows well...

Earlier this week, we got in a taxi and the driver has this ASEAN ID thingy hanging on his rear view mirror. We asked him how he got the ID. So he answered that he attended a seminar in TESDA, then he continued talking about how will the traffic go during ASEAN blahblah. Quite informative actually for someone like me who spends most of the time on celebrity websites. Then, he mentioned that no meetings will actually be held in CICC because the participants do not feel safe because it's newly built. All meetings will be done in Shangrila, Hilton, and Waterfront according to Manong. He said the CICC will be for the press people. Plus, he mentioned that not all head of countries will be here, only representatives. Well, what he said actually means sense but I did not take it seriously -- it can be all chismis. You know, CICC costs almost P800M as they said, and it's not going to be used this ASEAN summit? Oh well, as the saying goes, you need to spend to earn.

Anyhow, Manong's facts are all correct. An article in INQ7 Special Site confirms it. Lesson of the story, bilib jud ko ni Manong -- socially aware! =) Something Cebu can be proud of, we have well-informed taxi drivers.





Dec 7, 2006

toy$ r u$$$

I really fell in love the first time I saw this ZOOB toy at Play2Learn Ayala but that time I have no money so I was not able to buy one. The next time I went there with some money, the only available is the 35-piece set. Again, I came out of the shop empty-handed again. You know I'm a sucker for the biggest/largest/maniest size/pieces. =) My thinking is that the bigger the more practical.

The ZOOB functions like lego where kids can build something out of the pieces. My kids or I enjoy watching my kids enjoying playing with the building blocks, lego-like but another brand. From time to time, Migi would pick up some blocks (i don't know what's the right term) then after some time of connecting them, he'd then declare his creation as 'airplane' or 'bang2x' (two of his favorites to make or maybe they're the stuffs he's much acquainted at the moment) or sometimes 'truck' and just about any thing. Though they look far from an airplane or a gun or a truck but I can't help and get excited at the thought that my kid's imagination is working. Meg's favorite activity with the 'building blocks' is disconnecting the connected and putting them back again. Her favorite is putting together all the single-piece blocks which migi would just crash once on the floor -- poor meg.

That's why I fell in love with ZOOB because I think my kids would love it too. I happened to pass by their store again yesterday, and saw that they have the 125-piece set and 1 na lng jud ang stock, not really the biggest set. Actually, I was weighing between the ZOOB and Tonka truck because I read that the ZOOB is for kids age 6+ but I really really really like it and I don't want to pass the chance so I purchase it.

But after purchasing it, I feel like is it really worth it. It's price is P1,798.00, and for me any toy P500+ is already expensive. I think P1,798 for 125 pieces is too much and then mangawala ra. And, as the package says it's for kids age 6+ so I'm not sure if they'll really like this like they like the building blocks. So now, I'm still hiding the toy in the cabinet. hehheheh =) And, I feel stupid!

Dec 6, 2006

i wanna be gretchen barreto

before having babies, i had no fashion sense. now with kids, i still have no fashion sense plus i'm now the epitome of LOSYANG -- like mas japorms pa ang yaya sa akong mga babies. =) yes, i do get worried sometimes but what the heck there are no PTA meetings to attend yet. =) but all in all, i don't care. i'm dedma queen. what matters most is i know my self and i'm comfy with being losyang.

it's just funny though how some people would treat you base on your physical look. well, i can't blame them, if i'd be in their place and encounter some losyang, i might also act the same way they do. as they say if you want to be respected, you have to at least give an effort to look good also. usual case is when i and mark would go to the bank, the guards would usually greet mark but not me. this happens a lot of times.

funny incidents because of my losyang fashion sense plus tangaon look:

* one time in Landbank, i deposited my mother's pension check after cut-off time. the teller told me that she will not receive the check because it's after cut-off time already. in my mind, i was like whatttt??? ignorant-looking lang ko but i'm not ignorante. so i told her that this is the first time a check was refused just because it's after cut-off time. maybe she realized i'm not that stupid, she accepted the check and advice that i should have someone deposit the check so it'd deposited before cut-off time. hello? if naa lay lain modeposit, ngano mag hago2x man ko!!! ggrrrrr....

* i was looking on some sony digicams in ayala. then i asked the sales guy regarding payment modes. then he told me about 0% interest on credit cards blahblah. then he told me, you can ask a friend of yours who has a credit card to do the purchase for you then you just pay thru him. so i look like i can't afford a credit card?!? why? what does a person with a credit card look like? i don't qualify?

* another store in ayala, i asked if they have rechargeable batteries, so the sales guy pointed me to some brandless rechargeable batteries. so i asked him if they have other brands of rechargeable batteries, then he said yes then added, 'pero mahalon ra ba to.' huhhh??? i really look like i can't afford. =) funny funny. you just said goodbye to some sales.

* in sm groceries, it's my turn in the counter. i told the cashier that i'd be using the bpi debit card to pay. i dunno if this is their SOP but she asked me if she can check my account first so that we'll have no problems. weird because that was my first time i was asked sthing like that. owkeis, in short she wanted to make sure that i can pay. yayyy!!! di diay ko katoohan?

there were still other many instances... but the latest is today, in gaisano ayala. igloo is having a 50% discount promo so i grabbed the chance to buy a cooler. i'm the kind of person who chooses the biggest size because i feel it's more practical. so i asked the sales guy if he thinks the size i chose would fit in a car's trunk. he nodded then asked me, 'naa diay kay sakyanan, ma'am?' i did not bother answering him, and try to busy myself examining the cooler. then he ask the question again and again like 5 times until i said yes to shut him off. ataya sad oy, unsa man diay tan-aw nya nako. bisan poor karon ka-afford na tawn og car oy. i did not answer him directly because his question some kinda puzzled me and i find it funny. why did he ask that kind of question? is owning a car prerequisite to owning a cooler?!? and, do i look someone so dirt poor who can't even afford to pay a taxi for me and my cooler? =) i wanted so much to laugh out so loud at his face.

hayyy, i wanna be gretchen barreto -- fashion, beauty, power, and money. people will kiss my feet. i will walk on red carpet glittering with all the precious gems. and would say i'm fine being called prima donna because it means acting like a queen (she said sthing like this plus she mentioned she thought, before, primadonna is like madonna... whatever.). 


Dec 5, 2006

of cat bites, shots, and pedias

*part of migi's daily routine is going around the neighborhood in the morning. almost all our neighbors are my husband's close relatives. when they came home, her ate mona told me that migi was bitten by a cat, actually a kitten. the bite is not that major, not really deep but it left bite marks. it does not look that i need to be worried. owkei, 90% of me just want to just dismiss the incident but 10% of me can't help but worry and  think about rabies. mother's nature, i don't want to take chances so this afternoon we'll go the city as in cebu city. gawd, kalayo ba sad sa ilang pedia oy. hopefully, it's nothing bad. and, i'd stop googling for cat bites! i just don't like the google results i got -- they're not comforting.

*her ate mona is quite defensive about the incident but i never blamed her nor complained about it. accidents happen. i'm just grateful it's nothing really bad. if ever there is to blame, it should be me. if i don't want accidents to happen, then i should hover over my kid 24/7. and even if i do that, it's still not a guarantee that they'll be harm-free.

*meg also has a scheduled immunization shot so we'll be hitting 2 birds with 1 stone with our trip to the pedia later. she's scheduled for MMR or MRR (i dunno which is correct.). she still does not fully recovered yet from her colds but i'm still hoping the pedia will still give her the shot though please...

*by the way, our pedia's name is fortunato. does any body here also have her as their pedia or know her? we'd been with her for 2 years already. it's been 2 years but i never get so close or at least chika2x with her. every visit with her is like straight to the point -- i'll narrate my reason for being there, she'll examine the kids, little chitchat and off. it's because she's just got so many patients. but maybe because i'm not also the chika type kind of person. so many times i think of transferring to another pedia, someone near 'lacion and not so many patients. but i kind of feel secure with her and trust her with my kids so agwantahon na lang. 

*one thing that i don't like with neighborhood doctors is they prescribed a lot of medicines but when i get to my kids' pedia, she'll ask me to stop giving the meds prescribed by them because they're not really necessary. money waste on meds not used. see, i resorted to neighborhood pedias to save money (money on fares plus snacks), time and effort but i end up not really saving. plus our pedia has this no-antibiotic-as-much-as-possible motto so when they prescribed antibiotics for my kids, i can't help but question if the prescription is apt. see, pointless coz i'd end up going to fortunato for 2nd opinion. but in fairness, there are also reliable doctors in our area.

* true story though, migi's cousin was prescribed antibiotics by a neighborhood doctor because of fevers but actually there's no infection. instead she had baby measles which does not require any medicine after all. see, you can't blame me if i'm a bit skeptical.

*recently, i noticed that their pedia knows my kids' first names already. because when i only bring one of the kids, she'd ask, 'oh, where is your sister margaret or your kuya miguel?' she has that many patients. happy funny because at least now i know we exist somewhere in her memory. validated. how shallow me.

*and, speaking of anti-biotics. i hope migi will only be given anti-biotics. anti-rabies is expensive. P1500/shot, and i think there will be 5 shots. huhuhuhu... merry christmas! does anybody knew here where to buy cheaper anti-rabies vials?


before and now

I was going through some pictures I have on file. Sorting out which I could burn para ako pa-print. Believe me, we don't have an album. Album as in physical album, kanang album ibutang gali sa center table sa sofa. =) Anyhoo, I see migi and meg when they're months younger, and so many things changed just in span of months.


This is before. I think this was taken this April 2006. Yagit looking.


And, this is a recent picture of them. I feel they look so grown up in here already. Pwde na mag grade 1. More yagit looking.

Can they just be forever 1 year and 2 years old?!?