one hundred eighty degrees

RainEbow Bright

2009-03-10T17:48:00.004+08:00

My little girl has been developing and growing in leaps and bounds since I last blogged about her antics. She never fails to amaze us with the amount of new information she picks up. I don't really teach her in the traditional classroom way. She learned about the parts of the body while I dressed her up or changed her diaper. She was just a little over a year old when she had memorized the basic parts of the body, not from a book but through our daily dressing up routine. I always sang to her old nursery rhymes and songs I made up and she looked so cute as she would watch me as I sang to her. She got to know the sounds farm and jungle animals make mostly as I sang "Old MacDonald Had a Farm" to her. We bought the usual colorful books and posters of ABCs and 123s and were delighted whenever she asked for these books or pointed to a letter from one of her posters.

Now I'm very proud to say that she can sing the Alphabet Song and count up to 12 on her own. She can even read majority of the letters if you point them out to her on any written material. She just gets confused with the letter "I" which she mistakes for "L" sometimes. I helped her learn numbers by counting the steps to our old apartment in Marshall Islands as I helped her climb them. She recognizes most animals already, unlike when she was one and thought all four-legged creatures were dogs.

Last week she totally surprised us by singing a lullaby I made up with the correct words and in the correct tune! I made up this song when she was a baby and had stopped singing it about a year ago. But 2 weeks ago I sang it to her again and so we were taken aback when she suddenly sang it to me and hubby on her own. That was a definite moment.

We've been prepping her for the coming of the new baby. At first, she would refer to the baby as baby brother as directed by hubby because we're hoping baby number 2 is a boy but after a few days I said we should make it more generic just in case it's a girl. Now Raine calls the baby, "baby silbing". She is now Ate Raine and sometimes likes to be known as the big sister. I really hope she won't be jealous of the new baby come August.

I'm very conscious now of the remaining months Raine will be an only child and I make an effort to spend quality time with her. I know this will be a little scarce especially during the first weeks of the new baby's arrival when he or she will be at the most demanding stage. For now I'm relishing our bonding moments especially at night when she asks for song after song and story after story while she lies down beside me in wide-eyed wonder.

Back from hiatus

2009-03-10T17:30:00.001+08:00

I’ve been on another very long blogging hiatus. I will finally admit it, I was pretty lazy during my first trimester. Even if I spent half of it on “bedrest” I still wasn’t able to do as much as I should have done. Sigh, blame it on hormones? Not that there wasn’t anything to write about. There were and have been tons of things going on in my little life I could blog about. I just didn’t feel like it.

First of all and most importantly, we finally, or should I say, hubby finally took the plunge and opened a business we can all our own. After turning down a very tempting offer from a company overseas he rolled up his sleeves and got to work setting up our very own construction consultancy company. It hasn’t been easy being the boss. Unlike a restaurant or a store, it’s like we are back to the daily 8 am to 5 pm grind. He goes to the office everyday and has two full-time engineers to manage. I on the other hand, being the boss of the boss (hehehe!) come to work after lunch. Anything that doesn’t have anything to do with being an engineer is my territory.
We’ve been busy registering the company with the different government agencies. The escapades alone, to BIR, SSS, etc. are another blog entry altogether. I aim to have everything in place sooner than soon. All this is new to me and I’m still learning the ropes. I was so used to being just a regular employee and left the HR and Admin work to those in the know. But now, that responsibility rests on my shoulders. Yikes! It doesn’t help that our government agencies are just soooo easy to deal with, if you know what I mean. Plus the fact that you have to file for you and your employees every friggin’ month. Double yikes! I’m sure I’ll get used to it in due time.

After I give birth come August I will most likely be working from home most especially during the infancy of Baby # 2. Soon the SAHM in me will be a WAHM! Whew! At least my blog title is still applicable.

Three Blessings on the Way

2009-02-02T15:17:00.003+08:00

Come Christmas our family on both sides, mine and hubby's will have 2 more new members each! A couple of weeks ago my brother, just barely a month after his wedding late last year, broke the great news that he and his wife are expecting. A true-blue honeymoon baby! I had earlier announced that I was pregnant as well. We're all very excited for the addition of two new babies to the family and look forward to a very eventful Christmas.

It turns out the baby news does not stop there. My sister-in-law on my hubby's side is preggers too with baby number 2. The stork has been very busy indeed making his rounds between our families! Three times the blessing, three times the charm! The Year of the Ox is turning out more than okay in our book.

Baby Gear Galore

2009-01-31T20:38:00.003+08:00

I'm now pregnant with our second child and I'm seriously contemplating on investing in sturdy, yet affordable baby gear. For my first baby, my sister generously showered me with her toddler's crib, stroller and car seat. Her little girl was only 1.5 years old when I gave birth so all her baby stuff were still in pretty good condition. I was thinking of just borrowing them all again but it's been nearly three years since that time and a lot of really cool innovations in baby gear have come about.

This is especially true for car seats. Although it's not a must to have children in car seats in the Philippines, a lot of well-meaning parents have realized the importance of this baby gear and have included it in their must-buy items.

I hope to find one that would grow with my second baby and of course fit in our car. My sister's old car seat was a bit bulky and took up a lot of space in the backseat. With the endless choices particularly online I just know I'll have a field day shopping for the perfect car seat for my baby.

My little Brad-fest

2009-01-16T21:48:00.009+08:00

I was recently able to watch two of Brad Pitt's latest movies; The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and Burn After Reading. And I must say I enjoyed my little Brad-fest. He's been my absolute favorite Hollywood actor ever since I accidentally saw him on a re-run of the movie "A River Runs Through It". I didn't see the whole movie, just the scene where he is fly fishing. Needless to say, I was smitten. Then came "Legends of the Fall". And that was it.

Warning, this is not an in depth critique of either movies, mind you, just my general thoughts on both flicks. If you haven't watched either movie and plan to do so, you may not want to read on. Spoilers present. Haha!

Benjamin Button is about a man who is born in his 80s and ages backwards. It's a period movie and chronicles Benjamin's life from World War II to the 20th century as told through the eyes of his one true love portrayed by Oscar winner Cate Blanchett. I thought the movie was too long and dragging in some parts. Hubby even dozed off a few times. Shallow as it may seem, I couldn't wait for the part when Brad would look young again so I could see my favorite actor in all his handsome glory and this the movie didn't disappoint. We see Brad as he is now, then gradually getting younger as the movie progresses. I'm amazed how they were able to make Brad look like a young teenager again, on the skinny side, with lush blond hair but still absolutely fabulous.
Burn After Reading is a black comedy. I wasn't able to really sit down and watch the entire movie, thanks to my hyperactive little tyke but I enjoyed watching it. Brad was his usual handsome self. He played a simple, happy-go-lucky fitness instructor so of course he looked the part. No need for any special make-up here, if there was a fitness instructor who looked like him, I'd sign up for the gym in a heartbeat. I was pretty shocked when Brad's character dies suddenly halfway through the film though. But it was refreshing watching him play a moronic role for a change.

Have You Googled Yourself?

2009-01-16T21:17:00.008+08:00

I was googling myself just a few minutes ago when lo and behold, what do I find but my first ever published article for an independent website. I got the "job" thru the website helium.com. It's a community for budding writers to share their knowledge on a range of diverse topics on anything under the sun. You can write on subjects of interest to you and if a publisher picks up your work you get paid for it.

The first article I ever wrote was really easy for me. It was about how to hire a professional make-up artist for your wedding. I must have done that piece in less than an hour, because it was something I enjoyed writing about. I knew my entry was chosen but had forgotten that it was to be published in another website, until I googled myself. Haha!

I beg your indulgence. Click on this link to view my article.

Cravings

2009-01-10T21:57:00.002+08:00

I found out I was pregnant a couple of days before Christmas via a home pregnancy test. I hadn't gotten my period yet and I was feeling weird. Nausea at odd times of the day and preferring soups and salads to any other dish were another hint. I also suddenly craved for sinigang, anything with vinegar or with a sour taste. I now can't eat too much of anything or I'll feel sick to the stomach right after. Sometimes I think it would be better if I just actually threw up instead of constantly having a bad taste in my mouth. Ahhh, the "perks" of the first trimester. I wasn't this way with Raine 2 years ago, but I did crave for salads as well.

Hmmm, I think I'll have some green mango now.

Baby on the Way

2009-01-08T14:46:00.003+08:00

It's finally confirmed! I'm indeed pregnant, 8 weeks and 3 days! We are hoping for a boy this time and as early as now, hubby is thinking of unique, sometimes funny boy names.

I went to the OB yesterday and got an ultrasound. Like in my first pregnancy, there's subchorionic hemorrhage so I have to be on bed rest for two weeks. Notice, my blog entries, one after the other? I do hope the hemorrhage will disappear soon like with Raine. It's very small actually, just 1.0 x 0.7 x 0.4 cms but we are still being cautious so it won't grow bigger.

Do include us in your prayers.

Three 's a Charm

2009-01-08T14:33:00.004+08:00

On our third anniversary we were able to get away, just the two of us for the first time since we got married. We spent our first anniversary quietly at home because Raine was barely two months old at the time. For our second year, we were in Marshall Islands and had a simple dinner at a nearby hotel's restaurant, with little Raine in tow.

This year, my Dad conveniently took Raine to Fun Ranch for the day so the hubby and I were able to hie off to Tagaytay. We had lunch at the T House followed by a relaxing massage. We then went around scenic spots around the city to take pictures. Thanks to hubby's trusty tripod, we were able to take pictures of the two of us. It was very, very cold which put a little damper on the day but mainly because I didn't bring a jacket. But I had fun nonetheless. We capped the night at a smorgasbord buffet diner that served German, American, Italian, Chinese and Filipino food. Yummy!

Happy Anniversary B! I love you.

My Brother's Wedding

2009-01-08T13:41:00.005+08:00

My brother Sonny got married 2 days after Christmas, it was the third wedding in the family; following my younger sister's in 2003 and mine in 2005. Sonny's wedding reminded me of my own since it was held around the same time, the holidays. It can be doubly chaotic having a wedding during the Christmas season, what with the flurry of activities going on, but for me it's the best time to hold such an important event. It adds just a little bit more romance and nostalgia to the big day. Relatives who wouldn't normally be able to come at other times of the year, make an extra effort to attend because they get to do more and see more with one trip.

It was a day of firsts for the family. My dad, who you'd think would be more relaxed by now after giving away two daughters, said it was definitely different since we were on the groom's side this time. I was the commentator for the holy mass. In the past I would only get to do readings or the responsorial psalm. As commentator I had to closely follow the priest through the missalette which proved to be a fete at certain portions of the mass because he changed some of the wordings so I got lost for a few seconds. Raine was flower girl too. We had practiced walking along the hall at home but come showtime, she got cold feet and only walked a little of the way. Dad had to come to her rescue and escorted her the rest of the way.

My dad's speech was well-applauded and got a some smiles and laughs from the guests. I helped him edit it and added a couple of things to spruce it up so I felt good about that too. Hehe! But for me the highlight of the wedding was Sonny and Anna's first dance as husband and wife. We really got the surprise of our lives. The newly weds didn't just do a simple waltz, they did a choreographed dance with turns and dips. My sister and I were laughing and clapping the whole time because we had never ever seen Sonny dance like that before. He looked a bit shy and it was clear that Anna was the one who was more confident but Sonny just trained his eyes on his bride the whole time as if getting inspiration from her. That was definitely a memorable moment.
Instead of the usual bouquet and garter toss, there were games for married couples and a Jeopardy-type game with tequila shots for the singles. The night ended with dancing and revelry as party hats and horns were passed around to ring in the new year.

The Whirlwind Holidays

2009-01-05T17:46:00.007+08:00

The holidays are over. Bah-humbug! It's back to reality and back to the daily grind. We had a jampacked Christmas and New Year, I didn't even have time to sit down and write down any of it. I did finally get to update Raine's multiply site. Family and friends are welcome to check it out.

The festivities started pretty early for our family. There was the red-letter despedida de soltera for my sister-in-law where we all discovered Raine's dancing skills, my brother's last birthday as a single guy, my father-in-law's 60th bash in Negros, my own dad's 66th celebration, the arrival of our relatives from the U.S., my brother's wedding, our 3rd wedding anniversary, reunions left and right and of course New Year's Eve. Whew!

Now it's all over. The gowns and party clothes have been put away, the visiting relatives have left for their homes, we're on our last vestiges of leftover party food. I love the holidays and the anticipation of it all. I now see it through Raine's eyes and delight in the many gifts she received as if they were for me. She got to watch her first fireworks display at the Fort on New Year's Eve and she was in total awe of it all. I look back at the hundreds of pictures taken this past month and realize how time flies. In 2007, we were celebrating an ultra-quiet holiday season in Marshall Islands.

This 2008 was the total opposite. 2009 promises to hold more surprises for all of us. Stay tuned!

The Real Meaning of Christmas

2008-12-04T16:31:00.004+08:00

The global economy seems to be plunging further down the drain and salvation doesn't seem to be anywhere in sight. One would think that the holiday season would somehow liven up the economy but no such thing seems to be happening. People just seem to be spending less and even cutting back on their Christmas list. Santa Claus will probably have lost a considerable amount of weight this year.

Remittances from OFWs which usually brighten up the season are also on the downturn. Workers are being sent home and retrenched and their dependent families are feeling the heat. Even the rollback in gas prices and public transportation, although always a welcome treat, are still not enough to lift up the economy's sagging spirits.

The average Juan just has to tighten his belt a little bit more. Fast cash payday loans are an attractive way to get a loan these days. However, such quick-fix schemes should be used for emergency purposes only since they usually have higher interest rates.

No matter how you spend the holidays, the important thing is you are able to be with the people you love. After all, the first Christmas was celebrated in a dingy little stable with just a Mom, a Dad and their little Baby Boy.

Tantrums Central

2008-12-03T19:33:00.005+08:00

Last night Raine had a major tantrum attack that lasted for almost an hour. I hadn't realized that it was getting late and the little girl's eyes were still fixated on the TV. It was on Disney Channel and she was watching a rerun of one of her favorites, "Handy Manny". I told her that it was time for bed and I turned off the TV. She immediately went into hysterics and started crying. She asked for me to turn off the TV, wailing, "TV, Mandy!" (which is what she calls the lead character of the cartoon). Despite all her pleas, I turned a deaf ear. She lay down on the carpet and kicked her legs. When her Lolo came into the room she stood up and hid in a corner of the bed, still crying and asking for the TV to be turned on.

We tried everything. Offered her other toys to distract her, told her that the TV wasn't working by pretending to turn it on, suggested that she drink milk or have some of her favorite fruit; grapes. But she was insistent. She would get the remote control, give it to me and ask me to turn on the TV. Hubby relented after 20 minutes of Raine's wailing, we turned on the TV for a few seconds but I said this wasn't the way for her to learn discipline so we turned it off again. Sure enough, the cries started again. My mom said we shouldn't give in and just let her cry it out. She had earlier told us about a time that my brother used to cry and throw tantrums just like Raine when he didn't get his way and she just let him be. Now she says he's the calmest among us siblings. But Raine was at her element. I went to the kitchen to fill up her bottles and she wailed even more. She followed me and kept on her plea. Tears were rolling down her eyes and she looked really "kawawa". My dad even told her finally that she could watch TV in their room instead but nothing seemed to get through.

Finally, after almost an hour, her Dad got through to her. They played with a golf ball with shiny streamers attached to it and soon Raine was smiling again through her tear-streaked face. Whew! Our ears finally got to rest from her cries. We were all surprised by Raine's reaction, it was a first for all of us. I really hope it will be the last. Wishful thinking of a toddler's mommy? At least it happened at home and not in public where it would be harder to control the situation.

Kiddie Christmas vs. Grown-up Christmas

2008-11-30T14:56:00.006+08:00

The holiday season has officially begun. As children we look forward to this time of year when we have Christmas vacations, parties aplenty and gifts from Ninongs and Ninangs, not to mention the most anticipated gift of all from Santa Claus. But as we grow older and take on more responsibilities, the season of cheer takes on a different meaning. Expenses, expenses and did I say, even more expenses?

As adults we are now the gift-givers, not just the gift-recipients. Our shopping list seems to grow ever longer. You don’t just give gifts to your immediate family but also to your close friends, your neighbors, your work mates, your boss, probably your clients, your nieces and nephews, the list goes on. All this, on top of your regular monthly bills, can really burn a hole in your wallet. If you’re not careful and plan your purchases and watch your spending habits during this time of year, you might end up in debt. That’s not exactly the best way to end the year.

Fortunately, there are a number of reputable web-based lending institutions that can provide cash loans in half the time it would take you to go to the bank. Just make sure you do your research and get referrals, because like in all things there are shady companies out there. When you are armed with the necessary info then you can be assured of worry-free financial assistance.

Christmas doesn't have to be expensive to be enjoyable. Remember the real reason we are celebrating this special time and have yourself a peaceful and stress-free yuletide.

A Full Day of Raine

2008-11-27T10:53:00.003+08:00

Yesterday was a full day for our little family. First up was our regular visit to the dentist. I was anxious to get Raine to see the dentist because our initial try a few months ago was a disaster. She refused to open her mouth and the doctor only got a glimpse of her teeth for a few seconds as she was crying her eyes out. She is already two years old and has her complete set of teeth. She still drinks milk at night and I was concerned that she might develop cavities. I've heard of lots of toddlers who had rotten teeth at such an early age and had to undergo root canal and I didn't want Raine to go thru that. As usual, my little shadow didn't want me to leave her side. I had my check up first and while I got a professional teeth-cleaning, she stood beside the dentist's chair the whole time. I had closed my eyes but I could hear her tapping her hands on the chair, sometimes slapping her hand on it, hoping to get my attention probably. The dentist gave her a pack of mini-M n' Ms and that kept her busy as she tried to open it to no avail.

After I was done we asked her to sit with me on the chair and she quietly obliged. The friendly dentist showed her the little mirror she would use to look at her teeth and she willingly opened her mouth to let her examine them. I was so surprised! Raine and I have a daily "wrestling match" whenever I brush her teeth so this was a first for her to open her mouth to a stranger. The dentist said she had no cavities. Yipee for me! She then showed Raine the small electric toothbrush she wanted to use to clean her teeth. She tried it on her little fingers first so that Raine wouldn't be afraid of the whirling motion. Again, she opened her mouth and let the dentist brush her teeth! I was so proud of her I got a little teary-eyed.

Next, we visited the dermatologist for some minor skin problems. Raine enjoyed screaming at the top of her lungs as we waited for our turn. She was also at her best behavior at the derma's. She waved goodbye and kept greeting the other people waiting for their turn as we walked down the long corridor. She fell asleep as we ate our lunch in the mall. We were supposed to watch "Madagascar 2" as a prize for her good behavior but since she fell asleep, we watched "Twilight" instead. It's a good thing it wasn't as scary as I thought it would be because she woke up before the movie started and was a good girl throughout. Her power nap earlier must have fully charged her because later on as we browsed through the stores she kept running around and hiding from me. It was pretty tiring catching up to her while carrying my bag, her diaper bag and some shopping bags. The behaved little girl at the doctors' was now the energizer bunny gone wild. Whenever I would catch her and set her down on the floor she would run out again and hide behind the cashier's area, much to the amusement of the store's clerks.

My little girl's opposite behaviors fully manifested in just one day. Welcome to the world of the two-year old!

Spending time with my BFFs

2008-11-19T16:45:00.003+08:00

Paris Hilton isn't the only one who loves to spend time with her BFF. I had a great time with two of my favorite BFFs yesterday. I got a new job as a freelance editor thanks to Tricia who told me about the opening. She was going to the office to process her maternity benefits documents and I was called in for contract signing. After all the forms and documents were filled up, we were famished and decided to grab a late lunch at the nearby SM mall. It was fun comparing notes on our little girls and life as stay-at-home and work-at-home mommies.

Tricia is my oldest friend, we've known each other since we were 8 years old! We were classmates in second grade and busmates all throughout grade school. Way before e-mail, we kept up a regular correspondence through the old fashioned way, snail mail when we transferred to different high schools. Every special occasion such as birthdays, Valentine's and Christmas, we would send each other cards and letters. This went on during college, until we both went to work and eventually got married. We were on each other's wedding entourages and she is one of my daughter's godmothers. With the advent of the mobile phone and the internet we are able to keep in touch more easily. She's now preggy with her second baby and counting the weeks to go.

After I dropped her off in her house I called up my other BFF, Hazel. I wanted to swing by ATC to go shopping for a cocktail dress and a gown my brother's upcoming wedding and thought it would be a good time to meet up. Luckily she was free and it turns out was also in need of a gown to wear to a friend's wedding. We had a blast trying on gowns and dresses. It felt like the quest for the holy grail. The dress would either be too tight or would realistically look better on a mannequin, read, someone with a model-thin figure. I ended up buying a fab black and red dress. Hazel was unsure about getting this sexy red piece because of the steep price so we looked at other shops but couldn't find any that measured up to the red number. We took so long that by the time we went back for the first gown she liked, the store was closed. Hazel said she would just go back for the dress another time and if it was still there then it was meant to be. I also tried on a light gray goddess style gown but was hesitant to get it because it showed off unflattering parts of my body, if you know what I mean.

We were tired after all the fittings and running around two different malls on our search for the perfect dress that we ended the day with a yummy pasta and salad dinner (ahem, gotta watch the figures!) Hazel is my BFF from high school and although we don't regularly keep in touch as much as Tricia and I, we always manage to pick up where we left off from our last conversation, no matter how many weeks or months ago that was.

It was fun hearing about my longtime friend, her love life and the corporate world for a change. We talked about our families and reminisced about the high school days.

I was out for a whole day and it was so nice to just relax and catch up on some girl talk and bond with some of my favorite people. I really cherish and relish moments like these especially now that I am married. Once you're married you sometimes tend to neglect your friends and get caught up with your new family and all the things that go with running a household, making a living and raising your kids. I look forward to my next date with my girl friends.

Obama-rama

2008-11-12T17:18:00.003+08:00

I don’t like politics much, when I read the papers I usually turn to the Entertainment or Lifestyle Section first. I find politics, whether in the country or anywhere else, too depressing what with all the corruption and deviousness going around. But this year I’ve been somewhat following the U.S. Presidential campaigns. We were in Marshall Islands for most of this year and due to the lack of interesting TV programs, we often turned to CNN and Fox News which covered the Obama and McCain activities pretty extensively.

While I am not a fan of Obama and oppose his views on abortion and gay marriage, his win is a great turning point not only for African-Americans but for all non-whites living in the United States. It is indeed a triumph for a people who have suffered great oppression for hundreds of years in the land of the free and the brave. For the first time they truly have a voice in the highest office in the land, not to mention the most powerful nation in the world. One popular comedienne even said, “Now we have no excuse to slack off.” Obama’s election will be an inspiration to Africans, Asians and Latinos all trying to better their lives in the white man’s world.

There has been a lot of crazy talk about Obama lately. Could Obama be the one the great prophet Nostradamus was referring to in his prophecy centuries ago?

The American people will let the new President have his “honeymoon” period for sure. But after the euphoria has died down, all eyes will be on Mr. Barack Obama as he buckles down to the grueling work ahead.

Halloween Overload

2008-11-06T23:07:00.009+08:00

This past week Raine went to not one but three Halloween trick or treat events. Growing up, I didn't get to experience this holiday. It was only something I saw on American TV. Although I do remember going to a Halloween costume party in high school. I dressed up as a punk fairy and even had a wand made. Haha! These past few years, most upper-middle class subdivisions have come up with their own Halloween activities for kids to enjoy, so now trick or treating has become an "in" thing. Raine's 3-year old cousin, a Halloween "veteran", had lots of costumes from her early trick or treating days so I didn't have to buy . For her first outing, Raine was a purple fairy. By the afternoon, she was getting all itchy so we switched to a penguin costume. The penguin look was a hit with the neighbors. Her chubby-ness complemented the costume. I decided to use this costume for her next two Halloween events.

Her second "T or T" was at my former office. It was different from going house to house in a village. This time we went from floor to floor, visiting the different departments which were decorated with themes ranging from "Blues Clues", to "Care Bears", to "Pirates of the Caribbean" and "Nightmare Before Christmas". My officemates loved Raine's getup. They kept calling her "Happy Feet" after the penguin cartoon. I think this overwhelmed the tot a bit because it was difficult to coax a smile out of her when my friends took pictures of her. She only warmed up when we stopped by the training room and she got to play with other kids who had taken a break from all the Halloween madness.

For her third and last Halloween activity, we mostly watched the shows in the village clubhouse. Raine and cousin Annika happily sat on their little monoblock chairs while munching on popcorn and cotton candy as they watched animal and magic shows on the stage. After the programme, we had some time to do the traditional door-to-door visits. It was drizzling a little so we had a car with us to drive the kids around the neighborhood. Penguin Raine and Peacock Annika had a blast going from house to house asking for candy. Annika's costume was an eyecatcher and she even won as one of the top ten best costumes.

Next year I think I will buy Raine her own costume, something comfortable yet still adorable. As for me, I'll make sure I'll be wearing comfortable shoes and charge my video camera to capture all those cute little moments.

Terrible but Terrific Twos

2008-10-17T01:21:00.008+08:00

My little one has been acting up a lot these past couple of months. She loves to say "no" and "stop it", even when she means "yes". It has become quite annoying, especially around strangers or even relatives she is shy towards. I feel an early preview of the so-called "terrible twos".

She is like two different personas in one little body. Most of the time she likes to assert her independence by trying to do things her own way. She likes to feed herself and when I get the spoon from her, she would hold it really tight and wrestle it away from me. She tries to put on her slippers by herself even though sometimes they're on the wrong feet. She puts on a pair of shorts or pants or a t-shirt through her legs. But she bawls out, "I can't, I can't!" when she realizes she's put both legs in just one hole of the shorts and is unable to get out by herself.

Raine seems to have a fascination with lotions, creams and other beauty products. She has now mastered how to open most bottles and jars, much to my dismay. She's very fast too. Before I know it, she has smeared lotion all over her legs and her cheeks. I once caught her putting baby oil on her thighs. Another time she opened her grandmother's lipstick and started poking it with her finger and then applying it to her chin. I spend half the time taking her to the bathroom to wash her face and wipe her legs, then clean up the mess she left behind. An aunt advised me to be "lovingly tough" during times when she is naughty or misbehaves.

The little girl is indeed a curious soul She likes to open cabinets and drawers, rummage through what's inside until she finds something that catches her fancy. I think for my next baby I'll baby-proof our home a whole lot more.

The other night she was just one big ball of energy. She didn't want to go to sleep despite my stern warnings. She just lay in bed babbling away. I was typing on my laptop with my back to her when I heard her reach for a toy on the headboard behind the bed. When she saw me look at her she immediately closed her eyes while still clutching the toy. I put the toy back in its place and went back to the computer. But then I heard her get up again and reach for her Dora doll. I looked at her and she promptly closed her eyes, still holding Dora on top of her tummy. I wanted to laugh because she looked so funny, pretending to be asleep despite her awkward position. I firmly told her it was time to go to sleep and pried Dora from her hands. All was quiet after that but after awhile I sneaked a peek and there she was again, now with a book in her hands. She shut her eyes once again as I whirled around to look at her. It was the last straw, I let out a laugh. Raine is turning into a little comedienne with her antics.

Raine will be two years old soon. How time flies by! She can get on my nerves more quickly these days but just as suddenly, she gives me an "awwww" moment to treasure. I've been coughing a lot lately and when she sees this she will rub her hand on my back as if to soothe me and say, "it's okay mom." She sounded so grown up then! A few days ago she woke up saying "I love you" to me, although it sounded more like, "I loveoo." It made me smile from ear-to-ear.

Terrible twos you say? Bring it on!

Babyface

2008-10-16T17:35:00.007+08:00

The other day I went to the hospital for a checkup. I've had a really bad cough and colds for the past few weeks and despite the antibiotics, they haven't let up. My mom thought maybe I had asthma so she sent me to see a pulmonologist. I never thought so many people have asthma, I was already the 19th patient for the day (the doctor holds clinic only for 2 hours). The nurse commented that I shouldn't have brought my daughter to wait with me since there were a lot of sick people around. Good thing I brought along a nanny so I sent them up to my mom's office instead. I was asked to have a chest x-ray first so off I went again.

As I positioned myself for the x-ray, the technician casually asked how old I was. I told him my age and he couldn't believe it. He said he looked even older than me. To me, he seemed about 25-28 yrs old. I'm 34 now. I'm not sure if he was just teasing me or trying to start a conversation, but it definitely made my day. I just had a birthday a few days back, you see. Modesty aside, I've always looked younger than my actual age. As far back as I can remember people always get my age wrong by as much as 10 years at the most. Lately, I've been feeling a bit sluggish because of coughing spells and I've gained some unwanted weight although I guess I could still pass for 28. Haha! Thank goodness for good genes, huh! Both my parents are in their 60s but looking at them now, you wouldn't believe it either.

I hope my little girl will also inherit that "young-looking" gene. Back in college when I was often mistaken for a 14 year old, it wasn't any fun, especially when going out with friends at night. But now that I'm oldER, I'm relishing the babyface comments. I'll take them as long as they come. The big four-oh is not exactly something I look forward to.

Nothing Comes Easy

2008-10-07T14:13:00.003+08:00

Last week I started a part-time job writing for various websites. You know how most websites have testimonials or comments from their customers or readers? Well, it turns out that some of those are actually planted. A good friend of mine has been doing it for quite some time now. She found an ad in the paper looking for a part-time comments website writer. The owner is some sort of middleman for various foreign sites and needed a couple more writers because of the increase in orders from their contact.

It doesn't pay a whole lot but it's great exercise for my writing. Gets the creative juices flowing, so to speak. It's also pretty time consuming because I'm usually sent 7-15 websites at one time and I have to send 5-10 comments on each site by the next day. You have to read about the products in the website and write positive comments about it, as if you purchased products or availed of their services. Imagine writing 5-10 comments about one site as if you're 5-10 different people. My creativity and imagination has really been stretched to the fullest because of this. Just goes to show there's no such thing as easy money.

Now that we're back in Manila (for good, maybe) I'm looking for writing jobs I can do at home so I can still be hands on with my little girl. I'm thinking of applying as a freelance editor. I just have to update my resume. Wish me luck!

Blogging Blah

2008-10-01T12:32:00.003+08:00

You'd think I would be blogging like crazy since we got back to Manila and have access to broadband internet but I've only written two entries from the time we returned here. I've been in a sort of blogger's limbo. I've been too lazy to write lately even though I've got lots of material. We've been busy catching up with friends, updating documents and what-not, blogging has gone way down my list. Maybe when hubby goes back to M.I. I'll get back into the swing of things. A new writing project I joined may just do the trick and get me out of the blogging blahs.

For the First Time

2008-09-14T23:29:00.003+08:00

Nope, this isn't about the Richard Gutierrez - KC Concepcion movie but about my little Raine's first time ever to get really sick. Last week, as we were on our way to meet a friend for dinner, Raine threw up the milk she had just drank inside the car. She also seemed like she was running a fever so we headed back home.

My brother who's a doctor immediately examined her and said that despite her temperature, which went up to about 38 degrees Celsius, she seemed fine. No colds nor cough. Since she threw up maybe she just had something that didn't agree with her tummy. But all she had was milk, bread, cornflakes and cookies. We bought her medicine for fever. After a few hours she was already feeling better, then just as quickly her temp went up again, this time to 39 degrees. My mom, who's also a doctor, told me to bring her to the pediatrician in the morning if her fever didn't go down. We were also concerned with the rashes that appeared on her hands and legs.

Raine has never gotten sick before, save for the occasional cough and colds which never really dampened her spirits. But this time she was obviously weak and listless. She had thrown up 2 more times. My poor little girl. I gave her lukewarm sponge baths and placed an icebag on her head to cool her down. By morning her temperature had see-sawed from 37 to 39 degrees. The pedia prescribed antibiotics and medicines for high fever and a suppository in case she vomited again. She was to get a blood test in 2 days if her fever continued to go up.

We had to meet a friend for lunch to give her her husband's "padala" and Raine perked up then. But soon Raine seemed to feel sick again. We prayed hard that she would get well by nightfall so she wouldn't need to undergo any lab tests. True enough by morning her fever had gone down. She slept most of the day but sans fever.

Now I know why some parents wish they were the ones who were sick, instead of their kids. It's really hard to see your little angel ill, especially when they aren't able to fully express themselves yet. It makes it more difficult for you to really understand how they feel and pinpoint their exact symptoms.

Raine is well now. We even went to the beach over the weekend and looking at her it looks like she hadn't gotten sick at all. Babies are indeed very resilient and bounce back much faster than most adults when it comes to recovering from illness.

It's beginning to look a lot like ...

2008-09-09T13:26:00.003+08:00

We're back in the Philippines. Whew! After a whirlwind two days of packing Raine's stuff and mine, we were on our way. Hubby's going back to M.I. to finish the project though, but we won't be coming with him anymore since he'll be returning in a few months anyway. He's been having a series of medical lab tests to determine the seriousness of his chest pains. We're crossing our fingers and toes.

It's SeptemBER! And Christmas is just around the corner. Being back home has got me even more excited for the holidays. We have a lot to look forward to. Raine turns two soon, my father-in-law will be celebrating his 60th birthday and my brother is getting married! Plus, Raine will be a flowergirl for the first time!

I love Christmas. The decorations, the happy carols and mushy songs, the cool night air. My first Christmas as a married couple was also our first with a little baby. Raine was barely two months old during her first yuletide and so that was prety uneventful since she slept through most of it. Last year, we were in Marshall Islands and had an intimate party for three. This year will be very different since my brother's wedding is a few day after Christmas, some dear relatives are flying in for the big day and we're all looking forward to the upcoming reunions and parties. Also, it will be Raine's first Christmas knowing about Santa. We didn't bother with the Santa bit the year she was born since she was too little. Last year we were in a pretty remote island so this time we plan to be more Christmas-y for the little girl.

The photo above was taken at my parents' house where Raine celebrated her first Christmas. Exciting times ahead, yipee!

Sudden Exit

2008-09-06T05:55:00.004+08:00

We're going back to the Philippines earlier than planned. Two whole months earlier in fact. Hubby hasn't been feeling too good lately and his ECG results came back abnormal. Yikes! There are no cardiologists on the island so we have to go back to Manila for further medical tests.

I'm gradually packing our stuff since Raine and I won't be coming back anymore, just hubby to finish up the project here. So unexpected, yet totally necessary.

Gotta go back to my packing!

Happy - Sad

2008-09-01T20:31:00.002+08:00

I've been tagged by Issa. Thanks!

~Start Copy~
Here are the Rules:
1. List the things that make you Happy and those that make you Sad.
2. Add your Blog to the list. Feel free to add all your other Blogs.
3. Tag other online friends you know.

Participants: T?ni’s Attachments, Cecile2’s-Small and Simple Things, Lara’s Pinay dot US, Lara’s My Blog Entry, Lara’s Byaheng Pinay, Living A’ La Mode, Bits and Pieces, My Life in this Wonderful World, My Online World, Ozzy’s Mom, Me,Myself+2, Kidd Designs, FunFierceFabulous , Eds Mommy Life, Just Me.. Eds, My Precious Niche, Music of my Heart,Me and Mine Creative in Me, For the LOVE of Food, Little Peanut, Pea in a Pod, It’s Where the HEART Is, Around the World, SugarMagnolias, Mommy Talks, Aggie Shoots. Aggie Scraps, All Kinds of Me Stuff, The Salad Caper, Winding Creek Circle, InkBabyStudios, We are Family, Momma Stuff, A Pocketful of Happiness , One Hundred Eighty Degrees

What Makes Me Happy
1. Spending time with family & hanging out with friends
2. E-mails & phone calls from them
3. A great meal, with great company
4. Watching favorite TV shows, DVD marathons
5. Reading feel-good books

What Makes Me Sad
1. Sickness & death
2. Poverty
3. Unhappy endings

I'm tagging Janelli, Bless, Cathee, Janis, Jenn.

Tag Time

2008-08-30T13:17:00.005+08:00

Got this tag from Tricia.

1. List 6 things that describe yourself today and yesterday.

2. Add your blog to the list. Feel free to add all your other blogs.

3. Tag other online friends you know.

Yesterday
1. I woke up with still feeling under the weather with my cough and colds.
2. By the afternoon my voice was hoarse and I had a difficult time talking.
3. Chatted with highschool amiga Rowie who's in California.
4. Despite feeling sick, I still exercised while Raine napped.
5. I went to mass with Lucy and Mac because hubby had to do some overtime.
6. I couldn’t sleep right away.

Today
1. We overslept, got up at almost noon.
2. I’m getting really fed up with the neighborhood dogs’ regular “drop-ins”.
3. I’m getting really hooked on Grey’s Anatomy, better late than never, eh?
4. I was too lazy to exercise.
5. I finally got my own domain.
6. I'm having a hard time figuring out how to set up the new website though

Participants : GailAdi / Momeen / Emmyrose / Dennis / Dette / Jirl / Janny / Nanay Belen / Carol / Something Purple’s cucina / Vanity Kit / Mind Bubbles / Stripe&Yellow / Something Purple / Em’s Detour / Spin180 / Wisdom City / MY Happy Place / IamDzoi / ClikTrik / I Love the Thirties / Ozzy’s Mom / Me,Myself+2 / Kidd Designs / FunFierceFabulous / Blogger Happy / Berry Scrappy / Everyday CHI / My Colorful World / Explore Manila / Random Thoughts / When SAHM-one Speaks / Deranged Insanity / Mighty in Spirit / Straight from the Heart / Simple Delights / Motherhood in a Nutshell / Love Is / Wonderful Things in Life / My Life’s Adventur” / Photographic Memories / The Joy Of Life Forever / The Fountain Of Happiness / A Message From My Heart / The Adventurous and Sporty Side of Miah / MeiYah’s Blog / MeiYah’s PhotoBlog / MeiYah’s World / MeiYah’s Sweet Nothings / Sheng’s Simple Thoughts /Eds Mommy Life/ Just Me.. Eds/ My Precious Niche / A Wonderful Journey to Life / Tricia’s World/ Preggy Matters / One Hundred Eighty Degrees

I’m tagging fellow bloggers: Mich, Kathycot, Carol.

Have Bag, Will Travel

2008-08-30T11:01:00.001+08:00

Sturdy, durable and long-lasting luggage is every traveler’s best friend. Before we moved out of the country, I didn’t really care much for travel gear. To me as long as it could hold all my personal belongings it would do. But the increase in our travel to and from the Philippines meant we needed suitcases that would stand the test of time. It had to be large and lightweight at the same time due to stricter freight regulations. It had to be made of a strong enough material to withstand being hurled around and ripped or torn in case it was under other travelers’ luggage in the airplane’s cargo. But aside from form and function it had to look stylish too.

I remember I saw a popular celebrity couple at the airport with a porter in front of them pushing a huge cart with a ton of Louis Vuitton designer luggage perched on top of it. While I do not fantasize of owning such luxurious duds for my clothes and what-not, I would still like to own nice luggage in a color other than the staple black. Hubby’s own suitcase is beige and red, you can spot it a mile away amidst a sea of black and navy bags as the luggage carousel moves along.

I bought two pieces of luggage for our move to Marshall Islands. One was from a popular international brand that I ordered through our office supplier. I quickly realized all our things wouldn’t fit in it so I went to a luggage store to buy another one. It was locally made, thus cheaper than the first one I bought but the sales personnel assured me of its features. It actually looked better than the imported one I bought earlier. Well, what do you know, when we got to the Islands, one of the legs of the cheaper luggage broke! Argh! Goes to show that sometimes, it really pays to pay a little more for quality.

Entertaining Traffic

2008-08-29T16:58:00.003+08:00

Traffic in Manila is probably one of the worst in the world. A car ride from Paranaque to Makati during rush hour can take as long as 1 to 1.5 hours, whereas normally it should only really take about 20 minutes. Taking the Skyway makes the trip a little more bearable at about a half hour. But when you get down that bridge where you meet the traffic.

There's not much you can do during times like these. If I had a book or a magazine I would definitely use the time to read. Sometimes I pray the rosary. But most of the time I try to get some shut-eye. I love to sleep and usually fall asleep pretty easily in the car, sometimes I even have dreams, interrupted by the occasional sound of the honking horns outside.

My mom who's a doctor and professor eats her lunch during traffic, makes phone calls, checks her students' test papers, catches up on her reading (it's not even light material she reads but medical stuff). Her car is a veritable moving office. If there was ever an award for Most Productive Use of Time Spent in Traffic, my mom would win it hands down.

Bedroom Talk

2008-08-29T14:03:00.002+08:00

My favorite room in the house is the bedroom. It’s where you can rest, relax, let your hair down and just be yourself. My old room at my parents’ house was my sanctuary and my oasis. All the bedroom furniture except for my study table were chosen by my mom when I was little so I didn’t have much say about them. I didn’t particularly like the red curtains or the red carpet but I liked how these complimented the big white bed which had an attached headboard and night table drawers. I spent many times in my room studying, curled up with a good book or just listening to music.

I’ve never been a fan of heavy, ornate furniture. They look too dated to me. I’ve always dreamed of having a very modern bedroom, a solid wooden bed with drawers underneath to keep linens in, night stands with drawers to hold books and important items nearby, a soft headboard to contrast all the wood furniture, a walk-in closet and a dresser with a sizable mirror to complete the look.

We live in a cozy condo unit and the master’s room is dominated by the bed and two cabinets, and a little shelf that holds a few of Raine’s toys. Naturally, there's not much space for anything else. It’s a typical contemporary bedroom, no frills, no fuss, but still my most favorite room in our home. I’ve been browsing through various furniture websites and have taken a liking to Italian-made furniture. They are not only sleek and stylish but also functional. I love their clean lines and Zen-feel. Some day when we have our own house, I plan to make my dream Italian bedroom into a reality.

Isn't it ironic?

2008-08-25T16:00:00.000+08:00

It’s funny how things turn out sometimes. Two weeks ago during some heavy rains, we lost our dial-up internet connection at the apartment (Yup, broadband is not available at the residences here yet, just at the business offices). Hubby reported it to the phone company, but after a week of constant following up, we still didn’t have any access. I was beside myself and going crazy not being able to surf the net, check my emails and most importantly, blog.

During a trip downtown, we decided to explore a part of Majuro where we had never been before. Hubby said he had heard that there was a museum and a library somewhere. We got to an old building and went up a flight of stairs to find two doors: one lead to a museum while the other led to a public library. The museum was closed so we ended up in the library. Save for the librarian and one local browsing thru a shelf of books, the place was empty. There were plenty of books to choose from, most were still in good condition, although they all looked like they had seen better days. We ended up applying for a library card and borrowed six books! Hubby borrowed 2 on photography and I borrowed 4 bestsellers from James Patterson (the suspense thrillers Cradle & All and Honeymoon), Winston Groom’s Gump & Co. (the sequel to Forrest Gump) and Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden.

I left the library giddy with all the books we borrowed. I had two weeks before we had to return them. Yipee! Hubby passed by his office and once again followed up on the internet access at home. Well, what do you know, their IT staff gave us a temporary number we could use while the phone line was being repaired.

Now I have my hands full to bursting with the books, the internet, the apartment, not to mention, little Raine. Haha! But I’m not complaining, at least this will definitely cure my island fever.

Time to Diet

2008-08-25T14:51:00.006+08:00

A few entries back, I said that I have never had a weight problem. In fact, I had difficulty gaining weight and have been thin most of my life. Well, ever since I became a stay-at-home-mom, I think I've gained a little more weight than I like. I'm not overweight or anything, in fact people tell me I look better now with a little more skin on my bones. But what I don't like about putting on some pounds is that, in my case, they all seem to go to one direction, the belly. Argh!

I've been helping hubby control his weight by making sure he only has 1 cup of rice per meal but now I've decided to abstain from rice myself. This may seem drastic, I don't really need to lose weight and don't have to buy phentermine diet pills or anything like that. But I think it's about time I become more conscious of my food intake. Especially now that I'm nearing my, ahem mid-30s. Losing weight after all gets harder as we get older. I think it's just right that we do damage control as early as possible.

I miss rice, and it's only been 2 days. Haha! Of course, losing the unwanted belly won't happen just by skipping rice. I plan to do exercise too. I've been postponing doing it on a daily basis. I always seem to have an excuse. But there's just no getting around it anymore. Even those who take diet pills know that exercise and the right diet are the surest way to reach their goal.

Six Layers

2008-08-22T18:40:00.003+08:00

Got this tag from Nol.

6 Layers…Of YOU.

::START::

RULES:
1. Add your blog/s to the list. Feel free to add all your other blogs. It’s okay if you only post the questions in one blog as long as you answer them.
2. Get back to Me {YEN} and I’ll add your blogs to the master’s list HERE! Note that you are not ALLOWED to change the link here.
3. Copy from Start to End.
4. Tag as many friends online you know. But you don’t need to be tagged in order to join.
Copy this Participants List: Me and Mine,Creative in Me,For the LOVE of Food,Little Peanut,Pea in a Pod, It’s Where the HEART Is, Around the World, SugarMagnolias, In Depth, A Wonderful Journey to Life, One Hundred Eighty Degrees.

LAYER ONE:
– Name: Rhea Angela
– Birth date: October 11
– Birthplace: Makati, Philippines
– Current Location: Marshall Islands
– Eye Color: Dark Brown
– Hair Color: Black
– Righty or Lefty: Righty

LAYER TWO:
– Your heritage: Filipino
– The shoes you wore today: black Havaianas
– Your weakness: Super worrywart
– Your fears: Death of a loved one
– Your perfect pizza: Yellow Cab
– Goal you’d like to achieve in life: Live comfortably with my family with no worries

LAYER THREE:
– Your first waking thoughts: Can I sleep for 10 more minutes?
– Your best physical feature: eyes
– Your most missed memory: childhood

LAYER FOUR:
– Pepsi or Coke: Coke
– McDonald’s or Burger King: McDonald’s
– Single or group dates: Single
– Adidas or Nike: Nike
– Lipton Ice Tea or Nestea: Nestea
– Chocolate or vanilla: Vanilla
– Cappuccino or coffee: Capuccino

LAYER FIVE
– A famous person, dead or alive, would you interview: Jesus
– Movie can you watch and say the lines along with the actors: Ever After
– Name two of your passions in life : God and my family
– Least favorite time of day: Early morning

LAYER SIX
– Use hairspray or gel: neither
– Your favorite meal: Hubby’s Adobo and Pizza made from scratch
– Color inside of your head when you close your eyes: Pink
– Listen to classical music: When I was preggy
– Ever said LOL in real life without thinking about it: Nope

::END::
Now, I'm tagging Kiscy, Eds, Eileen, Faye, Issa, Jammy.

High School Woes

2008-08-22T16:52:00.004+08:00

I got this survey question from fellow blogger, Jan.

What were your worries and fears when you were in high school?

Ah, high school life, oh my high school life how exciting, kay saya!

I had a lot of fun in high school. Despite going to an all-girls' school, it was one of the best times of my life. It was the time when I established friendships that I keep and cherish to this day.

Like any teenager, I worried about a lot of things. But the most major ones were: my grades in my waterloo subject; Math (Trigonometry and Calculus) and the PROM.

Math was my weakest subject and I have to admit I really struggled through it. I even had a tutor to help me out. Thank goodness I made up for that weakness by getting good grades in English and History. As long as there were no computations involved, I was fine.

The PROM; the biggest Big Deal of high school life was a constant cause of worry and nervousness. It was the first time I ever went on a real date. It wasn't the best date ever, actually it was pretty much a disaster. If there's one thing I learned from that episode, it's that when things get so bad, they can only get better.

Now I worry about more grown-up things like bills, the mortgage, my family's welfare. Ahh, youth is indeed wasted on the young, eh?

It's all in the lighting

2008-08-22T16:35:00.001+08:00

House decorating is something I’ve never really been interested in. When I was single I didn’t really share my mom’s constant interest in the house ware section of department stores. She loved to look at the latest furnishings and sometimes would pick up a new vase or decorative item to add to our already-full display shelves. Mom especially loved lamps.

Despite the central lighting in the rooms in our house, such as a chandelier or a lighted ceiling fan she would still add table lamps or floor lamps to strategic corners to emphasize a favorite painting or figurine. She said it added warmth to the ambiance of the room. Back then the only important lamp to me was the one on top of my study table.

Now that I’m married and have a home of my own I love to go to furniture shops and browse through online home stores. I remember being pregnant and dividing my time between the home and baby sections. I’m still searching for the perfect lighting fixtures for our living room. Right now we live abroad in a furnished apartment and I can’t wait to go home and update our little abode’s look.

Awards from Friends

2008-08-14T16:29:00.003+08:00

I got these awards from Pat. Thanks girl!

I'm sending this out to Tricia and Rynor.

On being domesticated & chores tag

2008-08-14T15:15:00.003+08:00

This was passed on by Marie!

~~~START COPY~~~

This meme is pretty simple. Here are the rules:

1.) List down the household chores you hate and why. Do you think you can survive without helpers and nannies?

2.) Copy the image.

3.) Tag as many girlfriends you want, the daddies and hubbies can also join.

4.) Add your blog's link in the domesticated divas linky love. You can add all your blogs.

5.) Leave ME a comment and I'll add you up in the masterlist.

DOMESTICATED DIVAS: Living the Healthy Life / Sripe & Yellow / Vanity Kit / Mind Bubbles / Something Purple / Em's Detour / Insights from the Grocery Cart / Living A'La Mode / Joy's In Life / Sheng's Simple Thoughts / Coriander Dreams / Gorgeous Traveller / A Traveller's Domain / Lemon Iced Tea / One Hundred and Eighty Degrees

~~~END COPY~~~

MY ANSWER: I dislike ironing mainly because I'm not really good at it. I also don't like washing greasy pots and pans. Sometimes it's hard to get the oil out. Living abroad has forced me and hubby to do everything by ourselves. Since I'm a SAHM I do most of the housework. I've learned a lot of things along the way and am nowhere near being a domestic diva but I'm slowly getting there. Haha! It would be nice to have some help though so I can just focus on my daughter.

I am tagging Mec, Joanne and Jan!

Island Fever

2008-08-10T17:25:00.003+08:00

Have you ever heard of cabin fever? It’s when you have been cooped up indoors for such a long period of time that you just crave for a change of environment. Being on an island for seven months makes me feel that way. Don’t get me wrong, Marshall Islands is a beautiful place to live in. It’s quaint, peaceful, pollution-free and generally crime-free. But after you get your fill of the beach and the open sea, there’s really not much else to do around the island. For a country that used to be a U.S. territory, it is not very developed especially when it comes to recreation.

Downtown Majuro, MI's capital

There are no malls or department stores, no high-rise buildings or fancy restaurants, no parks or museums, no sports facilities. The nicest-looking building is the National Government Office where the President holds office. There are three hotels, all three-star in rank run by Americans and Taiwanese businessmen. There are no high-end beach resorts either. There’s a resort on Eneko Island that offers modest accommodations but all the other islands are pretty much uninhabited. Hubby’s boss owns another island, Enimanit which has small nipa huts imported all the way from the Philippines that provide shade and serve as picnic areas but this island has no electricity so visitors can only stay until sunset.

the rarely used Convention Center

There are many small grocery stores and a couple of big supermarkets. There are a few clothing shops that sell mostly muumuus (a dressier version of the housedress or daster, it’s the Marshallese women’s favorite attire) and simple casual clothing.

Native Chapel in Laura Beach

The country is a group of small islands, the biggest and most populous is Majuro. The three hotels have their own restaurants. There is a Japanese restaurant, a number of Chinese restos, a Filipino eatery and a Vietnamese take-out place.

There is cable TV but there are not too many channels too choose from. There’s Channel V, MTV, CNN, Fox News, Star Movies, Star World, BBC News, Knowledge Channel, National Geographic, Animal Planet, Australia TV, ESPN and a bunch of Chinese channels. There is TFC too. However, if it rains too much, reception becomes snowy or disappears altogether for a couple of days.

the biggest & tallest, National Government Building

Marshall Islands definitely needs some dire sprucing up. The island would be a great tourist destination if only it had the attractions for beach-loving travelers. I haven’t gone diving or snorkeling but I hear that the corals and underwater life are a sight to see. The beaches are clear white sand and turquoise waters, it’s sad that most of the local people are not conscious about maintaining cleanliness though. The beaches near the city already have some pieces of trash littered about the shore. The outer islands are better preserved. Visitors are required to bring their trash back with them after staying on the smaller islands.

Sunset views on both sides of the island

Our weekends are spent at home, in the company of Rynor’s work mates, going to the beach or watching DVDs borrowed from the lone video rental shop.

We still have a few more months to stay on this tropical island until we go back home and, as hubby calls it, “join the real world”. Meanwhile, it’s almost sunset and time for me to take in the lovely ocean view from our porch.

Dusk on the island

Fab Frames at Fab Prices

2008-08-07T11:36:00.001+08:00

I’ve never been into eyewear despite being nearsighted. As a child, I hated wearing my eyeglasses and was only too glad to shift to contact lens in my teens. But a few years back an ophthalmologist recommended that I have eyeglasses handy to allow my eyes to rest from time to time. I grudgingly bought a pair and have stuck to them since.

My hubby is also nearsighted but is totally my opposite when it comes to eyewear. He loves collecting eyeglasses and shades and encouraged me to check out this new online shop he discovered called Zenni Optical. He said they have incredibly stylish new frames at unbelievably affordable prices.

They have a huge selection of frames, with single vision lens, sunsensor (potochromic)lens, tinted sunglasses lens, bifocal lens and progressive lens. I was at first skeptical, but became a true convert when Zenni Optical was on FOX News! I couldn’t be happier. Now I have a wider array of fabulous frames to choose from. Zenni Optical $8 Rx Eyeglasses are an absolute steal.

God's Pharmacy

2008-08-01T01:43:00.001+08:00

I got this as a forwarded email and could not help but share it here in my blog...

It's been said that God first separated the salt water from the fresh, made dry land, planted a garden, made animals and fish... all before making a human. He made and provided what we'd need before we were born. These are best & more powerful when eaten raw.

God left us a great clue as to what foods help what part of our body!

A sliced Carrot looks like the human eye. The pupil, iris and radiating lines look just like the human eye... and YES, science now shows carrots greatly enhance blood flow to and function of the eyes.

The Tomato has four chambers and is red. The heart has four chambers and is red. All of the research shows tomatoes are loaded with lycopene and are indeed pure heart and blood food.

Grapes hang in a cluster that has the shape of the heart. Each grape looks like a blood cell and all of the research today shows grapes are also profound heart and blood vitalizing food.

A Walnut looks like a little brain, a left and right hemisphere, upper cerebrums and lower cerebellums. Even the wrinkles or folds on the nut are just like the neo-cortex. We now know walnuts help develop more than three (3) dozen neuron-transmitters for brain function.

Kidney Beans actually heal and help maintain kidney function and yes, they look exactly like the human kidneys.

Celery, Bok Choy, Rhubarb and many more look just like bones. These foods specifically target bone strength. Bones are 23% sodium and these foods are 23% sodium. If you don't have enough sodium in your diet, the body pulls it from the bones, thus making them weak. These foods replenish the skeletal needs of the body.

Avocadoes, Eggplant and Pears target the health and function of the womb and cervix of the female - they look just like these organs. Today's research shows that when a woman eats one avocado a week, it balances hormones, sheds unwanted birth weight, and prevents cervical cancers. And how profound is this? It takes exactly nine (9) months to grow an avocado from blossom to ripened fruit. There are over 14,000 photolytic chemical constituents of nutrition in each one of these foods (modern science has only studied and named about 141 of them).

Figs are full of seeds and hang in twos when they grow. Figs increase the mobility of male sperm and increase the number of sperm as well to overcome male sterility.

Sweet Potatoes look like the pancreas and actually balance the glycemic index of diabetics.

Olives assist the health and function of the ovaries.

Oranges, Grapefruits, and other Citrus fruits look just like the mammary glands of the female and actually assist the health of the breasts and the movement of lymph in and out of the breasts.

Onions look like the body's cells. Today's research shows onions help clear waste materials from all of the body's cells. They even produce tears which wash the epithelial layers of the eyes. A working companion, Garlic, also helps eliminate waste materials and dangerous free radicals from the body.

Be a Smart Loser

2008-07-30T11:10:00.005+08:00

I've never had a problem losing weight. In fact, up until I got pregnant I had always been below a 100 lbs. I'm not sure if it has to do with my metabolism, my bone structure, my genes or all of the above but for most of my life I've been on the slender side. It's not that I am doing anything to keep the weight off in fact, I'd always wanted to have a fuller figure but no matter how much I ate I never gained enough weight to achieve this, until I got pregnant that is. I gained about 30 lbs. altogether and promptly shed most of it a month or two after giving birth. I have breastfeeding to thank for that.

I guess I could say that I'm one of the lucky ones in this department. I have friends who constantly complain about needing to lose weight. Although I argue that gaining weight is even harder, they just roll their eyes at me. One friend has tried every imaginable diet there is: South Beach, After Six, Three-Day Diet, name it, she's tried it. She's even taken some diet pills to boost her weight-loss program. Until now, she's still in search of the best diet pill in the market. There are pills that make you lose your appetite or make you have to rush to the bathroom after a meal. I've even heard of diet pills laced with drugs. A former officemate got addicted to her pills and kept taking them even after she had already lost a considerable amount of weight. I got worried about her because she experienced bad side effects to the pills and could not function properly. It turns out that the pills weren't even approved by the FDA.

I believe the best way to lose weight is to eat right and exercise. If you must take a diet pill, be sure to consult a physician first. Don't just buy whatever is available at the drugstore. Do your research and find out as much as you can about the pill before you take it. Be a smart loser (of weight) and you end up a winner.

Blast from the Past

2008-07-29T10:48:00.000+08:00

A few posts ago, I talked about being a Facebook newbie. Since then I've added dozens of friends to my list. At first it was just people I currently know, like my siblings, cousins, former officemates, and classmates from high school and college. But lately, I've also discovered old friends from way, way back, as in people I had known before I was even 10 years old! You see, I went to one school all throughout elementary and then transferred for high school after grade 7.

It was so much fun looking up my former classmates because the last time I saw most of them was when we were all about 12 and 13 years old. Based on their profile pictures and photo albums you could easily tell who gained weight, who looks practically the same, who changed drastically. There's the frivolous girl who's now a responsible mother of three, the one who I caught cheating off my test paper now married with twins, the tough bully who's become a surgeon, the thin and awkward seat mate who's become a top fashion model, a couple of happy-go-lucky guys still enjoying their bachelor days. The quiet nerd-turned-photographer. The list goes on.

I remember them all, some vaguely, some quite well. I remember playing jackstones, patintero and cops and robbers with them during recess and lunch. I remember my first barkada and the name we gave our little group. It's amazing to see how everyone has turned out.

I was a bit apprehensive to invite some of them, especially those that I wasn't really very close to since I figured they might not remember me from so many years ago, but it warmed my heart to get notes from some of them reminiscing about our childhood.

Dreaming of a Cruise Holiday

2008-07-28T05:34:00.004+08:00

As a little girl one of my favorite TV shows was the “Love Boat”. I found it so amazing to go on a holiday aboard a luxury cruise liner. It seemed to be the height of sophistication and romance. It also seemed pretty expensive. Fortunately today, there are a number of cruise lines available to cater to the different tastes of discerning vacationers. Gone are the days when only the ultra-rich could afford such a trip.

Cruise holidays are the ultimate haven for the traveler who wants to get away from it all and visit one picturesque destination after another without ever leaving the comforts of his hotel room, which in cruise-speak is more commonly known as a cabin. This is not to say that cruise ships are merely moving hotels. The best ocean liners boast of well-appointed cabins and luxurious modern facilities. Elegant dining rooms that serve international cuisine enough to whet your appetite, an entertainment theater for musical shows, shops for the shopaholic, a well-stocked library for the bookworm, even special fun activities for the littlest member of the family. A gym and swimming pools are also de rigueur on cruise ships for the health buff. There are so many available attractions on deck that one might even be torn between sampling all of them or disembarking to go sightseeing.

I have been to parts of the U.S., Hongkong, Rome and Australia and currently reside in Marshall Islands but there is still much of the world I would like to visit and would very much like to go on a cruise on my next travel abroad. I have my eye on cruises to the Mediterranean, Europe and the Greek Islands. A trip to Alaska would also be wonderful. Other popular destinations are the Caribbean, Baltic Fjords, Scandinavia, the Far East, South America and the Indian Ocean. Each location has a charm and ambiance distinctly its own.

To travel the world is indeed an exciting privilege, but now it is also within more people’s reach.

Photos with a twist

2008-07-27T05:21:00.001+08:00

I discovered the website dumpr.net through fellow n@wie blogger Peachy's site. It renders special effects on photos. Here are the top three:

Rubik's Cube - Lolo and Raine in the garden
Wedding photo - Good enough for a museum?
Pensive Raine - See the details of her lashes and the flower tucked behind her ear.

Facebook Newbie

2008-07-26T07:41:00.000+08:00

Are you on Facebook? I was invited by my best friend Hazel to join a couple of months ago but I dilly-dallied until last week to complete my profile. And now, I must say I’m quite hooked. For those not familiar with Facebook, it’s very much like Friendster. It’s a social networking site where you put in your basic info much like a slambook. You search the site for people you know and add them to your friends list. You don’t have to worry that some stranger will be able to access your personal info because before a friend can be added to your list, you’re sent an email to verify if you indeed know the person who’s inviting you, the same goes when you invite someone.

The great thing about it is that when someone sends you a message, you can easily see it on your profile page. Called “The Wall”, it’s where your friends can post short notes or messages to you. Here they can also send you videos and even “gifts”. You can add different applications that will allow you to send a variety of gifts such as Starbucks drinks, stuffed toys, Easter Eggs, pastries, alcoholic beverage, even luxury bags, shoes and watches. Of course these are only pretend or virtual gifts that you can freely giveaway. You don’t actually receive the gifts. There are also applications related to charitable institutions such as feeding the hungry, cancer awareness, saving the environment, etc. There is even an application that gives you super powers. While another lets you play virtual poker with your friends. I’m pretty sure there are a lot more applications I have not discovered yet.

A feature I also like is that unlike in Friendster where you are notified who viewed your profile or took a look at your albums, in Facebook, it’s kept private. Hehe! So you can spy on your ex’s profile, take a look at his pictures without him knowing about it. Sneaky, sneaky! Of course, he has to have you on his friends list for you to be able to access his deets.

At first, I found all the applications too overwhelming. Some of my friends would invite me to add all these things to my own account and most of the time I’d feel obliged to accept, especially since we’re abroad and don’t get to see them much. Although now I’ve learned to decline some of the invites I find too strange, like being a vampire. I prefer searching for old friends and I have to admit I’ve been pretty successful at it. I’ve even found a number of classmates from grade school and my prom date! It’s nice to be able to see how everyone turned out and catch up on old times.

At this day and age when relationships come and go, it's great to have the chance to reminisce about the good old days and keep in touch with friends who are half way across the globe. Sites such as Friendster and Facebook, just makes it so much more cool and fun!

Credit cards: boon or bane?

2008-07-24T18:38:00.000+08:00

The first time I had my own credit card was right after college. It was a pre-approved card but nonetheless made me feel really grown-up. There’s just something about making a purchase without the exchange of cold cash right then and there. I have to admit being a young urban professional then I used my card a lot. To me it felt like, a “buy now, pay later” scheme. At the back of my mind I knew I would settle my credit card bill come payday. Reminiscing on my past spending habits now just makes me shake my head in absolute bewilderment at my spendthrift ways. Youth is indeed wasted on the young. I sure am glad that I didn’t end up being a slave to my credit card. I know of someone who half-jokingly used to say she actually works to pay off her credit card debt.

Some people fall prey to the many attractive sales promotions and spend money they don’t even have. Before they know it, they have maxed out their credit card and are up to their necks in debt. How can one easily get out of such a daunting dilemma? Paying just the minimum amount due every month is certainly not the way to go. Fortunately, help is readily available through online payday loans. However, it should be stressed that loans such as this should be for emergency purposes only since they usually have higher interest rates. Although loans such as these usually have higher interest rates, I believe that’s the price you pay for speedy and worry free service.

Online Shopping: The Wave of the Future?

2008-07-24T16:47:00.001+08:00

I love to go shopping. Part of the thrill other than the final purchase of course, is how it tickles all five senses. For clothes, shoes and bags, it’s seeing all the different colors and styles, trying them on, seeing how they look on you, how the material feels against your skin. For gadgets, it’s tinkering with it, turning it over in your hand, inspecting it with a careful eye. But with the advent of the internet and the surge in popularity of this new way of shopping, I still preferred to shop the traditional way.

But since we moved out of Manila, where malls sprout up faster than you can say “SM”, we have had to deal with very limited shopping options.

It was actually my hubby who encouraged me to try out online shopping. He had tried it himself a few years back when he worked on a military service facility on a remote island. After work, while waiting for me to go online to chat, he would just surf the net and see what's out there. Since the credit card is the main transaction mode, he made sure to research on reputable online shops. His favorites were tgw.com (the golf warehouse) where he bought golf clubs and jr.com for gadgets. He was so amazed at the ease of his shopping experience and surprised at the affordable prices that he even bought electronics and eyewear and re-sold them to his colleagues for a profit.

I had only shopped online through a friend's online store called nuiclothing.com. Her site is patterned after many international online shops, where at the click of a button you can see the color of the top you want, inspect it up close by zooming on the product and even see how the back looks. Recently, I bought athletic shoes from JC Penney and was even able to view every angle of it, from top to bottom. My favorite though is amazon.com mainly because the shipping cost to Marshall Islands is a steal at just $7.93.

Of course buying online does have one setback, delayed gratification. Hehe! After purchasing what you shopped for, you have to wait at the most 2 weeks, depending on where you live, to get your items. But there's no need to worry that your items get lost in transit. Most big online shops have a tracking system where you can check when your stuff were shipped and the estimated arrival to your place. If ever you are not satisfied with your purchase there is almost always a 30-day moneyback guarantee. Great huh?

Online shopping right now hasn't really caught on as much in mainstream Philippines, but with the escalating gas prices, more people are opting to stay home or at least stay close to home and forego the usual Sunday trip to the mall. Shopping online may just be the thing to whet your shopping appetite.

The Small Bang Theory

2008-07-22T19:16:00.000+08:00

Raine’s hair has been taking its sweet time in growing. I thought by this time I would already be tying her hair in pigtails with colorful clips and barrettes. However, she’s now 20 months old and has never had a haircut except for a bangs trim last May. Her bangs have grown longer since then, thankfully, and were already touching her eyes so I thought of cutting them myself.

Early this week while she took her afternoon nap I decided to give her a cut. It was trickier than I thought. Hair after all, unlike paper, doesn’t stay still when you move the scissors across it. Needless to say, I kind of botched it up. I ended up cutting too much and now Raine’s bangs are halfway up her forehead, making her look like a little Bruce Lee. Haha! My cousin-in-law said she looks like a cute Korean babydoll. Hubby tried to remedy it by making her bangs look feathery and not too straight across. Well, to us she’s still as adorable as ever. What do you think?

Are you ready for a rainy day?

2008-07-22T15:34:00.004+08:00

Times are getting harder. Prices keep going up. Sometimes, it’s all we can do to keep up with all our financial obligations. There are payments to be made for utilities, the car, the house, the children’s tuition, insurance and so many other expenses to think about. Juggling all these, one can’t afford to default on any duties. But what if something unforeseen were to happen? What if the car breaks down, the house is flooded and needs major repairs or you get hospitalized unexpectedly?

Where do you get funds for such an emergency? It’s never easy asking for a loan. You can kick yourself all you want for not having a "rainy day fund" but that’s not going to solve your problems. You have to swallow your pride and accept the fact that you need some help and fast. Fortunately, in this cyber age, help can be easily found on the net. There are a number of reputable web-based lending institutions that can provide cash advance loans in half the time it would take you to go to the bank. Just make sure you do your research, get referrals and ask around, because like in all things there are some shady companies out there. When you are armed with the necessary info then you can be assured of worry-free and hassle-free financial assistance.

The Ahh in Spa

2008-07-21T04:36:00.000+08:00

Hubby and I love to get massages. When we recently went to Manila for a vacation we made sure to get professional massages. We got a massage at a spa recommended by a friend and then home service referred by my sister.

At night, I usually give hubby a foot massage with lots of “help” from Raine. She likes to knead her Daddy’s feet for a few seconds and then proceeds to his back for her version of the Shiatsu. But after many nights of watching her Dad fall asleep while we massage him, now the little masseuse-wannabe wants to get some pampering for herself too.

It all started a couple of months ago when she had a bad coughing spell. During that time I would rub her chest, her back and the soles of her feet with vapor rub. It always calmed her down and usually got her drifting off to dreamland faster than usual.

Her cough is long gone now but she still likes to get her massages, even during her afternoon naps! I usually rub just a little vapor rub onto her skin but after this she says, “Back, back please”. And promptly turns around. She loves back massages and after the vapor rub she turns to me and points to her baby lotion, “Shon, shon”.

Now, between me and hubby, he’s the better massager. I always tease him that it seems like he went to reflexology school. No matter how much I try to copy the movement of his hands and fingers I can never get it right. I guess some hands aren’t masseuse material. Haha! Oh well, as long as my family loves my massages, that’s all that really matters.

It's tag time

2008-07-19T05:42:00.002+08:00

Thanks again Pat for this tag!

The rules are simple. At the end of the post, the player tags 6 people and posts their names, then goes to their blog and leaves a comment, letting them know they’ve been tagged and asking them to read your blog. Let the person who tagged you know when you’ve posted your answer.

1. What was I doing 10 years ago? Working at Hemisphere Leo Burnett

2. What are the 5 things on my to-do list today?
~ Do the grocery.
~ Fix the cluttered cabinets and drawers.
~ Exercise!
~ Update blog
~ Send out pending emails

3. Snacks I enjoy: Potato chips, cornick, popcorn

4. Place where I lived:
~ Makati, Paranaque, Taguig and now

Marshall Islands

5. Things I’d do if I were a billionaire:
~ Travel the world with my family
~ Secure that hubby and I retire comfortably
~ Build our dream home
~ Get a McDonald's or Jollibee franchise
~ Invest in properties, mutual funds for Raine and our future kids

6. People I want to know more about: Marie, Nancy, Chel, Maia, Jenny, Tricia.

Dora and Barney Overload

2008-07-17T13:00:00.000+08:00

The past two weeks Raine has been going loco over Dora the Explorer and Barney. At first it was just Dora. Even if she's watched all 4 episodes on the DVD, she would still come up to me and say, "Dowa, Dowa, please!" then she puts her hands together as if begging. She's so cute when she does it that I just have to give in. Well, I like Dora and think she's a great influence for Raine who has learned new words just by watching it, but I can only take so much of the spunky senorita. So I thought of letting her watch Barney too. Now Raine switches between Dora and the purple dinosaur on a daily basis. I let her watch Baby Einstein and Baby Bumblebee educational videos as well but after either is done, she always asks for "Dowa" or "Marney".

I know toddlers love repetition and take comfort in its familiarity. My sister's daughter Annika watches High School Musical every single day. Once during lunch, Raine had just watched an episode of Barney and I switched to cable so I could watch re-runs of Friends. She let out a wail and wouldn't stop crying. Her Dad asked her if she wanted to watch Dora or Friends. Guess what she chose?

Live Rich with Orovo

2008-07-16T04:00:00.002+08:00

As a homemaker, I’m always on the lookout for quality products that are priced affordably. Nowadays when the prices of consumer goods are going through the roof, it has become even more increasingly important to shop wisely. Surfing the net, I chanced upon Orovo. It is a revolutionary manufacturing company that offers premium health supplements and beauty products at surprisingly reasonable prices.

Orovo boasts of a wide variety of everyday essentials for different kinds of people. You might need to boost your immune system with the help of multivitamins. You might want to jump start your new diet plan with fat burners and weight loss pills. You might be looking for a safe and sure way to treat your acne. You can get all these and more at this amazing site. All products are made using the finest quality natural ingredients there is.

I’m really glad I discovered this site and am thankful that I can easily shop in their website for the products that would benefit me and my family. With products like Orovo around, it’s just a matter of time before we can all "Live Rich".

I love to read

2008-07-14T09:09:00.002+08:00

I love to read. As a toddler, my Mom said I would amuse myself during time-outs by leafing thru my Dad’s Reader’s Digest magazine collection. In grade school, I remember devouring our children’s encyclopedias. It had 12 volumes, each one about a different subject. There was Science, Math, History and my two favorites which I liked to read over and over again; classical fairy tales and bedtime stories from around the world. By the second grade I was already reading Nancy Drew books which I borrowed two at a time from the school library. I believe I got my poor eyesight from constantly reading via the lamplight beside my bed.

In my preteens, I discovered teen romantic paperbacks such as Sweet Dreams and Sweet Valley High. I would save up a portion of my allowance just to be able to buy them. I even discovered a book lending shop near our house where I could borrow as many books as I wanted for a minimal fee. I later moved on to Danielle Steele and John Grisham novels. Back then if it was a really good book I would finish it overnight, staying up until the wee hours of the morning just to find out what happens in the end. One of my favorite subjects in high school was Literature. Here we got to read works of Shakespeare and other contemporary novels like To Kill A Mockingbird.

In college, reading for pleasure took a backseat to school work and going out with friends. I missed reading for fun. But I must admit I liked reading a few obligatory novels like Jose Rizal's Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo. One class even required us to read The Beloved by Toni Morrison, while another class let us read works by Agatha Christie. When I joined the yuppie world, my first job was at an advertising agency. The late nights wore me out so I preferred to zone out on weekends and watch TV or go to the movies. I did subscribe to Reader’s Digest and read it cover to cover. But when I had more regular work hours in my next job I again found time to really enjoy reading. I got to read different kinds of things: works of Nicholas Sparks, Tuesdays with Morrie, Like Water for Chocolate, The Prophet, even self-help books like The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People and The Purpose-Driven Life.

Hubby and I share a love for reading and it was actually because of this that we went out on our first official date: he lent me 100 Years of Solitude and I lent him Love in the Time of Cholera. When I found out I was pregnant I borrowed my sister’s copy of What to Expect When You’re Expecting. It became my bible for all those nine months. Hubby also read a book for fathers-to-be and bought a Parenting Book for both of us. My favorite book then was Dr. Seuss’ Oh Baby, the Places You’ll Go, a book you read to baby in utero.

Now that I’m a Mommy, most of the books I read with and to Raine but I do get some alone time when she naps or is busy playing. I recently bought three really good books at the Guam airport while waiting for our connecting flight to M.I. Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert, The Husband by Dean Koontz and A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini.

No three books could be more different from each other.

Eat, Pray, Love is the personal memoir of the writer about her “search for everything across Italy, India and Indonesia”. After Gilbert’s traumatic divorce and consequent depression, she sets out on a personal journey in pursuit of pleasure, devotion and balance in three very exciting and exotic places. It’s a definite must-read for all the women out there who dare to defy the stereotypes of society and be their own person.

It is a very fun book to read. It arouses all your senses; tickling your palate with sumptuous dining experiences, rekindling or strengthening your spirituality (wherever you may be at the moment) and relationship with God, and finally trying to achieve “a balance between worldly enjoyment and divine transcendence”.

The Husband reads like a suspense thriller. It’s about an ordinary man whose wife is kidnapped and held for ransom for $2 million dollars. What baffles the protagonist in the story is why he and his wife were chosen out of all the thousands of people in their community. Being a simple landscaper, he certainly doesn’t have the kind of money the kidnappers are asking for. The book asks the question, how far you would go for the one you love. It has all the twists and turns you would expect from this genre of novels. It was an exciting read and kept me on the edge of my seat.

Set against the backdrop of Afghanistan from the 1970s to 2003, A Thousand Splendid Suns is a heart-wrenching tale about two Afghan women who live in a country embattled by war and poverty. It takes the reader from the innocence of their youth when they lived in a place of promise and freedom, to their adulthood where they suffer oppression and violence not just because of the war but from a force that will bind them forever. After reading this book, you will never look at Afghanistan the same way again.

If you’ve read Khaled Hosseini’s first book, the bestseller, The Kite Runner, you will love this one too. I haven’t read the former but I was able to watch the movie it was based on and it was really very touching and an eye opener to say the least.

So these are the latest books I’ve read. I only wish there was a bookstore here but there is none. Hopefully, I can order some nice books thru online. Some books I’m looking forward to are: The Pillars of the Earth (heard it was on Oprah's Book Club), The Secret Life of Bees, The Devil Wears Prada (watched the movie and just want to see how the book goes), The Nanny Diaries and The Kite Runner.

If you have any great reads to suggest, feel free to drop me a line.

Fun Q & A Tag

2008-07-08T04:34:00.001+08:00

Got tagged by Pat, thanks for this! =)

This is very interesting and fun to do.

Have you ever gone on a blind date? Yes.
Skipped school? Yes, during college. Not a whole day though, just a class here and there.
Been on a plane? Yes.
Been lost? Yes, I’m really bad with directions.
Swam in the ocean? Yes.
Cried yourself to sleep? Yes.
Played cops and robbers? Yes.
Played with dolls? Yes.
Recently colored with crayons? Nope.
Sang karaoke? Yes, as in before pa the videoke became uso.
Paid for a meal with coins only? Nope.
Done something you said you wouldn't? Yes.
Cheated on a test? Uhmm, yes.
Made prank phone calls? Yes, if calling and hanging up counts as a prank. Hehe!
Laughed until some kind of beverage came out of your nose? Nope.
Caught a snowflake on your tongue? Nope.
Danced in the rain? Played in the rain, yes
Written a letter to Santa Claus? Yes! Even put it in our little mailbox outside our gate
Watched the sunrise with someone you care about? Watched the sunrise grudgingly during CAT camping, it was my shift to watch over everyone and I was really sleepy. But have watched sunset with my former-boyfriend-now-hubby.
Been kissed under the mistletoe? Nope.
Gone ice skating? Nope.
Been skinny dipping outdoors? Nope.
Favorite drink I'm allowed on a regular basis. Iced tea or lemonade
Tattoos? None.
Body piercings? Just ears.
Vacation spot? Now that we’re away from the Philippines, it’s the Philippines of course. But my dream vacation spot is France and Italy (w/ hubby this time)
Eaten cookies for dinner? Yes and lunch too
Ever been on TV? Yes, telecast of the World Youth Day in Manila but I didn’t see it, was just told about it later. Was also in Wish Ko Lang but for a few seconds only cos our company donated educ plans to a blind man’s kids.
Ever been in a car accident? Yes, a very very minor one.
Favorite number and why? 18, I just like it.
Favorite movie? So many – Ever After, Forrest Gump, Lord of the Rings, The Bucket List, Sound of Music, Moulin Rouge
Favorite holiday? Christmas
Favorite smells? Raine, grass after it rains, and cookies baking in the oven
What do you do to relax? Sleep or read
Where do you see yourself in 10 years? Back in Manila with a business and 1 or 2 more kids after Raine

I'd like to pass this tag on to Delish, Marvz18, Goru, Ginni, Renz.

A Candle & a Prayer

2008-07-06T10:26:00.001+08:00

Thanks Renz, for sending me this prayer tag.

Dear God, we pray for the quick recovery of all the sick and the dying especially those suffering from lupus and cancer. May they find courage in their pain. Amen.

To those who will be tagged, all you have to do is keep this circulating.

Even if it’s to only one person. In memory of anyone you know that has been struck down by a serious illness like Lupus or Cancer or is still living with it. A Candle Loses Nothing by Lighting Another Candle.

Blogs who have prayed:

1.) Eida’s Closet 2.) My Precious 3.) Just Me.. Eds 4.) Milet 5.) FunFierceFab 6.) Live the Life of a Dreamer 7.) One Hundred and Eighty Degrees

Please keep this candle going.

Let's continue to pray for a cure.

Would like to tag Jan and Tricia.

Flame of Friendship

2008-07-06T10:12:00.000+08:00

This is a much delayed tag I got from Pheng. =)

The Flame of Friendship. A symbol of spirit of unity.The burning icon of love.Undying picture of hope.The hot symbol of oneness. The Flame of Friendship. And now it's your turn to pass on the flame!

Copy this post starting from the PICTURE ABOVE to the end and add your blog on the list below. Let's start FLAMING!

Tiklaton: We are the witness
Janeth's Vicy's Life Journey
My Precious
Pitstop
Thea is Blogger Happy
Thea is Berry Scrappy Too
Scribbles of My Life
In This Game of Life
Shimumsy's Republic of A
Princess Vien
Our Journey To Life
Life. Love. Family. Work. Travel.
One Hundred And Eighty Degrees

END COPY HERE

I'd like to pass this on to Rocks, Jammy, Sheryll.

Raine's Dictionary

2008-07-04T17:48:00.000+08:00

One of the first major milestones of a baby is when she utters her first real word. I say real because most babies babble and gurgle unintelligible sounds at the beginning. I remember when Raine said her first syllable, "Bah!", it was so loud and forceful it took me by surprise. She was only about 3 months at the time and I thought it was just a matter of time before she started spouting words. My mom once commented that Raine would probably be talkative because she always seemed to be "talking". It was as if she wanted to join in the conversation even if we didn't understand her contributions.

At 10 months she said her first real word, "Baby!". And after that she would say it as much as she can. Now that she is 20 months old she can say over 75 words. She loves to "talk" to hubby and me and although we still don't understand half of what she says we pretend that we do to encourage her speech.

Like most toddlers learning to talk she has difficulty saying some words and oftentimes invents her own versions of certain words too. These are Raine's top 10:

1. Boomboom - This means pillow. For the life of me, I don't know why she calls her pillows boombooms. We never talk to her using cutesy words or phrases so she must have thought this up all on her own.

2. Nus - She already knows the basic parts of the face and body and loves to name them all while pointing to them. Her favorite part of the face are her eyes and then her nus (nose).

3. Slimping - This is easy, since she can't enunciate yet this is her version of sleeping.

4. Gib - I taught her the word "behave" and everytime she acts up I just say this word and she crosses her arms and stays still. Okay, it only works for a few seconds, but still.

5. Sin - She loves raisins so I always mix it up with her cereal or oatmeal.

6. Pip - Another part of the face she loves are the lips

7. Tum - Here Raine is referring to her tummy. She loves to pull up her shirt and point to her tummy.

8. Suds - Hubby and I love massages and right before bedtime is time for a soothing rubdown. The little girl points to the lotion and says "Suds!", short for "mas-SUDS".

9. Bahd - Raine loves them all; whole wheat, white, dinner rolls. She eats them plain.

10. Soh - She likes all kinds of animals and after the dog and the cow, comes the "horse". I don't really know why she calls it "soh" but she knows how to imitate its neighing sound.

Raine used to call me either Mimi or Maymie, while her Dad is Didi or Daydie. Now she calls us Mommy and Daddy and it's music to our ears. Pretty soon, our little bunny will be carrying real conversations with us. We can't wait!

Boys & their Toys

2008-06-27T18:12:00.000+08:00

It’s often said that men never really grow up, their toys just become ever more expensive. From playing with toy soldiers and miniature cars as little boys, they switch to more advanced video games, extreme sports and the latest electronic gadgets.

I remember two of our top executives at the office all agog over their sound systems and speakers. They were both audiophiles and were always on the lookout to upgrade their systems, both in their homes and even in their offices. I always knew what was the latest Nokia cellphone in the market just by checking out my officemate’s new mobile device. He switched phones every few months to be the first with the hottest new model. A friend’s hubby bought himself a high-tech remote control racecar he couldn’t really afford. My own brothers are into iPhones, Mac laptops and PDAs. My brother-in-law is fanatic about Japanese anime cartoons.

Hubby has two hobbies he’s absolutely passionate about: golf and photography. A civil engineer by profession, he picked up the golfing bug when he worked in a U.S. Navy Support Facility on the island of Diego Garcia. He and his friends could play Tiger Woods' sport there practially for free. The very late sunset on the island allowed him to be able to play everyday after work. Of course when we got married and settled in Manila he could only play at the driving ranges. Once in awhile he would get invited to play on the fairway with a friend who’s a member at some country club. When he got a job at CII he was so happy to find out that his new company actually held golf tournaments and sometimes he was even able to play at one of the company-owned golf courses. He was in heaven. Whenever we visit his hometown of Victorias City in Negros Occidental he always makes it a point to play golf with his dad at the nearby course. He sometimes jokes that if he ever gets burned out from his day job he might just be a professional golfer. Unfortunately, there are no golf courses here in the Marshall Islands so this sport has taken a backseat for now.

His new preoccupation is photography. A couple of his office buddies had SLR cameras which got him interested in purchasing one. Thanks to the internet, he was able to find a really good bargain on a Canon 400D. Its selling price on the net was nearly half of the mall price. Ever since, he’s been taking pictures of everything. Almost every weekend we go to the beach and he takes photos of his favorite models; Raine and me!

I have to admit I was a bit apprehensive about the hobbies he'd picked up as an adult since they don't come cheap. But my enterprising hubby always seems to find a way to enjoy his interests without spending a lot. (Thank goodness!)

Here he is in his element on the fairways of Diego Garcia.

This shot was taken back in Marshall Islands right before sunset.

My Boss, My Friend

2008-06-20T17:33:00.000+08:00

Can you be friends with your boss? I don’t mean just hanging-out-after-a-long-day-at-the-office kind of buddy but an honest to goodness true friend. The kind you can trust, confide in and share your thoughts and feelings to freely, without reserve.

In my previous job, I became good friends with my boss. I remember the day she interviewed me, I had an inkling we would be friends despite our different ranks. There were times in the beginning that I felt shy towards her and thus was less open with her compared to our other workmates, but we became pretty tight pretty quickly. It helped that she reached out to me and sort of broke down the invisible wall separating her, the boss, from me, her subordinate. We both knew when it was time for work and when it was “chikka time”, so to speak. When I eventually transferred to another department and we weren’t able to see each other as frequently, the friendship remained. I even ended up asking her to be one of my bridesmaids.

Someone dear to me felt she had that kind of relationship with her own boss. They had worked together a few years ago in another company but parted ways when she got married. Later, her boss sought her out and offered her a job to work together again. All seemed well, the new job was demanding and ripe with office intrigues and politics but they trudged on, optimistic for the future. They were a great team, after all. But soon, the difficulties of the job took its toll on the boss and she felt tempted to give up and accept a more lucrative job elsewhere. The boss had earlier confided about these developments to my friend and although it made her nervous she believed that she wouldn’t be left in the dark precisely because they had a good personal relationship, beyond the office.

However, a strange thing happened. The boss retreated from my friend and their regular meetings turned into pure business, they didn’t talk anymore about anything else. The invisible wall was up and it seemed to grow higher and higher. Around their office, rumors were flying that the boss would be resigning and their department looked to my friend for the truth, she was after all, the closest one to the boss. But my friend could only shrug because she didn’t know what was going on either. A few days before the boss went on a sabbatical leave she talked to my friend and told her everything. She was going on a long vacation but would be back to see the completion of the project. Meanwhile, she put my friend in charge of the team. My friend felt somewhat relieved that finally the boss had told her the truth, but somehow she felt that this episode had changed how she saw her boss. She had become less of a friend and now seemed more like a distant boss.

Looking back, I feel fortunate that I had such a cool boss who I could actually enjoy spending time with outside the confines of the office. I feel bad for my friend and what happened to her and her boss. I now realize that my experience is not something you see everyday. It was indeed rare and precious to be friends with my boss.

So do you think you can be real friends with your boss? I guess the answer is, you’re lucky if you can be.

Happy Fathers' Day!

2008-06-14T17:41:00.000+08:00

Happy Fathers' Day to all the fathers out there, especially to my own Dad and my hubby! This entry is dedicated to both of you.

Thanks to Issa for sending me this tag. This was started by Mitchteryosa.

Rules:1) Copy from {Start Copy Here} to {End Copy Here}.

2) Blog ‘Brag’ about your husband - yes, the father of your child/ren. As I’ve said singles may also join by bragging about their own fathers, or even grandfathers. ( I decided to make one for my own Dad too - Rhea) It doesn’t matter! Of course, Daddy bloggers themselves may also join, but you have to blog about your fathers and not about yourselves, deal? Okay. Good.

3) Add your blog in the master list below linking to the post that you just made.

4) Leave your comment here and don’t forget to leave your link so you can be added on the masterlist. Yup. Here. Thanks!

5) Let’s not forget Peppermint Creative for the corner border used for the badge.

Masterlist.

1. When Silence Speaks 2. Everything About Deye 3. Etc Atbp4. Pinay Mommy Online5. Coffee Cup Princess 6. Garden of Moments 7. Aeirin’s Collection 8. Never Dainty 9. The Long Journey Of My Life 10. A Mother Of Yesterday, Today And Tomorrow 11. Everything That Has Breathe Praise The Lord 12. Can Of Thoughts 13. Anything And Everything In Between 14. No Place Like Home 15. Pinay WAHM16. Only In Silence 17. Bisdak Footprints18. Simply Me, Simple Life 19. Fun Fierce Fab 20. Confessions Of A Supermodel Wannabe 21. Embracing Health For Life 22. Jona Thinks23. Whatever Comers To Mind 24. BOTH SIDES NOW25. Why Babie?26. My Virtual Closet 27. My Views On My So Called Life 28. Sexy Momma29. Memoirs of May-san 30. A Pocketful of Happiness 31. One Hundred and Eighty Degrees

{End Copy Here}

My Daddy

1. He’s a good cook. Lately, he’s been experimenting on some really yummy dishes.

2. He doesn’t have any vices. He doesn’t smoke or drink. He loves watching movies (and DVDs) and knows all the current events; not just the main news but even about showbiz.

3. He was a board topnotcher for the CPA Board Exams during his time.

4. He was the one who waited up for us to come home from parties or late-night outs as teens.

5. He’s a very doting grandfather to my sister’s 3-yr old Annika and my 1-yr old Raine.

Raine’s Daddy

1. He can be friends with anyone; from the Vice-President of a multinational company to a simple carpenter. He is Mr. Congeniality personified.

2. He’s very optimistic and idealistic.

3. He placed 9^th on the Civil Engineers’ Board Exams the year he took it.

4. He’s a hands-on daddy to our daughter Raine. He loves to play with her and teaches her new things every chance he gets.

5. He dives into his hobbies; playing golf and photography, with a passion.

Now I’m tagging Tricia, Sheryll, Eileen, Eds.

Always Be My Baby

2008-06-10T18:30:00.000+08:00

Everyday Raine becomes less of a baby and more of a little girl; showing her independence by trying to do things by herself.

I’m always trying to make her drink water and juice so that she’s not too dependent on milk. One time, after drinking her cough medicine, I offered her water but she refused it so I let her be. Later, we brushed her teeth using baby toothpaste (the kind you don’t need to spit out) and I offered her water again. Still, she shook her head no. During lunch she finally took some liquids.
Lesson learned: just because I think she’s thirsty doesn’t mean she really is. I kept offering her water when she didn’t want any after all. When she finally wanted some she told me herself, tiptoeing and reaching for her cup on the kitchen counter. She also likes to feed herself now, oblivious to the mess she makes as she takes in spoonfuls of oatmeal, pasta or a rice meal.

Another time, I was laying out Raine’s clothes and diaper, getting ready to give her a bath. The next thing I know she is already inside the shower stall, pouring water on herself, while still wearing her pajamas!

Raine already knows how to remove her clothes so sometimes she likes to take them off and walk around the house butt naked! I usually have to put on her clothes for her two to three times before she gets tired of this “game”.

For her afternoon nap, I lie down beside her and she usually falls asleep in a few minutes. Once, she started crying and kept pushing me away. It turns out that she wanted to sleep by herself. Wow, that was a first! Now, even at night she no longer needs to have my arm wrapped around her while she sleeps. She takes my arm for awhile but when she’s really drowsy, she removes it from around her waist and buries herself in her pillows until she’s in deep sleep.

Usually at night hubby asks for a foot massage. Lately, whenever Raine sees me putting on the lotion, she excitedly positions herself near her Daddy’s feet and swats my hands away, as if to stay, “No, I want to do it.”

I have to admit I miss the days when she was totally dependent on us; for eating, bathing, clothing and everything else in between. In a few months, Raine will be two and show even more independence. Sometimes I wish she would stay a baby a little bit longer but she seems to be rapidly changing everyday. As she leaves babyhood behind and moves on to being a full-fledged toddler, I shall be in the wings guiding her and cheering her on.

10 Random Things About Me

2008-06-07T15:53:00.000+08:00

Thanks for this tag, Pat.

RULES:1. Each blogger starts with ten random facts/habits about themselves.2. Bloggers that are tagged need to write on their own blog about their ten things and post these rules.3. At the end of your blog, you need to choose 10 people to get tagged.4. Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged, and to read your blog.

1. As a child my summers were always filled with activities. I took up lessons in ballet, Hawaiian dance, voice, piano, speed reading and Speechpower. Not at the same time of course.

2. My love for reading began in grade 2 when I read all the Nancy Drew books in our school library.

3. I learned to ride a bike at the ripe “old” age of 11 years old.

4. If I were stuck on an island and could only have one kind of food it would be KFC’s original chicken.

5. I’m not a morning person and love to sleep in.

6. When I was a kid I briefly wanted to be a detective just so I could be partners with "Remington Steele", better known as Pierce Brosnan. Haha!

7. Although I’m no domestic diva, I love to watch cooking shows and home makeover shows.

8. Dog lover, I’m not.

9. I was such a clueless cook that I once burned a fish that I was trying to fry because I had put too little oil in the pan.

10. I’m such a “sigurista” that after testing positive on one pregnancy test, I bought two more tests of different brands just to be sure that I was really on-the-way.

I'd like to tag Pheng, Renz, Marie, Issa, Farah, Peachy, Morning, Mari, Jenn and Nol.

Let me know if you are done (if you haven't done this tag already) so I can know you a little bit more.

Snippets of a holiday

2008-05-28T13:23:00.000+08:00

There are no malls in Marshall Islands. It’s that small a country. The biggest supermarket though, also sells houseware and clothes much like Shopwise. So when we went home we made sure to drop by our favorite malls. Glorietta, Alabang Town Center, Bonifacio High Street, SM and Festival Mall. Being mall-deprived for four months we just soaked up everything, the shops, the lights, the sounds, the people. Ahhh, the fastest way to get back into the Manila groove is to go to a mall.

My best friend from grade school, invited me to the Karl Edwards’ Bazaar at the NBC Tent. It was fun walking around and marveling at the different merchandise for sale. I mostly bought clothes for Raine, including a 2-piece Baby Gap swimsuit for only PhP 150 and an adorable hooded bathrobe for PhP 350! What a bargain!

We spent 5 days in hubby’s hometown in Victorias City in Negros Occidental, about an hour’s drive from Bacolod City. They have a spanking new international airport in Silay. Very sleek and modern. It was only Raine’s second time to visit the province. She was 10 months old the first time we came over. It can be a bit overwhelming mind you, since Papa, hubby’s Dad has, 12 siblings (2 already passed away) who each have families, some of whom also have families of their own. So you can just imagine how big their brood is.

Of course hubby had to play 18 holes of golf at the nearby country club, while Raine and I went to visit their farm. Raine enjoyed looking at the cows and the chickens. Papa even showed off two of his best cockfighting hens much to the delight of the little girl. We have one 10 month old niece from hubby’s sister Joy. Raine seemed in awe of Baby Louie. I had to keep reminding her to be gentle when she touched her, or held her hand. I think Raine thought she was a doll.

We were able to get in some spa time as well. We tried one at a mall and also had some home service done. The home service massage though was better and more relaxing than the one at the mall. My masseuse was even able to remove the crick on my shoulder blades. Raine was watching while I was getting my massage and after that whenever I lie on my tummy she would pretend to massage me. She would rub her tiny hands together, as if there was some oil in it and then move her palms down my back like a real masseuse.

Raine was invited to two children’s parties while we were home. First was to her cousin Annika’s 3rd birthday party and then, to my Dad’s friend’s grandson’s 1st birthday. The little girl was in her element. She hadn’t seen so many kids her age and race for so long. She thoroughly enjoyed the whole kiddie party atmosphere.

I got a chance to catch a cheesy Pinoy romantic flick with my highschool best friend Hazel. We agreed to watch the Aga Muhlach and Anne Curtis starrer "When Love Begins" and were anticipating a nice movie with some kilig, some funny, some insightful moments on our favorite topic. But the movie failed to deliver. We succumbed to making up our own stories and comments about the actors during the “dead-air” moments, which were more than we liked. Although the movie turned out to be a dud, I can truthfully say I still had fun watching it because of the company of my friend.

Thankfully we caught the first Saturday mass at the Pink Sisters’ convent with my college friend Mayang and her sisters. It was May and every house in Tagaytay seemed to be having a party that was spilling into the streets that day. We were in crawling traffic for 3 hours and made it just in time for the special mass. We had a relaxing dinner at Sonia’s Garden later.

Reunions here and there, meeting up with former neighbors, college friends, childhood friends. It was a whirlwind of activity for us, most especially for hubby since he had to cram it all in 2 weeks while Raine and I extended our stay for an extra couple more. I’m thankful for the time we were able to spend in our hometowns with our families. Up to now, Raine still remembers Lolo and Annika. When she can’t sleep at night I tell her stories about our trip to the Philippines and she listens intently with her big round eyes and repeats the names of everybody back home.

It’s back to the daily grind for me and hubby here in the islands. Sigh, it was only a month but it was we’ll always cherish. ‘Til the next one in December!

Three strikes & you're ... blessed

2008-05-20T21:07:00.000+08:00

We’re back in Majuro (Marshall Islands)! I thought surely I’d be able to blog a lot on our vacation but I was only able to post one entry during our month-long holiday. I wrote about our flight to Manila and now I’m writing about our trip back.

No matter how hard I try, I can’t seem to pack light. I remember when Raine and I first traveled to MI we had two big suitcases and 1 balikbayan box and to think I’d already removed several clothes to lighten the load. This time I only repacked our 1 big suitcase twice, leaving behind a significant amount of clothes, mostly mine. The luggage weighed in at 49 lbs. (the limit was 50 lbs. for Continental Airlines). I’d hoped for at least 45 lbs. just in case our weighing scale was a bit off from the airport’s. Dad helped me with our luggage as I pushed Raine in her stroller. The person-in-charge of the scale was nowhere to be found so the airport employee just waved us thru to the check-in counters! Whew, I should’ve just added in my other clothes. Lucky strike 1!

As the Continental personnel checked my ticket she pointed out that our flight was at 11:20 a.m. that morning, not at 10:55 p.m. as I thought! Horror of horrors! How could I have been so stupid as to miss that??!! I had checked online earlier that day and I thought to myself the flight was a little delayed because the 10:55 had changed to 11:20. I didn’t realize that the other was a.m. while the other was p.m.! I was panicking inwardly but the personnel seemed calm and thought I could still get in the 10:55 flight that night. Thankfully, the flight to Guam (the first stop) wasn’t full. We were even told that instead of the 4 island stops we’d be making, there would only be three! Lucky strike 2!

I said my goodbyes to my Dad and after the requisite trip to the restroom to check Raine’s diaper, we headed for our gate. I saw Obet, our former seatmate on our trip from Majuro last month, he was taking the same flight too. What a coincidence, a familiar face. I had just a few pesos left on my prepaid number and texted friends, Hazel and Janis, a hasty farewell. We boarded the plane and it turns out that Obet was our seatmate again! I told him about my big booboo and he said I should actually feel fortunate because the 11:20 a.m. flight to Guam actually has a very long waiting period for the Majuro flight. The departure of the connecting flight was early morning of the next day! Airport rules don’t allow passengers to wait at the airport longer than 8 hours so Raine and I would have had to check into a hotel to await our flight the next day! I couldn’t believe it! Lucky Strike 3!

What I thought was going to be a flight of blunders turned out to be a blessing in the sky. ;-) Haha!

A Flight Like No Other

2008-05-04T18:59:00.001+08:00

I’m back with tons of stories to blog about! I haven’t been able to post anything for almost a month since we were busy preparing for our semi-impromptu trip back to the Philippines. We weren’t planning to take a vacation until December but due to hubby’s business requirements we decided to take a break from the island life and re-join the hustle and bustle of our native land.

Unfortunately, only hubby’s plane fare was covered by his company so for a while I wasn’t sure I would be able to join him and Raine (since Raine is below 2 her fare is only 10% of the adult rate). The plane fare from Marshall Islands is even more expensive than the fare from the Philippines to the U.S., would you believe?! Luckily, we were able to find someone who was selling his “miles” credits for half the price. The only catch was that the flight was not a direct one to Manila (i.e., Majuro-Guam-Manila), like the one Raine and I took last December coming to MI. It was a “hop-on” flight, which meant it would stopover on 4 other islands before landing in Guam and then Manila. Due to this, we were apprehensive that the flight would be too tiring for the little one. Hubby was familiar with the route and said it was pretty tiring and painful to the ears, what with the constant landing and taking off, every couple of hours. We prayed hard that Raine’s little ears would be able to take it.

The day of our departure we were up and ready before lunch for the 12:55pm flight. However, we found out that the plane was delayed and we would be leaving later in the afternoon. Continental had arranged for us and the other passengers to stay overnight in Guam due to the delay. We waited in the airport for about 4 hours as the time of departure kept getting pushed back further and further. It wasn’t a very comfortable wait since the airport didn’t have air conditioning or any form of entertainment to keep us occupied. But like most kids, Raine still found ways to amuse herself. I brought her two favorite stuffed toys and a few books to keep her entertained.

We finally took off at 5:30 pm. It was indeed a flight like no other, we felt like we were in a school bus with wings because every stop passengers would get off and new ones would take their place. From Majuro, we went to Kwajalein, then Kosrae, Pohnpei, Chuk and finally Guam. At every stop, airport security checked the plane’s interiors and made sure all the carry-on baggage were accounted for.

Surprisingly, Raine was a good baby through all those stops. She slept most of the time, even during the landings while me and hubby were busy yawning and chewing gum to relieve our ears from the pressure. She was her usual inquisitive self, leafing thru the magazines, pulling on the tray table and giving our seatmate high-fives. She was a very happy baby, thank goodness. We arrived in Guam at 3 am and were billeted at the Hilton for the night.

Since our flight to Manila was at 6 pm we had time to rest and get our strength back from the looooong flight the previous day. We enjoyed the overflowing breakfast and lunch buffets at the Hilton and were even able to take in a little bit of pasalubong shopping thanks to a friend who drove us to the outlet stores.

The delayed flight turned out to be a blessing in disguise as we were able to recharge our weary bodies from the tedious "hop-on" flight in a 5-star hotel no less! Although I hope our return flight to MI won't be delayed, another free stay at the Hilton wouldn't be so bad either.

A ...ty-twoNA Party

2008-04-13T03:51:00.000+08:00

For hubby’s birthday, friends bought him a huge tuna which our resident expert cook, Tintin, cooked in several ways. Being the “domestic goddess” that I am (NOT!), I don’t know the exact names of all the dishes but I found it really amazing how one kind of fish could be cooked in so many different ways without people getting “umay” with it. We had barbecued tuna, fish fillet, spicy tuna in coconut milk, sweet & sour tuna, sinigang sa miso type of tuna soup and fried tuna with sesame seeds and herbs. Wow, that’s six different dishes! I ordered the ever-reliable pancit bihon and lumpiang shanghai too for good measure.

Needless to say we had a feast! I’ve never been much of a fish-eater, I always joke with hubby that I must have been a mermaid in my past life. But on that day I had a lot of fun sampling the different fish dishes. Tintin could definitely give Rachael Ray a run for her money.

Hubby and his office buddies played poker until 2:30 am. Raine was in her element. She always enjoys it when there are a lot of people milling around. She would dance around to the music, go to her favorite Titas to be carried and pretend to be conducting her own poker game for one.

Entertainment and recreation facilities are very limited here on Marshall Islands but sharing happy times, a sumptuous meal and being in the company of good friends is the best R & R hands down.

Adventure is our tradition

2008-04-05T12:01:00.000+08:00

On Maundy Thursday my Dad sent me a message thru Skype, “For the first time in 34 years, your Mom and I are home alone this holy week…”.

I was in Marshall Islands, Arlette was in Baguio with her in-laws, Sonny was in Tagaytay with his fiancé and her family and our youngest, Anthony was in the U.S. preparing for the Medical Board Exams over there. My parents were feeling the emptiness of their once-full nest.

Holy Week was usually spent together as a whole family. We would go out of town from Maundy Thursday to Black Saturday, somewhere not too fancy or far away. Subic, Batangas, Tagaytay, Cavite. My mom always made sure that although we’d be on vacation we would still take some time to observe that town’s Lenten activities. We would visit churches in the area and sometimes even join the procession and prayers. Last year we all went to Island Cove in Kawit, Cavite. It was an extra special time because both “apos” were present. Annika was almost 2 then and Raine was just 5 months old.

Holidays for me are all about spending time with family and friends, whether at home or out somewhere special. It’s the time to relax, have fun and be with the people you love.

This past Holy Week was certainly a lot quieter and simpler this year for my parents and for my little family as well. We just stayed home for the most part but we did get to attend the Easter Vigil Mass and was pleasantly surprised that it was conducted much like the way it is back home. At least that is one tradition we were able to observe and keep.

On Easter Sunday we attended a lunch party by the beach. The cool, ocean breeze and the company of neighbors, colleagues and new acquaintances was a welcome break from being cooped up in the apartment. Although we are far away from the homes we grew up in, we are grateful for the friends we have here who help make our days all the more enjoyable.

Being somewhat newly-married (2 years, 4 months and counting!), hubby and I have yet to really start traditions of our own. But every year is an adventure in itself and it's exciting making our own traditions as we go along.

April Fooled

2008-04-03T11:47:00.000+08:00

It wasn’t intentional but it might as well have been since it happened on April Fools’ Day. At about 11:15 am the power went off in our apartment. I had steaks baking in the oven and was about to put some rice in the rice cooker. Raine was happily watching The Backyardigans on TV. I was bummed of course, we just had a power outage the previous Friday and I was surprised we were having another one so soon. Sidenote: About once or twice a month, there’s a 5-6 hour brownout here on the islands. They say it’s part of some maintenance or electrical work they are doing, I’m not really sure.

I called up hubby to tell him to bring some lunch since I wasn’t able to cook. I was hoping that the electricity would go back on by 4 pm. Raine took her usual afternoon nap but awoke after just an hour probably from the heat. I had been fanning her with one hand while I read a book with the other. Raine and I went to the veranda to cool ourselves. Thankfully, there was a nice breeze and I put Raine in her stroller and gave her a bottle of milk to drink as we enjoyed the view.

At past 5 pm I decided to call hubby and ask him if he knew what time the power would be restored. It turns out that our apartment was the only place where there was no power. I called a friend who lived in the apartment across the street and she said they had electricity all day. Suddenly, I noticed that our neighbor’s air conditioning was turned on. I went outside and the stairs’ light was also on. Across the street our neighbors’ homes had their lights on! Ours was the only one in darkness.

I called up the Marshall Electric Company (MEC) and after getting transferred to three people I was able to get someone to come to the apartment and see what was wrong. The person I talked to promised to send a lineman in 20 minutes. Hubby arrived and checked the main switches to see if the electricity had tripped or something. He went outside to check on our meter with a neighbor. When they went to the meter room they saw that the door was forcibly opened and our meter had been removed! We were puzzled, did someone steal the meter? If someone from the MEC had gotten it why would they have to break open the lock on the door? We called up the accounting department of hubby’s office to check if the bills for the apartment had been paid by the company and found out that the bills were paid on time so there was no reason for MEC to remove the meter.

It was past 8 pm and we were already pissed, the 20 minutes had stretched to two hours of waiting. The lineman that was promised was nowhere in sight. We called MEC again to make sure someone was on their way to the apartment. Hubby went outside to wait for the lineman. At about 9 pm the electricity went back on. At last!

Hubby came back to the apartment and said he had seen the lineman reinstall our meter. The lineman asked him, “Are you Paul Wright?”. What the *#&@! It turns out that it was our neighbor, Number 3 who’s electricity should have been cut and not us, Number 2! Argh!

Goodness, what a day! We were April Fooled indeed.

Our Little Energizer Bunny

2008-03-21T13:41:00.000+08:00

Raine is turning into a very precocious toddler. Just recently, she was able to push a chair all the way to the front of the fridge all by herself. She then climbed the chair so she could reach the colorful magnets on the top half of the fridge! Good thing hubby and I saw her just in time.

Raine is such a bundle of energy, she’s our very own energizer bunny. She was up until 3 a.m. Saturday and Sunday night as well. Hubby and I were both so sleepy already but she was still wound up. I thought for sure she would sleep early Sunday because she slept so little the previous night and only napped for an hour in the afternoon, but there was just no stopping her.

Although the apartment has 2 rooms, the 3 of us sleep in the same room. We moved the other mattress to our room for Raine to have her own bed. To keep her from rolling off, we placed it against the corner wall. Her bed is flanked by our bigger bed and a long chest of drawers. Raine loves to go up and down both beds, hide under the covers until we “find” her and play with her stuffed toys. Unlike when she was a baby when I would rock and sing her to sleep, now she falls asleep on her own. The only problem is she’ll go to sleep only when she wants to, despite our bedtime rituals. Lately, I’ve noticed that she plays with her dolls more animatedly. She would get a couple at a time and pretend they were talking to each other then they would end their “conversation” by giving each other a kiss. It’s really hilarious watching her do this.

Sometimes despite her colorful toys and books, she prefers going thru all the cabinets and drawers she can open. I’m actually running out of kitchen storage space because the ones she can open are now empty. She used to take out all the pots and pans and pretend to cook her books or toys in them. Sometimes she would get the canned goods and other food items inside the lower cabinets and line them up on the sofa.

When she does something naughty or misbehaves (throw food on the floor, bang her sippy cup on the coffee table, chew on her books, etc.) I scold her and let her know that what she has done is not good. Sometimes she seems to understand and becomes quiet, but more often than not she would look at me with her big, round eyes and act like so sweet and innocent that I just have to stop and smile.

Everyday my little energizer bunny displays more independence and I see the baby rapidly turning into a little girl. It is only when she sleeps that the baby in her sometimes returns. She loves to sleep with her back against me or her Daddy’s. I know she’s tired and sleepy once she lies down, rolls around until her back touches my chest and snuggles up until she’s comfortable. Sometimes she takes my arm and wraps it around herself like a warm blanket. Within minutes she’s fast asleep.

I miss the baby that Raine was but watching her grow into a lovable tyke is something I look forward to everyday.

Making friends while increasing your PR

2008-03-14T06:17:00.000+08:00

I never thought having a blog could also mean making new online friends. Only in the 21st century huh. I'd like to thank Pat for the Friendship Chain and Anna for the Linky Love tags.

Friendship Chain

~~Begin Copy~~

This is the easy way and the fastest way to :

1. Make your Technorati Authority explode. 2. Increase your Google Page Rank. 3. Get more traffic to your blog. 4. Make new friends.

Rules :1. Start copy from “Begin Copy” until “End Copy” to your blog. 2. Put your own blog name and link. 3. Tag your friends as much as you can.

1. Picturing of Life 2. Juliana’s Site 3. Hazel-My Life, My Hope, My Future.4. Jeanne-The Callalily Space5.My Family is my Life 6. My Charmed Life 7. To the Moon and Back 8. My Happy Place 9. I am Dzoi 10. 100% Kelly 11. Shopaholic Ties The Knot 12. One Hundred Eighty Degrees

~~End Copy~~

I'm tagging Agnes, Danie, Eileen, Faye, Jan, Jenn, Joanne and Mari.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Linky Love

Cut and paste the following starting here.

I have randomly selected 5 of you below to be tagged and I hope that you will similarly publish this post in your blog. You will have to tag 5 other bloggers and just keep adding on to the list. (Do not replace, just keep on adding! Yes we hope it will be a long list!)It’s real easy!

Tag others and see your Technorati Authority increase exponentially!The benefits of Viral Linking:- One of the fastest ways to see your technorati authority explode!- Increase your Google PageRank fast- Attract large volume of new traffic to your site- Build your community- Make new friends!

The Strategist Notebook, Link Addiction, Ardour of the Heart, When Life Becomes a Book, The Malaysian Life, Yogatta.com, What goes under the sun,Roshidan’s Cyber Station, Sasha says, Arts of Physics, And the legend lives, My View, My Life, A Simple Life, Juliana RW, The Callalily Space, Petra Summer in Blue, Confessions of an Army Wife Bless’ Sanctuary Happy Life, http://bless519.bravejournal.com/, La Place de Cherie, Chez Francine, Le bric a brac de Cherie, Little Peanut, Pea in a Pod, The Creative In Me, Me and Mine, Pinay Mommy, Expressions from the Heart, TeacherJulie, Sweetbites by Bang, Paul, Toni and Lance - Bridging the Distance, Our Growing Family, The Uncensored life of me, My Untamed World, Something Purple, A Detour, Something Purple, Wifespeaks, Coffeenchoclate - Anna, One Hundred Eighty Degrees

I am tagging Jennie, Anne, Pheng, Rhea, May and Emz.

Raine Moments

2008-03-11T11:07:00.000+08:00

Baby Raine, as her almost 3-yr. old cousin Annika calls her, is now 16 ½ months old. Not much of a baby anymore. She’s about 27 lbs now, quite chubby for a little girl her age, and showing more of a personality everyday. She has just recently learned how to give Mom and Dad a kiss, complete with a “mwah” sound. For awhile she would only kiss her stuffed toys. She also knows how to do the flying kiss, although, since I taught it to her to say goodbye to her rubber ducky after her bath, she would only do it in the bathroom. Her Dad taught her how to remove his socks and put it in the hamper. It’s really funny how she excitedly removes them when Rynor comes home from the office and she goes to our room to find the hamper to put them away. When she opens her books she starts pointing at the drawings and babbles away, as if she’s reading the words or making up her own story. To help her fall asleep I would often rock her stuffed toys to sleep, hoping she would want to do the same but she just picks up her toys one by one and hands them to me again and tells me to “meme” her dolls. Sometimes she does it herself, she takes 2 toys at a time and sways from side to side while she says “baby, baby” to them softly.

Her first word like most babies was “Mama” and then when she learned to say “baby” at about 11 months, she loved to say it about 100 times a day. When we got to Marshall Islands one of her first words was “dirty”. She seems to have a fascination with dust and dirt as she likes to pick up things on the floor and put them in her mouth! Gross, right? I’m always telling her not to do this because it’s dirty and that’s how she must have picked it up. Haha! She loves all kinds of music. Whether it’s pop, jazz, classical or hip-hop the minute she hears music from the TV or radio she would start dancing. She would move her body up, down, side to side. She would bob her head and raise her arms with a big smile on her face. It’s really a site to behold.

Raine also loves animals, especially dogs. Whether she’s watching Baby Einstein or Animal Planet, she would get excited whenever she would see animals on the screen. She would point at the TV and say “Oh, oh!”.

Sometimes when we are sitting together either on her bed or on the sofa she would stand up, go behind me and wrap her arms around my neck to give me a hug. She also likes to put her face very near mine and pucker her lips slightly, meaning she would like a kiss. Our little girl has so many adorable little antics and you can already see her personality emerging, but these are my absolute favorite Raine moments.

6 Quirky Things About Moi

2008-03-05T20:22:00.000+08:00

This was a fun thing to do. Had a hard time thinking up stuff to put because I kept coming up with embarrassing things instead. Hehe. Thanks Marie for tagging me.

The rules:Link to the person that tagged you.

Post the rules on your blog.

Share six un-important things/habits/quirks about your self.

Tag 6 random people at the end of your post by linking to their blogs. Let these random people know that they are tagged by leaving comments in their blog. Let your tagger know when your entry is up.

Six Unimportant things/habits/quirks about my self.

1. I took Hawaiian dancing lessons when I was 8 yrs. old.
2. I took piano lessons too but I didn’t really learn how to read notes very well. I just memorized the different positions of my fingers on the piano so I could play the tunes during class. Obviously, I didn’t like playing the piano at all.
3. I learned to ride a 2-wheeled bike only when I was 11 years old. Before that my bike always had the little training wheels attached to the back wheel.
4. I’m such a scaredy-cat when it comes to thriller/horror movies that after watching The Sixth Sense I slept over my friend’s house because I didn’t want to sleep by myself in my room.
5. I fall asleep faster and better if I’m lying down on my left side.
6. I took driving lessons twice but I still don’t drive. Didn’t really get to practice much, but still, how embarrassing noh?

I'd like to tag Tricia, Anna, Faye, Jen, Pat and Mari next!

Also, thanks to Anna for sending me this award.

I haven't really haven't had much time to check out all my blogger friends' sites but here are just some of the few I think deserve this award: Marie, Joy, Peachy and Tricia.

Laidback Sunday

2008-03-04T14:00:00.000+08:00

We had a fun-filled busy Sunday. The three of us got up at about 10am and had a lazy brunch of last night’s leftovers. We dropped by hubby’s project, so he could check on the progress of the construction workers. It slipped our minds that it was lunch break and everyone was either out for lunch or taking naps under the shade. So off we went to hubby’s officemate’s apartment where a group of them were just about to have lunch. We chatted for awhile and then went to hubby’s office where his boss, John, turned over some work stuff to him. He would be the acting Project Manager while John went to Guam for a week.

The meeting took quite awhile and Raine was getting restless. I wasn’t able to bring any of her toys so we got an old folder and a pen and she started making squiggly lines across it. Hmm, I have a feeling that she might grow up to be a lefty. John’s wife, Lynn, bought some balloons for Raine and we blew up a few for her to bounce around. She soon tired of the game and I found her a clean paper cup, some bull clips and our house keys. She enjoyed putting her loot into the cup and spilling the contents on her chair again and again. It still amazes me how little kids take delight in the simplest things. After some time though, Raine got bored of the game, drank some milk and promptly fell asleep in my arms.

We still had to go to the supermarket and we were wondering how I would carry Raine around while we did the grocery, we had left her stroller at home. The moviehouse is right beside the market and we noticed that Jumper was still showing. Since Raine usually naps for about 1 ½ to 2 hours we decided to catch the afternoon show, at least that way we wouldn’t have to carry her around the store as she slept. Raine however woke up 10 minutes into the movie but was surprisingly behaved. It was her first time to watch a movie and we thought she might be afraid of the dark. But she seemed to be comfortable. She got antsy only twice during the whole movie. Rynor and I took turns going outside with her. When it was my turn, I bought her popcorn and she was a happy little baby.

We went home to deposit the groceries. We were going back to our friend’s apartment for dinner so I didn’t have to cook. Rynor prepared tuna sashimi and fruit shake while I washed Raine’s bottles and gave her bath.

We had a nice dinner and Raine had fun playing with Tintin’s dolls. (Rynor’s officemate has a penchant for collecting Barbie dolls.) All in all it was a great day spent with family and friends.

Fake Yayas & Answered Prayers

2008-03-01T13:04:00.000+08:00

I would just like to share with you an unforgettable experience I had that started on Raine's first birthday last November 4th.

My whole bag was stolen during my daughter’s first birthday party! In the bag was about 45,000. I was going to pay the party venue, the party needs supplier & later that week I was planning to get hubby’s laptop w/c was under repair at Acer. So as you can see, the money was already allotted for very important stuff. As I looked at the pics of the party afterwards, and after talking to my best friend Hazel, the last person I was with before it got stolen, this is what most probably happened:

Hazel & I were talking while the programme was winding down. I noticed that I was about to get called for my birthday wish for Raine so I reached into my bag (which was on my lap) to check my face in the mirror. Suddenly, my brother was calling me to go up on stage already so I hurried to the front & placed my bag at the first chair on the front table, beside my niece's diaper bag. An officemate & my siblings were seated on the table across the bag. I carried Raine & everyone stood up & sang her a happy birthday. After the candle-blowing & everyone had seated again I looked in the direction of the bag. My heart skipped a beat, it wasn’t there! Only about 5 minutes had passed since I had put it down. I called to my yaya Sarah if maybe she got it but she hadn't. I was in a panic, I was hoping maybe it fallen under the table. While I was giving the lootbags, I felt a cold sweat creeping down my back. My bag & everything in it: cash, credit cards, cellphone, and other valuable personal items were all gone in just 5 minutes.

The assistant of the party-needs supplier said she had noticed a 40-ish woman dressed in a yaya's uniform earlier while they were setting up. She asked what time Raine's party was. Of course she must've read the welcome banner by the entrance & the happy birthday sign on the stage. Later, my cousin also noticed that this "yaya" seemed to be going back & forth from the other party beside ours. At the time my cousin thought nothing of it cos she could've been 1 of the yayas of the kids, she just thought maybe she was bored & was checking out the other parties in Dad's. Later, my cousin said she had bumped into her again & saw her with a black bag! Waaaaaaaaah!!!! That was mine!

My Dad paid for the party & had to withdraw some cash to pay the party-needs supplier. (Apple, the party supplier, was very business-like throughout our negotiations but she was genuinely sympathetic when it happened. Her hubby who was the photographer immediately downloaded the pics to check if maybe a pic of the thief could've been taken. When they left she even hugged me.)

Needless to say my Dad, brother & friends helped me call up the credit card companies and my mobile company to block them all so that evil woman wouldn't be able to use any of them. I felt so bad. I felt violated, helpless, defenseless, exposed. This was a whole bag w/ a lot of money! Hubby who was working abroad had just sent that money the other day. Plus it was Raine's 1st bday, one that almost didn't happen because of the Glorietta Mall blast. I kept thinking, I should have just stayed put w/ my Glorietta reservation or I should have just moved the party back a week or I shouldn’t have had the party at all.

It was my first time to be a victim, and I felt sooooooo bad. I couldn't sleep Sunday night.

Monday, I filed for an affidavit of loss. Thankfully, we have lawyers at the office so I didn't have to go to a Notary Public. I spent most of the day securing permits for replacement of my IDs, ATM, SIM card. Everyone was so sympathetic.

Tuesday, was Raine's interview at the U.S. Embassy. I had to set aside my bad feelings & focus on the interview at hand. If Raine got denied I'd go crazy! Even if we had an appointment we still had to stand in line to get a number for the fingerprint scanning for 2 hours. Yayas were not allowed inside so I was carrying Raine the whole time, her in 1 arm & my bag w/ all my supporting documents in the other. Add to that, there was no airconditioning in the Embassy Pavilion, only fans, so it was pretty hot. Thankfully, she wasn't cranky, just super malikot. At about 3pm we finally got into the aircon room for the interview, my sked was supposed to be at 1pm. The family before me was grilled. The American consul barked such questions as, “What is your job? How much do you earn? Your salary cannot cover a plane ticket to the U.S.!”. I was really nervous, I looked at the consul & started praying the "Anima Christi".

When it was our turn, it was as if something came over the consul, he smiled at me & Raine. I told the consul that I was getting a visa for my daughter & that I had one already. She asked how old Raine was & I said she turned one just last Sunday. She greeted Raine a "happy birthday". I asked him if he wanted to see my own passport & he said no. He asked me also where I worked, how many kids I have, when was the last time I was in the U.S. He asked where my husband was. I explained about his job & asked if he wanted to see Rynor's papers. He said there would be no need. He stamped Raine's passport & told me to proceed to Delbros to pay for the delivery of Raine's visa! Raine was given a 10-yr visa. I was so happy! He didn't even look at my own passport or any of the supporting documents I brought! Hallelujah!

Tuesday night, Nov. 6 I got a text that my IDs & cards were found in a paperbag in Magallanes MRT station! I was at first suspicious, what if it was a trap? I called the number, he said he was a janitor at the station & found a wet paperbag beside the escalator containing all my cards. He said he suspected that I had been robbed & the thief must've dumped all my identification in that paperbag. I wondered how he got my cellphone number because it's not in any of my IDs or my calling card. I realized that the janitor saw my cellphone number in Raine's invitation! I went to the MRT station the next day. Puro IDs, credit cards & my baby pictures. No wallet, no bag, just the small leather case where I put my IDs.

I learned 2 very important things during those past 3 days: 1) that even if there are heartless people in the world who would steal during a children's bday party, they are outnumbered by kind & good people and 2) never underestimate the power of prayer, I prayed hard that my IDs would be returned somehow & I prayed hard that the consul wouldn't bombard w/ me questions & both my prayers were answered!

Time's up already?

2008-02-24T09:34:00.000+08:00

Don't you ever wish there were more than 24 hours in a day? Or that maybe you could be at 2 or even 3 places at once? Or how about if you could freeze time for a few hours while you're working on something so that you have more time to do other things?

I thought being a stay-at-home-mom would allow me a little more time to do the things that I couldn't do when I worked full time with, but I was seriously wrong. Just getting all the housework done and taking care of Raine takes up a lot of time so that "me-time" almost always takes a backseat.

I try to reserve Raine's afternoon nap for my internet time when I can answer emails, blog, surf the net and do some reading. But more often than not I make use of this quiet time to catch up on my chores. Actually, more like rush thru them. Raine is like my little shadow. She follows me around the house constantly. When I sweep the floor, she would walk behind me really closely and stare in awe at the broom. For some reason, she seems to be amazed by dirt and dust. She has a habit of touching it all the time, much to my dismay. As a result, I try not to clean when she's awake because we end up with more mess than when we started. I can't get any ironing done either for fear that she might yank on the iron's cord or something.

Hubby got pretty sick last Wednesday with fever and diarrhea so I had to take care of his needs too. It was a bit of a challenge to be both nurse and nanny especially when both hubby and Raine called for me at the same time. Thank goodness hubby got well after a full day of rest (Am I good nurse or what? Hehe).

We've been here in Marshall Islands for 2 months now and I still have so many things to learn as a new SAHM. I think the most important of all is time management.

Learning to cook well, keeping the house clean, teaching my growing toddler more than just the ABCs, these are just some of the many things on my plate. Let's not forget quality time with my hubby. And time for me too. Balancing everything is one big juggling act I have yet to master.

Kudos to the stay-at-home moms out there who seem to do it all effortlessly. Someday I hope I can be just as organized and put-together.

My First Tags

2008-02-23T10:54:00.000+08:00

First off, thanks to Pat for sending me this award. You made my day! I'd like to send this to Mec, Tricia, Leah and Agnes.I will shamelessly admit that I'm such a novice at this blogging thing that I didn't quite know what to do when I got tagged. I'm not much of a techie really, hehe.

A big thanks to my dear friend and kumare Tricia for this really cute domino tag.

I'd like to tag my new blog friends Mari, Faye, Marie, Eileen and Anna.

Eyes Wide Shut

2008-02-19T16:08:00.000+08:00

Ever since I found out I was pregnant I knew there were certain things I’d have to give up to make way for having a new person in my life. One of those things was getting in 8-hour snooze fests. I’ve always been used to sleeping late, like past midnight, on a daily basis. But the moment Raine came even that went out the window.

I knew that I wanted to breastfeed Raine for at least 6 months. That meant getting up at odd hours of the night to get her from the crib and nurse her. I was like a zombie for the first month of her life. Raine cried for milk almost every hour on the hour. I hardly got any sleep then. As the months passed though and my milk supply increased, the 1 hour turned to 2 and then 3 and then 4. At last, I could sleep for 4 hour stretches, right? But I had gone back to work and to keep her supply up, I would still get up every 2-3 hours to pump in between baby Raine’s feedings. It was so tempting to take the easy way out and just give her formula then but I wanted to stick to the 6 month period I’d originally set. If I hadn’t gotten sick and had to take a heavy dose of antibiotics Raine would probably have been breastfed longer.

Raine’s sleeping habits gradually changed. Soon she only woke up twice every night to ask for milk. Hubby and I would take turns getting milk for her. Although most of the time I was the one who got up, for some reason I’ve become a light sleeper since I gave birth and have been really sensitive to Raine’s cries. I even hear her turn over in her crib. Needless to say I haven’t had uninterrupted sleep since I gave birth.

My officemates and I went to Boracay for 3 days and 2 nights when Raine was 8 months old. I almost didn’t go because I felt guilty leaving my baby behind. But honestly, I was also looking forward to the 2 nights of undisturbed sleep. Unfortunately, my roommate got drunk and although she passed out at about 2am I couldn’t sleep soundly lest she wake up in the middle of the night to throw up or something. Our second night in Boracay, we stayed up until 4am but although this time my roommate didn’t get drunk I still couldn’t sleep well because I missed Raine. It was my first time to be away from her ever and it was an unsettling feeling.

Today, Raine is 15 months old and she usually only cries for milk once at night. I still get up to give her some. It might be quite awhile until I’m able to sleep for 8 hours straight again, but watching my baby sleep peacefully with a smile on her rosy cheeks gives me enough energy to last me thru the night.

It's the thought that counts (really)

2008-02-15T19:42:00.000+08:00

Yesterday was Valentine’s Day. Being far away from the Philippines on days like these makes me miss all things familiar so much more. After the Christmas decorations are taken down, V-Day is considered the next “big” holiday in Manila. Concerts on every stage, prices of flowers double or even triple in cost, malls adorned with hearts and bows.

I will shamelessly admit that I’m a romantic. Thank goodness so is my husband. Hehe. Usually on this day he sends pink roses to my office and we go out to dinner. Our first Valentine’s as a married couple he surprised me with a dinner-concert at the Westin Philippine Plaza (now Sofitel). It was really nice as it was right by the bay. The hotel is special to us since this is where we held our wedding reception. Little did I know that at that time I was already pregnant with our daughter Raine.

Last year, we simply spent Valentine’s at home. Our baby girl was just a little over 3 months old and we didn’t want to leave her behind. This year we are in Marshall Islands where there are no concerts, no flowers for sale even. But hubby still found a way to commemorate the day by giving me a lollipop bouquet. He even got Raine a little stuffed toy. Later that night, we had dinner at the MI hotel with some friends.
No matter how or where you spend Valentine’s Day, what’s really important is that you get to spend the day with the one that makes your heart beat just a little bit faster.

Welcome to the Islands

2008-01-27T12:41:00.000+08:00

Finally, I have my own blog! I'm really excited to be writing again. I recently resigned from my job in Manila so that Raine & I can join Rynor in Marshall Islands where he was offered a position as a (Quality Control) QC Manager. It's been one crazy, topsy-turvy, rollercoaster ride since we stepped into these shores a little over a month ago. From the concrete jungle of Makati City to the quaint paradise of the islands, it's been totally different. I hope that thru this blog I'll be able to share our family's new life together in the Pacific.

One way to Marshall Islands
As soon as my Dad & I said our goodbyes at the door to the immigration at NAIA, I realized I would be on my own with Raine for the next 12 hours. Absolutely no problem, I’d been alone with her before, but this was to be her first international flight. Her first time on the plane was on a trip to Bacolod, she cried loudly as we landed then, probably from the air pressure on her ears. We had brought milk for her to drink to keep her ears from hurting but she finished it all as we took off. Since the flight was only about an hour, she was still full by the time we landed. This time I tried to prolong her milk-drinking as long as I could. But when we got to the airport she got thirsty for milk.

We stood in line at the immigration for almost an hour. Thank goodness we had a stroller or else my arms would’ve gotten numb from carrying 23-lb. Raine. The immigration officer looked stern. He asked me where my departure slips were. Shoot! I forgot to fill them up at the entrance. I thought I‘d have to line up all over again. Good thing the immigration guy saw me as I went to the back of the line again, this time w/ the filled-up slips. He called me to the front, got the slips and let me go.

I hurriedly went to the bathroom to change Raine’s diapers. I was hoping to be able to get a bite to eat because I just had a very quick dinner. But as I was looking at the food choices, I heard the PA system announce that Continental passengers should head to the Gate as soon as passing thru immigration, so off we went. Our gate was at the ground floor & just my luck there was no elevator or escalator. An airport employee was nice enough to carry the stroller for me as I carried Raine down the flight of stairs.

As we were about to board the plane I checked in the stroller at the plane’s door. The flight attendant couldn’t fold the stroller properly so I had to hand over Raine to another airport guy as I did it myself. Of course Raine cried as she was held by a stranger. We had an aisle seat & luckily the 2 other seats beside us were vacant so Raine could lie down & stretch out beside me. She also drank milk as we took off. She dozed thru the 4 hour flight to Guam & as we were landing suddenly cried. Yikes! She didn’t want any milk so I just held her until she calmed down.

Guam has a very nice airport. Big & modern, not as sleek as the Centennial airport but impressive just the same. As we passed through the long halls & rode the walkalator I could see some high-rise buildings on the horizon. It was 3am Manila time & about 5am Guam time.

At this point Raine had finished up the 4 bottles of milk I’d earlier prepared & I was in a bind. I decided to buy her fresh milk which she could drink on the plane to Marshall Islands. Thankfully, she drank the milk from Seattle’s Best w/o any qualms.

Just like the plane ride to Guam, she slept thru most of the 3-hour flight to Marshall Islands, the 2 other seats beside us were also vacant. This time though she only cried a little as we landed.

Remember Daddy
When we got to Majuro, Marshall Islands it was sunny but very windy. As I looked out our plane’s window all I could see was the ocean, it was as if we were going to land on the water. Their little airport, similar to the airports in small provinces like Aklan & Bacolod was right near the water.

The airport personnel gave me Raine’s stroller & as I wheeled her in to the airport I saw Rynor waving at us from the wire fence.

We took a few minutes in line at the immigration & that’s when Raine started to really cry loudly, almost screaming. Rynor, who was friends w/ the airport chief, requested if he could get Raine while I waited for my turn at the immigration. But as she was wheeled out, Raine cried even harder. She didn’t seem to remember her Daddy.

She only calmed down when Rynor’s officemate, Tintin, who had accompanied him to pick us up, carried her.

Life in Majuro
It’s about a 15 minute ride from the airport to our apartment. It would probably not take so long though, if not for the 25-mile “speed” limit. As expected, Majuro is quite provincial. It reminds me of the roads going to less developed areas of Batangas, Cavite and such. The locals, called Marshallese, are dressed casually. Women wear muumuus, floral housedresses or dusters, almost everyone wears flipflops. You can tell if someone is a foreigner because they are dressed much better than the Marshallese. Although at the Christmas Eve mass I saw some local women wearing sequined & beaded muumuus.

The Marshallese are on the hefty side, especially the women. They look similar to the native Hawaiians, Chamorros & people in the Pacific Islands. They’re polite but not very smiley people like Filipinos. At first meeting they almost seem aloof or masungit. But almost everyone smiles at the sight of our baby Raine.

There are a lot of foreigners here, Taiwanese, Chinese, Japanese, Americans, Australians, Kiwis (New Zealanders) and Pacific Islanders from Kiribati, Pohnapei, Nauru and Micronesia.

There are no fast food chains here, no malls or big department stores. There are several supermarkets that also sell houseware, electronics & clothes much like Shopwise but smaller in size. The merchandize are all imported from the U.S. or China. Surprisingly, I’ve even seen Chippy, Boy Bawang & Mang Tomas sarsa in the supermarket. There are about 500 Filipinos here after all. In fairness, the stores’ cash registries are all computerized & they make use of flat LCD screens.

Our apartment is twice as big as our condo unit in Taguig. It’s a small apartment building of only about 10-12 units. It’s not much to look at from the outside but is pretty nice on the inside. We’re on the second floor; 2 bedrooms, 1 bath & a balcony porch w/ a view of the ocean. The bigger space is good for Raine as she has a lot of room to walk around & make a mess.

Suddenly SAHM (stay-at-home-mom)
Ever since I gave birth I’ve fantasized about what it would be like to be a stay-at-home-mom, a homemaker, a housewife & full time mommy. But in my fantasy I had at least one person to help around w/ the household chores. Goodness! I completely salute all women who don’t have any help whatsoever. It’s not as easy as it seems. Cooking, cleaning, everything in between, plus taking care of a very boisterous & inquisitive toddler who’s just learned the joys of walking is indeed a big juggling act. It’s a totally different ballgame compared to going to the office & staring at the computer all day.

Rynor leaves for work at about 7 a.m. from Mondays to Saturdays. I’ve never been a morning person so I’m quite thankful that my hubby doesn’t mind making his own breakfast. Besides, Raine sleeps between 11pm to 1a.m. most nights, so you can just imagine what time I go to sleep. After Rynor leaves, I prepare Raine’s breakfast and start cooking lunch. Rynor comes home for lunch everyday. When he leaves I wash the dishes and thaw the food I’ll be cooking for dinner. At this point Raine is walking all over the house, opening the cabinets & drawers she can reach, picking up what’s on the floor & putting them in her mouth! The only time she stays still is if I put in one of her Baby Einstein videos. I’m tempted to let her watch all day. During this time I try to clean the apartment as fast as I can while Raine is distracted. I have to keep the floor clean because Raine has this bad habit of removing her slippers & walking around barefoot or sometimes sitting on the floor. There are days when she just wants to make lambing & be held. She shows this by wobbling to the kitchen sink & squeezing herself between me & the sink. I’m lucky if she naps for 2-3 hours. Lately, she naps for 1-1.5 hours only & that’s when I prepare dinner. Several times, I have to stop what I’m doing & go to her. Because of this, there have been times that lunch or dinner is not quite ready by the time Rynor gets home. Raine has become very demanding & clingy lately. Always wants her mommy beside her. I call her my shadow.

Oh, did I tell you I’m a beginner in the kitchen? I brought along some cookbooks w/ me. I cannot cook very well, so every meal is a feat. I follow the recipe as best as I can, so far the food has been edible. Haha! I’ve had some hits, a few misses. I’m pretty bad at estimating. Once I cooked too much rice, another time too much pasta. It’s a work-in-progress for me. Most of my life we’ve had helpers that I’ve come to rely on. We were never spoiled as kids, I know how to do housework (except cook) but there are days when I wish I didn’t have to wash the dishes or take out the garbage or do the laundry.

Despite Marshall Islands’ provincial and laidback lifestyle, there are some perks that I’m thankful for. There’s the in-sink-erator garbage disposal system. I don’t have to remove small leftover food from the plates. I can just throw them in the sink & turn on the in-sink-erator which grinds the food & sends them to a garbage disposal system. There’s the heavy duty washer & dryer. The centralized air-conditioning is not so bad too.

Family time
Now that I’ve seen both sides of the coin: being a working mom & a stay-at-home mom I can see how tricky it can be to strike a balance as the latter; housework, quality time w/ Raine & my hubby & “me time”. Sure I spend all day w/ my baby daughter but for the past 2 weeks since we arrived in Marshall Islands I’m guilty of plunking her in front of the TV to watch baby videos so I can get things done around the house.

I guess it’s just a matter of scheduling my day & knowing which things to prioritize.

Despite the challenges of this drastic lifestyle change, I’m most thankful for the chance for us to be a whole family again. When Rynor first worked overseas in Diego Garcia for 1.5 years when we were going steady we made a deal never to be apart again, it would just be too hard & not healthy especially for a growing family like ours. We feel blessed to have this opportunity for Rynor to pursue his career & be allowed to bring in his family.

The next few months will definitely be an adventure as we make our mark in Marshall Islands, then by middle of the year, in the more-progressive Guam.

As a friend of mine put it, “the best is yet to come.”