Saturday, May 24, 2008

hubby and me

one of our...what should i call it... bonding days.

we went to quiapo church. a short prayer and off we went to our suppliers for our new business. years ago, he and i prayed at this same church when we requested for our first baby. little did we know that i was already pregnant at the time we were there. even if he didn't tell me, i know he prayed for our business. as i did. for it to become successful, for it to be a good source of providing for our family, for it to be our bond. aside from our marriage, that is.

we capped off the day with going to the grocery to buy a couple of items for the kids. nido fortified for migo, lactum 1+ and eq dry diapers (now size large finally) for julla. kids' shampoo, kids' toothpaste, kids' toothbrush, kids' body powder and kids' cologne. and two 1-liter bottles of C2 apple. a quick fastfood dinner of sharksfin and rice.

now home, he's downstairs chatting with friends, making the most of the time we have left in this community. pretty soon when we move to our new home and our new endeavor, he won't have much time for friends anymore.

but i know we're both happy with the way things are heading. things are definitely looking upfor this little family!




Thursday, May 22, 2008

american idol season 7




david cook is the new american idol. although i would've liked archuleta to win but anyway, cook does look more the part than archuleta, so there.

this is the 2nd season that i was hooked on this show. the first time was season 5 during the time of taylor hicks, katharine mcphee, chris daughtry and eliot yamin.

oh well, congratulations to david cook and to all dc fans!

Saturday, May 17, 2008

julla's (1st quarter of) 2008 dictionary

julla, at 2 years old, is learning to communicate everyday. nowadays we are able to understand her better and the frustration of trying to make us comprehend her babbles has become less and less. here are some of her recent memorable words...

try calling her over the phone one of these days and you'd sure get a kick out of the conversation.


A'MAN - ako naman (tagalog); it's my turn (english)
she understands the concept of taking turns with her brother. that's why she knows when it's time for her to go on the rocking chair, swing on her dad's arms, slide on my legs...after her brother

ABO - takbo (tagalog); run (english)
she doesn't run a lot. in fact, whenever outside, she'd rather be carried by her tita. but when she feels like it, she can run real fast for her age.

ANIG - makinig (tagalog); listen to me (english)
she's becoming quite a story-teller these days. and she demands that you "anig" to her or she will bug you.

ATAY (ah-tay rhymes with WHY) - patay (tagalog); dead (english)
this started when we acquired a fish tank 2 months ago. first we had a dozen guppies that died one by one in a week. so hubby bought yellow mollies. everyday, julla voluntarily feeds the mollies until one day, she found one of them, again, "atay."

AYA (ah-yah) - kuya (tagalog); older brother (english)
ALO
(ah-loh) - migo (her brother's name)

several names she calls her older brother

EPEK
(eh-pek) - tapik (tagalog); pat (english)

whenever she is ready to go to sleep, she lies on her tummy or sideways and asks me or her dad or her tita or her AYA (but usually me) to "tapik" her round behind

EPER -
paper
EESIL - pencil

one of her and her brother's favorite pastimes is drawing

'EMPTR - computer
my gaddd! she just pushed the power button of the cpu!

EYE! EYE! EYE! - yes, her eyes
she says this repetitively, whenever we turn the lights out at bedtime. she seems to mean that her eyes can't see in the darkness so we're compelled to turn the lights back on

IKYOU - thank you
she's good at this

'NDE HA - sandali ha (tagalog); wait for a while (english)
this is usually with matching wave of the hand, palms out and the cutest facial expression in the world, that you would be more than willing to wait for her, however long it takes

SOWI - sorry
she says this while she touches your face....awwwww...she's so adorable!! "ok, ok i forgive you"

TATA (tah-tah) - tita; auntie
recently, she is able to pronounce "tita" perfectly

TAT - cat
i think this is her favorite animal coz she screams in delight whenever she sees strays around our building

ONE, TWO, TEA..... PURR, PIED, XIX, EBEN, EYT, NAYN, TEN!
yes, she can count! usually up to three. but up to ten, when prodded.


words that need no explanation:

pish - fish
doos - juice
bang bang - gun
pupu - yes, her or anybody else's poop
slip - sleep
atyat - go up
welet - wallet
bug - bag
aten yaan - that's mine
epun - electric fan
alaw - light
harap - face here
dito - here
agat - bite
dede - milk
mama - my mom; her grandma
papa - my dad; her grandpa
ama - my ima; her grand-ima
ninong / ninang - her godparents

happy thoughts

so today, i decided to relax and not think about the nasty things in life.

i start by thinking of the blessings i have despite the trials and hardships. first and foremost, my kids.

migo will start 1st grade this june. he's only turning 6 y/o in august but well, as you know, he started going to school at 2. me and his dad are mighty proud of him. over the summer, he gained weight (i think) coz his chest and arms and legs are bigger and i guess he grew taller too. (i better check his height later.) he's becoming more and more smart alecky, i don't know if that's good or bad. he is so talkative and bubbly and sweet. sometimes, he can be a bit naughty but nothing that me and his dad can't handle.

julla turned 2 y/o last april. the sweet little thing is starting to talk in phrases now and can be a little blabbery at times. i should write a julla's 2008 dictionary for my next post. she's starting to eat more now and i think she's an itsy bitsy bit taller. (our neighbor's kid from the first floor is 1 year old but taller and heavier than julla.) she likes to sleep by herself and is bothered if any part of her body is in contact with another human being. so unlike migo who snuggles to my armpit everytime he sleeps. well, that's one of their major differences, if you could call it that.

secondly, hubby and i are doing business again. this was my dad's and brother's store and it was turned over to us this month for new management. we have a lot of bright ideas for this and we are very positive about the future of this business. by june, we're going full blast and i really hope everything works out as planned, and forecasted.

consequently to this, we're moving to a new dwelling. the 2nd floor of the commercial space of the store will be turned into a residential area......yes, for us. so we're moving house again after 3 or so years. i do recall that i started this blog and called it "our dwelling" the time we were moving to this house where we are now. so is it time to move on to a new blog too? maybe make a more commercially appealing blog, to generate extra income. hmmm...something i've been mulling over for the last couple of months. well, maybe when i'm in the new house, i'll decide.

Thursday, May 15, 2008

survival

was chatting with my bff soul twin just now.

bff st: how are ya
me: i'm good. you?
bff st: surviving
me: surviving is good enough
bff st: sometimes
me: coz some people don't
bff st: but it can be borderline kinda thing
me: yep, have to do something, not just survive though. me too
bff st: yeahhh. scales are tipped. gotta bring it back to a decent balance you know
me: right you should. we should

only we can talk this way in phrases but understand each other completely. we're worlds apart. she's in california, i'm in quezon city philippines. but neither time nor distance can change the spiritual bond we have. so we survive life's daily grind knowing somewhere out there, someone shares the same survival instincts... and understands.

Wednesday, May 14, 2008

the dynamics of chari's stress

my status message last saturday in my facebook account goes: "....is stressing and de-stressing alternately."

last night, i finally found the right words to describe my present life, so i changed it to: "...is *still* stressing and de-stressing alternately."

this lifestyle is becoming unhealthy. i can become manic depressive anytime now. i need to get out of this. asap. but how does a helpless little girl like me defend herself from the outside world that permeates through the innermost recesses of her if-left-by-itself-contented heart?

my mom once told me that how i deal with my life is really a matter of choice. so i have to choose to be happy. i have to find joy in the simplest things and see the beauty in each person that i encounter. when i have a difficult situation in my hands, i should remember that no pain comes to anybody without a purpose.

so that should be enough to get me out of this rut i am feeling. but i'm in it one day then out the next...in again, out again..... yes, it's crazy. but everyday i get these unwanted feelings about my work and the things i'm supposed to accomplish.

good thing, my life at home has become quite stable these past two weeks. things are looking up for my hubby's business and we see some bright lights ahead. but in my career, i am in a tunnel waiting for when the exit will appear. or if it will appear at all. don't get me wrong. i love my job. i'm good at what i do, of that i am sure. but there's politics everywhere and it blurs the horizon for me. i am not the type who would try to get to the top at the expense of others and it so hurts me to see other people get stepped on. then again, i would tell myself, positively, that i should just let it go. don't let negative stuff affect me. so i feel better for a while. then, it creeps back into my system again. and the cycle continues...

so i await the day that i get over this. meatime, i de-stress...