Liked

Today I skipped worked to run errands for the kids. I guess, to be honest, to get some much needed me time. I'm at the salon now as i write getting a pedi. Seriously considering getting a haircut and curls but not yet decided. I might watch a movie by myself later at home.

The first thing I did this morning after the kids left for school was water the plants, which i havent done for quite a few months since I hired a househelp. I just might get the house cleaned and do the laundry later in the day. After all, it's only lunch time.

Earlier i went to the post office to mail a letter for the little girl's homework. Then I ate at that old hole in the wall lugawan near the old city hall where the hubby and I used to crash. I was reminiscing the old days and will have to admit, I kinda miss it.

Much earlier, my brother and I were vibing about getting my own car. Easier said than done though. I really must work harder in order to get things rolling financially for my little family.

I've not blogged for the last few weeks so  I feel I have a lot to say. But my mind is reeling of things that happened over the last 3 months.

Like, I started a loaning business. Like, the hubby thing.

Like, no taekwondo training for the little big man for the longest time.

Like, my Dad has liver cirrhosis and he doesn't realize that it's degenerative and I'm like wtf, it doesn't sink in.

Like, my new Samsung Note4 last February.

Like, I was Ninang for the first time at a wedding.

Like, I was sort of big shot at work for the last couple of months because of the jogger trend which has become the cash cow for quite a while now.

Like, my kids are always arguing and fighting, sometimes getting violent with each other.

Oh geez, pedicure is done. Till next.

guess who's cooking!

so i've been proud of the little achievements i've had about cooking for the family. 

but today, the little big man did it too. a couple of times, i've told him that it's about time he learns to cook simple meals, and rice. so last night, i taught him, with the lights out and we were about to go to sleep, how to cook instant noodles. i was specific about how to turn the stove on and off because i don't want him causing a fire or getting himself burned. i told him the danger of turning it on and not having any flame being that the gas is coming out in the air and he doesn't know it and once he clicks it again, it might burst into flames. yeah, quite morbid to imagine but it's better that he knows than to regret later.

this morning, he texted me and asked again the step by step procedure. i called him and again, told him how to fire up the stove, how many cups of water to put for 2 packs, when to put in the noodles, when to pour the seasoning, how to find out if it's cooked...i told him again to be extra careful with the stove and to make sure it's turned off after cooking.

in less than 30 minutes, he texted me: 

Mommy success! Ang sarap 15 May 2014  9:49am

i'm so proud of him. he's learning to be a more responsible young man everyday. he still has a lot to learn i know, but these baby steps are all he needs and he'll be on his way. makes me a bit dreadful that soon he won't need me anymore. just this morning, he was talking about going out and exploring the world on his bike. i told him he can only bike around the neighborhood but never outside the subdivision but i will never know for sure, right? the last month, he and his little sister have been on their own during mornings (being that it's summer break here) and although they still fight a lot, i know that soon, he will be able to take on, seriously, his role as big brother.

i only pray for him and the little girl that God guides them always and that i will be able to instill in them the right values and morals they need to become the best that they can be when they grow up.

It's easier to build strong children

than to repair broken men.

~Frederick Douglass

Everyday Things That Affect Your Mood

this new year, i've decided to let go and let live.  i don't want my fears or anger or any negative thoughts to rule over my decisions and actions.  i will concentrate on the positive of my life and work and family.

and this video just gave me a simple way to adjust my attitude towards everything that i encounter daily.  thanks, yahoo.

cousins

our little family went on a roadtrip last weekend to orani, bataan. we went to celebrate the feast of our lady of the rosary, which not many of you know, is where my first name rosario was derived from by my dad, who is a devotee.

we went to the 11am mass and afterwards, watched the banda ng mosiko, while my dad related his stories to my kids about how it used to be when he was young there in their town.

then we went to my cousin's house and had lunch.  

best part of the day were the kids enjoying their short but fun time bonding with their cousins that they didn't want to go home when it was time.  the little big man was literally begging me to let him stay overnight.  of course, that wasn't possible so hubby and i promised them we'll come back on the 31st and stay overnight.  i understand how much they long to be with their cousins and i'm glad they've built friendships and bonds with them that will last forever.

"a cousin is a little bit of childhood that can never be lost."

cactus

thinking of getting a cactus.  yes, that thorny prickly plant.  actually thinking of owning a collection of cactuses...errr... cacti.

over the weekend, i was obsessed with thai movies that until yesterday, i was searching for them on the internet.  i chanced upon a short film "cactus amnesia" and this started this sudden interest in this plant specie.  

as we all know, this plant has thorns that can prick you when touched.  since they originally live in the desert, they don't need much care and attention.  you have to nurture the cactus by not watering it everyday for it can live without it for days.  it can sit there with you for a long time without you even noticing it growing.  with some species, you have to wait 2 years to 15 years for it to flower.  you just have to continue believing in its inner beauty and wait for it to come out.


i have one cactus in my life right now.  i'm getting more.

I WILL...

happy new year!


i obviously have not blogged (guilty as charged) since the end of 2011.  no excuses.  i've been sorting out this life of mine for the new year and been tweeting a lot of my thoughts instead of here.

spent the first day of the year at the penthouse home with both relatives on my side and hubby's side.  it was an easy parting with 2011.  i'm leaving behind the not so good things that happened to my work and our family and am looking forward to a better year.

i'm not writing down resolutions this year because they usually stay just that -- written promises.  my desktop wallpaper right now says: 

and so, this year 2012, I WILL:

1.  find a new job  (a better one) - not necessarily employment but a new source of income.  it may be prospering the business i already have or transferring to a better company.  

2. grow that t-shirt printing business we started last year by a more aggressive online marketing and personal attention to recommended customers

3. buy / sell children's wear and accessories (also online) through the existing online store of my t-shirts

4.  lose the love handles around my waist - by getting on the treadmill again

5. improve the canteen facilities and food, thus, better income

6. have better skin (by that, i need to cleanse and moisturize daily and not forget my vitamins.  also, lessen causes of stress)


7. go abroad with the little big man for his first international taekwondo tournament.  (mom told me i should make this happen and that boosted my spirits even more to really strive that the whole little family gets to go on this trip.)


8.  be happy.


and since i'm turning 40 this year, (yes you don't have to rub it in because i am not at all bothered)  i'm so psyched to make things REALLY happen for me and my little family.  all by God's WILL.

look! a rainbow!

this morning, on the cab on our way to the little big man's school we saw this:

sorry it's blurred, i was inside a moving vehicle when i shot this.  it's a rainbow, in case you can't recognize it. it's special because it's a full arch -- as in half a circle which sent me a lot more positive vibes.

last night was another restless night.  i was finally able to download "Sound of Music" for my mom.  yes, the 1965 classic which she has been requesting since about two weeks ago when i also had restless nights. funny how i am able to accomplish things when there are restless nights.  so ok, i'm being redundant.  but my life *has* actually become redundant with the burden that God is putting me through right now.  i know this will pass and i am hanging on.  i don't know His plans for me and my family but i believe if He put me to this, He'll get me through this.  

another "good" thing about these restless nights is that i am also able to watch the new tv series that i want (new girl, 2 broke girls) and update on the old ones i missed (glee, big bang theory) because no one is bugging me to watch other shows.  i am able to sleep at whatever time i want and go on the internet until forever.  my kids' nanny has been helpful, both physically and emotionally and i am grateful for the time we spend talking and she giving me encouragement.  who would've thought she could become my friend?  my mom had nothing but kind words of hope and support and surprisingly, my dad is calmer and only wishes me to handle this with compassion.

i've looked through the internet for ways to help myself and my little family and i know with time and patience, we will overcome this.

so like in my last post, this post is testament to my faith in the rainbow after the rain, the silver lining behind every cloud and a happier me once all this is over.

God measures a person with the burden He puts on him.  

So when we feel our load is heavier than the rest, 

be happy for God sees us stronger than the rest.

-SMS sent by chinggu just this morning

Notes:
Week before Migo's bday, 10k?? Forgot
Week before Oct 23, Nem's wedding, 6k
Nov 8 - 17, 16k
Nov 23 - 25, 2k

the hard-earned silver

yesterday was testament to the hard work that the little big man has been putting into training to become the best that he can be in his sport.  

he participated in the DPS (Diliman Preparatory School) Taekwondo Championship where most of the best players and teams in NCR competed.  

every competition sees him more and more confident of his moves, happier with the turn out whether lose or win, and learning new things which we know he will carry on to the next competition.

might i brag, he only got a silver.  it wasn't just a piece of metal though. he was matched up with a DPS player in the eliminations and did everything right to come out the winner. next game his opponent was disqualified because of a mismatch because he was, intentionally or unintentionally, matched up with a group 3 player.  third game was a cliff-hanger with a brown belt from vas gym who was a teammate of that junior black belt he fought for gold with back in camanava last summer.  it ended with a draw which led to a sudden death match where he came out triumphant.  and for his final game, the best player of DPS whom he succumbed to but not without a fantastic, breath-taking, action-packed, death-defying (yeah, you name it!) bout.  

i liked that he came out friends with his opponents, even having their pics taken with their medals on.  just shows the kind of sportsmanship these kids already have instilled in them at such a young age.  or maybe, they're going to keep tabs on each other for future fights?

definitely, it was one of the little big man's best days.  

thank you, Ma'am Vicky - Our small group of  parents now call you "Mother" among ourselves, for we witnessed for the first time how you were such a great coach on court, as strong-willed, supportive, yet gentle as a mother.  


thank you, Ma'am Sarah - I think the little big man got his new-found angas from you.  ;-) And for standing up  and asserting what should be. 


thank you, Sir Billy - For coming to the tournament eventhough you had your own game to go to, to support our players.

thank you and congratulations to our good friends and teammates for a great day.

birthday boy

the little big man turned 9 years old last saturday.  

i can only look at him in awe as i watched him play milo little olympics yesterday.  he's grown so much is an understatement.  he's physically grown.  proven by the fact that whenever he sleeps beside me and he throws his legs and arms over me, i feel choked and helpless under his weight.  

his taekwondo skills have way improved and his level of maturity in the game has drastically upped over the last couple of weeks.  we saw how we beat his opponent in the first game through sudden death.  his shot was so clear and precise, no biased referee can discount it.  we saw how, in his second game, he fell two times and lost to that palarong pambansa champ and not shed a tear, his poker face undaunted, his will to win and pride in himself still in tact but maintaining humility in his stance.

emotionally, he still has a lot of growing to do.  as a kuya (older brother) to his sister, we still have a lot to work on.  we have a lot of time to do that.  bottomline, despite their frequent quarrels, at the end of the day, they still know they love each other more than anything.

in school, he's improved a lot too.  he's still talkative and all that, says what he wants and comments on everything.  but he's a fast learner and once challenged, always strives to better himself.

it's maybe been a year since he told me he wanted his own cellphone.  and eversince, the hubby and i always tell him that when he's responsible enough, by that we meant not losing his ballpens, his ID or getting dirt on his school uniform, that's the time when he gets that cellphone.  

well, within the few weeks before his 9th birthday, he still lost a pen or two but not as much as before. 

and that much coveted cellphone? 

today will be better, i swear

today i am reminded of the story of the mother who taught her daughter (or is it the father who taught his son?  or the professor who taught the student?) about the different ways people respond to problems in life.  she brought with her a potato, an egg and coffee and each put these items in boiling water.  the potato came out softened, the egg came out hard-boiled and the coffee changed the water and made it a totally different entity.

all my life i've known myself to be the cry-baby of our family.  i was always the unassertive daughter compared to my more intelligent older brother and sanguine younger brother.  so i was a potato.  ironic though that i was the more independent one among the three of us.  i asked for my own room while still in elementary while my siblings stuck it out with ima for the longest time.  i did my own homeworks without my mom's assistance as early as 1st grade.  i never asked my parents to use their connections so i can land a job after i finished college.  i decided for myself, always believing that i have to do things on my own so i will never have to blame anybody else for failure but myself.

i've noticed one thing about myself that i've not really considered that i guess i've had for some time now.  i have learned to immune myself from negative things that are happening in my life.  i don't cry over problems as often as i used to.  i don't get depressed for more than  a few minutes.  it's not like i'm always happy, it's more like i always find something to smile about despite the challenges that come my way.  i've learned how to sit back unaffected while everybody else is panic-stricken all around me.  have  i become a hard-boiled egg?   jaded?  or have i merely accepted the things i cannot change?

maybe i should read about the phlegmatic personality again.  this post has started to depress me. :)

so i want to be coffee.  i want to be able to turn situations around.  make better things out of not so good things.  find the silver lining behind every cloud. 

for inspiration, here's the song:

today will be better, i swear. -- stars

my new blog layout

so there i finally did the new layout, new banner and got a fresh new look for this blog.  

ready for visitors.  it used to be that i used this blog to write my private thoughts, meant to be read by only me.  it was some sort of an online diary, something i needed as an outlet of my emotions.  it was something i planned to read someday and reminisce on the good ol' times.  it was some kind of record of all the good things so that when my kids grew up, they can read this and know too, what it was like.

but today, this has become open for public consumption.  i know i'm not a great writer.  but this is me and what i can do.  hope those who get to read this will appreciate at the very least.  happy reading!

Tipsy happy me

It was the annual company Christmas party.  The Grand Ice Ball.  Everyone was supposed to be in their immaculate white glamorous best.  I put on that low V-neck tunic ( as suggested by Andre) cinched around my ribcage and there I was, in the middle of it all.

The Ice King and Queen were, expectedly, Chad and Rica who deserved the applause and praises really.  It was a good thing coz everybody put in a lot of work on their costumes, swimwear and evening wear.  I personally harassed my supplier to make it possible that those ice washed denim tube dress, suit and jeans would be perfect.  And guess what, Chad got the Best in Costume award.

The party was too fun that I couldn't, wouldn't leave at Cinderella's hour despite my brother's call that he was already outside the venue to fetch me. Had a few drinks, me.  Yeah.  Three actually.  Manila Vice, Vodka Sprite and Cosmopolitan.  Was tipsy happy.  Danced the night away with the peeps.  Hugged and kissed everybody.  I haven't done this since God knows when. Good thing my off-white wedge shoes were cooperative enough.  Only when hubby texted Where are you? did I finally decide to call it a night.  That was around 1 to 1:30am.  Had a hell of a good time, yeah.  Hadn't for a long, long time now. 

In the car, on the way home, switched to Mommy mode.  Yes, it's time to assume back the role of the only person Migo and Julla depends on.  The person whose left and right arm they each nestle at before going to sleep at night. 

This mom wouldn't have it any other way.

10 things to be thankful for despite getting sick for a week

10. on tuesday, i was at the hospital e.r. getting my blood and urine tested. my temp was 40 degrees, i couldn't sit up and all i could do was lie shivering on the e.r. table. cesar, although he wasn't feeling well too, was with me all this time. my mom was there too.

9. by 5pm, still on tuesday, i was to be confined to rule out dengue. there was no room available, only in the ward. there were still 8 patients waiting for a room. i chose to just go home and wait it out there until somebody checks out. my mom (bless her) who has her ways of getting what she wants, made a quick phone call. in less than an hour, i was being wheeled into room 604 -- private room with cable tv and telephone line. good enough.

8. on thursday, julla and cesar are sick too with fever and coughing. migo was in the pink of health.

7. on the same thursday afternoon, the pedia told us that julla has to be monitored too for dengue. that night, i coughed like crazy. i couldn't lie down flat on my back coz it's causing more cough. i prayed to God, please take away this cough. right after i said that, i took it back. "ok, i'll bare all this coughing, as long as julla gets well." whoever said God doesn't like to bargain? the next day, julla's temp was 37.1 and was playing as if she never got sick.

6. my coughing lasted overnight. at around 4am on friday, i turned on my bed and lay flat on my belly. perfect! the coughing stopped and i was, finally, able to sleep. at 6am, an intern came in to inject antibiotics into my iv so i awoke. she forgot to turn off the lights afterwards. i couldn't regain the sleep i wanted. well, who says you can have everything, huh?

5. friday morning, cesar is more sick than me or julla. but he's resting so he stayed away from the hospital the whole day. i had to content myself with reruns of house, guiness book or world records, numbers and other axn and hbo shows. but i was feeling lots better.

4. a warm bath on saturday morning. (i got sick monday so it's been a while.)

3. friends calling and visiting.

2. valid reason not to go to work. hahahah!

1. hmo took care of ALL my hospital expenses. finally, am well and resting at home on saturday evening. still felt weak but nothing compares to the warm hugs and kisses from my kids. i'm home.

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.

http://www.mylot.com/?ref=chari_dc

i hear many have earned from this site by simply starting or responding to discussions so i wanna share it with you. so far, i've only earned $2.96 so i'm getting there. just click here as my referal:

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here's an example of a discussion i responded to....

POSTED ON MYLOT.COM:

What do you do on those days when you are just in a funk you cant get yourself out of? How do you keep youself happy? Or cheer yourself up when you are not? For me the best thing to do is talk to someone about it, another thing I love to do is write, and listen to music.

MY RESPONSE:

CHOCOLATE always, always does the trick for me.

but when i'm around a computer, going online also helps. usually, when i'm online, time is suspended as if everything else around me stops. i usually chat with someone, write on my blog, post on mylot, forward nice emails, upload photos, i can do almost anything i want. and somehow, i forget my problem. and for a few e-moments, i am happy.

now when there's no computer around, i try to read a book that i've read before. it's like renewing an old friendship because i already know what's in it but it's retold to me again. and for a few literary moments, i am happy.

going to the mall and shopping also helps. but sometimes, i end up splurging so i end up more unhappy coz i lost money that i'm supposed to save. but there's something about shopping and buying something you like but don't need that gives a girl a certain lift in spirit. it's like accomplishing or fulfilling something. oh i don't know how to put it.

right now, i am actually not so happy so i'm glad i'm here online...on mylot.