it's the time of the year

yes, it's my birthday month.  i'm turning 38 on monday.  whew!  so let me just post this short one, some points to ponder on as i turn a new leaf in this thing called life.

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George Carlin's Views on Ageing

Do you realise that the only time in our lives when we like to get old is when we're kids? If you're less than 10 years old, you're so excited about ageing that you think in fractions.

'How old are you?' 'I'm four and a half!' You're never thirty-six and a half. You're four and a half, going on five! That's the key

You get into your teens, now they can't hold you back. You jump to the next number, or even a few ahead.

'How old are you?' 'I'm gonna be 16!' You could be 13, but hey, you're gonna be 16! And then the greatest day of your life .... .. You become 21. Even the words sound like a ceremony. YOU BECOME 21. YESSSS!!!

But then you turn 30. Oooohh, what happened there? Makes you sound like bad milk! He TURNED; we had to throw him out. There's no fun now, you're Just a sour-dumpling. What's wrong? What's changed?

You BECOME 21, you TURN 30, then you're PUSHING 40. Whoa! Put on the brakes, it's all slipping away.. Before you know it, you REACH 50 and your dreams are gone.

But wait!!! You MAKE it to 60. You didn't think you would!

So you BECOME 21, TURN 30, PUSH 40, REACH 50 and MAKE it to 60.

You've built up so much speed that you HIT 70! After that it's a day-by-day thing; you HIT Wednesday!

You get into your 80's and every day is a complete cycle; you HIT lunch; you TURN 4:30 ; you REACH bedtime. And it doesn't end there Into the 90s, you start going backwards; 'I Was JUST 92.'

Then a strange thing happens. If you make it over 100, you become a little kid again. 'I'm 100 and a half!'
May you all make it to a healthy 100 and a half!!

HOW TO STAY YOUNG

1. Throw out nonessential numbers. This includes age, weight and height. Let the doctors worry about them. That is why you pay 'them'

2. Keep only cheerful friends. The grouches pull you down.

3. Keep learning. Learn more about the computer, crafts, gardening, whatever. Never let the brain idle. 'An idle mind is the devil's workshop.'
And the devil's name is Alzheimer's.

4. Enjoy the simple things.

5. Laugh often, long and loud. Laugh until you gasp for breath.

6. The tears happen. Endure, grieve, and move on. The only person, who is with us our entire life, is ourselves. Be ALIVE while you are alive.

7. Surround yourself with what you love , whether it's family, pets, keepsakes, music, plants, hobbies, whatever. Your home is your refuge.

8. Cherish your health: If it is good, preserve it. If it is unstable, improve it. If it is beyond what you can improve, get help.

9.. Don't take guilt trips. Take a trip to the mall, even to the next country; to a foreign country but NOT to where the guilt is.

10. Tell the people you love that you love them, at every opportunity.

AND ALWAYS REMEMBER :
Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but  by the moments that take our breath away.

my immorality

immorality
[im-uh-ral-i-tee, im-aw-] -- noun, plural -ties
1.  immoral quality, character, or conduct; wickedness; evilness.
2. sexual misconduct.
3.  an immoral act.

--lifted from Dictionary.com

i try to find the right word for it.  let me disclaim that i haven't done any such act as described above.  i am merely pondering on another's.  three others in fact.

i know of a woman who is in a relationship with a priest.  for many, many years now.  she is a friend and i know she trusted me with this secret because she considers me her friend.  when she told me, i did not blink an eye and told her i have no right to judge her and i accept her for what she is.  it is between her and God.

there's a man i know who has more than two wives.  the wife he lives with does not know, or maybe she pretends she doesn't to save her face and her marriage or her kids.  the other woman lives in another country and only recently found out about the wife but she continues her relationship with the man she claims she loves and loves her equally.  this man had a wife before the one he lives with now.  and i am quite sure he has other women in other places who he believes he loves.  i cannot judge this man.  it is between him and God.

a man i know is into gambling.  he loves his family, he says, but cannot stop.  sometimes he wastes the family income and says he's sorry later.  only to do it again, week after week, month after month, year after year.  i do not judge this man either.  for as the others, it is between him and God.

knowing all these and not doing anything about it.... does it make me immoral??  is it also between me and God that i am not helping these people stay away from sin?  will people judge me if they find out about what i know?

  

my big boy

Last night, Migo proudly announced that he cleaned himself up before going to bed.  Normally, his Ate Lyn washes him and Julla and supervises their brushing of teeth every night before going to sleep.  

 I gave   him  a thumbs up for t his.  Then he told me that starting tomorrow, he will take a bath by himself and dress himself up for school.  His only condition was that I still personally wake him up and watch him while he does all these.

This morning, after I woke him up with little prodding (unlike before), I put his uniform and all his school stuff  where it’s accessible to him.  I followed him to the bathroom and just as I promised, watched him  and guided him.  Upstairs, he actually dressed himself up.  

And I told him how proud I am of his feat.  My little boy is a big boy now. 

christmas 2009

my favorite time of the year has come and gone.  

it's been generally a good 2009, despite minor problems here and there.  had good friends, good times.  my kids have grown much this year and so did my marriage.

got my new netbook right after christmas day.  an asus eeepc s101h in gold.  looks really handsome.  the specs are not the top choice but i love it all the same.  i could blog more now wherever i go.

thanks for all the good things, lord.  thanks for the not so good, too. ;)

December Air

The kids got sick over the weekend. Coughs, colds, some fever.   The weather has changed and it's affected their immune system, again.  But still managed a quick trip to the mall and grocery for some fun family bonding.

We ate at KFC, hung around at the kids' play area and shopped at the grocery.  Then slept the rest of the day. :)

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.

Gold Again - Keeping 'Em Coming

Yes,  Migo got a gold again last Sunday at the Bagong Bulakenyo Games in Malolos, Bulacan.

Fight No.1

He was competing with a Blue belt.  I didn't notice this until after the game.   Had I known beforehand, I would've been afraid coz he's never won over a blue belt before.  But that fight made me nervous as hell still.  He was actually ahead in points but got deductions for holding on to his opponent.  So by the end of Round 2, they were tied.  My heart pounded so loud I swear the people beside me might have heard it.  So sudden death it is.  The very moment the 3 judges raised the red flag -- signifying Migo's win, I let out a loud cheer with my arms raised heavenward.  As soon as he was off the mat beside me, he told me, Yey, I beat a blue belt!!!

Migo in red armor

Fight No.2

 His opponent was supposed to be in Level 1 so was disqualified.  Good thing Coach Moben was there and noticed the height difference and had the opponent measured.  Although, hubby told me Migo could've easily beaten him despite his being about 4cm taller.  (True enough, later when we saw him play against another Level 1 player, he was a wimp.  Poor guy.)   This meant Migo was in the finals!

Side story:  When Coach Moben told Coach Achilles that Migo's opponent was disqualified and that Migo was going in the finals, he said, Yung makakalaban nya sa finals, taga Hagonoy.  Wala yun, kayang-kaya na ni Migo yun.  Love his vote of confidence!

Migo in black head gear

Fight No.3 - Finals

Score was 7-0 Round 1.  Then 3-0 Round 2.  Final score 10-0. 
Ten-zero.  I have nothing more to say.

  Migo with his Gold and Coach Moben and Achilles

My Little Man

I was at Migo's TKD practice today. It's been a while since I last tagged along. But I make sure I always go to his tournaments. Might I mention here in this blog, for the record, that his last fight last November 14 in Cabanatuan City earned him a Gold medal. Me and hubby are mighty proud. He's become so much better in his sport that hubby and I feel it is something he is destined to do.

But I digressed.

(Side story. Every day, when he is picked up by his school service, I take him by his hand and we kiss goodbye. He steps inside the van, sits, looks back at me standing in front of the house and we always, always blow each other kisses. Yes, in plural, not just once.)

So today, at practice, I was watching him intently as their team was lining up for warm-ups. He was standing at attention then looked my way. When our eyes met, I blew him a kiss. Unexpectedly, he made a face at me. He scratched his head and looked at me as if he can't believe what I just did. I can almost hear his thought bubble, Mom I'm supposed to be tough here! Stop blowing me kisses cause it's not macho! My hubby, who saw this silent exchange, laughed.

Sigh. He's a little man now.


Over the past few months, he grew 3cm taller. Pretty soon, according to his coach, he will be elevated to Level 1 from his present Level 0. Pretty soon too, he said, if he gets consecutive golds in the next few tournaments, there will be protests that he leave Novice category and go to Advance. I noticed too that everytime we hug and he lunges towards me, I feel him way heavier and stockier. His vocabulary is wider too. I am surprised at the words he use in his daily conversations, both in English and Tagalog. His artworks are also improving. (He got a Best in Arts Merit Card, btw, today in school.) His appetite has grown. And he told me today that he wants us to move to a new house by the time he's in 6th Grade. So where did that come from, huh?

My boy is a little man now. But I do know we will still secretly blow kisses at each other. Maybe from a distance, as he accepts an Olympic trophy or something. (Fingers crossed.)

10 Reasons (Side B)

I've decided, after my previous blog entry, that I have to make another list. Of the opposite. And since I did not complete the 10 reasons why I love going to work, I expect that this time, I may have more than 10 reasons why I hate going to work. So here goes.

10. Traffic. Yes, I live in the outskirts of Metro Manila. It takes me 45 to 60 minutes to commute to work depending on how heavy the traffic is in EDSA. If by car, I can take alternate route in the sidestreets of Caloocan and make it in less than 30 minutes, but unfortunately, I still do not have my much coveted dream vehicle.

9. Going home at night. There are days when just as I arrive at work, I wish it's time to go home.

8. Aero at 6:30 in the morning Tuesdays and Thursdays. Jogging/brisk walking at 6a.m. Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Would rather do this than commute to the office at these early hours.

7. What to wear, AGAIN?

6. Missing Facebook and Farmville. (All social networking sites and games sites are blocked by a firewall at the office. Boo!)

5. Knowing (at the back of my mind) that others are paid better for doing nothing or not doing their job well. (At the risk of my boss and his relatives reading this, may I say, Sir, with all due respect, that it sucks.)

4. Annoying people. Why the heck did they hire such people? (Phew)

3. Would rather sleep. (Needs no explanation.)

2.

1. Hubby or Migo or Julla whining Mommy don't go to work. That always always does it, I'm off for the day.

When i think about it, I guess it's not so bad going to work. Coz I actually had a hard time completing 10 slots.

10 Reasons

It's a Monday and finding no valid reason not to go to work, I carefully removed my young daughter's leg haphazardly thrown over mine, dragged myself out of bed and into the shower. I'm going to work, I told hubby. He didn't look surprised. I guess he expects me to do so after having used up all of my SLs for the year. And it's only November. (And I'm saving my last 3 VLs for December.)

Anyway, I'm here at work now, finding nothing important to do but wait it out for my samples from suppliers for the upcoming fashion show.

Blog is what I'll do for now. And to start myself rolling for the week, here are 10, not necessarily good reasons, why I love my work. Yes, TEN. So help me God.

10. I get fixed monthly income. I don't know if my pay is above, at par or below industry standards but as long as I get that bi-monthly deposit in my atm, I think I'm quite fine.

9. I believe I'm good at what I do. After years of seeing, breathing and living garments I think I can safely say that.

8. Up until now, at 62, my Mom works. She still goes to the office everyday, even on Saturdays, sometimes stays late to finish up, never misses a workday unless she is confined in the hospital or there is an important family activity that she has to attend. She doesn't complain and in fact, tells me often that she is always thankful that she has work to do. I CANNOT, in my right mind, tell her I don't want to work.

7. Surprise perks. I never really know what to expect next.

6. Friends. The people around me are a source of mental and creative stimulation. Well, not all of them. I am surrounded by young people who update me with whatever I am not exposed to but should know, being in this industry. I become and stay young.

5. Free fashion advice. And the resources too.

4. Good bosses. Generally speaking.

3.

2.

1. I don't have a choice. I was born to work. I can't stand not being productive.

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Ok, so after a couple of hours, I can't complete the list. So I'll leave it at that. Have a gLeeful week ahaead!

Walk, jog, run!

So hubby and I started brisk walking again this morning. We actually started doing this way back in August but when we discovered aero every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, we stopped. Aero we did but it's gotten boring now coz the routine has become too easy and it hasn't evolved yet due to the fact that most of our co-members are 50y/o and above, so the choreographer has that to consider.

I have since lost 5-7 pounds though and am (I think) close to achieving one of my 2009 New Year's goals which is to gain back my pre-pregnancy figure. I still have some love handles and lotsa flab but I'm feeling way better about myself than 6 months back.

Life in general has changed a lot over the last 6 months since my last weblog.

Migo has started taekwondo lessons last summer and has developed way, way much. Last Saturday (November 14), he won his first Gold medal at the Region 3 Championship held in Cabanatuan City. Hubby and I were so proud. And so was my Dad and older brother who were there with us. My 2 nephews Gelo and Tyrone are attending tkd classes now.

Julla started school (nursery) too 6 months ago. She's turning into a wonder child, in my opinion. (Hur-hur!) She likes to sing and dance a lot. Singing involves also creating her own lyrics based on whatever she feels like talking/singing about. Dancing, on the other hand, is a lot of calisthenics and body-bending that she herself choreographs. We're thinking of getting her involved too in tkd or ballet. My dad says yes to tkd. Mom says ballet. Oh, and my dad says violin lessons too. Me and hubby, well, we'd let her do whatever she wants when she's 4 years old.

I like to have cool kids with cool things to do.

Hubby and I. We're ok. Some potholes here and there in our sweet life together but I can say we're becoming stronger as a pair of nitwits trying to survive this l.i.f.e.

So there. Hope I can start blogging regularly again. Thanks to Sir Jojo. :)

it's the second half of the year

seems too long ago since the last blog entry, and the one before that. but things seem to be looking up for these dwellers.

will update again when i have the time.

time flies

last post was in november 2008. it's april 2009 now.

lots of things have happened. more downs than ups but i survived. thank god.

downs:
1. the almost breakup. twice. last october and this february. i think i don't wanna document it anymore so let's just leave it at that.
2. mom and hubby not getting along at the start of the year.
3. migo's grades gone from bad to worse towards the end of last school year

ups:
- reconnecting with my soul twin because of #1.
- things are getting better this month regarding #1.
- the vacation at The Penthouse last wednesday to sunday.



recent downs:
- today julla is with me in the office. lost the nanny again. last week, she was diagnosed with primary complex. after the whole household underwent xray examinations, (as recommended by the pulmo-pedia to trace the cause of her sickness)we found out nanny has a spot in the left lung. so off she goes.

very recent ups:
- kuto is going....hell, yeah! oh but i don't wanna rejoice yet.
- migo taking taekwondo lessons. he started last tuesday. second class later today.

more thoughts next entry.

ek with migo tomrrow

i told migo just now that he and i are going to enchanted kingdom tomorrow. it’s a supposedly all-expenses paid trip for me and several officemates largely because of our participation in the F&H streetcast (fashion show) our company held few weeks back. it’s sort of a reward for the efforts we’ve put in to make the show a success. anyway, i asked today if i could bring my son along while i will shoulder his expenses for the trip. i figured i wouldn’t be enjoying a trip to EK without my kids tagging along. oh my, age is simply catching up on me! but then again, i guess i just always have that guilty feeling whenever i enjoy myself without them. it makes me happier if they enjoy it with me

anyway, when i told him, migo was immediately ecstatic. but i told him that it will be only just the two of us to which he sadly replied, “ ayyy…gusto ko kasama si julla tsaka si daddy.” my heart swelled right then and there. i can’t help but be touched by his overt disappointment at not being with his sister and dad at such a supposedly fun family activity. i am sad too, to think that I would honestly, actually enjoy it more if we went as a family.

so i told migo that it has to be only the two of us because if we brought Julla, we would have to worry about carrying her around and i won’t be able to take care of him since my focus would be more on julla. that more or less, convinced him. so he consented to go. just the two of us...with my officemates, of course.

tooth to go

migo's first milk tooth separated itself from his lower gums last friday, 19 september. as of today, a permanent tooth is peeking from where it was and another one behind the milk tooth beside it.

another milestone in my motherhood. my first born is growing out his milk teeth and getting the ones he'll be using the rest of his life. i don't know why i sigh at the thought. it makes me want to hold time still for a while and cherish these moments when he's young, innocent and so, so dependent on his mom. and i had to assure and reassure him a couple of times that it was just normal, that he was going through what every boy and girl his age does before they grow up to be big girls and boys.


and i? time will come that an older mother will tell me how, like the milk teeth, it is normal that he will eventually break away from my grasp. and like migo, i will have to be assured and reassured that every mother goes through that stage when her son becomes an adult.

sigh.

for the meantime, i am enjoying this present time.

nothing

it's been 3 months. it's never been the same week after week after week. it started the week after i recovered from my sickness and was discharged from the hospital. thousands wasted. went to naught. when will it ever end? will it ever end?

nature friendly me

chanced upon this in one of the websites i frequently visit at work. riding on the environmental awareness bandwagon, i share the sentiments of this bag.

makes sense, di ba lah?

A Love Letter from Migo

Front

Back

julla is sick, and so's the rest of us

julla is sick again. :( last time was the end of july which is about four weeks ago when our whole family got sick.

last night when i got home, she has 38.6 temp. she was coughing like there's gallons of phlegm inside her chest and she was sniffing all night. we had to put her on the "usok machine" this morning so her breathing could at least improve. we bought her antibiotics before i went to work today, the same one given her by her pedia last month.

i have colds as well. cesar too. and migo has cough and colds.

i don't like to think that eversince we moved to the new home, the family got sickly. it seems that way but it's also that time of year when everybody gets sickly, isn't it?

i'm goin home early.

lists

fun stuff i think i'm missing: my boss' birthday party last wednesday, my boss' daughter's baptismal tonight which i already know i won't be attending, opportunity to travel and meet more people, that honda crv, that iphone and ipod, that digital slr camera and all the other techie stuff i so want.

so let me go on with my wishlist. coz this blog entry is turning out to be just that. a home makeover would be really cool. a brand new laptop with broadband connection so i can take it and use it wherever i go. did i mention that crv? or any car for that matter as long as it's mine and i can use it anytime i want. kenneth cole watch but i think the one i want is no longer available. a trip anywhere where i can relax without worry.

and let me go on about my what-ifs. what if i married my high school boyfriend who's now a millionaire? what if i ran away to iloilo with my spring fling? what if i didn't stay too long at my previous job? what if i pursued an advertising career?

hmp...i'll get back to this later. brunch is served.