A date of late

Grocery night with Rix is date night. We would go either to Landmark in Trinoma or S&R on Congressional Avenue. We would sometimes take our dinner before grocery shopping or eat snacks afterwards. I look forward to these nights because we get to enjoy each other's company minus the baby. It's kinda like college once again, when we were still "exclusively dating". Going on a date is important for married couples, so they'd be reminded why they were together in the first place; what they love about each other, to hold each other's hands.
Some other things couples could do to keep the flame burning brightly:

• Relax together - go to a spa, get a massage or a foot spa in a couple's room; have coffee together, talk about anything while taking sips
• Sweat together - play sports together, bungee jump while holding hands (is that possible?), cycle in your favorite park; then smell each other! Ha ha!
  
• Daydream together - just staring off into space for a couple of hours, then ask what each other's revelations or dreams are
• Try new adventures together - new restaurants, new amusement park rides, new hotel rooms
• One thing I realize I like doing with my hubby is shopping for our home. When we first moved in together, we made a list of things that we still need like garbage bins, hampers, shelves, etc. It's exciting as it's like we're in on a project together. Making decisions on the size, shape, color and quantity.

Recently, we made a new addition to our rugs. I love the way it gives a little sophistication to the threshold of our bathroom. It is soft to the feet that even Elhaym likes stepping on it while wiggling her toes to really get the feel of the rug.









It was purchased here. (see below)


We took advantage of the sale for members. Some items were tagged as BUY 1 TAKE 1 and some prices were slashed into half. Many people graced the treat and we had to fall in line and wait our turn for 30 minutes to 1 hour. I looked at the carts beside us and was amazed to see how people could hoard so much stuff! They must have large houses with large pantries and storage rooms!

After we paid for our purchases, Rix suggested we do something that made me smile. We bought ice cream in cones! Yippee! I tried the banana split flavor. Yummy! I kept licking and licking and licking... I think I arrived home with a goofy grin on my face.



I kept on hoping that our next date would be a movie date, something that we haven't done for a very long time. :-)

A smiling irony

It was the end of the first day of the ACE workshop. I was talking with one of my colleagues, when I looked down at my cellphone and saw a message from my hubby Rix. He was asking me to buy our dinner. I solicited ideas from him because I didn't know what he'd prefer, so he said fried chicken from this very popular fast food joint. Off I went to the nearest branch inside the mall adjoining the building of our head office.
First thing I noticed while waiting in line was the employees' reminder hanging from the ceiling. Maybe it was hung too high? Maybe it needed flashing neon lights? I don't know. But what I know is that the ones in this zone weren't smiling at all. They were even frowning and looking all too grumpy for my peace of mind. I was also wondering, why is this the only area where they can smile? Is it because they are front liners to the customers? Won't that make them hypocritical? Weren't they supposed to smile at their colleagues too, to foster a lively working atmosphere?
Oh well, whatever their reason may be, I don't really care. I was in quite a hurry to go home as the workshop ended a tad late. I don't want to be met by a roaring hungry hubby.

Things that we sometimes take for granted

• Breathing. When I hear people say, "Take a deep breath", I would be surprised that the breaths I take are short and sometimes wheezy. When foul odors whiff to my nose, I am unpleasantly reminded that I could breathe and do not require the use of a respirator, and that's something to be thankful for. But as they say, "Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breaths away." Cheesy, huh?
• Our 5 beautiful senses! Use them to enjoy life and the world that God has created for us.
• I love you's that are genuinely meant. I love hearing those words from my hubby, and I hope I hear them from my daughter in the future. We really appreciate words said and actions taken that come from the heart, don't we? Sure, we do remember hypocritical ones, but from those people we stay aloof.
• Sincere smiles. And stuff that makes us smile.
• Water supply. Admit it, life is quite hard without clean water. We drink it, clean ourselves and our surroundings with it, cook with it, we even make art with it (think watercolor)!
• Help from a complete stranger. Who are we to them that they should help us? But, in spite of that, they still extend a hand. They are part of the blessings from God.
• Work. Oftentimes, we hear people complain about their work, their bosses, their salaries or their environment Work is often viewed as an outlet for earning moolah to sustain ourselves, our families or our vanities. Work enables us to be not idle for "An idle mind is the devil's workshop." It enables us to use our 5 beautiful senses and our God-given talents. It gives us an opportunity to serve others and to learn from them.
• Disenchanting experiences. Of course, we feel down in the dumps when things don't go the way we planned, when our pets die or when we had a fight with our partners. The Lord sends the rain to gently remind us of His presence and love. And when we don't budge, He sends the storm. These experiences help us grow, so God allows them. He just wants us to know that He is with us every step of the way. He desires to be close to us.

We are blessed beyond measure, and there are many things in life that could spur a grateful heart in us (even simple and mundane things). I came across a blog that enumerates the things he is grateful for on a daily basis.

This little mommy's haiku

This little mommy

Held hands with her precious

Both learning to walk

This little mommy

Read stories to her precious

Encouraging talk

Each on their journey

One's discovering the world

With all her senses

With patience and love

I'm embracing motherhood

And its nuances

This little mommy

Wants to be the best mommy

For her li'l precious

This she's achieving

Baby step by baby step

Be mommy pious

Acing the ACE

I attended a 2-day workshop organized by our company called the
Achieving
Customer service
Excellence,
which was held at our head office.

Of course, I won't come back empty handed (or rather, empty headed), things I learned in these 2 days are:

• If I were assigned to the head office forever, I will not survive! I had to wake up very early. One option is that I take two trains, the LRT1 and the MRT. The first day I tried that, I ended up sweating so much that I could almost wring out my handkerchief. Good thing I don't use make-up or else it will be all smudged and smeared, then I'll look like a depressed clown. The next day, I rode the bus. It was a nice bus, but the aisle was quite narrow and I had a hard time navigating my wide hips through it. That's not the end of the story! Going home was rather difficult, especially with the sun not shining anymore, it spells danger in my book. My taxi experience almost got a repeat performance on the first day. On the second day, it rained and walking to the MRT station was so not a blast! I felt drained when I arrived home.
• I lack enthusiasm. It seems like nothing gets me quite excited. I could say that I am a boring person. The trainer and one of my group mates gave me that assessment and I wanted to squeeze myself under one of the small desks. That's what I need to improve on at work, an enthusiasm for serving our clients. Though it is not part of my personality to be bubbly and spontaneous, I need to give life to my voice.
• Though I am a boring person, I am not entirely anti-social as I was part of a group of 4 at the workshop. For these 2 days I had lunch with them, and we talked about many things, too.
• It's challenging to be positive, but rewarding (with all the negativity in the world). The trainer said she is on her journey to being positive - through prayer and meditation. Words play an important role in this attitude improvement. With words, feelings follow, then actions. Can you replace the following words with those that give a positive energy?

Problem
Frustrated
Weakness

• Empathy is a great gift to everyone, especially to clients who come to me for help in satisfying their needs - information, products, services. It also improves relationships, and is one of the tools I could use to show others of Christ's love. I need to put myself in their shoes, as I have experienced being a customer myself.
• It's weird, but I have a hard time saying, "How may I help you?" It's a tongue-twister for me. I hope I'll be forgiven for not using it in answering the company's calls as per the telephone-answering policy.

Lessons are not really learned unless they are applied and are put into practice. After all, "practice makes permanent".

A book lover's haven

I got this notification in my email and decided to go with Rix and Elhaym.

It's a good thing the entrance was inexpensive - 10 pesos for each adult. But then we availed of the valet service and had to pay 80 pesos + tip.

The place was packed with so many booths I didn't know where to start. I thought we had visited all, but we missed Fully Booked. The fair doesn't end 'til the 16th, catch it if you can, you'd get plenty of good finds.

There were inspirational books, references, specialty books, classics, fiction and many, many children's books. I think children's books really sell nowadays, especially to young couples, who are starting to get the feel of the family thing, and are looking for good stuff to teach their children, something that even a yaya can understand. We even saw an interesting set of books that come with a sort of Walkman with a special type of pen. The pages of the book have little circles where you should point the pen, then additional information or trivia on the subject will blare from the Walkman. Cool, huh? Cool price too, at around 48,000 pesos. What the...!? Never mind!

What I bought: Jesus, Entrepreneur by Laurie Beth Jones
What Rix bought: Two Photography books
What we bought for Elhaym: A set of electronic learning materials that teaches the ABC, phonetics, writing letters, and has assessments

Mission impossible: Finding the perfect yaya

I knew I needed a yaya after I gave birth since I had to go back to work. My hubby and I can't afford me being a stay-at-home mommy. And so, the search began!

Yaya E was referred by mom-in-law's masseuse. She had experience caring for a newborn. There's not much to complain about her, but that her voice was loud and might have damaged my baby's delicate hearing. She stayed for about 4 months then went home to the province for the Christmas season and she never returned. Her hubby did not allow her to come back since they've got a 2 year old that needed her attention.

Yaya C stayed for barely a day! She had family matters to attend to.

Yaya L was mild-mannered but she's always taking my baby from my arms. When we went to visit my parents, she even took Elhaym from my papa. I wonder why... She eventually had to go because it was her youngest child's graduation.

Yaya J was unlike Yaya L, a bit boisterous and had many complaints. Once, Elhaym's nails were quite long, and I told Yaya J, I will cut it soon. When I got home from work, I saw one of Elhaym's fingers had a wound on it, and some nails were shorter. Upon closer inspection, it was not just one, but two wounds parallel to each other, very much like it was clipped by a nail cutter. Rix and I confronted her, but she strongly denied the obvious and said it was from the playpen. How could that be? A playpen for a baby is supposed to be safe, right? The next day, we told her not to take care of Elhaym yet and just clean the house and help mom-in-law with household chores instead. She then took her leave on the spot.

The above yaya's were aged around 33-50. Advantage was that they were really experienced with being other kids' yaya's and having to take care of their own children. They would also know how to handle some emergency situations. Disadvantages include their being hard-headed, shunning modern ways of caring for child, they just keep doing what they are familiar with.

After Yaya J, we hired Yaya M, a teenager who claimed to have taken care of her much younger siblings. She played with Elhaym but she had a rough way of doing it, like lifting her up from the floor while holding just her hands. She didn't change Elhaym's wet nappies much even if she sat on the floor in them, and she even let her sleep in them. We didn't actually see these, our helper was informing us. This one had to go!

Now, this present yaya of Elhaym, who is also a teenager, will leave on the 16th. We thought that by hiring younger ones, they could be easily taught. But they are easily distracted by the TV, they lack that loving attitude towards kids, and like to primp themselves. While she was feeding Elhaym, she kept looking elsewhere. When Elhaym won't open her mouth for the next spoonful, I looked inside her mouth to see if there's still food. Guess what I found? Elhaym's earring! Thank God she didn't swallow it yet! Or else it will get stuck in her throat. I scolded the yaya, of course. She wasn't concentrating on feeding Elhaym, if she took another spoonful, she would have swallowed the earring.

And my quest goes on and on...

Guidelines on what to look for in a yaya:
(Thanks to my friend who works for the MomsToday magazine publication)

• She's a working couple's partner in raising their child, so what they teach should be uniform
• Should be honest and tell the parents if the child hit his/her head or is sick
  
• Should not succumb to gossiping with and about the neighbors lest the child absorbs this
• Listen to and apply the parents' ways of caring for their child
• Should be clean in handling the baby, the baby's food and things, and herself as well
• Should always prioritize the baby
• But, would help around the house when has free time
• Should talk softly to the baby
• Should respect the baby as a person
• One of Rix's friend's wife said that her new yaya's undergo chest x-ray and she tells them to get a police/NBI clearance
• She needs to be loving to the child, but it must be established as to who is the mother

Am I being too picky?
I just want the best for my little superstar...

A birthday party to remember

If you are planning a birthday party for your child, and you are NOT on a tight budget, and that your guests children and adults alike will enjoy, here's an idea.

You could rent the Wackwack Golf and Country Club Pavilion and transform it into a mini fair ground. There would be an inflatable playground and booths to enjoy games like throwing a ball at stacked soda cans sort of like bowling, or shooting: balls into mini hoops, coins into little cups and saucers, rings around swords stuck in a treasure chest, catching some goldfishes, popping balloons propped on a makeshift wall with darts, shooting some plastic animals with a toy gun, playing miniature golf. Every point earned has a corresponding ticket which allows the guests to claim prizes with a certain number of points, like an arcade. There would also be a booth for face painting and a booth where the picture of the kids or adults would be made into a Cars themed kiddie driver's license.
You could hire a nice caterer for the adults' food, Jollibee for the kids' meals and have plenty of food booths around, like cotton candy, hotdog, taho, fried fish balls, ice cream, ice cones, siomai, and popcorn. Games for adults could be organized and contestants could get a chance to win an iPod and a flat screen TV. Then there would be a kids' game like the game Bring Me with a cellular phone prize at stake. There would be an arts & crafts portion for the kids and the masterpieces would be judged, then prizes would be awarded to winners.
You could get mascots like the Jollibee cast, Buzz Lightyear, Darth Vader, Scooby Doo and Barney and have them perform dance numbers for the audience. There would be characters like the guy on stilts, the silver man/statue and a mime walking around and entertaining people. You could hire Chico and Delamar, the popular radio jock duo of Monster Radio, as your hosts.
At the end of the party, you could give out Cars themed loot backpacks with a matching pencil case, some junk food and a bottled tea drink inside, for the kids.

Photo of the dancers (Buzz, Jollibee and Darth Vader) taken with my cellphone's camera

Plus, Barney!

That was how my cousin and her hubby threw the first birthday party of their firstborn son.

I was robbed!

Normally, I wouldn't take a cab. I only do when I would go home a bit late from a girls' night out, and with one of them, who lives near my area, in tow. I am afraid that the driver will suddenly wield a weapon at me and demand for my bag, or take me somewhere isolated, or that outside thieves would open the car doors and rob me and the driver.

Yesterday, I took a bus to Trinoma because I needed to buy a birthday gift, Pampers and Cerelac. Also, I was looking for a pencil case-like holder for Elhaym's toothbrush. I got tired from all the walking and going up and down floors of the department store. After I bought take-out KFC chicken for our dinner, I went out to wait for a cab at the taxi stand. The security guard hailed one for me. When I said Caloocan, the driver replied that it's far (which I believe is not) and that I need to add 30 pesos to the meter price. I didn't argue and I know I should have told him to stop the car, get out and take another cab, but I guess I'm just stupid/lazy like that. Thoughts were playing in my mind. What if I don't pay him when I get to my destination? Or what if I declare that all I have is this much? Either way, I was afraid he'd point a gun or knife at me, he'd even take my cellphone if I say I don't have enough money. I thought that he had already doubled the flag down rate, when I arrived outside our gate, the meter read 185 pesos. I said, "That's so expensive!" as I was handing him the payment, he replied that it's far and that I still lack the additional 30 pesos. I was aghast! I didn't even take down the cab's name and plate number, how foolish of me! (slap on the forehead)

Even though he didn't take a knife to my throat, I still felt that I was robbed. I hope that the Lord will vindicate me and teach that driver a lesson in Karma, like his car breaking down or he'll be shifted to being a sidewalk vendor for life.

My take on kitchen knick knacks

As embarrassing as it is, when I got married, I didn't know one bit about cooking, housekeeping, homemaking, sewing, etc (I don't think I paid much attention to our home economics class). Like ms firefly, I am an undomesticated diva. My parents provided me with my "starter kits" in the kitchen as in the Chinese tradition, these are given to the daughter as part of the dowry. I have helped my mama cook pork/chicken adobo and spaghetti but I admit I can't fry a decent egg - the yolk would break or the sides would end up burned. My specialty is the mashed potato, though (is that even a dish?). But I do learn as I go along, and I'm still learning now. I am even researching recipes on the Internet that I would try so that the menu won't always be repeated (and so that my daughter would appreciate me and my cooking, according to my hubby).

Here's a list of things, that in my experience and what I heard, are important for the kitchen: (I hope this could be of some help to ms firefly and her dilemma)

1. dried herbs and spices - McCormick Italian spices for pasta dishes, laurel leaves for adobo or caldereta and other Filipino dishes, fine and coarse salt, cracked pepper, rosemary is said to be great for roast chicken, paprika for added flavor (I saw in an adobo recipe that paprika is added), ginger for health, broth cubes for soups and stews
   
2. sauces/vinegars - Worcestershire sauce, Knorr or Maggi seasoning great for Beef and Mushroom, Mang Tomas sarsa for lechon and fried pork chops, Lee Kum Kee oyster sauce for vegetable and seafood dishes, Lee Kum Kee Hoisin sauce for asado, ketchup, fish sauce (patis)
   
3. brands of laundry soap - I tend to try different brands of laundry soap and powder like Ariel and Surf, Mr. Clean is harsh to the hands said our helper
   
4. cookwares - I'm using a big stainless casserole for soups and for cooking pasta, a medium-sized for stews, a small one for reheating viands, I also have a stainless frying pan and a non-stick wok for frying and cooking fried rice, stainless steamer, pressure cooker, deep fryer for frying yummy fries!
   
5. cooking utensils/tools/gadgets - measuring cups for trying out recipes (I don't normally measure out the ingredients, he he!), big plastic strainer for pasta, small wired metal strainer, peeler, I wish I had a nice knife set (the one I saw on Home TV shopping that comes with a 12-piece set steak knife), can opener, sharp scissors for cutting chicken instead of chopping
   
6. kitchen appliances - I think almost everyone has a refrigerator with freezer, microwave oven, oven toaster, blender for fruit shakes and baby food, we have a 9-minute marinator!
   
7. tableware - Multiple Choice brand (we chose one with a multiple colored design to add a splash of rainbow to the table, comes with coffee cups, microwave oven safe), juice/water glasses, pitchers
8. all for the toilet/loo/WC - cleanser, bleach for disinfecting, Albatross deodorant
   
9. cleaning agents/materials - Mr. Muscle kitchen cleaner, scrub brush, sponge, old toothbrushes for tiny areas, Joy dish washing liquid
   
10. anything else you'd like to add - cornstarch for thickening sauces, plastic bags with Ziploc for keeping stored food fresh, aluminum foil, cling wrap
    

Blog your way to...

The head is like a cauldron that is constantly simmering the experiences, stories, stimulation that are added on a daily basis. Ideas are juiced out and travel throughout the systems of the body then end up at the fingertips. An itch occurs and the hands find their way to a keyboard where a series of tapping is underway. These ideas become words that are sewn onto the great big fabric called Internet. This fabric has several multi-colored facets which are held up by billions of people around the world. These people are constantly admiring this fabric and the words sewn on it. One facet of it is called a blogosphere and is likened to a friendship bracelet with knots and links which are the blogs that interconnect. This is apt as the blogosphere promotes friendship among people of different races through blogs and allows them to be exposed to different cultures. They could see what others saw as photos and videos are shared, they could feel what they felt through the words that describe their experiences. They may not be physically with them, but they could laugh together at the antics, cheer at their goals, empathize with their pain. What amazing adventures take place inside people when they start blogging!

Note: I took this photo of a cover of a magazine I saw at S&R. It's called Artful Blogging.