Coffee Break ver. 1.29

What's in your everyday bag?

Ooohhh! I love bags. This is my everyday back at the moment (pic taken when I received it during my bday last year). I love it coz it's big enough for the things I always carry: small notebook, wallet, phone, bills, coin purse, katinko, paper fan, umbrella, checkbook, meds, comb, pen, rosary, spiritual reading book, hahaha at marami pang iba. :-)

Change is Good

I decided to change my template again into a more un-fancy style c/o suckmylolly. I just came back from a 1 day leave and somewhat felt a need for change. So here is it. Pardon if I don't have a blogroll yet. Will find time to update later on. So far, work is my priority. Thanks to all who read and pass by this blog. I promise to write more worthwhile posts soon! Ta-ta!

Getting It Done

I still have a lot of things to be finished in the office. It seems as if my backlogs have been there for months and months already. I'm feeling troubled about this already since I had always been a very industrious person who never wants things left undone.

When I was still studying, I was in very good form and my grades were really okay. During my last year in college, we had to do a thesis in Economics and we came up with a thesis that almost got a perfect score. I guess that was because we really worked hard and we spent lots of hours in the library doing research. Same thing when I enrolled in my master's degree a few years back. During my last trimester, I wrote my dissertation that tackled the strategic plans of my company. I also received a very good score in that paper and I'm really proud of it. Good thing I did my MBA when I was still younger and single. I think that if I had postponed doing my MBA when I am already in my 30's, I would have to be forced to get assistance and buy essay for my requirements in school.

Been Down and Out...

Sorry if I've not posted for quite a while in this blog. I've been down with a flu for the past few days plus, I've been meaning to blog about our vegetable-filled menu for the past week thanks to my husband who got us loads of vegetables from his recent trip to Baguio. However, sad to say, I haven't got any pics to show since my dear camera got lost in Australia when my sister used it during the World Youth Day in Sydney. Anyway, I hope to at least borrow my husband's cam so I can blog with more pictures. Meantime, I've been canvassing on the best camera and the best way to get it. You see, I plan to just buy online as I did before (thru Amazon) but I'm still thinking on whom to 'pester' to send it to Manila from the States. LOL.

To Buy...

Apart from the things I got him yesterday at the mall, my husband said that he also wants a new pair of eyeglasses. His current pair was just a gift from his boss and it's slowly tarnishing. So I told him that we need not wait for another payday to buy a new pair. Even from home, he can already take his pick from the many Incredible Stylish New Frames From Zenni. Not to sound like a know-it-all, I also told him that this is the 'in' thing right now because Zenni Optical was on FOX news! They have a variety of styles and the prices are really affordable since there are even Zenni Optical $ 8 Rx Eyeglasses. So cheap, ain't?

Here's the style that my husband likes:

Aim for the Week: De-clutter

Hi! How was your weekend?

Mine was greeaaaattt! Why so happy??? Coz I got to go shopping/eat out yesterday. LOL! Hubby and I went to Greenhills last night (Sunday) and I was able to buy some stuff for myself (mostly clothes and accessories), got hunny a new iPod Video Classic 80GB, and had dinner there. We had a super fun time! :-)

And so, since I'm now in a cheerful mood, I decided to start my day de-cluttering in the office. Our weekly meeting was cancelled and I finally found the time to clean up my pending files. Oh, it's not as if it's all done by morning but I'm slowing getting there...

So ta-ta! Work, work, work!!!!

Planning Is Key

As I have learned in business, planning is one of the major functions that a manager should know about. Without proper planning, things will be in chaos. I learned that lesson lately, from my being the manager of the family budget, that is.

I'm just glad that our financial woes are more or less over. Somehow, we have managed to surpass our difficulties. But of course, the problems don't end just yet because we still have several obligations that are still due. We still have a payday loan and some credit card dues. But I guess everything is already manageable compared to last month.

Anyway, I also think part of planning is making lists. For example, it would be good to be listing all our regular monthly financial obligations so that we won't end up surprised and unprepared for the things we need to pay for. And in case we don't measure up to our obligations, it's good to know about other alternatives we can take. I think we just underwent a period of adjustment last month since we had to take on the other expenses which my Dad would shoulder before. In short, I guess I wasn't ready for the change and was caught off-guard that's why we had such a hard time.

Writing about this makes me feel so much better now. I'm feeling more positive now and that's good for starters.

Let's Do the Countdown Tag

Thanks Pat for this. Enjoyed it a lot!

Participants: Me and Mine Creative in Me For the LOVE of Food Little Peanut Pea in a Pod Mommy Talks Aggie Shoots. Aggie Scraps All Kinds of Me Stuff The Salad Caper Winding Creek Circle Fun.Fierce.Fab Ozzy’s Mom Me,Myself+2 Shopaholic Ties the Knot On A Wonderful Day Like Today House Everything YOU

Ten movies you’d watch over and over:

1. While You Were Sleeping

2. Superman

3. My Bestfriend's Wedding

4. The Mirror Has Two Faces

5. The Usual Suspects

6. Beauty and the Beast

7. Romeo and Juliet

8. Oliver

9. Cinderella Man

10. Aguila (hahaha)

Nine people you enjoy the company of:

1. Hunny

2. Zoe

3.My Dad

4. My Mom

5. Ate

6. Lala

7. Carla

8. Cristy

9. other friends from school

Eight things you’re wearing:

1. shirt

2. skinny jeans

3. watch

4. wedding ring

5. engagement ring

6. earrings

7. eyeglasses

8. necklace with gold medal scapular

Seven things on your mind:

1. my grocery list for this week

2. my remaining opps

3. my NSO requirements for the land title

4. my takehome work from the office

5. schedule an appointment for mani and pedi

6. my plans for July 29 (Bishop Javier's coming)

7. my date with friends tomorrow lunch

Six objects you touch every day:

1. cellphone

2. ballpen

3. computer

4. brush

5. calculator

6. eyeglasses

Five things you do everyday:

1. take a bath

2. eat

3. go to mass

4. sleep

5. take care of Zoe & Hunny

Four things that you see when you turn your head to the right:

1. money

2. sign pen

3. Pringles

4. Rite-med mefenamic acid (got a headache!)

Three of your favorite things that are red color:

1. my planner

2. a certain blouse that I have

3. Clinique lipstick

Two people who have influenced your life the most:

1. my parents

2. J.E.

One person who has been nice to you today:
1.Hunny - he got me chocolates, pastillas, Pringles, cookies, and Skippy peanut butter from Puregold Subic as pasalubong!

Tagging: Mari, Tet, and Ai!

Duty Free Shopping

My sister will be arriving from Australia next week and I was the one tasked to pick her up from the airport. And since she will only be in Manila for a few hours because she booked a flight to Iloilo that same day, I plan to drag her to the Duty Free Mall to take advantage of the cheaper goods there.

I really hope to be able to buy several things there. First, I want to get my baby girl a new pair of Crocs since I found out this week that her Crocs almost don't fit anymore. I also wish to grab a pair for myself (a Malindi) if there's an available size. I've been forever stuck to my off-white Crocs Beach and it already looks worn out. In addition, I also want to buy my hubby another Lacoste shirt (of a color he still doesn't have). I also want to buy my mother-in-law a few imported items from the grocery.

What else? I'm also thinking of taking advantage of the cheaper price and buy a new washing machine. But I guess for this particular thing, I would already need to avail of the best payday loan since this is a big ticket item already considering that our finances are not as overflowing as it used to be and payday is still next next week.

Menu For the Weekend

I'm planning to cook up a nice menu for this weekend. I feel like celebrating ya know since my hubby was for gone for a couple of days because his conference in Subic. I want sana to surprise him with something I could whip up easily.

At the back of my head, I want to be able to prepare some Hors d'œuvre to match my chicken and mushroom spaghetti. I saw some variation of it today when a supplier sent some to one of the bosses here. She made us taste it and it was good (it was from Delifrance by way). I'll try to recreate the recipe and hopefully my husband will like it.

An Unexpected Gift

I recently got a surprise of my life last weekend.

Ever since I was born, I had lived in the same place with my parents. So I guess you can say that I practically grew up with our house. However, after around 25 years of living in our house, my parents decided to have the house rebuilt into a bigger house. Too bad, my mother enjoyed this new house for only about two months before she passed away. And because of the big expense we incurred with the house construction plus my mother's hospitalization, the finishing and interior design of the house was put into a halt and had to wait for a few months before its final completion. My Dad even thought of going into a refinance mortgage for his short-term housing loan but decided otherwise. Now, everything has been settled because of my Dad's efforts and God's grace.

Anyway, with my Dad remarrying last May, he decided to transfer the title of the house to my sister and myself. I don't know about the legalities of all these real estate properties but honestly, I didn't expect my Dad to do that for us. At any rate, it was really a show of love on the part of my Dad and I admire him so much for being a great Dad who always looks after us and who always wants to give the best to us.

I love you Tatay (and Nanay) and thank you so much for this gift. :-) I promise to take care of this house which is like the 'monument' of your love and sacrifices that you put in for the whole family.

Wordless Wednesday - Some Like It Hot!

More WW here.

On Driving

Since I have been talking about buying a car lately, let me share some of my thoughts on driving...

Well, I've been driving ever since I turned 18 years old. I remember that it was my friend Chan who first taught me how to drive. You see, she would drive her own car from Makati to Diliman where she also goes to school. Anyway, one day, we took her old Lancer for a ride inside Loyola Heights Subdivision. First, she taught me how to start the car engine and then she showed me how the pedals, steering wheel and clutch work. Then I learned how to move the car forward and backward. After this, we were on the road already! We had a super exciting time! I was screaming and scared at first but when I got around learning how to maneuver the car, the feeling was wonderful.

At present, I still get to drive once in a while but not as often as before. Some four or five years back, I got into a small accident where I bumped another car on my way to a parking lot of a mall. Good thing the car insurance company paid for it. But ever since that experience, you would rarely see me driving. Maybe it's because I had gotten phobic of bumping another car again. How I wish I could gather again the courage to drive my car to work more regularly just like before.

Foodie Tag

Another tag from dear friend Pat! This made me want to eat out tonight Pat! Thanks!

1. Chicken sa McDo, Jollibee, or KFC?
- Mcdo
2. Pepsi, Coke, or rootbeer?
- Coke
3. Greenwich, Pizza Hut, or Yellow Cab?
- Pizza Hut
4. Adobo, sinigang, or nilaga?
- Nilaga
5. Beef, pork, or chicken?
- chicken
6. Starbucks, Coffee bean and tea leaf, or Gloria Jean's?
- Starbucks, definitely
7. Cornflakes, Honey Stars, or Milo cereal?
- Cornflakes
8. Goldilocks or Red Ribbon?
- Red Ribbon cakes, Goldilocks eggpies
9. Tokyo Tokyo, Teriyaki Boy or Rai Rai Ken?
- Teriyaki Boy (tempura!!!)
10. Take Out or Dine In?
- dine in

Design My Card

The plastic strip at the back of one of my existing credit cards got peeled off by the cashier on duty while I was paying for my grocery in SM Hypermart last night. The very next day, I called up my credit card company to request for a replacement. The girl at the end of the line asked me if I wanted to personalize my credit card.

Apparently, the credit card company is offering their clients the option to design their own cards. And since I had no choice but to have my card replaced, lest it backfires on me on my next card transaction, I decided to grab the offer. It was exciting actually. I just needed to log in to the website she told me and upload the digital image which I wanted for my card. They did have sample pictures to choose from but you can use your own image if you want it more personalized. At first I wanted to use one of Zoe's pictures but none of her pictures seemed right. It was either her face is covered by the credit card's name or logo or the picture is in portrait view instead of in landscape view which could mean that some parts of the card would not be covered.

Anyway, I finally settled in putting this picture of our wedding rings in my card. It's perfect and I can't wait to see it!

Wish for the Family

If I were to be given lots of money and be allowed to buy things as I wish, one of first things that I would probably buy is a bigger car for the family. In fact, my husband and I are really planning to get a bigger car. It is because Zoe is already getting bigger by the day and we also want to have another baby soon. This means that we might not be able to fit anymore in the cars which we have now. Just imagine, if we already have two babies, we would be loading two strollers, two baby bags, two yayas and two babies plus my husband and myself!

Actually, this plan has been long running. I would often find my husband always buying car magazines, eyeing the cars at the car sale near our house and even checking out the new car models in the dealer's store when he goes to have a change oil for his Toyota. In addition, since I often get email messages at work about our bank repossessed cars which can be bought at very low prices, I always make it a point to forward these lists to my husband. In turn, he emails me back to tell me how he would like to buy this and that. Although I wish it could happen soon, I told him to we may still have to put off our plans first until we are able to sell our two smaller cars (to get money to serve as our equity) and then we can avail of a used car loan. I think we need to be convinced first that we need to give up the two other cars to purchase a new one to fit our current needs.

Craving for Today

I've been craving and dreaming so much for big tempura and calamares these days!

Any good suggestions aside from Dampa?

Thank God It's Payday!

I just received a text from my husband today which says "Thank God it's payday". Well, what do you know, another two weeks had just passed since the last payday and thank you to God, we survived it! Just to give you an idea, June and July were like financial hell months for us. I really should blame only myself for not saving in the past. Anyway, good thing my husband can now settle his recent payday loans today. Yipee!

Seriously, I think being parents is no joke these days. Day in and day out, we are being swarmed by financial obligations. There are just so many bills to pay. Just today, I checked my online payroll account and began to pay for my credit card bills, phone bill, insurance premiums, water bill, electric bill, etc. etc. And in a matter of minutes, most of my salary is gone! It's such as sad state. And to think we still need to set aside money for groceries, marketing expense, baby's vaccine expenses, the salaries of our helpers, and for the school allowance for the boys in the house. Sometimes, I really think that as a short-term solution, it's best to get an easy cash advance to be able to bridge our funds. Lucky for us, it's readily available anytime.

Interrogate ME, Monday!

Ai send me this Meme Monday tag.
Thanks a lot sis!

1.WHAT DATE IS IT?:: July 14, 2008
2. WHAT TIME DID U WAKE UP?:: 5:00 a.m.
3. DID U GO SOMEWHERE YESTERDAY?:: just went to church and then to the grocery
4. WHAT DID U DO THERE?:: attended mass, bought a few items
5. HOW OLD ARE U?:: 3o something
6. ARE U MATURE OR IMMATURE?:: both
7. WHAT DO U CALL UR MOM & DAD?:: nanay and tatay (very traditional)
8. ARE U AN ONLY CHILD?:: nah, i have an older sister
9. WHERE DO U GO SHOPPING?::in a lot of places!
10. DO U LIKE SCHOOL?:: yeah
11. DO U LIKE BOOKS?:: yup!
12. DO U WANT TO GET MARRIED?:: i am married!
13. WITH WHOM?:: to the love of my life
14. ARE U SPOILED?:: a little bit :-P
15. WHATS THE MOST FLATTERING COMPLIMENT U EVER GOT?:: hmm...
16. ONLY GIRL/BOY IN THE FAMILY?:: we're two girls in the family
17. IF U WERE TO MARRY A CELEBRITY, WHO WOULD IT BE?:: can't think of any
18. WOULD U LIKE TO MEET Josh Hartnett?:: yea why not
19. where do u think ur bestfriend is?:: at her office
20. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME U TALKED TO UR BESTFRIEND?:: can't remember, sadly, we seem to be out of touch na
21. U THINK SHE/HE NEEDS U NOW?:: maybe
23. WHAT DO U WANT FOR UR BIRTHDAY?:: a kiss from my baby and hubby, that's not much right?
25. IF U WERE TO BUY A CAR , WHICH CAR WOULD IT BE?:: right now, we want to buy an innova
26. A DUET WITH HEART EVANGELISTA?:: nope
27. DO U WEAR MAKE-UP?:: yes, everyday in the office
28. WHAT LIP BALM DO U USE?:: body shop lip balm
29. WOULD U GET A TATOO?:: nope
30. BELLY PIERCE?:: nope
31. HOW MANY KIDS DO U WANT?:: no limit (ha!)
32. DO U HAVE ANY HOMEWORK?:: work! a lot of it!
33. ANY SONG THAT YOU’RE LISTENING?::no
34. WHERE DO U WANT TO GO NOW?:: home! but work just started for me.

players: Vannie kathycot buhaymisis whenmomspeaks kathycotcooks polish-ed A! house-everything on a wonderful day like today

snag this!

Work Update

Work has been so busy lately. My boss was recently sent to Shanghai, China for a 3-day business trip so I had to prepare lots of documents for her to bring to her meetings. There were newly-appointed officers in Shanghai and they were all eager to meet with her to discuss the new compensation scheme.

Everything was so tensed before she left because my boss was only informed about the trip a day and a half before her actual flight. Two nights before, while she was browsing the internet looking for insurance online, the big boss called her up to tell her that she is expected to fly soon. So we had to rush many things including her China visa, her ticket, her hotel accommodation and many other things. It was so stressful for her and for me too!

Anyway, everything turned out okay. Good thing she was able to immediately settle the issues with our Chinese colleagues. And this means that after her meetings, she already had time to relax, tour the city and shop the next day. But no, my boss was so wise and thrifty to even buy anything from there! She only wanted to go back home to her family and didn't care about taking advantage of the goods they have in China.

Now if only I have that much control in spending...

Monthly Expenses

Grabbed this one from N@W:

How many sq meters is your place, and how many people live there?

We have about 300sqm floor area standing on a 200+sqm lot. There now just 7 of us here. My Dad and new step are now living in Batangas. So its hubby, me, Zoe, yaya, Francis, helper and her son.

How much is your electricity bill monthly? Water?

Electricity -Normally 6,000 a month. Gosh! That's high in my opinion. Never had a prob with this before since it was my dad who was paying for it before he re-married. Now, I'm adjusting my budget to be able to pay on time. LOL.

Water - 1,500 or more

Dues - my dad pays for it

Other utilities?

House Rent - we own the house

Internet - none; sometimes use my Smart connection during weekends

Mobile Phone Plans - 1,200 for me, 1,800 for hubby

Landline -PLDT - 850 a month

Drinking Water - 1,800 a month

Cable - paid for the whole year na

Fuel/Gas - Gosh, it's rising!!! good thing, hubby has 12k worth of gas allowance. We now seldom use the 2 other cars since gas is so expensive. I'd rather commute or take MRT on color coding days.

LPG - 680 a month x 2.

Maids - Helper at 3,600, Yaya - 3,000, Weekly labandera - 1,200

Helper’s daily allowance for snacks - about 500 a month.

Groceries? Market?

Groceries - around 12,000-15,000 a month. Need to learn bring down this amount -- and soon!

Wet Market - around 7,000 a month

So that is where all my/our salaries are going! Insurance, educational fund, car repairs & maintenance expense, clothes, shoes and other expenses are not even on the list yet! Whaaa! Super tipid na talaga dapat.

Chicken with Mushroom Spaghetti

I really miss cooking and I really miss eating my favorites! Here's one of them (I hope to post some pics when I get the time).

This is my own recipe of spaghetti, better known among my close friends as 'Courtship Spaghetti'. Why? Because when most of us were single, I would often recommend that they try to learn this recipe so that the guys who will eat it will instantly get wooed and never forget them! It worked for me and I hope it works for you too!

Ingredients:
1/2 kilo cooked spaghetti
3 pieces boneless chicken breast, cooked and cut into strips
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium onion, chopped
2-3 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon pepper
2 cans tomato sauce
2-3 Tablespoons sugar
1 can mushrooms, sliced (I sometimes like it cut into big chunks)
1 big can Nestle all purpose cream
1 block cheddar cheese, grated (you can add more if you like)
2 teaspoons oregano
Parmesan cheese

Boil spaghetti until al dente. Saute garlic and onion. Stir in the cooked chicken strips. Add salt and pepper. Pour in tomato sauce then add the sugar. Cook for about 5-10 minutes. Mix well into the cooked spaghetti and pour in a serving dish.

Under low fire, mix together mushrooms, all-purpose cream and grated cheese. Add oregano and some salt to taste. Stir constantly and bring to boil for about 3-5 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Pour in the cream mixture on top of the spaghetti. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Serve hot.

Certified yummy!

TAG

I've finally started to get involved in TAG - Televison Advocacy Group. This group's got a good mission and I'm interested in contributing to their aims.

They will be having a talk this Aug. 09. Care to join me? It'll be my first activity with them and I'm hoping that after this talk, I can get some training on how to write a good review.

Thanks Cynthia and Ching for inviting me!

Simple Joys

Who says you can't enjoy during these hard times?

Hubby and I found something in the grocery (for only 220 bucks) that made us forget about everything else in the world. Hahaha.

Thank God for Selecta's Strawberries and Cream ice cream!

Yum-yum!

I've Been Invited

Home Matters has again sent me another invitation for this month. After a menu planning series last time, they are going to have a designers' month this July. And it's not just designers' month. It 's designers' month for 3 months! An interior designer will be available for consultation regarding your home interiors and decorating problems. She will also teach flower arrangement. Isn't that great? Can't wait!

Gardening Ideas

Don't you just love to have a nice place to stay and relax on beautiful sunny weekend mornings? Well, I've been yearning for exactly that lately. But I thought, why wait to build an expensive vacation house somewhere in the mountains to do just that? We can actually have a relaxing place to rest and snuggle up right in our very own backyard. One home and gardening idea which I could undertake is to build a pergola in our garden space at the back. Yes, I just realized that we still have about 30 square meters of available space which we could convert into a nice garden with a pergola. It would be the perfect place to get some sun. It could also be a lovely place to eat snacks, read a book or just take a nap. And it's so easy to build. Actually, we do already have a small pergola right in our front garden but our backyard space would be a better place to set up some garden sets and a mini-library or a nook for snacks.

I'll better talk to my husband and schedule this Saturday to do some gardening at the back to make way for the pergola. I hope it doesn't rain!

Flame of Friendship

I received this Flame of Friendship from Pat. Hi Pat! Whhaaaa. Pls. pray for me! Still in a very tight situation at home. I'll email you soon!

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 flame yourself!
Meet new friends.
Discover friendship.
Make bonds.

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 PreciousPitstop
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.
A Reality Bite
Shopaholic Ties The Knot
On A Wonderful Day Like Today
House Everything


Passing on the flame to Hailey and Jean!