Going Contemporary...

I asked my husband one time a question. If he had a chance to re-do our bedroom, how does he he want to change it and what style would he want it? His answer plain and simple. He said, "Go contemporary."

True enough, our bedroom is too traditional and too boring. It has wooden closets, a wooden bed, wooden side tables and a wooden t.v. rack. Thinking about it, I somehow tend to agree with my husband. All that wood actually makes the room look old, boring and outdated. What is needs really is a breath of contemporary furniture to give it that x-factor and modern look.

If you are dreaming too of having a contemporary look for your rooms, the online site of gomodern.co.uk provides a variety of beautiful modern furniture. You can choose a beautiful bedroom set that is made up of a combination of black furniture and glass furniture. You can also readily purchase online those black sideboards that go with your modern bed. There are also attractive black dining tables and glass tables that can give that great look for your dining room. And for your living room, you can get a sofa similar to this classic Italian sofa bed (picture below) that spells contemporary.

Zoe's Toys

As young as she is, Zoe has already accumulated a lot of toys and other stuff. Lookie here...

Too many stuff toys...(can you see Barney, Tigger and Jollibee?)

Too many plastic toys and other crazy stuff....

I wish I can get rid of many of these toys and revert to having wooden toys and puzzles that will promote imaginary play (ala Waldorf style of learning).

Got a Tattoo?

Tattoo Chat City is the latest web chat room you can go to if you are interested in tattoos and finding and talking to other people who have them or are interested in them as well. It's so easy to join and there are no required registration fees. There you can share unique tattoo design ideas and the best places to get them. I know for a fact that some people can't enough of them. They simply have to have one tattoo after another. It's also considered as a form of art and nobody can stop them from getting one.

My opinion of tattoos was actually changed drastically when I saw the TV series Prison Break wherein Wentworth Miller portrayed a guy who had tattoos done all over his body. He looked cute still even with all that "drawing" on his skin. Another person who has a tattoo that caught my attention is Angelina Jolie. During the last Academy Awards, while wearing a beautiful Elie Saab black gown with matching emerald drop earrings (ooooh, I love those emeralds!), she sported in her left bicep a tattoo which indicated the latitude and longitude of the places where her children where born. I think it's cool and quite unique! So, to tattoo-lovers out there, who are your favorite celebrities with tattoos? Discuss it in Tattoo Chat City to find out more!

Dream Bedroom for the Kids

While looking for an appropriate bed for Zoe (and also for baby number two), I chanced upon this great site that offers wonderful kids furniture. Seeing their wide variety of products got me really excited! As you know, my daughter is a toddler who is soon will be a preschooler. Nearing the age of 3, I think it's high time for Zoe to start learning to sleep in her own bed and not anymore in a small crib or with us in mommy and daddy's bed. Besides, she will be having a baby sister or brother soon and it's time for her to become more independent.

In the site of Spacify, the site that I am talking about, I particularly fancy this kids bed which is bunk-style and has a matching children's desk. I have thinking of creating a modern look for the kids' bedroom and I think the picture below is perfect. It's really the one I've been looking for. I love the apple green and white combination. It is really modern, funky and refreshing to the eyes. Plus, I love that it comes with a matching study table. With Zoe going to preschool pretty soon, a sturdier desk would be a necessity for her. What do you think?

What's Wrong with the Picture?

What's wrong with it? It's an eyesore I don't know what to do with it.

• It covers the small window that brings in the air in the attic.
• It is becoming a logding place for Zoe's old stuff (her Maclaren stroller, crib accessories & walker).
• Nobody wants to sleep on it (it's a sofa bed) because it's a hassle to convert into a bed.
• It has too many pillows on it (accumulated throughout the years).

Plus ~ where can I safely store my uncle's bulky golf clubs and stuff and our heavy duty floor polisher?! I don't know anymore how I'll keep them out of sight.

Suggestions, anyone?

Innovation is Key

I was watching cable tv the other day and chanced upon an interview with the big boss of Amazon.com. The discussion revolved around the survival of companies in this crazy economic turmoil that the world is experiencing right now and how companies will still be able to make profits amidst the crisis.

The man said that with the downturn in the economy, people and companies will definitely be adversely affected. However, the positive spirit of the people will drive them to carry on through innovation. Thus, innovation is key. In the case of ecommerce, people will find ways to shoot their sales through better products, better technology and better solutions such as getting the services of a channeladvisor custom store. With all these solutions, there is no reason to sulk and be drained by the difficulties that face us now.

Zoe's New Playroom Set-up

I was able to organize some of Zoe's stuff this week...the end result: a new playroom cum study room set-up.

This new set-up leaves more available space for playing and running around in the attic. :-)

Putting Zoe's pic as a small detail:

Her magic sketcher on top of the study table for easy access:

For my next project, I'm planning to finally buy Zoe her very own bed. I think she's ready to move out of the crib. :-) Besides, baby#2 is going to be taking over that crib by the end of the year!

Punkers' Place

Are you a true-blue punk? Do you characterize yourself or associate yourself with the hardcore punks or with those people belonging to one of the many subcultures of punk (and I know there are so many of these subcultures now)?

Well, if you are into punk and are looking for a place where other punkers meet and chat, then you are invited to check out this interesting website that will lead you to a Punk Chat Room. There you can talk about your punk interests and even meet them through video chat.

Sound good to you? All you got to do is to register into the chat room of Punk Chat City. To log in at Punk Chat City is as easy as 1-2-3. It is hassle-free and is absolutely at no cost to you. After logging-in, you can already get in touch, chat and talk to as many as a hundred of other punk enthusiasts from all over the world and start to compare notes about your different shared interests. This may be regarding all things punk - music, clothes, fashion, games, attitudes or maybe just the punk lifestyle in general. What you do think? Are you interested? Then, what are you waiting for?

Pregnancy Fashion

With the buttons of my regular clothes already popping due to my bulging tummy, I decided to bring out all my maternity clothes for sorting last Saturday...

And boy, I had a super hard time. First off, bringing them out got so tired already. Hahaha. Then, I've been thinking if all these clothes are still 'in' by today's fashion standards. I have a feeling that during my first pregnancy, I never really cared about how I looked like or about what other people will say. Now, I feel that my maternity clothes are yucky and out-of-date. Anyway, I am hoping that this time, I could still look a bit presentable even if I'm huge and preggy. Being pregnant is no excuse to be looking sloppy. So, do I have an excuse to go shopping?! I hope my bonus will be big enough to let me spend on some nice new clothes (wishful thinking!).

Protect Your Children

As a mother, I am doing my very best to protect my family from the threats of the outside world. Lo, there are so many bad things that you see and hear in the media that one can tend to get paranoid that these things will happen to your very own family. I am sometimes wary of my kids' future and wonder if the place where we live is safe enough to raise them. I wish that our justice and police system is as good as those I watch in CSI or that there is available information in how to Track Sex Offenders.

Honestly, having a village guard or locked house gates are not enough safety precautions nowadays. Thus, to further protect our family at home, we are trying to train the adults left in the house with our daughter to be extra vigilant of the people walking around the streets. We also have trained them regarding the use of the telephone. We have trained them to memorize emergency numbers to call. They should also not give our address or phone number to anyone. They also have to keep the cellphone always available so we can check on them regularly. We are also now looking at having them take a good self-defense course, for their good and the good of the rest of the family.

To Clean: Windows

I just realized now that since our house was constructed, we never bothered to clean our front windows. And so I looked for the best way to clean them and found my answer here.

The best way to clean windows, or any large expanse of glass, is with a squeegee. It does a faster and better job.

You need a professional-quality squeegee and a window wand. If you'll be cleaning high windows, you also will need an extension pole. The basic process is simple - apply the cleaning solution with the window wand and pull the dirt and water off with the squeegee.

In detail.

1. Mix a capful of ammonia or five drops of liquid dish detergent in two gallons of water. Resist the urge to use too much detergent; that causes streaking.

2. Dip your window scrubbing wand or a sponge 3/4 of an inch into the solution, picking up just enough water to wet the window without flooding it. Wet the entire window then go back over it once to loosen any stubborn soil. Last, run the scrubber against the frame on all sides of the window to pick up any dirt you've pushed against the frame.

3. Dampen the squeegee blade before you start and wipe it with a damp cloth between strokes. A dry blade will skip and jump on the window instead of gliding smoothly.

4. Tilt the squeegee at an angle so that only about an inch of the rubber blade presses lightly against the top of the window glass. Then pull the squeegee across the window horizontally. This will leave a 1-inch dry strip across the top of the window. By squeegeeing across the top first, you eliminate drips running down.

5. Place the squeegee close to the frame in the dry area near the top and pull down to about three inches from the bottom of the glass. Continue this way across the window, overlapping into the clean, dry area with each stroke, and wiping the blade with a damp cloth after each stroke.

6. Finish with a horizontal stroke across the bottom and wipe any water off the sill with a damp cloth.

On some windows, it's easier to cut the water off the frame side as well as the top, and then squeegee the entire pane using horizontal strokes. Large (picture) windows should be wet and squeegeed half at a time, the top half first. Finally, if you're cleaning both the inside and outside of the window, squeegee horizontally on one side and vertically on the other, so you can tell whether any streaks are inside or out.

Large (picture) windows should be wet and squeegeed half at a time, the top half first.

Finally, if you're doing both the inside and outside the window, you may want to squeegee horizontally on one side and vertically on the other, so you can tell whether any streaks are inside or out.

Beautify with Lamps

You can add a new touch to any room in your house and not break the bank by adding a lamp or a unique lighting fixture. Sometimes, we focus too much on the wall color or the big furniture that sometimes we forget that just be adding a beautiful lamp at maybe the corner of the room, the room will glow and begin to look like a million-dollar place.

I realized this when I was out in the mall with my friend last Friday night. We were in the new mall in Greenbelt looking for a nice place to eat. That was when I saw how beautiful it was inside this certain specialty store only to realize that they had beautiful lamps at every corner of their store. It made the store very homey and at the same time very attractive.

So if you want to see what type of lamp can further beautify your living room or bedroom, you can just click on ShopWiki and see for yourself the different variety of lamps and other lighting accessories that you can buy online. It is a great guide for the busy shopper. There you will be able to compare styles and prices fast and will enable you to choose the best products according to your own taste and budget.

Back Online

Hi everyone. I missed hopping here for some days because I got sick with colds and cough. I was worried that it will get worse so I decided to just take leave from work for a couple of days and really get that rest. I just had to put my priorities straight and think of the baby and this pregnancy above everything else.

Now I'm back in the office and back online. You could just imagine the ton of work waiting for me and the hundreds of emails that I need to weed out. I've got a big deadline coming up at work and I could depend on nobody else but myself and the grace of God. While the other people are just comfy in their chairs, surfing the net, entering a Catholic Chat Room and making friends, I'm stuck with a killer deadline, hahaha. I'm just praying that I'll make it through without breaking my back and stressing myself too much.

Anyway, in the home front, as I was already feeling a bit better last night, I decided not to waste time. I organized some of Zoe's stuff in the playroom which is located in the attic. I tried re-arranging the furniture too. For a two-year old, I think my Zoe has way too many stuff. And now that we're going to have another baby soon, I could only imagine how much more stuff we will be accumulating in the next few months and years to come. Whew! Thinking about it makes my head hurt.

Help!

Help! I woke up with colds today and I hate it! My head is feeling light, my throat itchy and my nose is runny & so congested. I texted my OB already and she recommended steam inhalation lang to relieve me from my stuffy nose. But I'm stuck in the office, rushing something 'important', and couldn't make that steam thingy until I get home tonight.

Please help me with your prayers that this doesn't get any worse. Thanks a lot!

Nice Frames

Just the other day, my boss and I were talking about when we both had to wear eyeglasses and what factors lead us to have poor eyesight. Well, I told her that I started wearing eyeglasses when I was 12 years old. I only realized that my eyes were already faltering when we had an annual eye exam at the clinic in our school. So my Dad brought me to an eye doctor and the doctor made me wear the ugliest pair of eyeglasses in town. This actually made me detest wearing eyeglasses. I resisted wearing my glasses for the rest of my school days and because of this, my eyes are now worse than before.

Anyway, for someone who now can't function without eyeglasses, I have always been on the lookout for eyeglasses which fit the form and shape of my face, my job, my lifestyle, and even my budget. In the past, I would fall for those expensive branded eyeglasses because I tended to equate good quality with the price and the brand. However, I realized that I need not really spend much more than what I could afford on eyeglasses.

And so I learned that Zenni Optical has been emerging to be one of the known supplier of quality, affordable and stylish eyeglasses. It was even featured in NY Times to be a good source of cheap eyeglasses if you are the one who wants to have a back-up pair for a reasonable price. They have nice frames for sale such as this one:

I Love Laing!

It was so sweet of my MIL and SIL to grant my valentines wish over the weekend. I was craving for something with coconut milk last Thursday and thought of asking my husband to request for laing (gabi leaves cooked in coconut milk) from my MIL. They willingly obliged, cooked it and served it for Sunday's lunch. Incidentally, it was also the fiesta in that part of the city so we also had chicken roll, embutido and other delicious stuff for lunch. To top it all, they also reserved a big bowl for us to take home. Yummy! I'm one contented and delighted pregnant mom!

Zoe Talks

I am just fascinated how Zoe is learning to converse and how she is absorbing things and ideas.

For example, we were quizzing Zoe the other day about the basics. I asked her what is your name and she answers "Zara -iolet -ineda". Then I ask her also about how old she is and she answers "two!!!" Then I ask her again what her name is and she quickly answers "Zara -iolet -ineda......two!!!" Hahaha! Looks as if Zoe is advanced in speech...literally!

Another time, I would ask a series of questions about the family. First would be to ask her the name of her Dad. She readily and confidently answers "Txxg". Then I ask her the name of her Mom and she would shout "Bakes!!!" Ha!? Where did that come from? Maybe she was trying to say "Bxxxs" which is my nickname but got it a little wrong in the other consonant (I don't mind sweetheart!).

In another instance, we would tell her quite blantly that she's going to be a big sister soon. And so I would ask her where the baby is. She would point at herself and tell me "Baby, me, Zara!" Hmm, do you think she's ready to be a big sister? I hope she will be, in time.

Anyway, I will leave with that. I still have to click a few sites to get some car insurance quotes for my husband. Have a great day!

Current Craving: BBQ

I actually got my wish for a taste of Buco Salad ice cream last night. Wow, it was heavenly!

But today, I woke up aching for another thing: barbeque! Somebody buy me Ineng's barbeque for lunch or else I'll go crazy thinking about it! Hahaha!

Doesn't that look oh so yummy?

Payday Today

It's payday today and I'm glad. This time, I'm planning out our expense sheet with more caution. I actually went on a shopping adventure last weekend and now am making up for that extraordinary spending. Good thing, we need not get a fast cash loan this time. But as for resolutions, I'm definitely making our menu plan using simpler and cheaper but healthier ingredients and I'm setting aside half of the money in Zoe's in-trust-for savings account and saving it for her tuition fee in case we decided to enroll her in time for classes in June so we need not scramble for money when that time comes.

Anyway, these times are really hard. We really need to save up and tighten our belts. As our company president said, "The past year of 2008 is a landmark year for the global financial markets and for the world. After decades of uncontrolled growth, banks, consumers and even entire governments finally paid the price for excessive risk taking." So now many things happening: people getting laid off, employees getting cash advance because their salaries are not enough, companies closing and profits getting slimmer. We have no reason to be spending excessively and throwing money out of the window. It's a bad situation and we got to face it head-on.

Broom, Broom!!!!

As we were getting out of the house to leave for work today, our little one was already outside, with a broom (a "walis tingting") in her hand, helping her nanny sweep the fallen leaves in the street infront of our home.

She did a good job, actually. Dad and I are really happy that she's growing up to be helpful, active, industrious and happy.

Washing the Dishes

Do you find the chore of washing the dishes such a bore? Well, when I was growing up, my mother would give us house assignments which include washing the dishes on weekends. She didn't assign this task on weekdays. Weekdays were for studying and doing homework. But come Saturday and Sunday, we would alternate in washing the dishes and cleaning the kitchen sinks even if we had a helper to actually to do the job.

She demonstrated to me the proper way of washing the dishes that made me feel as if it wasn't a chore at all (I honestly still enjoy it up to now). She explained to me the logic of pre-preparation before doing the task itself. This means the before tackling the dishes, you need to ask "pre-prepare" the dishes by rinsing them very well. The dishes have to be more or less look clean enough to use again. This makes washing and soaping the dishes much easier. You also need to group together all those needed to be washed, glasses first, then cutlery next, plates follow, and so on and so forth. The order that you put in washing the dishes will cut the time in doing the dishes significantly. After washing and rinsing the dishes, never forget that part of the chore is rinsing the sink and thoroughly cleaning the strainer or drain. After all that, you dry the dishes and store them (by groups again) where they all belong.

Whew! It seems like a long process but if you have a positive attitude, the job is finished in no time.

Do We Have the Right to Die?

I was curious about this piece of news today...

...and it truly sadenned me.

We are not God. Only He has the power to make us live and let us die.

Getting My Groove Back

I'm already 10 weeks along and I'm slowly but surely getting my groove back. This means that there is no more excuse to be bumming around and taking it slow especially at work. In fact, there is already a ton of work waiting for me to tackle. Bonus time is fast approaching and since I am in the middle of all the preparations for the bonus, I really need to focus and start gearing up for the loads of paperwork and calculations to do.

I'm just silently praying that the bonus will also personally turn out okay for me. I'm really eyeing on that variable bonus so I can save part of the money for my upcoming delivery, pay for my credit card balance and as well as for my life insurance that is due next month.

What's Happening?

I just want to write a short "rant" (if you may call it) about the latest celebrity scandals that have been flooding the news on TV lately.

• What is this about Chris Brown accused of hurting a girl (was it Rihanna?) that needed him to be bailed out from jail?
• What is this about A-Rod admitting to be using illegal drugs before?
• What is this about Michael Phelps been photographed using a marijuana paraphernalia?

What has become of our current celebrity idols?!?

House Projects

Just recently, my husband and I have been talking about having some small house projects to beautify our home. First on the list is to be able to install a mailbox infront of our house. As crazy as it may sound, we still have been foregoing having a mailbox for the house. Because of this, our mail often comes crumpled or the mailman still buzzes the house just to hand the mail. I have already looked at some samples of mailboxes and a variety of whitehall products and so I'm ready to make up my mind on what type of mailbox we're likely to buy.

Next on the list is to buy some address plaques or custom-made house numbers for maybe our house and my Dad's house. Why? I've always envied the address plaque installed in my sister's house in Iloilo. It actually makes their house look so grand and presentable.

Last on the list of house projects is the installation of additional bookshelves for the growing book collection of Zoe. Soon, there will be another addition to the family and that means we need more space to store all the baby and school stuff for the two kids.

Our Second Baby's First Picture

Presenting --- our baby#2!

Finally, a glimpse of our new bundle of joy (inside the womb). It feels like a miracle (and no doubt that it definitely is!). As a mother, I could not explain the joy and excitement upon seeing the little one appear on the screen.

Baby#2 - We're waiting patiently for your arrival in September. Meanwhile, keep on growing healthy and beautiful inside there. We love you so much!

Seeing Rome Again

During one of our conversations in the car, I blurted out to my husband my longing to travel and visit Rome again. I told him that I am hoping that we can save up soon so we can plan out a Europe vacation by next year. I told him that maybe we could afford the trip if we save hard enough. Besides, we can always just rent one of those Rome apartments and avail of cheap travel insurance from a mutuelle to cut our costs. And if we get a good deal at Hotel Paris, we may even extend the trip to accommodate a short side trip to France.

I still remember the last time I traveled to Europe so many years ago. It was a great experience! Thus, seeing Rome once again is something that I long for in my heart. For me, the city of Rome is like no other and I would like to be back there again.

My plan is like this - if we would have enough travel money in the future, I would bring my family with me to see the sights in Rome and take the same route that I took before. With my husband and kids, we would go to Vatican City to see “Peter”, chase some friendly doves and eat gelato in the middle of St. Peter’s Square. We would spend the whole morning adventuring inside the Vatican Museums and wonder at the great art works of Michaelangelo, Raphael and other masters. We would make a pilgrimage to the major basilicas in Rome, visit the Colosseum and bask ourselves with the rich religious art found in every corner of the city. I could also see ourselves tossing some coins and making our wishes at the Fontana Trevi. And while eating Baci chocolates, munching on original Italian pizza and trying out some genuine leather shoes along the way, we would walk going to the famous Spanish Steps and just sit down there to enjoy the sight. We would also enter the hidden but beautiful piazzas and have our family portrait taken by the side-street artists of the city. Those would definitely be wonderful moments!

Rediscovering Red Ribbon

We bought a cake for my SIL's family last Sunday. To be a little different, we tried out Red Ribbon's Dulce de Leche cake for the first time.

I could honestly say that Red Ribbon didn't fail me in terms of expectations. For the price of P520, the cake is tasty and the sweetness is just right for me. I'm sure to order it again another time.

Little Artist

We bought a Prang Watercolor set for Zoe as a "pasalubong" for her last Friday.

So the next day, we were got some scratch papers and let Zoe try it out. Boy, she had so much fun!!!

What a naughty smile she has here. She really seemed to enjoy it a lot!

It was a great and productive way of spending Saturday mornings!

Friend's Getting Married

A friend of mine is getting married soon. She happily announced her engagement last year and is now on the final stages of the wedding preparations. I was impressed to hear about her love story. You see, she told us that she met her boyfriend cum husband-to-be online. It was through something like Catholic Chat City. The guy is half-German, half-Filipino and is currently living at the opposite side of the world. They have seen each other in person a few times but the bulk of their "dating" was through the internet. And now that they are engaged and preparing to be married, I guess they see each other and keep in touch more often during the day, that is, with the help of the internet still. So I guess the internet must be really something. It can bring couples and families together even if they are physically distant from each other. I'm glad it helped my friend to find her match. I really wish her the best and hope they have a blissful married life together.

Here is our picture together taken during my own wedding last October 2005. We were classmates at that time in the course of studies and she was a big help by pitching in to be my instant mass commentator (at one day's notice) during the wedding mass. During that time, she was still searching for the right guy to come. And now, Mr. Right is here.

Weekend To Do

This Saturday will relatively be a free day for me so I'm planning on tackling one of my many "magulong" bookshelves. I really need to scour through my books. Many of the books in the picture are new and need to be taken up soon! So I guess after cleaning and organizing the bookshelf, I'll be reading through a lot of Ngaio Marsh and Agatha Christie this weekend. :-)

Traffic

As a career w0man, I go through hundreds of hours in a year commuting from my home to my office. I encounter heavy traffic on the road almost everyday and it's really a challenge not to be pissed. Obviously, traffic, for me, has been something which I really dislike. But not when you talk about traffic in my blogs. I welcome blog traffic with open arms! And oh by the way, I just learned that blog directory is one of the best ways to get some traffic into your website. Try it!

Finally, an Update!

I finally added another entry in my babycrowd pregnancy journal (although it was a really late post).

I admit, it's been so hard for me to keep journaling about what is happening to me. Honestly, sometimes I just want to file my resignation, be a stay-at-home mom and blog (hehehe). No seriously, I want to concentrate on being with Zoe more and making sure I get through this 2nd pregnancy with flying colors. However, I just couldn't do that yet. Times are really hard now and it's somewhat illogical for me to give up my job at this moment. Oh well, I'm sure that God will take care of that yearning of mine in his own time. I just need to be patient in waiting.

Bad Investments

I was just reading some bit of online news and got to know about the recent disputes over a group which owns rural banks and pre-need insurance companies. The company has recently filed for voluntary dissolution and the head of the company is now being charged with fraud.

That's too bad. In times like these, what you don't like to happen to you is to find out that your money and your so-called investments are all gone. Being the midst of hard times, the non-payment of the millions of savings and pre-need plans bought from this company only mean bad news. These people might probably need some lawsuit funding in order to push for the refund of their investments. Well, all I can say is good luck to them.

I'm So Stressed

Yeah, that's what I kept saying to myself ever since I got off from the car today to get to work.

My husband dropped me off in the MRT station near his office today. It was color-coding day so I had no choice but to commute. I proceeded to the elevator and find that the line going up is long, so I decided to take the three plights of stairs in order to get to the south-bound side. When I reached the tracks, I find dozens of people waiting for the train to come. When the train finally comes, the door opens but no one could get it. So we waited again for another train, then another, then another. After 20 minutes or so and after around 8-9 trains, still nobody could squeeze inside the train because it was just so full. Then finally after 30 minutes of waiting, a relatively-filled train comes and people push each other to get inside. I got a "little" smashed as I tried to get it. In fact, the paper bag that I was carrying was almost half-torned from the pressure from the other people around.

Finally, I got inside the train and find myself palpitating and catching my breath. Every time the train door opens in a station, you can feel the people push you in frantic motions. It was crazy.

When I finally reached my stop, I knew that I was already late for work so I tried not to hurry anymore. Outside of the station, still I find hundreds of people in line for the FX and the jeep so I decided that it would be better to walk going to the office than wait in line again. When I started walking, I could feel my tummy tighten and my back ache. I am almost 9 weeks pregnant, after all. And as if in a drama show, my tears started to fall. I suddenly felt pity for myself.

This is what all these stresses can do. Mind you, I always considered myself strong and street-smart. I've raced jeepneys before just to get a ride to school. I've tried walking from our house to Antipolo. I've been bullied by classmates in elementary and been through the toughest days in college. I've experienced more than a dozen floods inside and outside our house. But this is different. Today, I wanted to give up and go back home.

Looking for a Home?

As much as we are always on the lookout for good deals with repossessed vehicles, my husband and I are also very much interested in looking at foreclosed residential properties such as Murrieta Foreclosures. Working for a bank, I know that when it comes to homes and other residential properties, you can actually strike a better deal if you try getting foreclosed properties.

My Potato Salad Recipe

I tried making potato salad last weekend for my Nanay's birthday party. I asked two of my friends to give me some simple instructions on how they make their potato salad. I then decided to incorporate both ideas to come up with my very own recipe.

Ingredients:

4 large boiled potatoes, cubed
2 hard boiled eggs, chopped
2 fuji apples, cubed
1 small can of pineapple tidbits, drained
1/2 block Eden cheese, grated
1/4 cup condensed milk
1 bottle mayonnaise
salt and pepper

All you need to do is to combine the ingredients together and put in the fridge before serving. I love the sweet-salty combo of the salad. My other friends like to have carrots and celery with this but I preferred not to add them. Another friend also wanted it with sugar beets but I didn't want it to taste that sweet.

Too bad, I was not able to take some pictures of the food preps and the presentation but I swear it looks and tastes good. In fact, it was all gone by the middle of lunch. I promise that next time I make one again, I'll take some pics first before digging in.

Thinking About the Future

I was just reflecting this morning about how I can be a better wife and mother. While praying, I suddenly remembered an advice given to me when I learned that I was pregnant for the first time. Since I had a lot in my mind that time, this friend told me not to be afraid of what the future will bring. As long as we struggle every single day, the grace will come when we need it. That meant for me to stop worrying if I can handle having a baby, if I could be a good mother to my future kids, if we will be able to send the kids to good schools and make them finish their studies, if we will be able to see them get good jobs, get married and have families of their own, etc. Worrying about all of these will just lead to nothing.

Now I realize all the more the truth in this sound advice. Indeed, God has given all the graces we needed and He will continue to give it when we would need it. We just have to stop worrying and rely on Him. Like during the times that we needed to stretch our budget, God always made a way for us to earn that extra buck. He even allowed that we are able to get a payday cash advance to help us with our unscheduled expenses.

Some people say that problems can be never-ending. Well I say that God doesn't also stop helping us either. We have a God who already knows what we need even before we ask Him. That's how wonderful a God He is.

Procrastination

Talk about procrastination...

I started out a babycrowd journal a few weeks back and up to now, I have only written one blog entry. Baby number 2, don't feel bad, okay? It's just that mommy has been awfully busy these days (and not feeling well too) that she has delayed writing her thoughts about you. It's not that you've been neglected. You have been on the top of priorities in fact.

I hope to come up with updates on that blog again real soon.

Friday Night Insights

I was working overtime again last Friday. So after a long and tiring day, my husband tried to cheer me up a bit by inviting me to go out with him for dinner. Friday night traffic led us to Metrowalk in the Ortigas area. It was already 10 p.m. when we reached the place. Parking was, as usual, difficult to find so by the time we sat ourselves in a restaurant, I was famished.

Since we were at the second floor, we had a great view of the very crowded area downstairs just outside of the different restaurants. The place was jam-packed and it seemed as if the people were not feeling the economic crunch because there were hundreds of young people at that time spending away on food, booze and cigarettes. We both agreed that maybe most of these young people were either from call centers or the telecommunication industry. Considering how hard the times are now, only the Nouveau Riche from these industries can now afford to "waste" money on fun, gimmick and entertainment.

As we ate, we were fascinated to see more and more Nouveau Riche people come in from everywhere. This led my husband and I to say to each other that maybe we should start looking and venturing into business for us to reach the same level of being Nouveau Riche. That will happen when the right time comes, I told him. Meantime, we were contented with just having dinner and having some time together as a couple. That will be good enough for us for now.

Happy Birthday Nanay!

You have not been forgotten Nanay. Even if you're already in heaven, we still remember you and your birthday. I know that you are very happy where you are now because you are with God.

Thank you for being the best mother in the world. Happy Birthday Nanay!