after thought...

My previous post got me thinking… maybe aside from the fact that our family is not as complete and in tact as it used to be…maybe my bah-humbug attitude was also brought about by my many activities leading to the big day. I didn’t really have enough time to internalize and appreciate the season and what it means. I’ve had so many things going on in my life… my personal life (gimiks/reunions with various groups of friends, anniversary celebs, tons of pic taken and waiting to be scrapped, books purchased and waiting to be read,), my daughter’s school activities, my so called career (blech)…,I am just not used to this! I just like being laid back and basking in nothingness… hahaha! I guess I got caught up. It’s my fault. hay.

yep, it's still bah-humbug!

Christmas has come and gone without me feeling the Christmas spirit… I don’t mean to be blasphemous or anything… sure I know that Christmas is all about the birth of Christ… God became human on this day… but I just don’t feel happy.. or giddy… even after wrapping up the gifts (this used to a fool-proof way to jump-start my Christmas mood) oh wait, I was happy for a few hours, when my little girl played the perfect little angel during misa de gallo. We were all very excited, as expected… then came the yummy noche Buena… then the next day, during Christmas day… it was back to the usual grind. The fact that we didn’t have the usual Christmas day reunion didn’t help either. It was so quiet in our household… we quiet aside from the laughter and shrieks of the little one… hmmm…maybe I’m just not used to the fact that other family members have got other things going on in their lives and have become too busy to attend a reunion. Well at least we’re still intact… and hopefully we’ve let our little girl feel the warmth and importance of family during these times...

It's been 10 years, Baby!

Yesterday, hubby and I celebrated a milestone in our married life… we celebrated our 10^th year anniversary!  Woohoo!

It may be a surprise to many but now it can be said, we got married thru civil rites 17 months prior to our big church wedding. Why? Well, it was one of those juvenile yet life-altering decisions we made out on a whim. Hahaha! Thank God we didn’t make a mistake!

It was on December 10, 1999 at the Manila City Hall when we first said our vows in front of our friends and a family member.

These are the shallow yet very valid reasons (at least in my book) why we decided to get married then:

1. December 10 was our anniversary as boy friend/girl friend. I wanted our wedding anniversary to be the same. In 1999, that date fell on a Friday. A perfect day to be married. If we let that chance pass, we’d have to wait for another 5-6 years for the date to fall again on a weekend. That is just too long a wait for us! (of course I didn’t realize back then that we can actually get married on any day of our choosing)
2. It was our 7^th anniversary… lucky number!
3. I really believed in the saying: “When you’ve found the one you want to spend the rest of your life with, you’d want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible!”. (in fact, this line was included in our church wedding invites)

We also prepared for the special day. I wore a white dress and silver sandals. Hubby wore a white long-sleeved polo and dark gray pants. As witnesses, I had a good friend with me (she had to go on leave just for this!) and hubby had his brother and a friend along. They also dressed appropriately. =) The ceremony was officiated by a little man wearing barong (later we found out that he was a minister from a religious sect). After the ceremony, we all dined at the Max Restaurant nearby where hubby had a table reserved. It was definitely a special day for us!

To be honest, I really thought it was all a joke. Hahaha! I mean, the intention was there, but I really thought the whole ceremony was a hoax. Something to assure couples… to give them a sense of union without being bound legally.  It actually reminded me of the experience in the marriage booth we got married in during our high school foundation day….until a few years later and I was processing our application for our passports and I had to request for an NSO copy for our marriage contract. When the document arrived, I expected the date to be May 2001. Lo and behold: It showed December 10, 1999! What happened in that dingy little room at the Manila City Hall was actually binding and legal! Hahaha!

Anyway, it’s been a decade and there are no regrets! =)

 

The Super Duper Hectic Weekend That Was...

 

It started last Friday, officemates scheduled a dinner at a nearby restaurant. I really wanted to go since it was a new resto and I wanted to try their food,  but I was also thinking about dropping by the David’s Salon near our office, since I badly needed color on my hair. In the end, I opted to go to the salon and just gave away my slot at the dinner table… I spent a couple of hours at the salon (got myself a pedicure too, and chose a fire truck red nail polish) hubby fetched me and we proceeded to the Mang Inasal Restaurant for a late dinner. We got home late, but still went ahead and watched the DVD we rented (Lindsay Lohan’s I Know Who Killed Me).

The next day, I woke up early… trying to accomplish some scrap projects. Then I snoozed for a bit with the little girl… when we woke up, we ate a late lunch and proceeded to Puregold to buy some stuff for the Barkada Christmas Party the next day. Hubby and I then proceeded to the Intellicare Clinic in Makati for my check up. The verdict: I need a colonoscopy. (sigh!). We made a quick stop at Watson’s to buy some goodies for relatives leaving for the US. Our next and last stop was the Magallanes Complex. Hubby’s boss was celebrating his birthday and he hosted a dinner/videoke session. I was not in a sociable mood so I opted to stay in the car, still tinkering with my scrap projects…  After more than 2 hours, we were on our way home… stopping at the 7-11 store just to buy a hershey’s hot choco…

When we got home, we were dead tired and just literally fell on the bed and in deep slumber in no time…

After a few hours, I woke up at 3:30am. I got up to wash my face and brush my teeth… then I remembered that I still had some chores to do… the dishes I whipped up at Café World were cooked and ready for transfer to the counter *wink*, and I still had gifts to wrap. I knew I needed to wrap these gifts while the little girl was still asleep since she’d want to play with the toys meant as gifts for other kids….I got a little carried away when I decided to print my own Christmas tags. I found the cutest tags online and I tried printing them, but the black ink on my printer was running low, so I had to replace it first. It was my first time to replace the cartridges, so it took me so long… =) After a while I was finally able to print the tags, wrap the gifts and just as I was to put them in the bags, I heard small footsteps behind me, I didn’t notice that it was already 6:00am and the little one was already up!

I played with the little one for a little while, then I woke the nanny up, told her to start feeding the little one, since we were going to hear mass at 9:00am. As for me, I went back to bed and fell into a fitful sleep.

Hubby woke me at 8:30am. We all rushed to get ready for church but we still arrived late, leaving us no choice but to stand since there were no seats left.

After mass, hubby proceeded to a christening of a friend’s daughter, while my sister, the little one, the nanny and I hopped on my sister’s car and proceeded to Cabalen at Sta. Lucia Mall for our relative’s despedida. It was a rare occasion since we were almost complete =) save for my father who had a prior commitment and a cousin who was in the province, Pamilya Ganda was complete! It was an eat-all-you can buffet, so after lunch I was so full I literally thought I was going to burst! Hahaha! I only went to the buffet table once but since I was having digestion problems, (hence my check up) I felt soooo full!

At 2:30pm, no one was still standing up to leave, but we had no choice but apologize and leave early since we are still going to host a Christmas party for friends at 4:00pm!

Before leaving the mall, we went up to the department store to get a gift for the little girl who was christened that morning. Then we rushed home, hoping none of my friends decided to come early… on the way, we picked up some ice and table napkins. When we got home, we cooked the rice and the lechon kawali, bought the soft drinks, arranged the rented tables and chairs, hubby attached the balloons on the gate and grills, and made last-minute ligpit around the house.

Finally at 4:40pm, our friends and their families started to arrive…we decided to go potluck this year so they came bringing their promised dishes and desserts. I warned them that the little girl didn’t really have that many toys so friend Apple, volunteered to bring her son’s plastic slide and rocking horse so the kids were able to bond and play together. Hubby and I were very happy to note that the little girl is now big enough to play with the other kids, unlike in the previous years when she couldn’t join in the fun since she’s easily knocked down by the boisterous boys… =)

The yummy smell of Lechong Kawali filled up the whole house, provoking our appetites, so by 5:30pm, after a round of picture taking, we started eating dinner. Yum-yum!!!

After dessert, the boys started their own discussion/bonding session while drinking beer, while us girls caught up with the latest chismis over a bottle of The Bar. At around 9:00pm we exchanged gifts, to the delight of the kids! The husbands played their roles perfectly, paparazzi for the night, as we happily gave each other gifts. One of them remarked that next year they should be part of the exchange gifts too. Hehehe…good luck with that!

Before going home we tried rounding up the kids for a photo op by the Christmas tree, but since it was already late, they were already cranky and some refused to cooperate so we just moved the photo op to the couch and just clicked away since none of the kids were really in the mood to face the camera directly and smile… =)

After a few more pics of us – the party officially came to a halt… and with it our super duper hectic weekend!

Whew!

How To Love Your Husband

1. Pray for him daily.
2. Speak words of kindness.
3. Give him unexpected gifts.
4. Thank him for something good he has done.
5. Praise him for one of his good character qualities.
6. Be humble enough to confess your own failures.
7. Reaffirm your commitment to him.
8. Initiate a special time of lovemaking with him.
9. Spend time with him doing something he likes to do.
10. Obey God and let your husband see Christ in you.

This Is Getting Ridiculous

I feel like a ping pong ball… I am again to be transferred back to my former unit…; the unit I was more than happy to leave…

Yesterday, my boss talked to us. When he called the meeting, I had no inkling that this meeting was going to involve me… I’ll have to hand it to my boss though, he handled the situation pretty well… he tried to break the news to me as gently and as professionally as possible…

My former boss resigned (something I was hoping for while I was there…) and so there was a void in the organizational chart. A section head will assume that position, and being that I worked there for sometime and that I supposedly I had a “grasp” of the transactions(boo), I was hand-picked (blech!) by our division head to assume the vacated position….

Hmmm… how do I feel? Mixed emotions really, all of them negative. Hahaha! I thought I was already home, back to my original department 12 years ago…back with the boss I’ve stayed loyal to through the years and through the other bosses I had… only to be brought back to the unit I (ehem) disliked and which I thought I’ve finally escaped. Hay.

Although this time, I can choose to see this positively. This time I was transferred because apparently I already know most of the transactions there. As opposed to trying to teach a new officer everything about the department.  

Please bear with me. I just received the news yesterday afternoon, just before leaving for home. I’m giving my self 0.5-1 day more to wallow in my misery… then tomorrow, I’ll be back to being a ray of sunshine. =)

This is a blessing. This is good for me… the universe has conspired for this to happen… this is meant to be…

Hmmm. Maybe tomorrow I’ll believe these words…

For the mean time, I still have a couple more hours to wallow in my misery… hehehe.

UNFRIEND is the New Oxford American Word of the Year

How many times have I uttered the words “it’s a good thing there is Friendster / Facebook”? A few too many! =) Well, I AM thankful for these social networking sites. For an introvert like me, it’s a great way to stay in touch with long lost friends… without having to actually commit to awkward “catching up” conversations. You can stay privy to their latest activities just by simply peeking into the latest pics they uploaded to their account or reading their shout out or status. Do you know of anyone who doesn’t have an account? In our office there are only a handful of people left… they are the only ones who can’t relate to what the rest of our group is talking about (Farmville, pet society, café world, typing maniac etc.)

The fact that Unfriend —as in deleting someone as a friend on a social network such as Facebook, was even chosen as the word of the year is proof enough how widely these social networking sites are used worldwide. Just say it and everybody understands. Sure there were other contenders for the honor of being the word of the year. According to a Oxford University Press USA blog post, words like netbook and sexting were in the running, but in the end, Unfriend won hands down. Haha!

There, I just had to share that factoid. Ok, gotta go, I’ve got a list of people that I gotta unfriend. *wink*

 

Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life by Amy Krouse Rosenthal

As I previously shared, I went on a shopping spree on scrap books, and one of these books is The Big Picture by Stacy Julian. In the book, she listed books that inspire her in her scrapbooking projects, I copied her list thinking that I’ll check them out the next time I go window shopping in our local bookstores. She had only good things to say about a particular book: Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life by Amy Krouse Rosenthal. She said that it is a must-read for all scrapbookers. That the author has proven that ordinary life is interesting, important and valuable. Aha! That was enough for me… I got really curious and interested.

I got the chance last Friday. Hubby and I went to Powerplant Mall in Rockwell, Makati. Of course I simply had to pass by Fully Booked =)  I asked customer service if they had the book in stock.. after a few minutes of frowning into the computer monitor… his face lit up, yes ma’am we have one copy! Lucky me!

He proceeded to ask an assistant to bring it over to us. When I got it, hmmm… it wasn’t really what expected, it didn’t really ring any bells and whistles.. It was a simple paperback…bearing my favorite color combination: blue and yellow. =) There was a simple upturned umbrella on the cover.. and these simple words: I have not survived against all odds. I have not lived to tell. I have not witnessed the extraordinary. This is my story.

That’s what struck me. Those statements summarized my whole life! Haha!

Although I was hooked, I wasn’t reeled in that easily. How do I say it? It wasn’t exactly love at first sight for me. When I opened the book I initially couldn’t understand what it was supposed to be. I had dates and lists and tables of random tidbits. I felt confused. This was supposed to be an inspiring book, and yet as I skimmed the pages I didn’t feel inspired at all.

So I stood there, in the middle of Fully Booked, trying to decide whether to purchase this supposedly great book… in the end, I decided to trust Stacy Julian (she is a scrapbooking guru after all). The book wasn’t that expensive anyway at P546.00.

When I started to read the book… I still didn’t like it that much. I just kept on. Until slowly, I started to understand…I started to relate…

And then I came upon an entry: “Tries to write fiction in a creative class in college. Keeps writing the truth, stuff that actually happened“. Ding! That’s me again! For the longest time a writer for me is a writer of fiction, and since I can’t even come up with a fairly decent short story, I have always cringed at the thought/dream of me being a writer. Friends keep on telling me I write well, but how can they understand that I write well only when I am sharing my own thoughts and feelings? How can I make them understand that I need to be inspired/moved by what I am writing about to be able to write well. All the while I though I was just a literary freak that way. Writers are supposed to write prose, and amazing stories… not short, simple, irregular statements of thoughts and ramblings. AKR understands! Hehehe! She even wrote a book about it! She went on to share how mastering the segue worries her, how her writing is such that each paragraph does not drift fluidly and seamlessly into the next. Goose bumps ran up my arms. It’s like she’s a kindred spirit!

I bought this book to inspire me in my scrapbooking projects, instead it has inspired me in my writing…

Thanks for the inspiration… thanks for understanding… thanks for giving due credit and attention to the much-unappreciated ordinary life.

 

 

The Secret:: Create Your Tomorrow

To create your tomorrow, go over your day tonight when you are in bed just before you fall asleep, and feel gratitude for the good moments. If there was something you wanted to happen differently, replay it in your mind the way you wanted it to go. As you fall asleep, say “I will sleep deeply and wake up full of energy. Tomorrow is going to be the most beautiful day of my life.”

Good Night!

 

- From the THE SECRET

Weekend at last!

 Audit time once again… schedules to prepare. Reports to print. It’s been a pretty toxic time at the office… so the weekend is a very welcome break! Hay! At long last! I can sleep in!

But wait, there’s more! Hubby and I still have to face the battle that is EDSA Traffic tonight. We are going to pass by many malls and most of them are having a midnight sale… on a Friday (gimmick) night! Traffic jam for sure! Oh well. At least there’s the weekend to look forward to. =)

 

Terrific Toddler Tips: Understanding Your Toddler

Every person is unique. We have heard this time and again.  We all have our own peculiarities. We react to situations differently. We all exhibit our individuality. Our dear toddlers are no exception. In fact, it is around this age when they start to develop and show their own personality. We see a particularly jovial child and compare him to a somber, serious looking one… and we have the tendency to judge him as a cheerful child, while the other one is called moody.

This is important advice: parents, don’t label your child. Being called a “difficult child” or a “shy child” is very limiting. We should aim to be encouraging rather than restraining. Being labeled is like being judged for life. It is like your future is laid out already. A difficult child’s” actions may be dismissed as acting up or just misbehaving as usual, instead of being addressed. A “shy child’s” parents may go around saying that their child is an introvert since childhood…always has been, always will be. So instead of encouraging the child to get out of her shell, reaching out to others, and making new friends, they are conveying a message that she has always been like that… and will most probably be the same for the rest of her life. This leaves very little room for her personality improvement.

Don’t confuse understanding and getting to know your child with excusing and accepting problem behavior. Understanding her doesn’t mean that you will side with her no matter what. It doesn’t mean spoiling her rotten and expecting the world to adjust to her quirks and impulses. Yes, you love her, and you will stand by her no matter what, but she will still have to find a way to fit into the world, no matter how unique and wonderful she is. An example: if by chance, your child has a tendency towards aggressive behavior towards others, her parents should find ways to modify her conduct rather than making excuses for her. It part of our obligation as parents to make sure that our children can happily and successfully thrive on their own and peacefully co-exist with others.  

Also, don’t compare children. Comments like “I wish you were more like your sister” or “you’re brother is …, why can’t you be more like him?” may only be words to us. After a while we’ll forget about it, but the damage it can do to our toddler’s self esteem is inestimable. Let us not assume that she’s too young to even understand. Words are powerful, and they can get into one’s subconscious and contribute to that someone’s life programming.

Our toddler is a little person. She has the ability to think and feel. It is only right to make an effort and try to understand our toddler. Rearing a child doesn’t only involve feeding, and bathing a child but also getting to know her, and encouraging her to be the best that she can be. =)

 

 

Domain Problems, Blog Catalog, Feedburner etc...

I woke up late today… I stayed up late last night… again! Although this time FB’s Café World is not to blame, but Godaddy.com and blogger. =)

Well, actually it’s not their fault either, it’s mine. Setting up my existing blogs with their corresponding domain names has been exciting and mind boggling at the same time… hahaha!

I’m not really sure whether I should change my settings for blog lines and blog catalog, to reflect my domain name and delete the one with my blogspot url… does anybody have a clue? Hehehe…

I Still Love You But...

Recently, we’ve been having troubles with our nanny. When it comes to her work… there is nothing I can say. Well, it’s definitely far from perfect.. but acceptable. The most important thing is that it is evident that she genuinely cares for her ward. Lolo R used tells me that when he scolds Bea, he can see that the nanny is the one who is hurt =(  we’ve been having problems with her attitude in general. Well, she’s just nineteen and this is the longest she’s been away from home (Mindanao). She sometimes has the tendency to act up. At typical teenager, I guess. During candid times, she’d even tell me she is like my eldest, and that Bea was our bunso (youngest). They are both

I consciously try to talk/reprimand our nanny when the little one is not there to witness it. Of course I’d still want her to respect her nanny, and even now she’s starting to have an idea of who’s the boss. I guess she must have heard last night’s episode between her daddy and yaya R. this happened before going to Church. When we were in church, she kept on asking me “Di mo na love Ate R?” (Don’t you love Ate R anymore?) I answered “Love pa din” (Yes I still love Ate R). After a few minutes, “Daddy di na love Ate R?” (Daddy doesn’t love Ate R anymore?) I said “Love pa din” (yes he also loves Ate R). Then I tried to explain to her that the reason why daddy scolded Yaya R was because she did something daddy was not happy with, and so he had to scold her to correct her wrong doing. She just nodded and didn’t speak of it anymore.

Early this afternoon, I called home to check up on them…the nanny said that early this morning, when they were left alone in the house, my Bea told her, in all seriousness: “Ate R, love pa din kita…pero…wag ka na kukulit” (Ate R…I still love you… but stop being naughty) huh?!?

Kids are so like sponges, I swear!

Bangon Marikina! Bangon Pilipinas!

Let me share with my fellow Marikeños and others who were affected by the floods brought by Typhoon Ondoy a part of a book that I’ve read recently:

“Good is underneath every single thing that appears to be negative. If we can know that good is all there is, including in a negative situation, then we will see a negative situation transform into all good. Most people keep the good away from themselves because they label something as bad, and then, of course, that becomes their reality. But there is no bad in the universe; it is just our inability to see things clearly from the bigger perspective.

Peace comes from knowing that good is all that exists.”

-The Secret - Daily Teachings

Let’s try to believe that there is a bigger plan for all of us. Typhoon Ondoy is a mere bump on the road. Don’t get derailed. Just look forward and continue moving forward. Don’t wallow in the sadness and loss, for you’ll attract more sadness and loss. Be grateful…be proactive…and attract only the good things. Bangon Marikina! Bangon Pilipinas!

Typhoon Ondoy '09

September 26, 2009. This is a date that will definitely go down in Philippine history. The country was hit with a very different kind of storm. The President described the deluge, which was the worst to hit Metro Manila in more than four decades and left 80 percent of the metropolis under water, as a “once-in-a-lifetime” storm.

It had already started raining the night before. It was a strong, steady downpour. There was no roaring wind or frightening lightning that went with it, just torrents of rain. It was reported after the incident that it was actually a month’s worth of rain that heaven poured upon us. No wonder we were flooded! Most affected were areas in the metro: Marikina, Pasig, Cainta and Taguig. Bulacan, Laguna and Pampanga were also flooded. These areas were the MOST affected, but the heavy rains affected almost everybody and every place. Areas that were not known to be affected by flooding in the past were surprised to find themselves in chest-deep water. I was in one of these areas.

I have been living in Nangka, Marikina almost all of my life. We transferred here from Rodriguez, Rizal when I was only 7 years old. Since then, we have suffered numerous different storms and typhoons, but never was there even a threat of flooding in our village. The worst is when my foot would be totally submerged in clean rain water, when I’d walk along our street. Never was there a threat that the water would rise and enter our home, affect our vehicles, furniture and appliances. None like that. Even during the terrible typhoon years back that also totally flooded Provident Village. We were barely affected.

But not this time. We were very affected. And not just us.

Authorities said some people remained stranded in their flooded homes more than 48 hours after the floods, while power and telephone services were still cut in the worst-hit areas of Metro Manila.

Poor drainage systems meant some places remained waist-deep in water, while vast swathes of the sprawling metropolis of 12 million people were covered in sludge.

In schools, open-air gymnasiums and other makeshift evacuation camps, tens of thousands of people were desperately short of food, water and clothes.

As many areas of Metro Manila remained without power Sunday, rescuers plucked bodies from muddy floodwaters and scrambled to save drenched survivors on rooftops after Storm “Ondoy” left 73 people dead in a strike across the region.

Nearly 300,000 people were affected by the storm, including some 47,000 who were brought to schools, churches and other evacuation shelters, officials said.

As soon as we can, we tried going around Marikina trying to survey the damage brought by Typhoon Ondoy. What we saw truly heartbreaking. People grimy with mud, walking bare-foot, with glazed eyes….looking totally lost. People who fled their homes when flood waters started rushing in, were able to escape disaster with only the clothes on their back. Everything was lost. Various pieces of furniture, appliances, clothes, books etc strewn along the streets…now all junk.

As we talked to friends in Marikina, we heard stories that tore at our hearts. These are people living in “good” subdivisions. Not stubborn people living in shanties along the riverbanks and esteros who have been told time and again to transfer to another place. These are not people trained by experience to evacuate to the nearest public school whenever the rains are particularly strong.

A friend said that they were trapped in their house because the water rose so fast that they didn’t have time to evacuate. She didn’t have time to call for help or even answer her ringing cell phone. She was surprised that water started rushing in. Before they knew it, the water was already chest level. Fearing that they might drown right in their own home, her father had to break down a window just so they can escape. They had to swim to their neighbor’s 2-storey house. When the flood reached the second floor, they had to hold on to make shift ropes just to swim across to another neighbor’s house that had a third floor. They stayed there until the flood subsided. They were safe but hungry. They had to stay there overnight with other families, sharing whatever food they can find. Her diabetic father sustained a large gash on his leg and had to be rushed to the emergency room once the flood subsided.

Another friend suffered the same fate. Only they decided to break down a part of their ceiling. They thought they can stay up there until water subsided. They thought they were high enough… but the waters continued to rise, until they had no more choice but to break down part of their galvanized roof… and stay on top of their roof… for 16 hours. Neighbors just threw food and blankets at them just so they can survive.

An officemate just had enough time to evacuate to their neighbor’s 3-storey house. A self confessed techie, she packed her prized  mac book, itouch, psp, phones, digicam and a new dslr in her big backpack. But in the frenzy of evacuating, she remembered to pick up her pet dog but forgot all about the backpack. Everything was drenched, soaked…ruined.

A good friend was spared since they lived on the third floor of their apartment building. Their van and AUV though, were totally inundated. They had to be towed to the mechanics. Her parents’ house was also flooded. Inside the house, flood waters reached up to their necks. Her retiree parents had to hold on to the metal grills on their fence to steady themselves against the strong current of the murky flood waters… just so they can relocate to their neighbors house.

I’m sure there are many, many more heart-breaking stories… even more broken-hearted people. Everyone caught by surprise… everyone struggled to save their belongings, everyone fought to survive… sadly not everyone succeeded.

But Filipinos are a naturally happy, smiley people. We are known for our resiliency and ability to bounce back from every known adversity. I have seen people who were busy cleaning their muddied homes with smiles on their faces. Sure, they lost almost everything: furniture, appliances, important documents… but everyone in the family was alive and well… and for this they were grateful.

As I told my friends…This dire situation too, shall pass.

Our God is good and He is great. He knows what is best. Fear not, for He has a plan.  =)

Thank God It's Friday

Good morning folks! It’s another beautiful Friday morning! Beautiful because it is the signal the week’s end and finally some cherished time with the family. Lately, the little one has mastered the art of making me feel guilty for leaving her to go to work. Haaaay. If only she knew how I would rather stay home with her… I’m hoping I’ll be able to that soon. =)

At The Workplace Series

I have been an office worker for almost 12 years now. More than a decade of doing pretty much the same thing over and over again. Work has been my bread and butter all these years and though I have gone on in tirade about my workplace sentiments, I have decided to take a positive stance this time. I have decided to pay homage to work in general by coming out with a series of articles devoted entirely about life in the workplace, how to move up the ladder of success, how to have the right attitude, how to be a good leader and team player and a lot more.

How To Place An Advertisement in a Newspaper

I never had to handle my own business before, at least not one that required me to place ads. Not until recently that is. I met this wonderful ads agent who initiated me in the world of ads placement.

Every business is bent of doing only one thing, to attract a lot of people into buying your products or availing of your services. Of course this would mean income…cash flow…moolah!

Apparently ads agents can be pretty flexible when it comes to rates, contents and positioning. They will of course cater to the whims of the client… me! Ms. Jenny was very understanding and patient in explaining to me, the ads newbie, the intricacies of placing an ad. She even shared success stories about clients who used to place smaller and cheaper ads since they were just starting in their business just like me, and then slowly but surely they were able to rise up the ranks and build a strong and stable business. Of course bigger and better-positioned ads followed. She pointed at more elaborate ads costing Php 60,000.00 saying that he used to place smaller ads until eventually he could afford to pay for more prominent advertisement.

So how do you place an advertisement?

• First buy a copy of the newspaper (tabloid or broadsheet) where you are planning to place an ad.
• Be familiar with the categories and sub categories available. For example Investment Opportunities / Direct Sales or Office Equipment / Office Furniture.
• Know the requirements like the deadline for submission and the cost of the ad. For example, in the Manila Bulletin, a line ad costs Php 116/line in the Sunday Edition and Php 106/line for regular days. A line consists of 23 characters including spaces and punctuations.
• As much as possible plan your ad layout before going to the office. Think of a catchy headline that will seize the reader’s interest.  Be sure that you’ve included all the vital information, product description, requirements, contact number, person to look for. You can request the characters to be all caps or not.
• Proof read the advertisement.
• Proof read again. Only YOU know whether the information in your ad is correct or not.
• Pay the fees.
• Ask when the advertisement will come out.
• When it is published, buy a copy, especially if it’s your first time. Just to make sure that you got what you wanted: your desired content, layout and position. If it didn’t come out the way you imagined, take note so that next time you will be able to correct this error.

 

Here are contact numbers of popular broadsheets and ad newspapers in the Philippines:

1. Manila Bulletin – (02)813-7476
2. Philippine Daily Inquirer – (02) 897-8808 fax: (02) 897-4808
3. Philippine Star – (02) 527-2396 fax: 527-6858
4. Buy and Sell – (02) 366-3333 fax: (02) 364-2155

Want to help your business along? Go ahead and place an advertisement in our local newspapers! Good luck!

---

Disclaimer:
“This message is for the designated recipient only and may contain confidential and/or privileged information. If you have received it in error, please delete it and advise the sender immediately. You should not copy or use it for any other purpose, nor disclose its contents to any other person.”

Bad days....Good days...

A very wise and experienced person told me yesterday…that there will definitely be bad days. It’s a part of life. But bad days don’t last for 10 years! Just trudge on… go through the bad days, but don’t give up. Never quit. Wake up in the morning anticipating a good day to come. Sooner or later a good day will come along, and it will be sweet!

It just takes 1 good day to reverse all the ill feelings the bad days created.

Good morning friend! May this be a good day for you!

---

Disclaimer:
“This message is for the designated recipient only and may contain confidential and/or privileged information. If you have received it in error, please delete it and advise the sender immediately. You should not copy or use it for any other purpose, nor disclose its contents to any other person.”

still...

Still in the office… still working… argh!

Judy Ann Santos and Ryan Agoncillo, Married in a Secret Wedding

MANILA, Philippines – After a year of engagement, celebrity couple Judy Ann Santos and Ryan Agoncillo finally exchanged their “I dos" early Tuesday morning in a private wedding rites in a town in Batangas.

Kapuso host Suzi Entrata-Abrera said in a radio dzBB interview that Judy Ann and her boyfriend of four years tied the knot in a ceremony that started 6:30 a.m. in San Juan town in Batangas some 115 kilometers south of Manila.

“Sobrang ganda [ni Judy Ann]. Nagpalakpakan kami lahat. Naghiyawan kaming lahat. Para siyang diwata [She was so beautiful. We all broke into applause. She was like a fairy]," said Suzi, who had to skip today’s hosting job at GMA’s early morning show Unang Hirit to stand as a godmother for the couple.

Megastar Sharon Cuneta graced the aisle as the celebrity couple’s maid of honor. Also walking down the aisle was Judy Ann and Ryan’s adopted daughter, Johanna Lois or Yohan.

“Ang luha ng lola, talagang… Iyak siya ng iyak. Sobra siyang happy. Tapos si Ryan ang laki-laki ng ngiti niya [Judy Ann was in tears. She kept on crying. She was so happy. Ryan, meanwhile, wore a wide, wide smile]," Suzi said.

Only members of the couple’s families and their closest friends were invited to the white-emblazoned event. The couple’s parents attended the event, where Ryan’s brother stood as best man.

“Ginawa akong ninang kasi hinahangaan daw nila ang magandang pagsasama naming asawa [I was chosen to become a godmother because the couple apparently admired my relationship with my husband]," Suzi said, referring to her best half, Paulo Abrera.

The newly wedded couple and their guests then proceeded to a local resort for a breakfast reception. A second reception was to be held, still in Batangas, for invited guests who would be coming from Manila.

Lending their voices to the event were another celebrity couple songbird Regine Velasquez and Ogie Alcasid, as well as singer actress Agot Isidro, who performed a song for the wedding march.

A separate report said security was tight in the area, with local authorities placing a cordon from the plaza extending to the church. Local residents flocked near the site after the couple were spotted arriving in the town last night in preparation for the big event.

South home

Earlier reports quoted renowned designer Paul Cabral as saying that Judy Ann had approached him to weave his touch on creating the actress’ wedding gown.

The couple had been keeping details of their wedding secret for the last few months, but reports started circulating and initially reported that it would be held some time in early May.

After the ceremonies, the couple promised to release photos of the wedding.

The couple had not only thought of southern Luzon as the venue for the wedding. Ryan, a native of Batangas, proudly shared in earlier interviews that they were considering purchasing a four-bedroom house south of Manila.

Rift

It was not immediately clear if Judy Ann’s longtime manager Alfie Lorenzo attended the event, but the latter had indicated he might be flying to the United States.

Judy Ann and Alfie, her talent manager for 20 years, had just gone out of a rift triggered by accusations that a certain “Atty. Agoncillo" had been “meddling" in the way how the actress' career had been handle.

Alfie also took seriously Judy Ann’s decision to exclude him in the planning stage of her wedding. - Mark Merueñas, GMANews.TV

 

Remember That Hydration Helps

You know that drinking plenty of water can keep you healthy, but did you know it can also boost your slim-down efforts by improving the quality of workouts? If you're even mildly dehydrated, you won't have the energy or endurance to blast as many calories as you're capable of during your workout. The Best Life guidelines call for drinking at least 48 ounces a day, but be extra vigilant about your H2O intake on exercise days by following these tips.

Check the color of your urine. Rate the color on a scale of one to eight, with one being clear and fully hydrated and eight being yellow/brown, indicating dehydration. Aim for a one.

Drink before, during and after a workout. Before you begin your exercise session, drink eight ounces of water, then gulp about four to six ounces (about five to seven gulps) every 15 minutes during your workout. Afterwards, follow-up with eight ounces.

Pay attention to your body. Look for signs of dehydration, which include dry skin, dry mouth, chills, head rushes, and skin flushing. If you notice any of these during your workout, make sure to stop and sip.

 

Blame It On Bo Sanchez

Two days ago, I was reading Bo Sanchez’s Simplify and Live the Good Life. It had a chapter entitled Do What You Love and Get Paid for It. It starts off saying that we spend 60% of our waking moments doing our jobs, if we are unhappy with our jobs, it means we are unhappy 60% of our lives. Ha! That’s me! hahaha…I just love it, not very practical in these dire times though…

He said we needed to find our passion and connect it with our jobs. it affected me so much that I actually dreamt about it. I dreamt that I was offered this job ( I really can’t remember the nature of the job, even in my dreams I don’t know what to do with my life), and I happily accepted. I submitted my resignation (I was sooo excited) and left my job. When I showed up for my first day of work…hubby chose this opportune time to wake me up since it was morning already. ARGH! When I woke up I just couldn’t remember what it was like… what I did remember was that I felt disappointed with a slight hint of regret for deciding hastily. Hmmm. Is this a warning? Or just my fear of the unknown beyond our bank walls? Sigh…

 

The Power of Three

Here's a piece of advice you've heard before: Eat three square meals every day. No matter how many times you've received this bit of wisdom, it's still tempting to ignore this rule when you want to lose weight. Skipping a meal or eating only a low-calorie salad may seem like an easy way to cut 500 or more calories, but this approach always comes back to bite you. As the research shows, skimping on calories triggers a series of physical reactions that actually encourages weight gain. An eating schedule of three squares and a snack or two can help you drop pounds because it:

 

Quells appetite. Having a light meal (like plain toast and coffee or a green salad with low-fat dressing), or skipping it altogether may seem virtuous. But later, your hunger will come roaring to life and suddenly you'll devour everything in sight. Eating a complete breakfast (about 400 calories), an adequate lunch (at least 450 calories) and complete dinner (500 calories or more) about four hours apart prevents that dangerous hunger attack. And when between-meal cravings mount, a healthy snack does the trick.

 

May increase insulin sensitivity. Eating triggers the release of the hormone insulin, which aids in both burning and storing carbs, protein and fat. People who are insulin sensitive require only moderate amounts of the hormone. However, overweight and obese individuals often have lower insulin sensitivity, which basically means that the body must produce more insulin to do its job. In a series of studies at the University of Nottingham in the United Kingdom, both obese and lean women went the three squares/two snacks route for several weeks and then tried a more erratic meal pattern. The first approach improved insulin sensitivity and lowered levels of harmful blood fats, while the erratic approach made things worse.

 

Speeds up metabolism. The Nottingham Study also found the three squares/two snacks schedule revved up the rate of calorie-burning after a meal. This "thermic effect" of food, as it's called, burns up about 10 percent of a meal's calories.

 

By Janis Jibrin, M.S., R.D., Best Life lead nutritionist

 

define : admonish, monitory, premonition

MONI comes from the latin word monere, “to warn” or “to scold”. Warning and scolding are often similar, since many warnings can be called “pre-scoldings”.

 

Admonish – to warn or criticize mildly.

 

The teacher admonished Bob, the talkative student who kept on chatting with his seatmate.

 

Monitory  - giving warning, cautionary

 

While the class listened, the teacher spoke to Bob in a monitory tone.

 

Premonition – a previous warning or notice; forewarning; a feeling about an event or a situation before it happens.

 

The students knew this situation could be a premonition of Bob’s grades for this grading period.

Happy April Fool's Day

Take care for today is April’s Fool’s Day. Today is the official feast day of practical jokers around the world…Be wary especially of those who borrow money…. *wink!*

 

The Boyet Fajardo Bruhaha...

Last March 13, 2009, Filipino Fashion Designer Angelino Boyet Fajardo  (his RTW labels include Substance in SM department stores, Boyet Fajardo and Initials in Landmark and Robinson's department stores.) created a scene, to the shock and horror of shoppers and employees of Duty Free Philippines alike, when a cashier politely asked for his ID after presenting his unsigned credit card. This is a standard operating procedure applicable to all stores to verify ownership of the credit card and prevent fraud.

 

Suddenly, the designer reportedly got furious and, at the top of his voice, started berating the cashiers and managers of Duty Free Philippines. He might have thought a celebrated person like he is, with all his accolades and fame, has gone unrecognized by the cashier. A new well-trained casual worker who is carefully doing his job. The designer further shocked bystanders by cursing the people there with words such as *toink* and p...ina, while angrily expressing surprise why the people there did not recognize him.

 

Store managers and officers were sought to appease the matter, explaining to him that it is all included as a standard operating procedure in credit card payment for the safety, not only for the company but also his own. Ignoring all this, he pulled out his phone and threatened to call on high positioned government officials whom he allegedly knew, like doing a power-play to make these people realize how important he is. He went on saying "Mga *toink* kayo! Hindi niyo ako kilala? Ako si Boyet Fajardo! At itong p...ina na babaeng ito (pointing to a lady officer) at ang baklang ito (pointing to the cashier) ay walang kwentang mga tao! I want them fired!!!"

 

His yelling and berating went on and on. He cannot calm down and as he appeared to have bloodshot eyes, like that of a drunk person and or under an influence. He threw his passport on the cashier's face and later intentionally stepped on the cashier's foot to say "Ay sorry, di ko sinasadya!" He goes on to say, that only if the cashier kneel down before him and/or allow him to freely slap the cashier's face, may he get satisfied.

 

The ill-fated cashier, with all the onlookers, stood down and just gave in to what he probably thought would end the matter. Crying in shame he slowly knelt down and apologized (for actually doing his job) before this self-proclaimed GOD, perhaps for fear of losing his job. No slapping was made to the cashier's face but the incident landed a harsher and reverberating sound to the faces of the lesser people of this society.

 

Fortunately, his inhumane acts were caught on CCTV in which a portion was featured in YouTube.

 

The next day as hubby and I were traversing EDSA, we saw a big billboard bearing his name. He has Aljo Bendijo and Dan Fernandez as models for his suit line… we thought the same thing… good luck with that! Hehehe…

HELPFUL TIPS AGAINST PHISHING

Phishing is the act of sending an e-mail to a user falsely claiming to be an established legitimate enterprise in an attempt to scam the user into surrendering private information that will be used for identity theft. The e-mail directs the user to visit a Web site where they are asked to update personal information, such as passwords and credit card, social security, and bank account numbers. The Web site, however, is bogus and set up only to steal the user’s information.  

Another way of phishing would be that where the user receives a spam email which appears to be a very genuine e-mail supposedly from his bank.  The email has no links to click or attachments to open; instead it’s just requesting the user to call a phone number and to speak with a customer service officer.  This phone number is NOT the bank's genuine phone; instead it is linked to a fake automated voice system set up by the phishers.  The user dials the number then an automated voice will answer requesting him to enter his account number and PIN and to select one of the options or to talk with a customer service officer.  That's it.  The phishers got your account number and PIN!!!  It is therefore of utmost importance that you know your Bank’s correct phone numbers.

For your further information and guidance, following are some things to remember when you receive a suspicious e-mail:

1.       Be wary of clicking any links in email messages.  Avoid clicking on any link on an email message unless you are very sure of the destination.  Phishing usually are links contained in email messages and when you click on the link it will often take you directly to a phony site where you could unwittingly input your personal or financial information.

2.       You can visit the Web site of the company from whom the e-mail appears to be from and take the time to notify them of the suspicious e-mail. Many companies do want to know if their company name is being used to try and scam people, and you'll find scam and spoof reporting links within some of these Web sites.

3.       Another important thing to realize is that no legitimate business will ever send an e-mail asking for sensitive personal or financial information. No legitimate company would do this unless they would be essentially giving its customers a heck of a good reason to take their business elsewhere! It's just bad business.

4.       Review credit card and bank account statements as soon as you receive them to check for unauthorized charges. If your statement is late by more than a couple of days, call your credit card company or bank to confirm your billing address and account balances.

5.       Be cautious about opening any attachment or downloading any files from emails you receive, regardless of who sent them. These files can contain viruses or other software that can weaken your computer’s security.

6.       Do not enter personal or financial information into pop-up windows.  It is a common technique of phishing to launch a fake pop-up window when someone clicks on a link in a phishing email message.  To make the pop-up window more convincing it will be display in a window you trusted. In any case do not input personal or financial information into the pop-up windows since you cannot validate the security certificate of the pop-up windows.  Please close it immediately by clicking on the X button on the upper right hand window.

 

7.       Always check for the security certificate when entering sensitive information on a web site.   Before entering any sensitive information on a web site, check on the security certificate. You can check Security certificates by looking into the yellow lock on the lower right of the status bar of your internet explorer (similar to figure below). If the lock is closed this signifies that the web site is using encryption to protect you when you enter sensitive information onto the web site.  This symbol may only be present when the web site is requesting you for your information.  Unfortunately even the lock icon can be fake.  So to increase your safety double click on the lock icon on the lower right corner of your internet explorer (see figure below), it will display the security certificate of the site.  The name following issued to should make the name of the web site, if the name didn’t make it means that it is a fake web site or spoofed.

 

8.       Do type URL addresses directly into your browser or use your personal bookmark.  If you need to update account information or your password type the URL address directly in the URL address box similar to the figure below.

 

“The more awareness people have about these malicious scams, the better off we all will be.”

 

Crash Diet is Not the Solution

You've probably heard of a friend-or that friend of a friend who successfully lost weight by subsisting on a meager amount of canned tuna and crackers-or eating some other terrifyingly miniscule amount of food.

The motivation can vary. From wanting to fit into that dress in time for a wedding-to the desire to trim some of those love handles for that beach outing a month from now.

The intuitive course of action when wanting to lose weight is to reduce food intake. Thus, crash dieting is a path often resorted to by many weight-loss wannabes. However, crash diets-which for most part consist of seriously depriving the body of needed nutrients and energy sources-is not a good long-term weight loss strategy.

While starving yourself for days on end may result in immediate weight loss, the weight is sure to get back on with a vengeance once eating habits normalize. This is because when crash dieting, our bodies learn to adjust by burning fewer calories. Once you start eating normally, you will need lesser amounts of calories to gain weight. The end result is that weight gain comes easier. In a nutshell, crash-diets wreak havoc on our metabolism. Chances are we binge on unhealthy foods after a crash-diet and gain all the weight we lost in no time. It may take time for the body to recover and realign with its normal metabolic rate.

Furthermore, crash dieting or "yo-yo dieting" can affect our vital organs which may not properly function without the needed nutrients. Rapidly gaining and losing weight puts undue stress on our organs. Starving ourselves also depletes us of muscle mass as our bodies cannibalize the muscles for nutrients.
 
Extreme deprivation may also cause unusual food cravings, irritability and depression. On the extreme end, this may lead to eating disorders, the most well known of which are bulimia and anorexia.

So while crash dieting may make us lose those few extra pounds fast, be assured that they will return with a vengeance and give us nightmares where we star as the marshmallow man, or woman, as the case may be.

Now that you have been acquainted with some of the more basic reasons why you should avoid subsisting on three leaves of lettuce a day in the hope of shedding fat in the least amount of time, remember that over-used cliché-slowly but surely-holds true for any weight loss program.

Weight loss must be done in a reasonably sensible manner. One of the most effective strategies is to take in five small, healthy meals a day. That will consist of breakfast, lunch, dinner and a mid-morning and afternoon snack. The rationale here is that small meals every two to three hours keeps the body's metabolism working in over-drive. Along with this, try to increase physical activity. Start with walking or a slow-jog thrice a week. Aim for modest weight loss. The faster you lose weight, the higher the likelihood you will gain in it all back and more.    

Examples of a healthy eating plan would be having a bowl of oatmeal, a banana and a two egg-white omelet for breakfast. For mid-morning snack, a slice of whole wheat bread with a teaspoon of reduced fat peanut butter. Lunch will consist of grilled salmon steak (or a medium size whole tilapia or milkfish), half a cup of brown rice and a side of steamed vegetables (or a side salad of tomatoes, onions and grilled egg-plant). An afternoon snack would be a heaping table-spoon of cottage cheese with a slice of your favorite fruit. For dinner, grilled chicken breast with half a cup of brown rice and steamed vegetables. Go ahead, mix and match. There are endless culinary choices that will leave us satisfied while supporting a weight-loss program.

One of the keys to healthy, successful weight loss is to eat the right foods at the right time. Crash diets and starving yourself are certainly not the answer.  

Let Us Support Earth Hour 2009

Everyone is encouraged to participate in Earth Hour 2009. Turn all unnecessary lights off in your homes on Saturday, March 28, 2009, from 8:30pm to 9:30pm.

What does Earth Hour ask people to do?

At Home:

1. Switch off unused lights.
2. Switch unused appliances off
3. Reduce use of hot water.

At Work:

1. Replace light bulbs with energy efficient lights
2. Turn down the thermostat
3. Turn off lights and computers outside working hours

Participate now! Log on to www.earthhour.org and sign up!