Signs of the times

No coffee and tissue paper in the office pantry.

Not a lot of people buying stuff at the other building's tiangge.

A lot more people bringing in baon/food for lunch at the office.

No one goes out for lunch anymore. Nor dinner.

No more daily Starbucks coffee, but more Nescafe.

No more new summer handbag for me... I'd have to re-use my old summer handbag.

No annual summer outing arranged by the office...

And for the first time 10 in ten years, I got the lowest merit increase this year.

I'm not complaining though, at least there is still work. In the scheme of things, we are still blessed.

We'll just have to pray for others and their families who lost work and can't find any new job for now.

When it gets this low, there's really no way to o but up. We need to believe that.

God's greatness

I had my breast ultrasound today. I got so scared coz I went alone, it's a Monday so everyone had things to do. But then God is really great. He reminded me again. The lump that my doc and I felt is gone...although another one was seen, it looked benign.

My doc doesn't have any clinic on Mondays, so I'll have to come back on Saturday to see her. She'll be able to discuss in detail all the test and ultrasound reports. I know God will be take care of me, He always does.

Good night!

Unexpedtedly nice Saturday

It’s 10:40pm on Saturday night. Here I am typing away beside my sleeping little bugoy. He has been sleeping since 7pm, as a result of refusing his afternoon nap. We were invited to a first birthday party of the hub’s office friend. The party was to start at 3pm so we planned to have the boy take his nap first, to avoid tantrums. But when the hubs and I are home, the little tyke isn’t too keen on sleeping. So ended up not going, and I had the gift ready, bought and wrapped at Rustan’s yesterday. The hubs will just hand it over on Monday.

The whole week, I was so looking forward to getting a haircut. I don’t really know how to care for my hair, to be honest. I just shampoo, sometimes I also condition. Comb the hair after taking a shower. And hardly, hardly ever comb or brush it throughout the day. I swear. I just don’t care of my hair is out of place, which it usually is. I end up putting it up in a ponytail much of the time, but it gives me really bad headaches afterwards. The solution? Short, easy to manage hair. The hubs however, doesn’t like short hair. On me. I finally got his agreement for my haircut a couple of weeks back. I planned today as haircut day as soon as he said yes. Hubs and I had a little tiff before I drove to my favorite salon, but I had to get a haircut. A haircut or else. Guess what happened? The salon was closed :( Bummer. I got a foot spa and a pedicure from another parlor instead. The haircut will just have to wait.

I invited my sister to go with me to the salon. She badly needed a pedicure. I cringe every time I look at her toes! Super hideous to say the least LOL I told her it would be the best P120 investment she can ever spend. Anyway, she got nipped too close to the skin and got a wound. The blood wouldn’t clot, so we just went home and washed it and put on Teramycin. She’s not too traumatized, I hope. As long as her toes are clean :)

Finally able to buy a two-burner gas stove! Hurray for us! J We only have a one burner and we’ve always planned on getting a two-burner. We always forget or some other pressing matters come up. Excuses excuses, I know :) Oh, the grand plans we have! I should remember to ask the hubs (nicely of course!), to set it up tomorrow. Wish me luck! LOL

With the little one asleep early, I had a lot of time in my hands after dinner. I decided to be nice and gave the hubs my version of a foot spa with semi-pedicure. He’s a really lucky husband :) My friends gave me this foot spa foot soak thingy and haven’t used it yet. Tonight was a test run, with hubs as the willing guinea pig. Turned out to be a really good foot spa, as I got a kiss when I was done :)

I also was able to catch a bit of American Idol reruns on StarWorld (thanks so much for the re-runs!). Still loving it. And I watched Maalala Mo Kaya too. Eugene Domingo has never failed. She’s one great actress, funny and true.

Before deciding to go to bed beside the little boy, I just had to do something for my hair. And I had the perfect idea. I got a Pantene 3-minute intense conditioner free with the Oil of Olay moisturizer. I got to say, I’m loving Pantene 3-minute conditioner!!! I’m imagining great hair days from this day forward :)

Although 2 plans didn’t pan out: no party, no haircut. But I got a lot more of my day instead. Time with my hubs, my son, my sister. Time to do things I always planned to do but just never got around to doing it. Again I realized, God really has the perfect plan for you. Even when you think and feel things are not going your way, you’d be surprised at how things turn out. Case in point: today for me, was unexpedtly nice :)

To be remembered

We were at this annual awarding ceremony in Hong Kong middle of February. It was mainly for our clients, for firms who did the best deals in 2008. I didn’t particularly like going this year coz I had an old dress, which I already wore to that same event 5 years ago. I also didn’t know what to do with my hair. It was just all over the place, all dry and I had a few white hair sticking out. I seriously needed to get to a salon for a quick hair treatment or color, but I didn’t have time because of my son’s 2 parties. And it was too expensive, my hubs and I vowed to seriously start saving.

But I had to go, my boss fought tooth and nail for me and M, another colleague, to go. So off we went. Standing next to my friend M, I felt all crumpled and old inside. She was wearing this nice new dress, and her hair was put up and looked wonderful. I felt so out of place that I didn’t even take a picture. Totally blah. And if you know me, you won’t totally believe that I was thinking and feeling bad of how I look. Not that I’m super vain, but I just never really cared much about what people thought of me. As long as I feel good about myself, I couldn’t care less about what others thought.

Anyway, that was until our tablemates talked to us. This sales guy, who M and I both met last year for a quick training, remembered me specifically. He somehow totally forgot about M. And then I saw our other colleagues, who really made it a point to come by our table and give us the European beso J You know, the both cheeks beso? That kind. So I was only too happy to mingle again and say hi to my contacts who where there. We also spoke to our old boss, and she’s a great lady, and she commended who good we looked. I only had 30 minutes sleep the night before, but she it didn’t show.

So I got my groove back that night. Thanks to over flowing red wine, I suppose. J It’s nice to be remembered, to be thought highly of, to be missed. It gave me the needed boost to reconnect old ties and make new ones.

Going first

Everyone has talked about Francis M and how he young he has passed on. I have this theory that the good ones always go first. My favorite Uncle went first. My Mom's best friends went first. My other funny Uncle went first. My nice, smart cousin went first. And now Francis M.

I was in first year high school when Mga Kababayan became a mega-hit. All school programs had Mga Kababayan in their list. I had a classmate who worshipped Francis M, he started calling himself NOB and seriously considered being a rapper. Francis M was a major part of my teenage life.

A week ago, I felt a lump on breast. I got scared, who wouldn't be, right? I waited for a week to see if it'll go away. Coz I know sometimes there are just lumps who disappear after a menstrual period. Come last Saturday, the lump was still there. So off I went to see my OB Gyne. She felt it right away. It's moving, so that's a good sign she said. But I would still need to have an ultrasound next week, 10 days after my period. My doc assured that there's nothing to be worried about...

The speaker at our office's International Women Day forum on Breast Cancer yesterday said that not all lumps are cancerous. And Breast Cancer is treatable. We don't have any family of Breast Cancer too, so it's less risky for me.

I still need to wait for another week to get my ultrasound..It's the waiting game that's killing me slowly. The dread of the unknown. My own mortality is staring me in the face. It could be nothing, I know as God is a great provider and healer. But going through such uncertainly is excruciating. Sometimes I wish it's March 16th so I'll know. One thing's for sure though, I'm not nice so I'm not going first... hehe

Please pray for me.

Couple Tag

Got the below from Kaith's blog http://kaithuninterrupted.blogspot.com/ I liked it so I'm self-tagging hehe!
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It's about you and your significant other, call it wife, husband, boyfriend, girlfriend, domestic partner, your dog (if it makes you feel that warm and fuzzy feeling inside.).We want to know part of your story! So read mine and answer yours as well!

***What are your middle names?
His is Pahuyo, mine is Causon

***How long have you been together?
4 years this April

***How long did you know each other before you started dating?
Since we were 3 feet tall. He was neighbors with my cousins and grandparents. So every summer, I'm there. We saw each other in the playground, in church. When he graduated in college, he came to Manila to work and looked for me hahaha! That was 1999... and the rest as they say is history :)

***Who asked whom out?
He did, to watch a PBA game. I had no clue about PBA, I was an NBA fan.

***How old are each of you?
He's a year older, 32 now. And I'm 31 (eeeeeps!!! We're freakin' old! LOL)

***Whose siblings do you see the most?
Mine coz my younger sister lives with us.

***Which situation is the hardest on you as a couple?
oh, a lot. But seeing him lose his Mom though was the hardest coz I couldn't do anything about his grief. I could only support him through it.

***Did you go to the same school?
Nope. He went to Xavier University, Ateneo de Cagayan from high school to college. I went to Corpus Christi and then UP.

***Are you from the same home town?
Nope. He's a city boy. I'm a provincial lass.

***Who is smarter?
:) IQ-wise, he is. He's top 11 of the Mechanical Eng'g board exams. EQ-wise, I am :) I think hehe

***Who is the most sensitive?
He is. But he's no cry baby. I'm more insensitive about things that I say...but I cry a lot! LOL

***Where do you eat out most as a couple?
We like sugba and ihaw a lot. Mostly Filipino food.

***Where is the farthest you two have traveled together as a couple?
Singapore

***Who has the worst temper?
I'm pikon, he's not. But when he get angry, he is very scary.

***Who does the cooking?
The yaya mostly. On weekends, when we like to have good food, the hubs does. He does a mean sisig! I'm still trying to learn how to cook hehe So girls, don't believe when they say that you can't get married until you learn how to cook! LOL

***Who is the neat-freak?
I am. When I saw his room for the first time, I wanted to clean it up before we got down to business hehe

***Who hogs the bed?
He does. I only get a teeny weeny bit of sleeping space lol

***Who wakes up earlier?
Me mostly.

***Where was your first date?
At the Ultra, to watch PBA

***Who is more jealous?
I'm not sure. Maybe he is. I'm not jealous type...I think

***How long did it take to get serious?
Pretty quick when we decided to be together.

***Who eats more?
He does on the whole. But I like eating little snacks :)


***Who does the laundry?
The Yaya. But on days when we don't have a yaya, it's me. Hey, we have to share chores. He cooks, while I wash

***Who's better with the computer?
Him. But I type waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay faster than he does.

***Who drives when you are together?
Mostly he does. But when I work from home and we pick him up from work, I do.

City's gate

While in Hong Kong a couple of weeks ago, we stayed at a friend’s place for just a night before flying back to Manila. My friend’s place is very near the City Gate mall at the last exit of the Tung Chung MTR line. It’s an outlet mall, much like the mall or stores in my dear Sta Rosa. City Gate had the best European stores, with wonderfully discounted stuff.

They had Burberry, Samsonite, Seven Jeans. Of course what would be an a mall in HK without Giordano, right? There were a few more stores but we didn’t have time to go into each as we arrived quite late on Valentines day no less.

We did spend time in Samsonite as I was looking for a nice enough hand carry luggage. The prices were superbly low. There was a spinner luggage, not quite the hand carry size though, at only about HK$1k (equivalent to PhP6k). Not bad for a Samsonite, right?

They also carried this really nice set of vintage luggage, in red mind you! Not just a favorite color of mine, but it’s the second to green. I know, too Christmassy, I’ve realized. Anyway, I did drool over that retro-style set. A bit on the pricey side, at about HK$3k (PhP 18k), but again, it’s a Samsonite. If you're curious about the vintage bag go to: http://www.samsoniteblacklabel.com/collections/vintage/duffel-on-wheels/prodVintageDuffelonwheels.html )

The Samsonite shop had Lacoste hand bags as well. Quite cheap compared to hand bags here in the Philippines. There was this amazingly brown hand bag, the size was just my size. Not on sale, it was about HK$2.5k but it was on sale, it was only HK$1.2k. I soooo wanted to get it, problem was I didn’t have HK$1k, only had the HK$200 LOL

Our second to the last stop was the Seven Jeans. Here at home, a Seven Jeans costs about PhP7k at the least. I tried it once in Rustan’s and it does have a great fit. I have trouble buying jeans with Filipino sizes coz I have a big butt, bigger than the average Filipino butt :P I only now own about 4 jeans in my closet and about 2 need to retire soon. Hence the search for good fitting jeans.

When we went to Seven Jeans. I saw a size that might have fit me, so off I went to the dressing room. And waddayaknow?! It was a perfect fit!!! Alleluya!!! The best part is, it was only for HK$120, from the original price of HK$890. I kid you not. It was one sale, only for the day. I loved it so much, I wore it the next day without washing it. That was the best part of my trip :)