In these trying times

We need to be smart about spending these days. So spend on items you need, save up for the wants. Also spend on something you'll get returns or rebates. Like I always carry rewards cards of SM, Rustan's, Mercury Drug, National Bookstore, Coffee Bean. I wish Starbucks had a rewards card. I recently got myself a Gerry's Grill card. With the above card, you earn points everytime you present it upon purchase. Accumulate the points and you get cash discounts. I simply love it, you get points for your loyalty.

For airlines, I have the PAL card, the Cathay Pacific Frequent Flyer Card and Singapore Airlines card. I got great discounts from the PAL card. I got a spa treatment and make up set from Cathay. And I got an upgrade with Sing Air. See, cards are really neat! :) Question? Does Cebu Pacific had a frequent flyer card?

Now I've been a Smart user, I have a Smart cell and subscribe (still do) to Smarbro. They have Rewards system as well. Although it's just a small amount, it'll surely help.

And I pay my bills online and found out that BPI gives you points when you pay online. You get freebies from Chowking. Cool huh?

The corner office

Not the one with the view. I wish!

I have this little corner at our spare room which is my home office. I do my monthly budget there, write out checks, pay bills online, do my scrapbooking and well, do my online stuff. For the past year, it's been chaos with a capital C. The past weekend, I got the nesting itch, so spent a whole night organizing. And below is the result!

I got our albums and the little boy's progress chart stacked properly, have my boxes used. I got

those boxes from Ikea in Singapore last year. I adore boxes and I'll write about that in another post.

I got a tin can to put all my pens and my stapler in place. And I also finally put up my cork board for the bills or notes. My laptop is inside the bag, under the computer table. I feel like I am good at this :D My little corner office is now organized.... now on to the next project :)

Loving silently

That's a classic picture of my parents, my Mama always making lambing while my Papa smokes and smiles :) They married young, young enough to receive the ire of my Mama's sisters. Papa comes from a big, working class family. Mama comes from a smaller, landed family. The Princess and the Pauper. But they made it work.

This is really a father's day post. Albeit delayed, still worth writing. My Papa's not the communicative, demostrative type. He rarely talks. Maybe also to balance out my Mama's noise. God is so smart! haha

I was a Daddy's girl eversince I could remember. In my pictures when I was younger, I would always be near my Papa. He was so my hero. My first memory of him was him telling me a bedtime story while Mama was away at work. It was exactly the same story every night, The Monkey & The Turtle. And then he left to work abroad when I was 5. An OFW. Years later, Mama said the main reason he left was so he could provide for my future well. The trigger? We were hearing mass and there was a balloon vendor and I was asking him to buy me one and he had only enough money for our fare and can't afford a balloon. Too emo? :P

All of us sisters didn't experience spanking from Papa. He doesn't believe in that. Which is why I also don't believe in spanking my child.

I never really minded that Papa's away. Until I reached high school. Being a teenager, I was full of angst and blamed every problem I had on Papa being away. I resented him being away too much that I stopped talking to him and didn't follow his orders. He said not to have a boyfriend until I turn 18, so I had a boyfriend when I was 15. He said I'm not allowed to sleep overnight at friends' houses, so I slept out a lot. He said I'm not allowed to go out dancing, so I did. I was a pain. I knew I hurt my Papa and I actually wanted to do that.

I didn't know what changed after graduating from high school. But something just did. I then understood what it was like for him to be away all the time. On my first semester in college, he was working in Nigeria and got sick of Malaria. I was at my Aunt's place when I learned he was home and I got so scared. My Papa was invinsible, he never got sick, not even flu. And then he had Malaria? On top of that, I was scared that I wouldn't be able to finish school. My Aunt advised me to pray, God will provide. And indeed, God did. Papa recovered and was able to find a better paying job at a nicer place.

Seeing a father and daughter having a close relationship or in a light loving moment never fails to affect me. Sadly, I don't have that much with Papa. But I do love him dearly and I know that he loves me. He never says anything of course but I know he does. I feel that he does.

What a journey it has been!

As Leah Salonga sang.... My journey is definitely not worth singing about though.

Last Wednesday was a really bad traffic day in SLEX. I left Sta Rosa at 6:30am, exactly the same time I leave on a week day. With the Skyway's contruction on going to extend it to Alabang, traffic has been terrible. But extremely so on that Wednesday. I arrived in the office at 9:15. A good 2 hours and 45 hours travel time. I could have been in HK or Singapore if I left on airplane.

Today, I took the day off. Just because I felt like bumming around the house :)

Tomorrow is indeed another day and I'm bracing for another long trip. But am looking forward to a great burger dinner careof Brother's Burger's 10th anniversary :)

Little school boy

It's another school year and our little school boy was so excited. It's his 2nd year in school, he's in Pre-school 3. We agreed yesterday not to send him to school today coz he had colds then, but come Monday morning, when I called from the office, he was begging to go to school.



And this is his ID picture :)





We're trying not to push him too much, he's just 3 anyway. He's learned so much though, he knows his numbers, all the letters, colors and shapes. He also started reading already, counting and writing. He does have a great memory, remembers the littlest detail. He's going to be a great investment banker. Or doctor. Or engineer. Or research director. hahaha!

Make or break

I'm super glad I worked from home today, well, I've worked from home since Monday. But I'm more glad I worked from home today. There was a rally along Ayala and Paseo de Roxas in Makati and as with any rally, traffic would be gruesome. I totally get what they're rallying for or against, I did attend a couple of rallies back in the day when I was single. In fact, I would gladly join the march if I wasn't married and didn't have a son. I just didn't like the traffic it'll cause.

image from http://stellarglobal.files.wordpress.com/2007/09/ph-flag.jpg

I did go to EDSA II for most nights of the revolution. Every night after work, I'd meet up with my housemates and we'd go to EDSA, to rally. The atmosphere was charged and the people's energy was contagious. Maki-baka! I did feel like I made a difference somehow.

Ironic that the President we now have and some are protesting against is the same one we put in place during EDSA II. I wonder now if we really did the right thing then. The lesser of two evils was the logic then. In hindsight, is she really the lesser of two evils?

I pray each night that our country will come of this politicking and emerge to become a better nation. We do have the right resources, we just need the right management.

I was able to catch the ANZ special on the Presidentiables. The first part where it was held at the Ateneo. I've never been impressed with Mar Roxas, more so now with his pending union with Korina. It's too orchestrated to be real. I also am not impressed with Villar. He could be a great example of some making it big, but to be President? I don't think so. With Cheese, I was impressed early on. He's young and well spoken. I always believed that someone who can speak well has a great mind. But lately, I'm not so impressed...I just wasn't swayed with his statements, too simple to be believable. I also like Teodoro, but I don't like the way he's using his current position and came up with Infomercial. I never liked Loren Legarda and I still won't think about voting her to be the next President. For now, Gordon is my man.I also willing to listen to the platform of Binay and Bayani Fernando. The thing though with Bayani Fernando is he needs to learn to present his thoughts better. Looking at Marikina, I do think he's a great administrator, but he needs to learn to communicate better.

Let's think hard about our next president. It's make or break for our nation.

Should I?

I'm working from home today, with the Hubs down with the flu, I had to stay home. But I don't want to work! It's so tempting to play hookie and just enjoy an extra day at home with the little one. He was actually nursing a slight fever after taking his bath. He helped the Yaya with washing the car and the weather's not too sunny. So ayun, he had slight fever after.

Anyhoo. Should I really work? My mind says I should, with my million emails to respond to and Friday being a holiday, I have to close out issues by Thursday. But it's too fun not to work, no?

Ayayayay. Ciao!