Be a blessing to others, everyday

I haven't been such a happy soul the past few weeks.  But yesterday, I was reminded that my family and I are quite blessed and I should be thankful.  Yes, there are bills to pay, but thankfully, there's money to pay them with.  Yes, our yaya has lapses, but thankfully, I have a yaya who takes care of us.  Yes, family and other people approach us for help, but thankfully, we can give something.  Yes, I feel I should get paid more at work, but thankfully, I have the work flexibility.  Yes, my boys are messy, but thankfully, they do make me happy.

I'm sorry if I haven't been grateful.  I really am blessed where I am now, it's not perfect and I don't have everything.  I'm grateful that the husband believes that our goal is life is not to get rich, but to be a blessing to others.  Not necessarily in big, extravagant things... but in the little things that count.  Like when I handed our yaya her sweldo and her 13th month pay, plus a little extra.  Like when we gave our barely used juicer to my sister-in-law.  Like when I gave my uneaten lunch to our manong guard.  Like when I let a construction worker go ahead of me at the grocery counter.  It's the little things, the everyday things, that you can do to be a blessing to others.  It always gives me a little high when I do little things for others, I'm dancing my happy dance - in head lang, of course :D

I hope others start doing these little things too.  It'll make you feel lighter, when you know you've done something for others.

What's next?

It'll be December in a few days.  I just got so surprised by how 2015 just few past.  I feel like I haven't done much, and at the same time, I've done too much.  My days are such extremes lately.  Some days, mostly weekdays, I don't get to interact much with people face-to-face.  All the important humans to me are out of reach during the day, so we communicate through texts, calls, viber, whatsapp, FB, iMessage, email and FT.  But despite all of that communication tools, sometimes I feel that I haven't really communicated with someone.  Face-to-face is still the way to go.

On some days though, there's just too much to do - work is neck deep and errands are just piling up.  My to-do lists are longer than the traffic on EDSA.  I love it when I tick things off.  That's done.  Yay!

When I celebrated my 15th work anniversary, I vowed to start planning for retirement at 20 years.  I've recently celebrated my 17th year and I'm nowhere near any retirement plan.  I been having sleepless nights about it. I sometimes catch myself looking at a distance and thinking about that retirement.  I know that I can't be a full time housewife, I would end up watching TV all day!  I know that I would still want to "work", but I can't go back to a 9-6 Monday-Friday work schedule.  So the only option is to open a business, but what will it be?  I have absolutely no idea!  It scares me shitless too.  I'd be 41 when I retire, still at a productive age, but with no apparent prospects.  It's like graduating from college all over again.

So, really, what's next?

Is it still a blog?

I haven't posted anything in a long while.  I do have a couple of posts in the draft folder, but just didn't get around to posting them..... I forgot why.

It's been over a year, or more, since I last posted.  So much has happened, that I don't know if I can share or when to share or how to share.  I'm thinking, I'd just start anew.

It's a rather off time to start something new, being that November isn't really a month of changes for me, or for anyone I know.  But what the heck, I'm not one to follow the bandwagon.

I'm right smack in the middle of a break-up.  No, not with the hubby.  We are still fine, and going strong.  But break-up from my mommy "friends".  "Friends" since in hindsight, I'm not sure if they really were my "friends" in it's truest form.   It's still hard for me to talk about it, and I still get puzzled every time I think about it.  I've been felt so unfriendly ever since, well, kindergarten.  If there's one thing I learned about this whole episode, is that mean girls do not really grow up, they just become mean moms :D

Anyhoo.... I'd like to say that I will post more.  Although as you've seen, I cannot promise anything.  I'd have to go though as this killer migraine is literally killing me.

Ciao!

Test of friendship

So my son's been confined at the hospital since this Wednesday.  Obviously, had to take days off from school and work. It's just me, hubby D and son K here in Laguna. Both D and I are not locals in Luzon, so we don't have family but we've lived here for more than 15 years. Those 15 years, we're able to cultivate friendships.  But some friendships are just not on the level that I thought they were. 

In the past, when I was hospitalized due to pregnancy (had lots of pre-term labor), no one from this specific set of friends visited. Even when I gave birth, only one from the group came by.  I usually get affected by this, that D started to distance himself from them, to shield me from this disappointment, he confirms recently.  

I wonder why they wouldn't take time to visit me when I would always visit them or their kids/husbands are hospitalized.  In these instances that I would take the time to visit them, D be so surprised why I would even bother. When they couldn't be bothered.  I thought and believe that even if they don't think much of our friendship, I do and I care enough. I give without expecting nothing in return.

Perhaps it's also due to how we were brought up. I grew up visiting family, relatives and friends who are sick. My Mom would know who was in the hospital, even back in the pre-FB days and would schedule a visit to each one and bring food.

Whatever it is, it's become a great struggle for me to overcome. I'm more heart broken than angry though. I hate being like this pa naman coz I find it harder to get over a broken heart than anger.  If I'm angry, I just make it a point to communicate it and I get over it. If I'm broken hearted, I retreat into myself and I avoid the other party with all my might. I always told others to take care of their hearts, I should have listened to my own advice. I should start guarding my heart.

Not that we didn't have visitors. We did, my super maasahan friend from college came by. Mommy friends from my K's school. And a couple of D's friends came by as well. One true test of friendship is showing up when your friend is in need. No show means not true friends, right? I shouldn't forget this.

Itaas ang kilay!

I used to be a make-up snob but lately I've started to like putting them on. About early last year, bought an eyebrow thing at Body Shop and been using it since.

This eyebrow make-up has two shades. A light brown one and a darker one. I used the lighter one but it looked weird since, like most Filipinas, I have dark hair. So I stuck to the darker shade. 

I don't have overgrown eyebrows. It's not too light too. I always felt they were adequate. But once I put on eyebrow make up, I felt my eyebrows looked better. 

Can you tell which one has eyebrow make up and which one doesn't? Oh and please excuse my humungous fez 😃😃

Ano po yun?

I was trialing a gym at this "exclusive" country club. Then a family of four came in, thats parents and two daughters. I think they can sense that I wasn't a member yet.

The youngest daughter was probably 8 or 9. They were all speaking in Filipino at first. Then suddenly, the Mom told the youngest this: "Daughter, tell the receptionist to turn on the other aircon."  Daughter said: "Ano po yun?".

So Mom said it again. And Daughter said: "Ano po yun?". 

Mom repeated it for the 3rd time. And Daughter replied the same thing for the 3rd time. 

So finally, Mom said: "Sabihin mo kay Ate na buksan ang aircon."  To which the Daughter said: "Ay ok po".

Tagalogin na lang kasi. Di naman bawal sa country club. 😃😝

School service: More fun in the Philippines!

My son, K, has been in school since 2008, so that's about 6 years already.  He started with play school then.  As I was still working full time, we had no choice but to get him a school bus.  His school was about 2 kilometers away from the house, so the fee was only about P1.5k including Yaya. 

In 2011, we moved him to a big school which was right outside our village so either he walked, biked or if I was working from home, I drove him to and from school.

Source

The following year, SY 2012-2013, he moved to another school, where he is still currently enrolled.  It's a bit far, considering how near his previous schools were, about 7 kilometers from home.  My husband and I shared one car then, so it would be hard to bring K to school.  I had to get a school service, for a round trip fee of P3k.  The thing is, he was picked up before 6:30am and dropped off at 4pm, when dismissal was 2:20.  Poor kid!  But he had to endure it.

That school bus operator was a pain in the behind too.  He would ask for fee advances.  Sometimes he would forget to pick up my son.  The yaya called me one time to say that the school bus hasn't picked up K yet and it was already 7:20 am.  I was on my way to Makati already, and I was in the middle of SLEX.  Good thing our kind neighbor, who's a retired school bus driver and operator, offered to bring K to school. 

The following school year, we finally decided to get another car for the hubs.  We still decided to get a school bus for K, since I didn't have a realiable yaya that entire year.  We had to get another service since we were unhappy with the previous one.  One way school service was 75% of the round trip fee, so we paid about P2.25k monthly.  That school service was very good, they dropped K off on time, they value safety and  were organized.  There were a couple of instances that I had to go to the office and I couldn't get home before 3pm (the time K is dropped off at home).  Usually I'd call them to say drop K last, when I'd be home.  But then a couple of times, K was dropped off at home even when I wasn't home yet.  K ended up staying with the neighbors, or he'd be sitting in front of our house.  That wasn't safe.  So my option was if I had to go to the office, I'd ask them to leave K at school where he is safer and I'd pick him up there myself.

With all the issues we've been facing with the school service and no yaya (then, now we have yaya na!), this year, we finally decided not to get a school service.  I'd bring K to school and then pick him up.  If I have a call or would be traveling to Makati and I'd be late to pick him up, then it's all good since he's at school and he can have more time to play basketball.  It's been almost a month of this and it's working out well for us.  So far so good.  #crossingmyfingers #prayinghard