Barkada Christmas Party: Remembering the 80's

(Photo courtesy of Joey Zab of sleepingonthebus.blogspot.com)

Barkada with husbands and kids

The Girls with the massacred lechon

My college barkada's Christmas party was held last December 23 in J and DV's posh condo unit in Makati. The party's theme: 80's. We had 80's songs playing all throughout the party as we reminisced our happy and carefree college years. We also played a DVD of Duran Duran's concert. That was fun!

Our potluck dinner consisted of Cebu lechon care of SC who celebrated her birthday in November, Conti's baked salmon from MS, glazed spare ribs from PZ, Conti's chicken empanada from MC, Seafood paella prepared by JV, Pancit Malabon from LB and Dencio's kare-kare from me. Desserts were the Banoffee Pie prepared by RW and Blueberry cheesecake by MR (whose family was not able to make it that night.)

RW, who is based in Hongkong was home and was able to join us. We however missed DL and DW who are both in the US.

Merry Christmas!

Let the spirit of love fill our hearts and homes.

In this Holiday Season, may you find many reasons for happiness.

Merry Christmas, from our family to yours!

Hubby's Barkada Christmas Party in Our Home

Australian Porterhouse Steak grilled on the Hob Top Grill

Last night, we spent a fun evening with E's barkada in our home (fast becoming the party place of choice). Last night's theme was "fine dining". We had garlic mushrooms and chips for appetizers, porterhouse steak grilled on our Hob Top Grill with E's special gravy, Fresh Vegetable Salad with cranberry vinaigrette dressing or cilantro dressing, mashed potatoes, and overflowing red wine. We had Polly's Chocolate Cake and Twiggy's yema for dessert.

Best thing about dinner? It was really cheap, cost around P250 per person. We bought the Australian porterhouse steak in Rustan's Rockwell and for the quality of the meat (fresh, tender, tasty) it was good value for money.

The party ended 2:30 AM. And we thought we were too old for til morning partying:-)

Happy 11th Anniversary, My Love!

Tomorrow, December 21, 2007, Hubby and I will be celebrating our 11th Anniversary. Can't believe it's been 11 years since our wedding, and a year since we last celebrated our anniversary.

Last year, on our 10th Anniversary, we went on a trip down memory lane by going to the Orchidarium where we had our wedding reception. There was a wedding there, and guess what, their wedding motif was burgundy! For those of you who attended our wedding 11 years ago, you would remember that burgundy was also our motif. That brought back a lot of good memories...

Last year, we also celebrated with family and our closest friends at Galileo Enoteca in Mandaluyong. It was a joyous celebration with our loved ones. Galileo was the perfect setting for an intimate yet festive celebration. It was a night filled with good food, wine and of course, the people we wanted to celebrate our love with.

This year, we had planned to again celebrate with our dear family and friends, but so far it's been hectic --- We'll try to set something up maybe on Sunday with our family, and some other day with our friends. Or maybe we can just bring something special to our annual barkada reunions ( we already have 3 scheduled until we leave for the US on the 30th).

Despite the lack of time in preparing for a celebration, this anniversary will surely be a memorable one. We are spending 3 weeks together travelling, something that we are both passionate about. We are also excited ( or is it apprehensive? :-) ) that we will be spending almost 24/7 for three weeks together.

To E, Thank you very much for the 11 wonderful years. You inspire me to be the best I can be, you understand me perfectly and you love me as I am. I'm everything I am, because you love me.

Let's Eat and Be Merry

There's something about the Christmas season that makes us want to celebrate with good company and good food. The past few days have been a whirlwind of dining out for me. There goes the diet (as if!!)

- I treated my staff to buffet lunch at Seven Corners (Crowne Plaza Hotel) to celebrate a great year for our group. It was also a welcome treat for a new staff, and a goodbye treat to one of my team leaders who will be retiring at the end of the year. They really had a great time and I feel proud that "sulit" whatever I paid for. There were fresh oysters, smoked salmon and salmon sashimi (my favorites), steak, lechon, several indian/malaysian and chinese dishes, prawns, and a lot more. Desserts were also plentiful,but I only remember the teppanyaki ice cream which continues to be my favorite dessert. By the way, if you are using Citibank credit cards, it is 1 free for every 4 diners (at least when we dined there).

-My lunchgroup had our Christmas lunch in Gloriamaris at the Podium. We had seafood with beancurd soup, BBQ cold cuts combination, crispy chicken with lemon sauce, fried spareribs with orange sauce, steamed pearl fish with soy sauce, braised birthday efu noodles, brocolli with seafoods in white sauce, hot prawn salad, fried sesame butchi and yangchow rice. It was good food, but even better company.

- We were treated to lunch in Senju, Edsa Shangri-La's Japanese restaurant. It was really good, but being kuripot as I am, I wouldn't pay for a meal there :-). We had the sushi and sashimi platters, ebi tempura, and the highlights of the meal: oyster, scallops and beef teppanyaki, which were cooked at our table.

I justify my eating by telling myself that I had to practice for a dance presentation at our Christmas party (think Rico Mambo and Macarena!), and climb 5 flights of stairs to get to my classes. Siguro naman, I'm able to burn some of it off:-)

Panic Time

I just realized that there are:

1. 6 days til the last working day before the Christmas break
2. 10 days til Christmas
3. 15 days til we leave for the US

and I swear I have not done ANY shopping. Time to get organized...

Give Love on Christmas Day

Our employees' charity fund's theme for this Christmas is giving to the abandoned elderly. We went to Anawim Lay Missions Foundation (www.anawim.com.ph) in Montalban, Rizal. Anawim is currently home to about 55 elders, some abandoned children, and some physically and mentally handicapped persons.

The moment I stepped out of the car, I felt the difference. The place was peaceful and beautiful at the same time. The center occupies a portion of the hills, and so the "homes" were perched on the hillside. There was a central gathering place which they used for programs and maybe some meals. We started the gift-giving activity with the residents who were able to join us in the gathering place. I was especially touched when several of the elders were crying when they received their gifts. I can't imagine the loneliness they must feel. And when they each thanked us by saying that "you will be blessed by the Lord", I couldn't help but be humbled. We gave very simple gifts, and it meant so much to them.

We were also able to visit those who were sick in their "homes", which were mostly made of nipa. Each cottage houses about three residents, and they have their own private rooms. Each cottage also has its own toilet. The quarters were simple, yet the elders were well provided for. I admired the way the homes were designed, it is as if they wanted to let the elders feel that they had their own home.

The Chapel was beautiful. It was at the highest level of the center overlooking the "homes". I couldn't help but spend a few moments there in prayer.

We also met the Center "mother" Ms. Neneng Mangahas (who is 76 years old herself) and the volunteers who run the center. They are amazing people, and they truly make the world a better place to live in.

The Week That Was

Highlights of my week are:

1. Cramming lessons in school. Last day for classes is tomorrow, December 10. Finals for my classes will be held on December 17 and 19. Time really flies, classes are about to end, and I haven't done any Christmas shopping!

2. Attended two more inaugurations of schools my Company built-- one in Bagong Silang, Caloocan and another one in Malabon. Met Mayor TobyTiangco. Not only is he good-looking, he is also very warm and humble. I was impressed.

3. Made a major presentation to the Management Committee. Thank God everything went smoothly.

4. My office gave a "despedida" to one of our colleagues who is retiring at the end of the year after 32 years of service! It was a sad occasion, and also a happy one. He deserves to enjoy the fruits of his labor, and we are happy for him. My staff prepared a touching slide presentation of his 32 year stay with the Company and I had to make a speech! Major stress:-) I felt really sad because he helped me a lot. He was with the Division way before me ( I became Head in 2003) and he was one who gave me all the information I needed to run the Division well. I owe him a lot.

5. A very hectic weekend:
a. Visit to my parents on Saturday lunch.
b. Birthday party of E's cousin on Saturday evening.
c. Attended the blessing of the new home of BT, E's friend, at Montgomery Place on Sunday noon. Wow, it was an amazing new home, something like those in the pages of home magazines ,complete with all the latest gadgets. And the community itself is impressive, being an Ayala development. Two clubhouses, well-maintained facilities, wide streets and tight security.
d. Attended the birthday celebration of MR, E's brother-in-law at Taste Asia (yup, it's becoming to be our favorite gathering place). The family had Savory chicken, pancit, lomi soup, tempura, sinigang, clams with tausi and ginataang kuhol. Dessert was bibingka and puto bumbong (sp?). Everything for less than P200 per person. We stayed until 4:30PM. The kids enjoyed the amusement center and we adults enjoyed chatting while a choir sang Christmas carols.
e. MC Depot to finally decide on our bathroom renovation. I was actually surprised at how much we were going to spend. Not really daunting, and we are really very excited. I've been dreaming about that "rain showerhead" for so long:-) We're tentatively set on a blue themed bathroom downstairs, and an earth colored one upstairs.
f. Dinner date at Cyma, a Greek restaurant in Shangri-la Mall, with E. We had the Hummus appetizer, Roka Salata salad and Chicken kebab.

Next week will even be busier. Stay tuned.

Day with My Family

After E and I spoke so well of Taste Asia, my family insists that we take them there. So now, it's my family's turn to experience Taste Asia. Note that E and I just dined with E's family the day before. It was still good anyway... this time we had Sinigang na Salmon and Baked Oysters aside from the Tempura(please be reminded that this is the first time my family had this). I still love the place, especially knowing that we spent only around P1,000 for 6 persons including drinks that we bought in the grocery. Taste Asia has glasses and ice available, making it possible to just buy drinks from the grocery.

Aside from Taste Asia, my family also wanted to try Mom and Tina's after reading about the place twice in this blog, and so we went there for dessert and coffee. We had the Toblerone Walnut Torte, Strawberry Walnut Torte, Sugar-free Chocolate Mousse, Chocolate Cupcake and coffee. It was a good place for my family to enjoy each other's company, the ambiance was very calming (very quiet especially compared to SM Hypermart), the couches were so comfortable, and the service excellent.

Updated Pictures of My Niece Baby S

With her Tita T, at T's home

With her Mom S, after eating Tito E's spaghetti

In the dress I bought for her

Day with Hubby's Family

Dinner at Taste Asia, SM Hypermart

Dessert of Chocolate Fondue, Lunch at our home

We spent the day with Hubby's family. They all came to our home for lunch. We prepared grilled hamburgers and sausages using our new Hob Top Grill and Griddle. It was very convenient to use, we just put the griddle on top of the gas stove. Hubby prepared a very tasty gravy to go with burgers and sausages. The kids found the gravy so good that they put this on the rice as well. But the highlight of the meal is the dessert, Chocolate Fondue where we used our Bodum Fondue set. We melted dark belgian chocolate in the fondue and dipped marshmallows and bananas in it. Yummy!

For dinner, we decided to go to Taste Asia (again!) for the rest of the family to experience dining there. Of course we had to have the tempura for the kids (and the adults as well). We also had the chicken and pancit from Savory and the Popia Fresh Chinese Lumpia. Nope, will never get tired of these!

Can We Recover From This?

It was a sad day for Filipinos last November 29. After the economic recovery that we have been experiencing this year, this has to happen. Of course you know that I'm talking about Sen. Trillanes' coup attempt. Granting that there is dissatisfaction and doubt in the way the Philippines is run, I still believe that there are better venues to express dissatisfaction. I would have thought that now that he is in power (being a senator and all) he would have found a way to make a difference for us.

I choose not to be a political person, but I feel sad for us. I am reminded of several conversations I've had with investors and investment analysts on whether the Philippines is worthy of foreign investment. What do you think now?

Last Week's Food Adventures

Mom and Tina's Bakery Cafe - Hubby and I discovered this cafe when our friend MB gifted Hubby with a Strawberry Walnut Torte on his birthday. We have since bought their Mango Walnut Torte and the Dark Toblerone Chocolate Walnut Torte cakes. Last Tuesday, Hubby treated me for dinner because he will be away for the next two nights and we decided to try their food. We tried their Philly Steak Sandwich and Beef Stew and we loved them! Although the Philly Steak Sandwich did not have as much cheese as that of South Philly Steak and Fries which my friend PZ and I ate in Woodbury Commons, New York, it was good and filling. The Beef Stew was really good, the beef was very tender and the sauce very tasty. Mom and Tina's is located in the same building as Panciteria San Jacinto in Libis.

Heat, Edsa Shangri-la Hotel - Heads of the Finance group in the office dined here last Friday and we had a blast. The buffet included lamb chops with mint sauce, roast beef, prawns, mussels, clams, prawns thermidore,japanese sushi, maki and sashimi, peking duck, soft shell crabs, pizza, and a lot more. I feasted on salmon sashimi, smoked salmon and prawns thermidore. Of course dessert included fried ice cream and halo-halo. I had the fried ice cream.

Taste Asia, SM Hypermart - We had dinner with Hubby's sister and family on Saturday night. Since my nephews love tempura, we had to have this again-- the kids were excited to see so much tempura! We also ordered chicken from Savory and Popia's Fresh Chinese Lumpia. Everything was so good, and so cheap!

Kulinarya, Power Plant Mall - After Mass today, we decided to dine in this restaurant. We had the mediteranean roll for appetizer, the gamberi pasta for me and beef teppanyaki for Hubby.

Before you make any comments on how much I eat, I will be defensive and say that for the two nights that Hubby wasn't with me, I only ate bread for dinner, I had oatmeal every morning the entire week, and had salads for lunch (except when we ate at Heat). :-p

Charity Week

My week was extraordinary.

I had the opportunity to be part of 2 charity events this week.

1. I am Treasurer of the Foundation established by the company I work for. Among the Foundation's projects are building schools in Gawad Kalinga communities. If you are familiar with Gawad Kalinga, you already know that the organization helps build homes and communities for the less fortunate. Last Wednesday, we inaugurated a new school (the 15th, if I remember right). I am always humbled by the presence of people who do Gawad Kalinga work, and I am glad now that I have a small part in helping build communities for the less fortunate.

2. Employess of my company can voluntary contribute to a Fund that will be used specifically for charity work. This is separate from the foundation above. Funding for the foundation above comes from the company. This Fund is solely funded by the employees' voluntary contributions ( a minimum of P10 a month). I am part of the Board of Trustees whose main responsibilities are selecting and prioritizing outreach/charity projects and managing the fund. One of our projects is a monthly medical and dental mission in depressed areas around Metro Manila. Today, we were in a community in Caloocan. I'm very tired now, but I didn't feel it when I was there. Everytime I participate in these missions, I always learn a lot of things and I always feel thankful for what I have. I just feel lucky that my loved ones and I don't have that much difficulty with medical and dental care for ourselves. And really, P10 a month goes a long, long way --- and really, what is P10 to us?

Josephine's Tagaytay

After checking out of Canyon Woods, we decided to have lunch at Josephine's. It was the advanced birthday treat of my brother-in-law R. It was very good food at a very reasonable price. We had the Buffet at only P320 per person (P250 for kids). This includes kare-kare, lechon kawali, shrimp ukoy. pinakbet and inihaw everything (fish, pork, beef and chicken). The inihaw na baka (grilled beef) was the best, it was tender and tasty. For dessert, there was make-your-own-halo-halo, leche flan and all kinds of kakanin. The buffet is outdoors, which allowed us to enjoy Tagaytay's cool air while having a delicious meal.

Celebrating 45 Years of Married Bliss

At the Church

Mom and Dad with children -- Canyon Woods Country Club

Pamangkins with their Tito E

It's Christmas at the Canyon Woods Country Club Lobby

My Parents-in-law celebrated their 45th Wedding Anniversary last Saturday, November 17. It is a major milestone and one that merits a grand celebration. The whole family spent a grand weekend at the Canyon Woods Resort in Tagaytay. The celebration started off with a Holy Mass sponsored by the family. The children played major roles in the mass, one was lector, and the others, readers. The celebrants and the apos were the offerors. The priest congratulated Mom and Dad, and so did the whole community. It was a very touching moment for the family. The priest also said a very special blessing at the end of the Mass for Mom and Dad, and the entire family.

We then went to the Club House for a sumptuous dinner. After dinner, we spent the whole night bonding over snacks and drinks at the house we rented for the weekend.

We wish our Parents more blessings in the coming years, and we congratulate them for a very happy union all these years. They are indeed an inspiration for us children-- that we treasure our partners and our families, and work hard for harmony in our homes. To Mom and Dad, we love you!

Taste Asia

Just wanted to share our dining experience at Taste Asia in SM Hypermart. I had a craving for Ebi Tempura, and someone told me that if I wanted to eat a lot of Ebi Tempura, I should go there. The Food Court has a Fresh Seafood Section that allows customers to purchase their seafood first (there were live fresh fish) and having them cooked there. Very much like the "paluto"restaurants in Paranaque, Libis and Ortigas Home Depot. The prawns were P250 per 500 grams and the Lapu-lapu at P300 per 500 grams. Just to give you an idea, a 350 gram order of prawns is equivalent to about 35 pieces of tempura. Cooking charges are P120 per kilo. It was value for money dining in a relatively pleasant and clean place. The advantage here is you don't have to go "marketing"at a non-airconditioned area. Everything is within the foodcourt. You should try it sometime.

Responses to "Goodbye, My Friend"

Just wanted to share with you some of the message exchange in response to my entry "Goodbye, My Friend". I hope my friend is happy up there when he reads all of these:

From Nonie's sister M:
Hello , this is m. With this letter, fresh memories of kuya again flashed into my mind and i cannot help myself but to cry once more as i again vividly remember our moments with kuya. Thank you so much for being a friend to kuya, like you, i am very sure kuya felt the same way with your friendship. God Bless and our best regards to you and your family.

regina on November 16th, 2007 03:41 am (UTC)Re: A good friend...a good brother....
Hi M,He will always be remembered here. He was a dear friend and we will always appreciate what he has done for us. Thanks for taking the time to comment. Kamusta sa family nyo.

N on November 16th, 2007 04:29 am (UTC)hello
Read your testimonial, and I appreciate your kind words of friendship. Hope we could be close friends also, tahimik kasi ako eh. I do not usually speak out my thoughts, unlike sir Noni. I think he knows what you wrote, even if you did not express it to him openly while he is still around. The fact that he frequently goes to your office meant he reciprocates your gesture.He is more than a boss to me, like a big brother pa nga at times. Tama ka, he seems to understand, even if you will not speak out your thoughts to him. I also remembered him one time, kasi this time of the year last year, I was so stressed with work. Kasabay ng accident ng husband ko, sir Noni wasn't able to go to work then so I had to pitch in for him with so many meetings and reports na kailangan. One time, he called the office (he was very sick na pala) and said "hiyang" daw ako sa trabaho. He made things look and seem lighter with his jokes, even at his most troubled times.We will truly miss a good friend, like him.

regina on November 16th, 2007 05:47 am (UTC)Re: hello
Hi N,Your comment reminded me of his sense of humor. Yun nga talaga ata ang talent nya, to make things better for all of us. Now that Nonie is gone, I look forward to working and bonding with you more frequently.

From one of my staff:
(Anonymous) on November 16th, 2007 09:34 am (UTC)
Nice one!Sir Nonie was a good friend and a very nice lunch partner. Too bad. It was during those months that he was feeling ill that I got to know more about him, and sometimes about his family too. Never went back to the coffee place yet. I was afraid coffee won't be good anymore coz the food on our frequent resto seems to taste bland. Maybe it was his company that made it good and tasty.I wasn't able to share this, but he was extremely proud of his sister, the one who is into the textile/clothing business. And he was even prouder to be able to offer some help to her.I learned a lot from him, sometimes, his words do make me change my point of view. And definitely will not forget his lectures when he comes over to our office during coffee breaks. From company history, to company politics to everyday trivia. Thank you for crossing paths to our lives. Even that won't be enough

regina on November 16th, 2007 05:49 pm (UTC)
Hi ,We all miss those days. The lunchouts and the places he introduced us to, Starbucks and Mocha Blends and the daily conversation. We all wish we could have spent more time with him, but what's important is we don't forget what we have learned from him and what his friendship meant to us.

Dining Out

I can talk about one of my favorite activities again and again. I just realized that even if I had written an almost day-to-day account of my life, I wasn't able to write about some of the restaurants I've visited with friends or Hubby the last few weeks... Here are some:

1. Mr. Choi at Robinson's Galeria - I was here twice in a span of two weeks (once with girlfriends and another time with office barkada). Really something that my friends and I look forward to. We always have the fish fillet with garlic. Other favorite dishes are the squid with pepper and garlic, yang chow fried rice and hakaw.

2. Savory at SM Hypermart - Was here thrice in a span of two weeks, once with my office lunchgroup (different from my office barkada), and twice with Hubby whose favorite is the Lomi soup. Another "must have" is their chicken. By the way Hubby and I were there when Claudine Barretto and Raymart Santiago were there. Did you read about their encounter with the person who supposedly was responsible for putting Gretchen's pictures with John Estrada on the internet?

3. Kitaro - with Hubby's sister and her family. Our nephews love kani sushi and ebi tempura and Kitaro is always a wonderful treat for them. And I love Japanese food, whether they are from fastfood type restaurants or high-end restaurants.

4. Pancake House - Hubby and I are here almost every week, specifically the Metrowalk branch! I love the fiesta taco salad, and he loves the waffles.

5. Zaifu at Powerplant- reasonable and fairly good Japanese food.

6. Hot Rocks - super cheap and delicious steak. We love this place.

Goodbye, My Friend

Los Banos Outing
Breakfast at Something Fishy

I lost a very good friend early this year. I've been meaning to write about him, but I couldn't bring myself to it. But these days, I miss his friendship terribly. We were both division heads under one department and we shared the same values and attitude towards work. Our friendship was grounded on how we were always idealistic about how we can make a difference in our workplace. We were each other's "cheer leader" in everything we did at work. We had adjoining offices and we would usually take our coffee and lunch breaks together with some of our staff. In fact, it was him who brought our department closer. He organized an outing in Los Banos, and breakfast and lunch outs from time to time. Our favorite bonding activity would be breakfast at Something Fishy in Eastwood and lunch at Marikit-na in Metrowalk.

Last year, I was really feeling down about a lot of things, and I didn't really tell him why, but he really is a good friend. I'm not sure if he felt that I was having a difficult time, but he surely went out of his way to make sure that I was ok.

But the best thing that I remember about him would be that he was someone you know who would be there for you no matter what. He was someone you can count on for support, but would not expect anything in return. I miss him now. I realize that there is no one else who can understand how I feel about work and how I am with the people I work with. I just regret that I didn't let him know how his friendship meant to me when he was here.

I never had the chance to say goodbye, too. We visited him in the hospital the day before he died but he wasn't in a condition to see visitors by then.

So now I say goodbye...

To my friend Nonie, thank you for everything.

Cramming

My worst habit is probably cramming. I usually finish things at the last minute. I have to check about 60+ exam papers and compute student grades by tomorrow. I waited the last minute to do it today at 10:00 PM. I also have to finish a presentation for submission to my Boss by tomorrow, and I'm now experiencing mental block. I find out that I can only concentrate on something when I am under time pressure. So I guess, I will finish that presentation 5 minutes before I am due to present it to my Boss tomorrow. Meanwhile, I have to finish checking these papers...

P.S. For those who are interested in wagyu beef, finally found the contact details: The Steak Lady, Tel numbers 8069537 and 0920-5222898.

Midterms

Can't believe we're already halfway through this school term. My students just had their exams and I will be giving them their midterm grades next week. I usually base my workplan for the last half of the term on the midterm grades. I know that the class is ok if more than half have grades of >70.

I'm looking forward to the last half of the term. This is usually when most of the students gear up so that they can achieve their target grades, so students are more studious and are more attentive. And, their individual papers are due on the 5th of December, and presentations start soon after. This means that there would be less lectures from me:-)

Can't wait until the end of the term.

Another Long Weekend

This long weekend turned out to be one of the most relaxing ones. The only busy day was November 1 itself, All Saints' Day when we had to go to a cemetery. That afternoon was spent with Hubby's family at their parents' house.

November 2- Friday

Hubby and I went to Greenbelt to eat and just to look around. We spent some time in Greenbelt 4 to check out the new things in the stores. And then we checked out the new Greenbelt 5. There's nothing much there yet, and it was dusty, so if you're curious about it, don't go there yet! That evening we went grocery shopping at SM Hypermart, Pasig. We spent a relaxing evening at home. I started watching The Hills, and I'm hooked. Is it really reality-based? I'm in the second season now and it was so great to watch it through the internet. And, are you following Grey's Anatomy? What do you think about it? I think I'm slowly not liking it anymore...

November 3- Saturday

My family had lunch in our home. We prepared spaghetti, which is the favorite dish of my niece S, salad with mango dressing, beef salpicao and fish tempura. We had a videoke session after lunch :-)
Hubby's family then had dinner with us that night. We prepared inihaw na liempo, squid and vegetables. We again had a videoke session that night. Pinoy nga kami!

November 4- Sunday

We stayed at home in the morning to clean and fix things up, then went to the Powerplant to hear Mass and have dinner. Saw my good friend PZ and husband JZ there. Oh, yeah, bought something from Zara for our trip (haha, super excited talaga).

Oh no, it'll be Monday again tomorrow, and this week, we have to work for 5 days!

I've Been Tagged...

By my friends Shiela and Macon to write 8 Random Facts about me. Okay, here goes:
1. When I was young, I dreamed of becoming a stewardess because I wanted to travel. Of course when I learned that there was a height requirement and that you would have to be a good swimmer, I gave up on that dream.
2. I'm a product of the public school system.
3. I want to learn how to sing and so I bought a Magic Sing. Sabi kasi ni Tessa Prieto-Valdes (the socialite who won in a celebrity singing contest) practice lang daw yan. Kawawa naman my husband because he has to listen to me practice.
4. In addition to being a stewardess, I also wanted to be a teacher. Little did I know that I will fulfill that dream late in my life. (Yikes, I sound so old)
5. I'm a fan of anything that spells "youth romance". I was a reader of the Sweet Dreams series until I was 26 years old. Among my favorite TV shows are Felicity, One Tree Hill, Friday Night Lights, OC, Life as We Know It, etc.
6. I'm obsessed with fragrances. I spend a lot on perfumes, shower gels, liquid hand soaps and home fragrance oils.
7. I spend most of my extra money on designer bags. Sometimes, my bag is more valuable than the contents of my bag (minsan P200 lang laman ng wallet ko).
8. I love to eat, which is quite obvious, kaya lang wala na akong maisip ilagay dito:-)

Long Weekend 2

These long weekends are spoiling us!

Oct 27 - Saturday

Stayed home in the morning watching DVDs and surfing the internet. Left the house at around 3:45 to catch the 4:30 mass in Santuario. Went to the NBC Tent at the Fort to look at the Bazaar. We were especially curious if the stall of Ikea products is there. It wasn't. But we found some interesting things: wagyu steak, salad dressings, and export overruns of American clothing brands. Of course we were so curious to find out what's so special about Wagyu beef, and so we bought a couple of packs. Also bought a cute Polo Ralph Lauren dress for my niece S. I was interested in the brand "Thea" which had white cotton nightgowns/lounging dresses which looked very nice and comfortable, but found the prices at P700-800 quite steep. I was still happy with my P80 night gowns from Divisoria. We had dinner at Italianni's, Bonifacio High Street after.

Oct 28- Sunday

Attended the 7th birthday party of GC, son of AC, my good friend at work. Met Hubby's family after.

Oct 29- Monday

Visited my late grandparents at Manila Memorial Park in Sucat. Went to my parents' house after for lunch. My niece S was at her element, charming us to the hilt. Met up with Hubby's family again to go to MC Depot in Fort and grocery shopping at S&R. It was my first time there, and it actually reminded me of Costco in the US. Had an early dinner at the S&R food court . Have you tried their Quarter Pound Burger? It was good!

Remembering Lolo and Lola

We started our yearly visit to our departed loved ones today ( a holiday here in Manila).My closest loved ones who have already left us would be my Grandfather (who died in August 2003) and Grandmother (who died in March 1998) . They are parents of my Mom. I would like to write about them and how they influenced my life:

1. My love for travel is greatly influenced by them. I still remember clearly when my grandfather joined the United Nations when I was about 4 years old. He was assigned in Zambia, Africa for several years and my grandmother would regularly write us, their grandchildren, about their adventures in Africa and their visits to several European countries. We would receive pictures of them in different countries, postcards, and letters. After the African assignment, my grandfather would be assigned to Egypt and Singapore for several years. But their greatest pleasure was to travel, and so they spent a lot of their R&R visiting Europe and the United States.

2. Both my grandfather and grandmother started their careers as teachers. My grandfather taught for several years as an expert with the United Nations and several universities as lecturer. And, he taught at a business graduate school until he was way past retirement age! I may have gotten some of my inspiration from them as a teacher. Unfortunately, they were not able to witness my career as a teacher, but I'm sure they're proud of what I do now.

3. My grandfather was able to successfully balance professional work as well as teaching. He was able to rise from the ranks to become one of the top executives in several corporations, while also teaching part-time in the evenings ( and I think only because he really loves teaching!).

4. My love for studying could be from my grandfather. My grandfather graduated with a degree in Education first, but that did not stop him from studying further. He continued on to finish his Accounting, Law and Masters in Industrial Relations degrees thereafter.

5. My grandmother was a very devoted wife and mother, and took very good care of my grandfather and their family very well. She became a very good cook and we would all look forward to Sunday lunches that she would lovingly prepare. I'm not a good cook, but I am inspired by how she took care of her family while my grandfather worked very hard. I hope I can be a good wife, too.

6. All throughout my life, I've heard stories of how my grandparents helped a lot of people, from relatives to friends, subordinates, househelp and a lot of other people. Their help were in several forms, including financial and emotional. I hope Hubby and I can also make a difference in the lives of other people.

Made It (Friday na!)

It's the end of another week, and what a week it was. The rest of my work week:

Oct. 24 -Wed

8AM-2:30 PM The usual paperwork and teleconferences with financial analysts and investors
2:30-4:30 PM Board Meeting and Treasurer's Report for Company 2
6-7:30 PM Financial Management Class
7:45-9:15PM Managerial Accounting Class

After 1.5 months, I'm finally adjusting to my classes. I already know each of my students, and I already have an idea what kind of grades they are going to get at the end of the term (Well, I still have to see how well they will do in their Finals and individual papers). Unfortunately for my students, I even know when a student steps out of the class and how long they're out. A 15 minute "break" means they are marked absent. The good part, I'm now more at ease with my students and welcome the occasional bantering with them.

Oct. 25- Thu

Had several teleconferences, in addition to the regular work that I do. Regular work includes preparation of analysis and reports, and review and approval of reports prepared by my staff. After work, since Hubby had a dinner with a client, I went to the Podium to do some errands. Found out that one of my favorite restaurants, Pinoydon, is already closed (or is it just undergoing renovation?). Topshop and Dorothy Perkins were on sale. Body Shop was still on sale, and no, I didn't buy more home fragrance oils (although I was tempted to, hehe). Watched an episode of Gossip Girl. Am not sure I like it. It didn't have as much impact to me as some of my favorite "youth" shows such as Friday Night Lights and One Tree Hill. I like watching these shows, they make me feel young :-)

Oct. 26- Fri

My team was responsible for conducting an Investors Briefing, a quarterly event where we report on the quarter results. It was successful, with a lot of attendees and was fairly smooth-sailing. Went straight home after work since Hubby had another Company event, and his office barkada were also going out after the event. Ate an early dinner of pasta with olive oil, garlic and hungarian sausage and then had a marathon of OC's Season 4. It was a good way to unwind. Compared to Gossip Girl, I still like OC more.

Tuesday

8:30-9AM - Meeting with CFO on a very important presentation
9AM - Gave instructions to staff on what needs to be done by the end of the day
10 AM-12NN - Meeting with the President, CFO and staff on the 3rd Quarter Financial Results to be presented to investors on Friday. Almost lost my cool (grrr...)
12NN-1Pm - Lunch at the Executive Dining Room with my regular lunch group. Thank God for them, I was able to relax and forget about my very bad meeting.
1PM -4PM - Worked on my presentation for tomorrow for a Board Meeting of another company (Company 2) where I am also Treasurer.
4-5:30 PM - Meeting with the Management Team of Company 1 where I am Treasurer (the company that had a Board Meeting yesterday).
5:30-6:30 PM - Meeting with staff of Company2 for a dry-run of my presentation for tomorrow.
Maybe I need 3 notebooks now for Main Company, Company 1 and Company 2. I get my notes mixed up sometimes :-)

Am glad for this little mid-week break:

7:30-9PM Dinner with Hubby and his business associate J at Seafood Island, Eastwood City
9-11PM Coffee with Hubby's friend JD and wife GD who own a business in Eastwood at Starbucks

Tomorrow is an even longer day... My Board presentation for Company 2 and classes in the evening.

2 days down, 3 to go...

Why I Don't Like Mondays

This was how my day was today:

8-10 AM - Board Meeting where I assisted the CFO
11 AM- 1 PM - Board Meeting of another company where I am Treasurer
1PM-5PM - Worked on presentations and reports
5PM - Leave for school
6-7:30 PM - Financial Management class of 30 students
7:45-9 PM- Managerial Accounting class of 38 students
10 PM - Arrive home
10:30 -10:40 PM- Download files sent to me by my staff through email so I can review and revise for my 8:30AM meeting tomorrow
10:40 - R&R by checking my email, Multipy account and writing this :-)
10:50-onwards - FINISH WORK!

Will I last till Friday? Abangan!

Dear God, Thank you for...

Basilique du Sacre Couer, Paris, May 2004

1. Taking care of my family.

a. That my Dad and Mom are well, and are kept active and busy with their friends and other activities.

b. My parents-in-law too, who are venturing on a small business that will also keep them busy.

c. My niece, who never ceases to amaze me. She now loves to sing and dance!

d. My sister, brother and my brothers and sisters-in-law, who are all doing well.

2. Financial rewards for Hubby and me

a. That we are able to enjoy a very comfortable life.

b. That we will be able to travel at the end of theyear.

c. That we are able to share our blessings.

3. Friends who keep me sane.

4. All the opportunities given to me in terms of professional growth.

a. That I am learning new things.

b. That I am a better mentor and teacher.

c. That I am better at managing my time.

Friday Night Date...

With myself! Hubby has an evening function tonight and so, I had to spend the evening by myself. I went home straight from work, ate an early dinner of leftovers and watched DVDs the whole evening. I finally finished Season 1 of Ugly Betty. Kakainis sobrang bitin. If my Globe connection wasn't so bad, I would be watching Season 2 on the internet right now. Also watched Knocked Up, which I didn't like. I think my expectations were too high because I heard and read good reviews of the movie.

Glorietta Blast

I just came back to the office from lunchbreak with my officemates at SM Megamall when I heard about the news from Hubby. First thing I did when I heard it was to text my Mom, Dad and sister (I saw my brother in SM Megamall, so I knew he was far from Makati) just to make sure they're safe. Thank God, they were.

But I can't help feeling bad for the people who died or who were seriously injured. If there really was a bomb, I can't help but think, how can people be so bad, killing or seriously hurting other people? I pray for the people who died and who were hurt. I also pray for their families.

Weekend Fun

It was another long weekend in Manila, no work last Friday :-)

October 12- Friday

Though Hubby had to work up to early afternoon, we went out late afternoon with his parents.
1. Lunch for me and merienda for them at Cafe Bola, Greenbelt 3. This is turning out to be one of our favorite restaurants. I had the adobo flakes with kesong puti again, while hubby got the carambola with mushroom sauce. My in-laws shared a chicken asparagus sandwich.
2. Went to Abenson-- and came out with three purchases:
a. Found the perfect cooktop -- an Elba in stainless steel
b. WOW Magic Sing -- hehe
c. Food processor -- can't wait for more of Hubby's pesto sauce
3. Dinner and dessert at Razon's
4. Hubby and Father-in-law installed our new cooktop. It really looks great!

October 13 - Saturday

1. Lunch at the Baptismal Reception for Baby M, daughter of Hubby's cousin TS and wife GS in Gloriamaris, Greenhills. Peking Duck!
2. Pasyal at Alabang Town Center. Body Shop was on Sale. Bought 3months supply of home fragrance oils at Buy 2 take 1. But they were still more expensive than the Bath and Body Works oils I asked my friend DL to buy in the US at only $3 each (from $7.50). Can't wait to take them home in January.
3. Dinner at my Parents', with my sister and my brother's family. Baby S is absolutely adorable. She now knows how to kiss already (both flying and on the cheeks) and is really malambing.
4. Coffee and dessert with Hubby's cousin FF and wife LF at Churritos Cafe in BF Paranaque.

October 14 -Sunday

1. Tested the Magic Sing:-)
2. Cleaned the house
3. Lunch at KFC, Powerplant
4. Mass at the Powerplant
5. Dinner at Gram's Diner

Bitin pa rin, but enough to keep me going for the week...

Are We Working Too Hard?

I just thought about this now. In addition to the 8-hour working days (which is really more like 10 hours because I would usually stay after work hours or work at home), I also work an additional 3 hours every Monday and Wednesday teaching(not counting the travel time which amounts to about 2 hours, and the preparation of lectures, exams and grading the exams which could be as much as 5 hours a week). So it turns out, I work more than 56 hours a week.

Hubby on the other hand usually works on weekends for the family business, in addition to his work in a multinational company.

Wala lang, gave me more reasons to enjoy our time together and to indulge in things that we enjoy.

How I Fight Depression

Well, thankfully, depression bouts have been few and far in between. These can be triggered by a difficult day at work or at school, a realization that I would have to choose my friends more wisely, or thoughts of not accomplishing enough at my age. But I try to fight depression by doing the following:
1. Eating my favorite junk food: Lay's potato chips and coke light (hopefully I won't get depressed by my weight soon, or I would have to scrap this from the list).
2. Watching my favorite TV shows: Grey's Anatomy, Brothers and Sisters, Ugly Betty, CSI, Heroes, Friday Night Lights (best done while doing the above).
2. Writing about happy thoughts -- travel plans, Hubby, family, friends
3. Shopping -- except when I feel I don't earn enough :-)
4. Surfing the internet for training programs that I can recommend for my company to send me to.
5. Emailing or texting friends -- but sometimes this leaves me more depressed when I don't get responses. And I'm back to thinking that I really have to choose my friends more wisely.
6. Praying -- that I snap out of it soon!

Have I been successful in fighting it? Sometimes yes, and sometimes no. But we really have to fight it, right?

Things That Made My Weekend

1. Friday evening with my parents and my brother's family. Had a great time seeing my niece S and running after her, also watching her eat junkfood. When she grows up, I promised her I will bring her to Pancake House every weekend.
2. Spending the whole Saturday with Hubby.
a. Cleaning the house in the morning
b. Accompanying him to his doctor's appointment in the afternoon and Doctor T saying he is ok.
c. Having lunch at my brother-in-law's place in Quezon City and watching the first 30 minutes of Grey's Anatomy's first episode of Season 4. Super bitin because we had to leave na to catch the mass.
d. Going to mass at Santuario de San Antonio.
e. Looking at things in MC Depot (we're planning our dream bathroom and looking for the perfect cooktop to replace our old one).
f. Having dinner in Gaudi at Serendra. Have you had the steak there?? We ate too much, we should have invited two more people...
3. Seeing my dear college barkada on Sunday afternoon. DL had to come home to be with her Dad who suffered a mild stroke. We all went to see her at her home, also to see how her Dad is doing. Glad to know that he is recovering very well, and still looks dashing. Had a great time with my dear friends. DL's mom and aunt prepared a sumptuous merienda of pasta buffet, barbecue and lumpiang shanghai. We brought the sweets... cakes from Red Ribbon, Mom and Tina's, Salcedo Market and sapin-sapin. It was more like merienda and dinner in one meal.
4. Watching the first ten episodes of Season 1 of Ugly Betty. I LOVE THE SHOW!!!!

Things To Do

BEFORE THE END OF THE WEEK
1. Finalize US itinerary and flights within the US
BEFORE THE END OF THE YEAR
1. Pay off all outstanding debt (except debt on the house which will mature in July 2008 and on the car which will mature in March 2009).
2. Save at least 40% of everything that I will earn from October to December for our travel and shopping fund. Airplane tickets and meal allowances have been taken cared of:-)
3. Buy a food processor, a new cooktop for our modular kitchen and a magic sing (just a short explanation on this --- in our company, being able to sing in a company social is a "requirement" for promotion to a top level rank. I'm desperate to be at least confident when I sing when the time comes).

How Not To Lose Weight:-)

Few people would believe that when I got married, I was only 105lbs heavy, and around 7 years ago, I was only maybe 115lbs. Hubby and I were talking about it and he said that I should look for pictures of when we were still dating, when we got married and of a few years ago just to see how I have gained so much weight over the last couple of years. I guess I just love food. Years ago, it wasn't too much of a problem. I was younger, I used to take the bus , I didn't have business lunches, and Hubby and I didn't really dine at expensive restaurants. But now, I get to enjoy the fruits of my hardwork (a car, business lunches which are usually buffet in a hotel,and dining out), but the downside is, it's harder to manage my weight.

Some trivia:

-During a business lunch with a business associate in Hongkong, he said "I really love taking you out because you eat a lot and you eat everything!" (We've had lunch a few times before) Umm, muntik na ko mawalan ng gana kumain, pero sayang, ang mahal ng food sa Hongkong and he brought me to this award-winning restaurant pa naman :-) In fairness, he meant it as a compliment and added that "I really enjoy your company and look forward to your visits." Syempre, he can eat in his favorite restaurants on his company's expense!

-During another business lunch with another business associate also in Hongkong, this guy brought me to this yummy dimsum place, which I think is called "Dimsum Tea House" or something like that (they have a branch in the HK International Airport) and ordered I think 20 kinds of dimsum for the TWO of us. Hello! But he said, "Just so you can try everything". I won't tell you how many pieces I ate... This same guy brought me to this Thai restaurant in Repulse Bay and ordered maybe 5 dishes for the two of us. Needless to say, I was very very full after that lunch.

-During a business lunch with 3 guys at the Seven Corners in Crowne Plaza, I ate as much as them. Although most of what I ate were smoked salmon, salmon sashimi and fresh oysters, I did try the roast beef. The lechon was tempting but I decided not to try it anymore. And, I almost finished the oyster platter that was served to us. Nahihiya kasi ako not to finish it, we asked to be served, tapos di namin uubusin? What will they do with our leftovers naman? And, while they had fresh fruits for dessert, of course I had the teppanyaki ice cream. :-)

Sunday is Family Day

Hubby and I had a busy schedule today. We met his side of the family in Alabang Town Center(ATC) in the afternoon, and saw my side in my parents' home for dinner.

We started out with lunch at Pancake House (our favorite for cheap and satisfying meals) and a stroll around ATC while waiting for his family. Of course we had to pass by Tutto Moda where a lot of new stocks just came in. I saw this pair of Tod's shoes at 65% off that would be a perfect match to my 65% off bag! I also discovered Cereo where home fragrance oils were sold. The oils are cheaper here than the brands that I usually buy (Body Shop at P250 per 10ml bottle, Zen Zest at P110 per 15ml bottle, Fruits and Passion at P845 per 30ml bottle) at P195 per 30ml bottle. I decided to try two of the variants. Hopefully I will like these after I try them the next few days. Of course the highlight of the afternoon was coffee at Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf and ice cream at Haagen Dazs with Hubby's family.

For dinner, my Uncle B (my Dad's brother) and his family, who are now based in Canada, came to visit. We had a great time updating each other. The last time I saw my Uncle B and Aunt A would be about 3 years ago, but the last time I saw my cousin J would be more than 15 years ago. We were especially interested in how life is in Canada, asking about the job market and the cost of living there. Just something to think about for the future...

Just one of those days when we feel thankful for having our families:-)

TGIS!

It has been so long since Hubby and I spent a relaxing Saturday, just the two of us. We fixed things up at home in the morning and had a beef salpicao lunch. We left the house in the afternoon to catch the mass at Santuario de San Antonio in Forbes. I promised Hubby I'll treat him to La Nuovo Pasteleria at the San Antonio Plaza in Forbes for dinner. I've been dying to go there since I heard good reviews of the place. It was a very pleasant dining experience, very good food and good value for money. Hubby says it reminded him of the small cafes in Florence. We ordered the bruschetta appetizer not knowing that they served appetizers on the house, pasta with olive oil, garlic and shrimps which was very tasty, and the chicken fillet dish. We were very full! We also learned that we can buy sundried tomatoes,smoked salmon and fresh mozzarella there.

After dinner, we decided to pass by Bonifacio High Street before going home, to have coffee perhaps or just walk around and see what's new. First stop was All Flip Flops, which was fortunately on sale. I bought myself a pair of Havaianas (only my third...). We also went to Alessi which is currently having its soft opening. We had a great time there, the people were so informative and very helpful. Hubby has been dying to buy a wine bottle opener (which were all one of a kind), unfortunately, they still don't honor credit cards, so... maybe next time (what a convenient excuse, hehe). We found a lot of very interesting items for the home... the items were expensive but very unique. We told ourselves that we would buy to reward ourselves for all the hardwork we've been doing:-) Next stop was Bo Concept, the furniture store where we drooled on living room, dining and bedroom furniture. Hey, there's nothing wrong with dreaming.

Last stop was Fruits and Passion, where they had some items on special promotion. One of our favorite things to indulge in are home fragrance oils and scented candles, and some variants were on special. We also learned that this brand is part of the Stores Specialists group so if you have the Rustan's discount card, you get 10% off on regular items for cash purchases.

It was another great day to be with Hubby, and to relax and forget about work and teaching:-)

We Love Ikea!

Just a short post on a brand that Hubby and I love, Ikea. Our first exposure to the store was in Hongkong about 7 years ago, and we have loved it since then. Everytime we are in Hongkong and Singapore, we would buy a lot of items that we could easily bring back home. Our purchases have so far been limited to candle holders and napkin holders (plus the usual supply of tea light candles and colored paper napkins), picture frames, rugs, toilet paper holders, wall lamps, bedsheets and pillowcases, silverware,wine racks and kitchen towels. We would love to live in either Singapore or Hongkong so we can furnish our home with all things Ikea:-)

Goodies from Hongkong

Hubby just got back from Hongkong and he brought home the following for me:

1. Baileys' Mint - my most favorite alcoholic drink!
2. After Eight Chocolate Mints - my most favorite kind of chocolates
3. Colored paper napkins from Ikea
4. Tea light candles from Ikea
5. Leather strap from LV which can be used for one of my pochette accessoires. He originally planned to get me something that we can use for our trip to hold our passports, cellphone and some cash ( a small bag that can be worn across the body), but the sales associate showed him that you can actually just buy longer straps if you already have the pochette. Hubby saved more than HKD1,500.

He wanted to buy home fragrance oils from the Body Shop, but it is actually more expensive in Hongkong than here in Manila.

Thank you, Hubby, for remembering me during your trip! I love you :-)

US Trip Update

New York City, November 2006

Hubby and I are really getting excited about our upcoming trip. We have finally booked our tickets to the US. We are set to leave at the end of December and will be away for a total of 22 days! We thought that we would be away for such a long time, but now that we are working on our itinerary, we now realize that 22 days are not enough. It is so hard to decide which places we should give up, and we originally just planned to visit around 8 cities across the country.

Our days are now filled with communicating with our friends and relatives in the US about our schedule, and up to now, we don't have a fixed schedule yet. But it is really exciting and our days are now inspired because we have a lot of things to look forward to. Even if I am always tired from work and teaching, I just think that every cent I earn from my two jobs would go to something that Hubby and I have dreamed about for most of the year. It would be a fitting way to celebrate our 11th year together :-)

Home Alone 2

Hubby is again leaving for another business trip tomorrow. This time it's to Hongkong. I wanted badly to go with him, but we had just confirmed our US trip at the end of December and he says let's just be practical and save up for that trip. Besides, it's no longer sale season in Hongkong, so... what would I do there daw? As if all I do in Hongkong is shop! :-)

Anyway, I've planned the following activities until he arrives on Wednesday evening:

Sunday, Sept 16 - Bring Hubby to airport at 10:30AM and then have lunch and dinner with my family. Work at home (have a deadline at 10AM on Monday)

Monday, Sept 17 - Work during the day, classes in the evening. One episode of Brothers and Sisters when I get home.

Tuesday, Sept 18 - Marathon of Brothers and Sisters until I get sleepy :-)

My Niece is 1 !

With her Dad, my brother N. Like her Ninang Regina, she loves travel!

With her Lola C, playing with Ninang's bag. Apparently she also loves BAGS!

With Tito E, whose birthday was the day before (Tito E's birthday is Sept 8, my niece S's birthday is Sept 9)

Triple Birthday Celebrations

I started planning Hubby's birthday weeks ago. I wanted to have it in a restaurant that can accommodate our families and his friends and will allow us to spend as much time with them. I was thinking that having it in a restaurant would allow us to relax and spend more time talking with our loved ones. When I discussed this with Hubby, he wanted it differently. He wanted to celebrate his birthday in our home and he would plan the menu! It's his birthday and so we will celebrate it exactly the way he wants it! We planned for three occasions so that everyone can be accommodated and we can spend a lot of time with each of our guests.

Birthday Part 1 -September 7, After-dinner cocktails

The first celebration was with his college barkada. Not in the picture are BM and wife TM who left a bit earlier. (Can you see my birthday gift to him in the background?) We had grilled sausages with Hubby's special dipping sauce, cold cuts and cheese (from Santi's), and salad (courtesy of AA and CA) which tasted exactly like Italianni's Sicilian Chicken Salad. Of course, with overflowing chips, nuts, wine (a bottle courtesy of RC and CC) and beer. The party ended around 3AM, but Hubby and I slept at 3:30AM after cleaning up and washing the dishes:-)


Birthday Part 2- September 8, Lunch

The next celebration was lunch on his birthday with our families. Our families have spent a lot of time together over the years of our marriage, and it feels like we are just one family. We have already spent two Christmas Eves together, checked in at the Linden Hotel. That is how close our families have gotten to be. Our menu: Ebi tempura, grilled pork belly, grilled tuna, stuffed chicken (courtesy of CO and AM), coleslaw and russian salads (courtesy of our parents). Also three cakes, courtesy of my parents and my brother-in-law and wife.

Birthday Part 3- September 8, Dinner

Hubby's good friends from work came for dinner. For dinner, we decided to use our new Bodum Fondue set (shown here), cooking the beef tenderloin cubes right on the dining table. Hubby prepared three kinds of dipping sauce for the beef cubes. We also had bruschetta with pesto,mozarella and pepper spread, pasta with pesto sauce, pasta with hungarian sausage and garlic, and tossed vegetable salad with kani and ham slices. Desserts were Strawberry and Walnut Cake from Mom and Tina (courtesy of MB) and Brazo de Mercedes from a private home in Dasmarinas Village (courtesy of DO). Everything was perfect! Of course we had wine (two bottles courtesy of AB and SP) and beer until late that night.

To everyone who celebrated with us, thank you very much! Hubby was very very happy to have spent his birthday with all of you.

Happy Birthday, My Love!

Duomo, Milan, March 2007

It's hubby's birthday tomorrow. And tonight, we are celebrating the first of THREE celebrations:-) Tonight will be with his college barkada, tomorrow lunch will be with our families and tomorrow evening with his officemates, all to be celebrated here in our home.

To my hubby, thank you very much for everything, you are the best! My wish for you is for continued success in whatever you set your heart to do, and happiness always!

Will post pictures of the celebrations soon!

End of Term

It's the end of another term, and I'm just shocked at how time flies. I spent the last few days preparing the final exams, checking quizzes and exams, grading projects and finally computing the final grades. I always find this time stressful. We only have a few days to do everything including submitting the grades. This time we only had 4 days to administer the exams, check the exams and submit the grades! I still feel like a zombie after the all-nighter I pulled off last night. (Well, it wasn't all schoolwork, I had a Management Committee presentation scheduled this morning too).

The most difficult task for a teacher I think is giving a grade that the student truly deserves. That includes the decision whether to pass or fail a student. I have always been clear about my expectations from the start of classes, I always wonder why students are still shocked when they receive a failing grade. Don't get me wrong, giving a failing grade is one of the things that I hate doing most, but I do it when it is necessary.

This term, I've had several cases where students have exceeded the allowed absences. That is the most unforgiveable for me and I seldom give considerations for this. I also do not give considerations for those who lack the requirements, especially quizzes. I mean, the least that a student should do is to take all the quizzes. They are always scheduled in advance. But would you believe me when I say that there are still students who miss these quizzes? I really hate them. I don't allow make-up quizzes unless there is death in the family or the student himself is confined in the hospital. Also, I keep strict deadlines for projects and do not accept late projects. I know that my subjects are not easy, but I expect students to at least comply with the requirements. I try to adjust exam results as long I think it is but fair to do so. In many ways, I consider myself a very considerate teacher.

It is hard to be a fair teacher, and I'm still learning even after three years of teaching. Sometimes I still think of students who I should have or shouldn't have passed. But I guess the bottomline is that the students are in school to learn --- and if they don't give enough effort , they will not learn, and I would have failed as a teacher if I allow them to complete the term without learning anything.

After the distribution of grades today, I'm not sure if I'm looking forward to another term!

The Past Two Weeks...

August 20- Lunch with MS Computational Finance Barkada at Cafe Mediteranean , Podium. Coffee at Segafredo and a Movie (A Love Story).


My friends from graduate school rarely get together as we all have been extremely busy with our careers. CC is now based in Hongkong working for a multinational bank, CB is a manager at one of the top local banks and GB is with the ADB. CC is home for a vacation, hence the mini-reunion. AB, a manager of a local bank and CT, a director of another bank were not able to make it. We had a great time. The last time we saw each other would be about a year ago, CC was still working at the ADB then. We updated each other on our lives and the lives of our former classmates until GB had to go back to work. Us girls had coffee, until CC said that she wants to watch a Filipino movie. "A Love Story" was showing and we decided to watch it. I didn't like the movie and I feel I wasted P160. It was too OA for me:-) But I had a great time bonding with good friends.


August 21- Lunch with staff and ex-staff GA


GA was my staff for five years until he left the Company in March to work for a multinational company in Singapore. He was home for a few days and he visited us in the office. It was good to see him as he regaled us with stories of being an OFW in Singapore. He says that it took some time adjusting to the Singaporean work culture as the people there work too hard. But overall, I think that he has adjusted well and has already proven that the Filipino professional is a worthwhile investment. Over the months, he has been given increasing responsibilities, and I'm so proud of his accomplishments.



August 24- Dinner with FF at Capisce, Metrowalk


FF is a good friend since I started out with the Company. He retired from the Company after more than 25 years of service and is now an AVP of one of the biggest corporations in the Philippines. I love the idea that there is life after retirement, and a professional life at that! It makes me look forward to my own retirement.


August 25- Dinner with College Barkada at JV's condo in Makati


RW, our college barkada who is now based in Hongkong was home, and so we had a get together at JV and DV's elegant and cozy condo (our favorite party place) in Makati. MS celebrated her birthday recently and so the occasion also served as her birthday treat. She brought lasagna, barbecue and Conti's famous baked salmon. JV, our favorite chef, also cooked her own specialties such as chicken cacciatore, fried calamari and spaghetti. We definitely enjoyed the good food, but more so the company. We also called DL and DW, both based in the US, who were missing all the fun!


September 1- Day with Hubby


Hubby and I enjoyed this day tremendously. We had a great lunch at Cafe Bola, Greenbelt 3 (adobo flakes and carambola with curry sauce, yum!) and watched Bourne Ultimatum. Good thing I thought the movie was great. I would hate myself if I spent P160 on a bad movie again. I thought the twists and suspense were great, Matt Damon was very good and I loved the scenes in London and New York. It made me want to go back to London (the first and last time I was there was in 1987) and made me look forward to visiting New York again. We had gelato (our favorite dessert) at Gelatone after the movie.

We also attended the 1st birthday party of hubby's cousin's kid at Cafe Adriatico, Westgate, Alabang. But before that, we went to Tutto Moda, the outlet shop of the Stores Specialists Inc., exclusive Philippine distributor of Tod's, Prada, Burberry, Gucci, Ralph Lauren and many other international brands. We managed to snag a Tod's bag (for me) at 65% discount, and Prada shoes for hubby also at 65% off! Untimely purchases, what with the upcoming US trip and trying to save, but we were very happy with the purchases :-)

Dinner was with my family at my parents' home where we spent time just talking andplaying with our niece. It was very relaxing and comforting to be with family...

It was a great day to be with Hubby, especially after that lonely weekend without him.

Home Alone

Last week, Hubby went on a business trip to Malaysia and Singapore for six days. That left me alone at home for almost a week! Good thing I had work and school to fill up most of the days. I don't really like Hubby going on a business trip on weekend because we usually spend weekends together, but this time he had to be away, and a long weekend at that! At least Saturday was spent at a convention for accountants, and Saturday evening with my college barkada. Sunday was spent with my family and classes. We had to conduct make-up classes because of the two typhoons the past two weeks. I also had to go to school Monday eventhough it was a holiday.

Despite the "busy" days, I still had a lot of time in my hands and I took advantage of the time to catch up with DVDs. I had a marathon of the following:

1. Brothers and Sisters - starring Sally Field and Calista Flockhart about a family.
2. Friday Night Lights - I love this show! It's about a highschool football team and the lives of its coach and players. I was quickly addicted to it. Can't wait to get my hands on new(er) episodes. It's already in the second season in the US, and I only have the first 12 episodes of Season 1.
3. CSI New York - I started one episode, but got paranoid because I was alone, I didn't really want to watch murders!

My meals were oatmeal, pan de sal and bottled sardines because I was too lazy to prepare anything else.

I told Hubby he should let me tag along on his next business trip! His next business trip is to Hongkong. Abangan!

Just the Two of Us

Amsterdam, May 2004
River Seine, Paris, May 2004
Trevi Fountain, Rome, May 2004

When people get married, it is expected that having children would come next. Not in our case. It's been ten years, but we have not been blessed with children. I admit, we would love it if we were blessed with children (see our posts on IVF) , but life has been good to us and we couldn't really ask for more.

Having gone through a lot in our quest to have children (numerous medical consultations, surgery, IVF) and not being successful have put our marriage to a test. And the experience had actually strengthened what we have. We now know that happiness in a marriage cannot be equated with having children.

What Hubby and I have done to cope with not having children is to always look around us and appreciate what we already have, and we actually enjoy a lot of good things even if we don't have kids.

Some of the things that we enjoy the most with not having children is that we can plan for travel anytime we want. We don't have to worry about whether we should bring the children and scheduling our vacations only when the children are on vacation. Not having to think of saving up for tuition fees (which I know could cost as much as P100,000 per year in grade school and up to P200,000 for college) is also a positive thing. In addition, there is no need to worry about yayas -- I've had a lot of officemates who would have to absent themselves from work when their yayas quit. And, as I understand there is also a lot of pressure now for parents to teach their kids and help them in their school work. Some required projects would be impossible for kids to do without major help from parents ,which I think is so unfair to parents by the way and I just think it would just make kids more dependent on help. Teachers should only assign projects that can be done by kids themselves! I'm not sure if I would take that sitting down, I can picture myself fighting with the teachers :-)

In other words, we continue to experience some form of personal and financial freedom. We can be a bit carefree with our finances (spending on things we both enjoy) without really worrying about the future. We can travel, buy luxury items which we both enjoy and dine in expensive restaurants. We can do whatever we want without the guilt.

Not having children allows us to pursue our dreams even late in life. I started teaching only three years ago, and it is something I see myself doing for the long haul. It also allows us to try new things , and sometimes take risks like start a business.

We are also able to spend more time with our parents, our families, our nephews and nieces. We realize that there is more of our time, money and other resources that we can share with our loved ones.

We can also afford to help other people, in their education, their kids' education, medical bills and other things.

And I think the most important thing is that my Husband and I have grown closer together. We have turned to each other during the most difficult times, but we have also spent our happiest moments together. We are happy, even if it's just the two of us.

One of Those Days When I Love Teaching

I was invited to be a resource speaker at a seminar series for Financial Analysts. I was a bit apprehensive about accepting this engagement because I knew I would be speaking before finance professionals. But I guess because I had the right background, being in the industry that was going to be analyzed and being a finance professional, the seminar organizers said that I was the "ideal" resource speaker. I prepared very well for this by going over my presentation materials (which I finished only yesterday afternoon) several times and anticipating questions that they may ask.


I was actually surprised at the level of interest I got from my presentation and the points that I have raised. I'm glad that I was able to get a lot of questions and reactions, and this resulted to a very lively discussion. I guess it meant that they were really interested in the issues presented. I am grateful to have had the opportunity to bring up relevant issues, share some of my financial expertise, as well as learn from the different points of view that were shared in our discussions.

The above session was held in the morning in Diliman, Quezon City. Today was also the last day of the six session seminar series on Financial Management for Marketing Practitioners, so I had to rush to Manila after. This day really brought fulfillment for me because I now know that the participants learned a lot from our sessions. They were required to present actual business cases where they could apply the financial skills they learned as a final project. The analyses they came up were in-depth and comprehensive. The recommendations were sound and were based on good analyses of the business cases. The participants considered their projects major accomplishments. When we started out 6 weeks ago, they did not feel very confident that they will be able to have good financial skills. After this project, they now feel confident that they now know enough to be able to be good managers by looking at the financial implications of their decisions. I feel proud and happy that I was able to share my skills and knowledge, but happier that I've learned from them as well.