Midlife at 38

I missed the opportunity to look back at the past year and write down new year resolutions at the start of the year as we were in the US then. I thought now would be a good opportunity to look back, as well as look forward, because another year has passed since my last birthday!

The past year was highlighted by our US Trip in Dec07-Jan08. E and I enjoyed our time together as a couple, and also had a fabulous time with friends and family in the US. We are truly grateful for the opportunity to travel , be with family and friends, be in new places and experience new things together. From the planning to finally documenting our trip, everything was a very memorable experience.

The past year would also be a year of celebrations --- celebrating the anniversaries of both our parents in a big way, celebrating the 1st birthday of my niece S, and welcoming two new babies from E's side of the family. Also, very recently, we have another reason to celebrate something that was totally unexpected (see this post) and I certainly believe that it was God's love that made it happen.

Last year, I also saw myself growing as a corporate officer and as a teacher. At work, I was given additional responsibilities. I also faced challenges of staff turnover and found out that I can deal with it well. And as a teacher, I have improved in a big way with the way I teach and the way I deal with students. I am thankful for all the opportunities to improve myself.

I have also been more active with charity work, and through this I have learned to appreciate what I have and I have been more open to giving more even if it "hurts".

Of course, with the help of this blog, I realized that I spent a lot more time with family and friends. I'm very glad about this, I know that my family and friends made my year very, very special.

Now for the more difficult task: New year resolutions!

1. I would definitely want to spend more time with family and friends, no matter how busy I am.

2. I will complete my Personal Finance Plan .

3. I will continue to be active in charity work.

4. I will list down ways to save and try to follow that plan all throughout the year, starting with NOT buying any designer bags this year.

5. I will no longer be insecure about my body, and just keep in mind that my value as a person is what's in my head and in my heart.

I just realized, getting old isn't so scary after all. In fact, I am thankful that I am already at this stage in my life where I am doing what I do best and am surrounded with people who value me for what I am. I couldn't ask for more.

The Graduate

Just wanted to share with you that my scholar Rose just graduated from nursing school. Rose is the daughter of our long-time helper of 30 years, who is by the way still with my parents. I hope Rose can go to the US eventually, so I'll have another reason to visit the US:-)

The Tale of the Magic Sing

Remember when I wrote about buying a Magic Sing? (Read it here)

Last Friday night, I was cramming my teaching materials for the next day. It would be my first day teaching at this new school, and I so wanted to give a good impression, when I get this text at exactly 10:30 PM: "You are being asked to go to the company function currently being held at __ before 12 midnight. Please prepare your SONG."

It was so funny, I panicked because I literally have not practiced in recent months and I don't remember the song that gives me the highest score:-). I was too nervous at the prospect of singing that I completely forgot to jump up and down in happiness:-)

I am so thankful to God. It's true, we just have to trust HIM. Thank you Lord, for this, and everything You have done for us.

Back to Teaching

After more than three months of not teaching , I'll be starting at another school on Saturday. It's a big leap for me, after teaching for 4 years in the same college, I've decided to to try something new. This new school is very near my office and my home, just about 20 minutes from either. The only hitch is Saturday classes since I work full-time. This new school doesn't have classes after 6PM, so I'm forced to take the Saturday classes. I teach from 9AM-4:30 PM (gaah!). Besides being in a new school, I will also be teaching a new subject. Being the new kid on the block, they gave me a subject that is "least desirable" for a teacher. I teach Introductory Accounting this summer. I can just imagine it... introducing Accounting to students who would rather be enjoying their days in the beach, mountains, or wherever other than a classroom...Oh well...

And to add to all that, I now have to prepare new teaching materials. I can just see myself cramming presentation materials, exercises, quizzes, exams, etc...

Oh, wait a minute, why again am I doing this???

What To Do in Subic

... aside from eating, sleeping and shopping!

Zoobic

Camayan Beach

Dolphin Show at the Ocean Adventure

Ocean Adventure

Where to Eat (and Not to Eat) in Subic

I have to say that my family is very easy to please when it comes to dining. Serve us good food and give us good service, and we will be loyal to you. With that said, let me continue with the Anniversary weekend.

We passed Rama Mahal (Crown Plaza, Sampson Road,Open 10:00 am to 10:00 pm ,Tel No:(63-47) 252-3663), an Indian Restaurant several times while going around the SBMA. And the more we saw it, the more curious we got. So for lunch, we said that it might be an interesting experience. We were so glad we tried this place. The food was so good! We ordered the vegetable samosas and fried onion rings with mint sauce, humuus with pita bread, mutton masala, chicken curry, shrimp biryani (rice) ,spinach with paneer cheese, and fried chicken and fries for Baby S. Their fresh juices were also delicious. In addition, the service was very good, the waitress was very knowledgeable with the dishes, and the manager and the owner were very gracious. It was definitely an excellent dining experience.

A delicious lunch at Rama Mahal

Now dinner was a different experience. For dinner, we decided to go to Gerry's Grill as some of us were craving for good old Crispy Pata. We expected the dining experience to be pleasant. Unfortunately it was not. We went to the restaurant at around 6PM and requested to be given a table at the airconditioned area as it was very humid. The waiters' spiel was that it was going to be used for a function and so we couldn't be accommodated. When we left, the airconditioned area was still EMPTY!!! I was so disgusted with them. Nagtitipid lang pala ng kuryente! In addition to that, it took 5 waiters and 30 minutes before I finally got my Coke Light. Before this incident, I was a loyal Gerry's customer. I would treat friends and workmates there. But because of this, I will never go back to any Gerry's Grill if I'm going to pay (hehe, may qualifier pa rin, syempre if someone else is going to treat, join pa rin ako dyan).

Gerry's Grill

The only good thing going for them that day was the view of the waterfront:

But there are other restaurants along the waterfront. The last time we were in Subic, we dined at Pier One, and our experience there was definitely more pleasant. I'm sure you'll still get a good view of the sea and mountains from there.

Anniversary Weekend in Subic

Everything went according to plan, we were able to reserve a four bedroom house in the Kalayaan Heights residential area. It was a nice house, had a kitchen and had the basic appliances and furnitures for a comfortable stay. The house had centralized airconditioning,had running hot and cold water, and had complete cooking appliances and things for a fraction of the cost if we were to stay in a hotel. It was actually very hard to go out, everyone wanted to stay indoors! Centralized airconditioning and food were the best reasons to stay indoors

And since we brought our Wii, we spent HOURS bonding over the game. The whole family played Bowling and Tennis. And the boys played Boxing and Baseball.

On our first night, we only went out in time for dinner. E and I suggested Meat Plus Cafe because we remembered the place to serve good and cheap steak. The Meat Plus Cafe looked many times better than how we remember it, but sad to say, the food and service were not as good. If you decide to dine there, stay clear of the Tenderloin Steak. It was anything but tender! I was very disappointed. Also, the server only informed us that they didn't have lasagna when all the other orders were already served! And the lasagna was meant for Baby S, who was already hungry by then. We would not be in a hurry to go back to that place.

After dinner, we still had time to go duty-free shopping at Freeport Exchange which is right across Meat Plus. We bought mostly food items, especially breakfast items such as Spam and Corned Beef. Also chips and chocolates.

In front of our "home" in Subic
More bonding time over Wii
Dinner on our first night at Meat Plus Cafe

The next day, after a hearty breakfast of Spam and Corned Beef Rice, we went to Holy Mass and said special prayers for our Parents. We also took some photos near the church:

The celebrants with their favorite apo after the Holy Mass
By the Subic Chapel after Mass

Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad!-Part 2

Happy Anniversary, Mom and Dad!

My parents will be celebrating their 39th Wedding Anniversary on Sunday, April 6. Yes, that's 39 years... and they are indeed an inspiration not only because they are still sweet to each other but they have exhibited selfless love for each other, for us their children and to those around them. You see, my parents are retired (kuno, because they still seem to busy) now, but they've gone through sacrifices in their working life. My parents worked in Singapore for more than 5 years while we were left here in Manila. I know how difficult it is for parents to be apart from their kids, and I just can't imagine how they could have coped. And to this day, we appreciate what they have done for us. Because of their work, my sister and brother went to exclusive (read: expensive) universities,we were able to travel even at a young age and enjoy a relatively worry-free youth. In return, we tried very hard to perform well in school.

Because we were apart most of the year then, memories of our summer vacations in Singapore always stand out to this day. Maybe because it would be the happiest moments of my younger years, to be with my parents. And our parents would always plan out the most fun activities for us.

I would not consider my parents "rich" and yet they will always look out for others. Some of their nephews and nieces (sometimes the kids of their cousins) even if they already have their own families would run to them for support. And I would be just amazed at their generosity.

My parents gave me very valuable lessons of hard work and sacrifice. And that is why I never bow down to difficult tasks, and often take on multi-tasks. And not to forget, they also taught me generosity, no matter how little you have.

To Mom and Dad, Congratulations! You continue to inspire us, and we will always pray for your happiness and well-being. Thank you for being wonderful parents always. We love you very much!

A Surprise Birthday Party

My barkada and I had so much fun planning a surprise birthday for one of ours:-) It was such a surprise that MN, our "victim" had already eaten dinner when we arrived with all the food, haha!

We brought sumptuous food for the party: JV brought paella and pata tim, as well as a Red Velvet Cake made by "Ginang Bukid" (which she later realized translated to Mrs. Fields in English!) all bought from the Salcedo Market. MS brought rellenong bangus from Pixie's, PZ had Savory Fried Chicken, LB had Pansit from Pansit Malabon Express (the pansit malabon had kani slices, yum!), SC brought the drinks and sweet corn, and I brought barbecue from Inihaw Express.

We had so much fun!!!

First Quarter Review

For today's entry, I was inspired by the quarterly report I wrote about our Company for investors. If I could do it for the Company, I could definitely do it for myself:-) This quarter was really jampacked with a lot of things:

1. The highlight of this quarter was our US Trip, where E and I experienced a lot of new things together. It was truly a memorable time for us, and we are grateful for that opportunity.

2. I was able to explore new opportunities in my teaching career.

3. I was able to visit several places outside of Metro Manila --- Subic, Clark and Cavite.

4. I've started to plan out the rest of my life in terms of career, finances and family life.

5. I've spent a lot of time with my dear family and friends, and I'm so glad for this.

I'm looking forward to the rest of the year!