December 2009

This month was most eventful, and very busy. I'll try to squeeze in everything here. As most of you know, our Globe internet service has been down for three weeks now. It is only now that I finally gave up and got us a Smart Bro prepaid kit. So here I am . However , I just realized that because I was so busy and distracted, I always forgot to bring the camera to some events. But I will share the few pictures I have, and probably borrow from my brother N's Facebook album.



1. Just ended my 18th term of teaching! If I have an average of 30 students per term, that would mean I've taught 540 students...

2. Started a business with some of my closest friends. It is a deli/cafe that we intend to put up in one of the malls. This Christmas season, we decided to participate in a toys and gifts fair. It was a great learning experience for all of us.

3. E and I celebrated our 13th year of marriage. We didn't get to celebrate in a big way because we were busy with the business, but we enjoyed our "staycation". We decided to stay in Manila this time instead of traveling, and we're so glad we did. Iba pa rin ang pasko at bagong taon dito:-)



4. High School Barkada LCN from San Francisco was home for the holidays and so the barkada got together for dinner at Recipes in Trinoma. Sorry, no camera that night.



5. College Barkada RJW from Hong Kong was home for the holidays. The Christmas get-together was held at the Z home. Again, sorry no camera that night.


6. High School good friend HF from Los Angeles was also home for the holidays. A few of us from high school got together at Freska at the Promenade in Greenhills. It was my first time there and pleased to learn that oysters are cheap there, and good.



6. Christmas Eve at my Parents'


We were joined by SIL's parents and sister

5. New Year's Eve at Pacific Plaza -- BIL's friends from New York who are now based in Manila went home to New York for the holidays and lent us their condo. Such good, good friends! WE ordered food from Casa Armas:

The Cuchinillo!
Paella Negra


Paella Valenciana



Lengua Estofado prepared by my Mom's cook




6. Our belated Anniversary celebration right on New Year's Day at John and Yoko in Greenbelt 5



Some shopping notes: Tory Burch's prices here in Manila are a bit cheaper than in the US if you use the Rustan's discount card, so don't bother buying from the US. However the Manila branch only carries 1 pair of shoes per size per model. If you're seriously thinking of buying one, buy na, now na!

Inspiration for all of us

Filipino pushcart educator Efren Penaflorida named 2009 CNN Hero of the Year

Three Weeks After

Three weeks after Typhoon Ondoy, we haven't stopped praying for people who were severely affected, especially those who lost loved ones, homes and possessions. The past few weeks, we have witnessed how truly great Filipinos are, helping each other the best that we can. It was most inspiring. All we can hope now is that we learn from all these, and be able to move forward.

She Loves Ice Cream!

Taken at Elfav(El Favorito) Ice Cream Parlor at Pergola, BF Homes Paranaque. Loved this place, and so did Baby S. They also have full meals available (pasta, steak...),snack items (like nachos), free wi-fi, and they have some board games available. Would love to own a place like this some day...

How To Slow Down

That's what I really have to learn to do. I hardly noticed it but the past few weeks' whirlwind of major events at work and in school have finally taken its toll on me. The spirit is of course willing, but the body weak. And I hate myself for getting sick because I missed going to class, missed my Dad's birthday dinner and missed my dear friend P's baby shower. And I live for all these things! The thing is, I hardly get sick, hardly. And of all days to get sick, that's when I definitely didn't want to get sick!!!

Fully Paid

One of the few things that make me smile these days is the thought that I have now fully paid my car. Made the last payment today and am so relieved.

She's Now A Certified Nurse!

Just wanted to share some good news --- my scholar Rose just passed the Nursing Board exams here in the Philippines. I'm not only happy for her and her family, I'm also happy for myself. Even if I made some wrong choices in my life, I know I made the right choice in this one.

As Of Today

And so my full account of our anniversary trip has just been completed in the previous entry. What have we been up to since we got here:

1. I started teaching again (am now on my 16th term) on the day that we arrived from the US. We are having our midterms next Saturday. Halfway na naman kami!
2. To my shock, I've lost a few pounds and 2 of 5 jeans I bought in the US are already loose.
3. We're back to the usual busy days at work, but today, Saturday before Valentine's, E treated me to dinner at Seven Corners. Ever the practical guy, he says, "Let's avoid the rush and save a little. On Valentine's, it will be so hard to go around and the buffet will be twice the price." Oo nga, bigay na lang nya sa kin yung ma-save nya di ba? :-)

19 lbs. and 4 inches

Yup, that's how much I lost so far. Today was the final weigh-in for the Biggest Loser Competition. I'm still 6 lbs. short of my personal goal, but I'm very very happy with what I've achieved so far. Considering 2 overseas trips in countries known for good food, this was indeed a true test of willpower. Thanks so much for all your support! By the way, sharing with you a picture taken by a colleague of mine during our Macau conference.

Life Lessons from Dieting and Exercising

A lot of my friends were surprised when they learned that I was on a diet, "Seryoso ka ba?", they would say. Because they all know how I love food, and the more sinful, the better. Chips, chocolates, cakes, ice cream, crispy pata, sisig, steak (you get the drift), I love! But the past few days, I counted calories -- and even targetted a lower calorie intake than what was recommended. I also paid attention to what I ate, no sweets, nothing fried and no sugar (oh did I mention that my favorite coffee was anything with caramel or mint?). As much as possible I only had oatmeal for breakfast and salads for lunch and dinner. There would be exceptions like lunch meetings, but I would definitely eat within my allowed calorie intake. The biggest challenges were: a lunch treat of an officemate at North Park, my regular lunch out with my good friends at Pancake House, and a birthday celebration of a lunch mate where there was a Turtle Pie and a Mango Cream Cake. How did I cope? I ate steamed broccoli, two pieces siomai and one piece squid at North Park but only had banana for dinner, had the Fiesta Taco Salad at Pancake House, and had one bite each of the cakes and brought the rest home to E.

When they learned that I go biking and go to the gym, they said "Ikaw? e pumunta lang sa kabilang building kailangan mag-car pa!" It's true, I'm really lazy. But I do bike and even gamely biked some hilly streets (which was hell, by the way). And I go to the gym as often as I can and time myself, making sure I spend at least 45 minutes for a cardio workout. This morning, I made it 60 minutes.

I didn't really know that I had it in me, the will power, the discipline, the determination... but I know now!

Things To Do Before I'm 50

1. Watch the Opening or Closing Ceremonies of the Olympics.
2. Watch a World Cup Game.
3. Be a Doctor of Business Administration.
4. Help more young people finish their studies.
5. Visit the following places:
a. Florence, Italy
b. Amalfi Coast, Italy
c. Venice, Italy
d. Australia
e. Spain
f. Greece
g. Boston, USA
h. Las Vegas, USA
i. San Francisco, USA
6. Go back to Lourdes and Paris, France.

Am I Crazy or What?

My company just announced a "The Biggest Loser" competition of sorts. There will be competing teams of 10 members each and the team that registers the most weight loss in 80 days will be declared the winner. And guess who signed up for it?

I figured that to do it with a team would be fun because we will be able to help each other. But really challenging as well, I wouldn't want to be the one dragging the whole team down right?

So yes, I think I'm crazy to join, and even crazier to announce it to all of you, but by doing these, I am left with no other choice but to lose weight right? My goal is to lose at least 1 pound per 5 days because 16 pounds of the team goal has already been alloted to me. Hope all of you can help me by giving tips and cheering me on!

Freedom!!!

After 10 years, our home is finally fully paid! We've never felt so relieved and excited. E promised me that we will celebrate this event before we seriously get down to really saving for the rainy day...

This brings to mind memories of our first few years of marriage when it was so hard to make those mortgage payments because it would eat up half of our paycheck, not counting the income tax. So you can just imagine what was left of our paycheck: 100%-32% for tax-50% for the home mortgage. But everything was so worth it. We have a lovely home and we paid for every bit of it through our hard work and determination. Life's never been this good.

One Year and 154 Posts

It's been one year since I started this blog. Yup, time really does fly. It's been a great way to keep track of what goes on in our lives. It has also been a great way to keep a travel diary, as well as a fun way to keep track of all the calories I've consumed. At least now, when somebody asks me why I've gained so much weight, I can just point them to this, then they'll understand perfectly!

Seriously, I think it's a great way to let important people in our lives know what E and I have been busy with without really bothering them. They can just look at the blog when they're not busy, and they'll already know what we've been up to. Of course, those who are not interested need not know anything about our lives, because reading our blog is entirely their choice:-)

Most importantly, I think I've tried to be as faithful to the original intent of this blog (as I've written here), which is to document all the things that I am thankful for and all the things I still strive for, and that this will also be about my life as a career woman, a college teacher, a wife, a daughter, a sister, an aunt and of course as a friend. Hopefully, I have been able to share parts of myself to those who read this.

A big plus for readers would be to read reviews about anything under the sun: restaurants, shopping, things for the house, travel, food, lifestyle, entertaining, TV shows, and just about anything!

It's been a great year with all of you, looking forward to another year!

Me Time

I have today all to myself. After my 9-12 class, I went to the Corinthian Hills Clubhouse intending to buy groceries at Rustan's Fresh. When I got there, I decided to have lunch at UCC Coffee Shop. They now have Filipino meals and I had their Beef Tapa Meal (P259 with egg cooked the way you like it fried rice and coffee). I went to Santi's Deli next to buy my dinner for tonight. I decided on Salami Milano (P105 /100gms), Salami Tre Torri (P123/100grms), two kinds of cheese: Roquefort Marival (P218/100gms) and Fourme D'Ambert(P178/100gms). I also bought Turkey Pate (P79). With crackers or bread, these would last us 3-4 meals. Then I went to the grocery for other household items.

I really wanted to sleep the whole afternoon because I slept so late cramming my lecture. But when I got home, I started to watch "What About Brian" episodes and couldn't stop. I've already watched three episodes straight. I would most probably watch the rest of Season Two after this break. It's raining, I hope there won't be a brownout tonight!

E, uwi ka na, I miss you!

I Miss Hongkong

Harbour City, Hongkong, January 2006

E will be leaving for Hongkong tomorrow on business and will be back Sunday. Another weekend alone! I really really wanted to go with him, haven't been to Hongkong since July 2006. E and I love Hongkong, the lifestyle, food, fashion, (window)shopping and everything about it. Each visit had been really special. And I have dear friends that I want to visit there. But... E and I are saving up for something really special, so I decided to miss this chance to visit Hongkong again. Maybe next year...

Meanwhile, I only have "What About Brian" ( do any of you watch this?) to look forward to the next few nights. And I'll also see if there are new episodes of Brothers and Sisters, Ugly Betty, Gossip Girl and Grey's Anatomy available on DVD.

Looking Forward to the Weekend!

Yup, it's only Tuesday and I'm already thinking about the weekend:-) Well, there are several reasons why this is so:
- My college barkada will be having a get-together on Friday evening to welcome our friend DW who is based in the US and now home for a visit. It's also the birthday of one of ours, our dear friend JV. Two reasons to celebrate! We're trying out this new restaurant, Choi Garden which we have heard raves about.
-It's my first day of teaching for the new school term on Saturday! My class starts at 9AM and ends at 12NN. This will be every Saturday until the 1st week of September.
- E and I are spending the long weekend with his family in Subic! We leave Manila right after my class. First on my To Do List is to buy my stock of mint chocolates:-)

Weekend Plans

I had a particularly difficult week at work, and am so looking forward to the weekend. It's the only Saturday I'll have free before classes start again. I'm going on a medical and dental mission with the charity group in Bulacan in the morning, but my afternoon will be free. I'm thinking of the following this weekend:

1. Dine at Pepper Lunch. The lines are still long, but the owner says (read it in her blog) that off-peak hours are from 2-6PM. Maybe I'll convince E to have an early dinner or a heavy merienda:-)
2. Try to sneak in some cleaning in the house.
3. Finally sleep early and wake-up late on Sunday.
4. See my family and attend Mass.

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:-)