a family business

My dad officially opened his business venture last Easter Sunday. He renovated my grandparents' old store and decided to make it bigger by offering cooked food. He is now a proud owner of a small restaurant-type store. His specialty is goat's meat and of course, the store serves liquor. He's been looking for nice and affordable wine racks so that he can offer wine too aside from beer. I'm really excited for him and my mom. It's only now that they can pursue their business ventures because all of us are grown up and are almost on our own already. I really hope his business does well so that he doesn't have to go abroad again to work.

house renovations

The house we're renting now is quite old and I'm itching to do some renovation on it even though it's really not our house. The age wooden door frames are showing and I'm checking door hardware stores to check if we can afford it. I'd also love to do some repainting around the house. It would be even better if it's our own house. We hope we could save enough money not just for our own renovation but for our own house.

summer get-aways

Now that the summer is here, Ramil and I are thinking of some affordable get-aways for us. After our beach get-away a few weeks ago, we're eager for more. Budget is an issue though so we're thinking of other alternatives. We might go with my family someplace where we can do some camping. It would be a great excuse to use our camping gear, we've received quite a few as gifts but we haven't been able to use them yet. We'd love it if Mateo could grow to love the outdoors too.

week-long rest

One of the things I love about being a teacher are the vacations that come with it. Ramil has been on a week-long vacation now and we spend our time lounging around the house. Not very productive but we're enjoying precious quality time with our Mateo. The vacation will be officially over tomorrow though and we're trying to make the most out of it. How I wish we get more vacations like this.

the easy way out

More than a year after I gave birth, I'm still not satisfied with my post-pregnancy body. Although I'm only a pound or two heavier than my pre-pregnancy weight, I still feel that there are more flabs now especially around my tummy. I've considered a lot of remedies, even weight loss pills. Ramil keeps telling me though that there's nothing wrong with my weight anymore. I think I just need exercise.

my family's health

One of our former coteachers said to me the other day told me to take our health seriously. According to him, he now believes the motto 'health is wealth' because he's definitely older and he's very thankful that he doesn't have any serious illness. So Ramil and I got to talking about our small family's health condition. We've talked about our diet and nutrition, exercise, and also considered individual health insurance. Since Mateo is still very small, it is important for him to have healthy parents. We still want to fully enjoy our lives with him.

recalled

Ever since a certain brand of toys recalled some of their products a few months back, I was very cautious about products that gets recalled. Aside from this, cans of milk were also recalled at around the same time. Now, if your baby has a toy like that or drinks that brand of milk, wouldn't you feel scared and put at risk? I also learned about the Defibrillator Lead Recall that's still ongoing. The announcement of product recall was made last October 15, 2007. It's scary to think that even medical equipments like defibrillators and pacemakers are not excused from product recalls. Makes one wonder what product will be recalled next.

Mateo's vocabulary

Here are some of the words that Mateo can now say. Some are very clear to everyone while some needs an interpreter (me!).

Duhduh - means Dada
Mama - obviously means Mama :D
baba - Barney
boh (with a long o) - ball
bohk (with a long o) - book
booh (with a longer o) - boat
ish - fish
deh - there
tiss - toys
pooh - Pooh (as in Winnie the Pooh)
cath (with a long a) - cat
cath (with a short a) - car
ber - bird
Dedi - our golden retriever named Ledi
Tuhta - Tita (my sister)
Maamu - Mamu (my mom)
Paapu (with a long a) - Papu (my dad)
Giigii (with long i's) - our neighbor's yaya
beh - bell
teh - water
dide - means he wants milk from me :P

sensitive!

You Are a Sensitive Kisser

For you, kissing is a way to connect And you need lot of care, attention, and privacy It may take you a while to kiss someone... But when you do, it's total fireworks

What's Your Kissing Style?

car frustrations

Ramil and I almost bought ourselves a new car last 2006. Unfortunately, we found out that we were pregnant so our dreams of a brand new car was shelved. Until now, we'd often think about our almost-car, especially during times that our old, red car would give us problems. Right now, we can't afford any kind of car unless we get a car donation. We're actually a bit worried already because our red car is fast becoming very unsafe. Hopefully, we find a way to replace or at least make big improvements on it before it becomes totally road-unworthy. Maybe we could check out midwest auto recycling, they specialize in used engines and transmissions. Otherwise, we might be forced to stay at home for a long time since traveling with a toddler can be really challenging.

vanity

You Are 45% Vain

You're a little vain, but more than anything you have a healthy amount of confidence. Thinking the world of yourself is great. Just don't think less of those who aren't as pretty as you!

How Vain Are You?

cling-cling

Mateo has been very clingy these past few days. Ever since we came back from Bora, he has been like my shadow or an extra appendage. I'm guessing it's because for four days, we were together for 24 hours. I'm finding it difficult to do simple things like going to the bathroom. He doesn't want me to do anything and he always wants my full attention. I've been so irritated the past few days that Ramil even offered me a time-out. I told him I plan to take it next week, hehe! Then the other night, I also realized that even though it could get irritated, I should feel grateful that Mateo is like that to me and not to somebody else like his yaya. Anyway, everytime I'd get irritated with him he'd easily remove it with his smiles, antics, and affectionate ways.

virus free

Ramil and I are looking into installing Ubuntu in our laptop. With the release of Windows Vista, we are slowly realizing the need for free but not pirated software installs. We are fans of free downloads and it doesn't make us happy when we cannot update a software because of license issues. Not having updated softwares is a big risk especially if that software is your anti-virus software. Our laptop might just be unprotected to new viruses out there. The need to have updated softwares prompted us to consider ESET smart security. We are so tired of other anti-virus softwares that keeps on releasing new versions every single year and softwares with different versions like anti-virus, anti-spyware, firewalls, etc. We definitely prefer a product that has all of these.

its or it's, their or they're or there

You Scored an A

You got 10/10 questions correct. It's pretty obvious that you don't make basic grammatical errors. If anything, you're annoyed when people make simple mistakes on their blogs. As far as people with bad grammar go, you know they're only human. And it's humanity and its current condition that truly disturb you sometimes.

The It's Its There Their They're Quiz

our bora trip 2

Unfortunately, it took me more than a week to write the follow-up to our Boracay trip last March 2 to 4. If you haven't read part 1, you may read it here.

Allow me to backtrack a little because I saw a picture amidst our Boracay pictures that I really liked. Upon arriving at the Kalibo airport, we arranged for a van to take us to the Caticlan jetty port. While my sister was having a bathroom break, we saw an ati-atihan character with holes for its head. We couldn't resist taking a picture. And of course, who else would be our model but the one who couldn't make any protest, LOL.

the cutest ati-atihan character

Ok, so back to my story... Upon arriving at the White House Beach Resort in Station 1, we unloaded our stuff inside the bedroom. Since the sun was blazing outside, my sister and brother decided to take a nap first. Mateo likewise decided to continue his nap that was interrupted several times. Since we have a kitchen, my mama proceeded to borrow a lot of things from the staff - cooking pots and pans, plates, utensils, glasses, even a knife. The staff obliged at no extra cost. The service was excellent all throughout our stay - from the receptionist, to the pool bar's bartenders, to the young ladies who would clean our room everyday.

After requesting for all those things, my mom dragged me to the talipapa to buy food for us. She planned to cook the meals since we have our own kitchen. We bought a lot and I have sore hands by the time we were finished buying. Upon getting back to the resort, she proceeded to prepare our dinner. We found my dad already swimming with my sister trying to contain Mateo because he's been struggling to get himself inside the pool too! When Mateo was handed over to me, he was a wet, sandy baby. I hurriedly changed him into his swimsuit so he can have his fun in the water.

As expected, Mateo got scared of the waves. I knew we were going to have this problem based on how he reacted during our boat ride. Also, he refused to walk on the sand. Haha! Nevertheless, we got him in the water. I carried him while swimming near the beach and he was okay for as long as he's being carried. He also got excited when we pointed out some fishes swimming with us.

After the brief swim in the sea, we decided to let him try the pool instead where we know he'll enjoy more. We were right. Just like his dada and mama, he prefers swimming in the calmer waters of the pool.

Ramil and Mateo enjoying the pool

In the picture above, Ramil and Mateo are in the pool while my brother watches them. The veranda behind my brother is the veranda of the room we got. Beyond those sliding doors is the dining and living area. It was like having our very own house in Boracay! We even have a view of the beach from inside if the curtains are drawn back. Aside from the great beach, I fell in love with the resort. Plus the resort had only a few guests during our stay because we stayed from Sunday to Tuesday, not the usual days for vacationers(?) like us.

After our swim, we all took baths and had dinner. We enjoyed our dinner especially prepared by my mom and me. After dinner, Ramil, my sister, and I (with Mateo of course) planned on walking by the beach to explore. While waiting by the cabanas by the beach, some manangs approached us and asked if we'd like a massage. Ramil and I asked my sister to watch over Mateo and then we had an hour-long massage by the beach. Sarap.

After the massage we walked all the way to Jonah's to try their famous shakes. First sip and we were converts. I love shakes but I fell in love with Jonah's more. We also ordered a big plate of fries for our little companion which he enjoyed very much. With full stomachs, we then walked backed and decided to call it a night.

To be continued...

let's trade

My uncle has been complaining about their car lately. He's been asking my dad for recommendations on what to do. It seems that their car would repeatedly overheat despite getting a radiator overhaul. With the approaching summer, they definitely want to do something about it as soon as possible. They wouldn't want to their car to stall again. I suggested that they replace it with a genuine Honda Radiator. Since their car is old already, no amount of radiator overhauling might be good enough to fix the problem. I hope they solve their problem soon, we know how it feels to have a car that keeps on breaking down.

white choco, yum

You are White Chocolate

You are White Chocolate You are sweet, caring, and truly very innocent. Whether your naive ways are a bit of act or not, people like to take care of you. You are a quiet flirt, and your power is often underestimated!

What Kind of Chocolate Are You?

our bora trip 1

We're back! We stayed in Boracay for three days and two nights only. How we wish it was longer. The whole vacation was really cheap for us since we have sponsors but any amount is still painful for an empty pocket. Haha! Nevertheless, despite the travel and our much emptier wallets, it was worth it.

My dad and mom fetched us from our house in Antipolo as early as Saturday afternoon. Instead of us driving over to Novaliches on early Sunday morning, I requested that they come get us. Ramil and I wanted to save on gas and we didn't want to put too much stress on our beloved red car by traveling that far. Before heading back to my parents' house in Novaliches, we met up with my sister in Trinoma where Mateo got his very first pair of Crocs (a gift from my sister). We walked around, and got home at around 7 pm. Since we all wanted to have enough sleep before our early flight, we all went to our respective rooms at around 9 pm. Everyone except Mateo. He's so excited not being in his house that all he wanted to do was to explore and play with everyone. Good thing he got tired out after a few minutes.

Mateo loved the fountains. He kept saying 'teh teh' (for water).

Mateo loves malls now

The next day, my parents plan to leave as early as 6 am for our 9:25 am flight. They plan to leave the Revo in ParkNFly and we wanted to check-in early so that we can still have the first row in the plane. I wanted as much space as I can get because we don't know how Mateo will be inside the aircraft. We reached the NAIA Terminal 2 at around 8 am and we were able to get the first two rows. We passed time walking around the airport and eating some snacks. Mateo was a happy baby, excitedly walking around and almost bumping into people. He's in that stage when any wide open spaces makes him excited to run around.

walking like he knows where he's going

Since we have an infant, Mateo and I were allowed to board ahead of everyone else. It was a good thing because he had time to get used to the airplane before it got full of strangers.

exploring the insides of the plane

Unfortunately, he got cranky while the plane was getting ready for take-off. He was getting noisy and my solution was to give him my breast. Before the plane even took off, he was sound asleep. He was asleep during the whole 1-hour plane ride and woke up only when I stood up to get off the plane.

sound asleep

Of course, since it was Mateo's first plane ride we didn't forget to take pictures after getting off the plane.

me and a still sleepy Mateo

While waiting for our bags, I made arrangements with one of the vans going to Caticlan. It was an uneventful 1 1/2 hours van ride for us. Since Mateo was still sleepy, he resumed sleeping a few minutes into the ride. We reached the Caticlan Jetty Port at around 12:30 in the afternoon. We all decided to eat there first before heading for Boracay island.

If the plane and van ride were relatively uneventful because Mateo slept most of the time, the boat ride was a different matter. Upon settling ourselves near the window, he excitedly looked out and enjoyed the seawater splashing on the sides of the boat. However, once the boat started its engine and the splashing became stronger because of the boat's movement, his hold around me got tighter and his eyes got bigger. My baby had his first scare of the trip. He was nervous the whole time, he'd try to go to Ramil, or my mom, or my sister. He was desperate to go anywhere because he was scared. We tried to console him by distracting him with songs. He'd clap along with us despite the nervous look on his face. Good thing the boat ride was a mere 15-minute ride.

Upon reaching Cagban Port, we took a tricycle that would bring us to White House resort. Although we still had to wait a few minutes while the room was being readied, we didn't mind because we were upgraded to the best room in the resort. Instead of our original booking of the resort's 2nd floor family room, we stayed at the ground floor. The ground floor was perfect for us, it has a kitchen, a living room, a dining room, and a very spacious bedroom. It was right beside the pool and you could see the beach even from the kitchen. Really perfect.

To be continued...

need a massage?

Ramil and I came to love massages a few years back. We got our hands on a pair of gift certificate to a nearby spa and we were hooked. Even though I'd often get tickled while being massages, I still find it very relaxing and soothing. We've even tried one of those home spa massages. For massage-lovers like us, it might be a good idea to try Light Relief Light Therapy. Although this thing is usually used for those with medical conditions, I think we might be able to use it too. It's a gadget that soothes sore muscles and joints by emitting energy and providing topical heat. It might be a good alternative to an expensive massage.

kiddie inventions

The school's science expo has just been concluded. Ramil, being a science teacher, had to take on several groups as advisees. However, he chose to limit his advisees to those who are doing inventions. He has been updating me with the kids' ideas and although some of them are really funny, there are also some that could prove interesting. For those with really good ideas, it's a shame that they don't have enough money to fund their project. It would be really cool if they could have access to HDMI cables and such good materials. Some kids have promising ideas and Ramil really looked forward to their final outputs. Several groups of his even won! Who knows, one of those kids might be an inventor someday.

dining outdoors

Ramil and I are lovers of outdoors. Living up here in the hills makes being outdoors even more enjoyable. One of the things we would love to do is to dine outdoors more often. For us it simply means eating our meals outside at times. We must remember to check out some outdoor furniture when we get the time so that we could try this out some time. I am looking forward to fbeing outside while enjoying a warm cup of coffee with the cool mountain breeze and the chirping of the birds.

treating it as our own

Ramil and I love the house we're renting right now. We love it even more than the first house we rented before. We love it so much we're thinking of a lot of home improvements we can do even if we have to shoulder the expenses. Needless to say, we'd sometimes forget that this house is not even ours. Haha! We really feel like it's our own already. How I wish that we'd really have our own soon!

getting old

Apart from Ramil and me constantly realizing that we are growing old, we've also noticed that our parents are fast approaching the senior citizen status. It scares me to think that they are reaching that age group where mortality is high. My mom, for one, has had a problem with her hips and legs for the longest time and it is getting less manageable with each passing year. I dread the day that she would need a stair lift to go up a flight of stairs. Both set of parents have also had issues with high blood pressure, a condition that could take a life in an instant if not managed properly. Although Ramil and I both know that we will have to face being left behind by our parents, we also realize that we are not ready for it. We still want Mateo to grow up knowing his grandparents. I guess the best thing we can do right now is to take care of them the best way we can.

back from Bora

We're back! We stayed in Boracay for three days and two nights only. How we wish it was longer. The whole vacation was really cheap for us since we have sponsors but any amount is still painful for an empty pocket. Haha! Nevertheless, despite the travel and our much emptier wallets, it was worth it.

My dad and mom fetched us from our house in Antipolo as early as Saturday afternoon. Instead of us driving over to Novaliches on early Sunday morning, I requested that they come get us. Ramil and I wanted to save on gas and we didn't want to put too much stress on our beloved red car by traveling that far. Before heading back to my parents' house in Novaliches, we met up with my sister in Trinoma where Mateo got his very first pair of Crocs (a gift from my sister). We walked around, and got home at around 7 pm. Since we all wanted to have enough sleep before our early flight, we all went to our respective rooms at around 9 pm. Everyone except Mateo. He's so excited not being in his house that all he wanted to do was to explore and play with everyone. Good thing he got tired out after a few minutes.

Mateo loved the fountains. He kept saying 'teh teh' (for water).

Mateo loves malls now

The next day, my parents plan to leave as early as 6 am for our 9:25 am flight. They plan to leave the Revo in ParkNFly and we wanted to check-in early so that we can still have the first row in the plane. I wanted as much space as I can get because we don't know how Mateo will be inside the aircraft. We reached the NAIA Terminal 2 at around 8 am and we were able to get the first two rows. We passed time walking around the airport and eating some snacks. Mateo was a happy baby, excitedly walking around and almost bumping into people. He's in that stage when any wide open spaces makes him excited to run around.

walking like he knows where he's going

Since we have an infant, Mateo and I were allowed to board ahead of everyone else. It was a good thing because he had time to get used to the airplane before it got full of strangers.

exploring the insides of the plane

Unfortunately, he got cranky while the plane was getting ready for take-off. He was getting noisy and my solution was to give him my breast. Before the plane even took off, he was sound asleep. He was asleep during the whole 1-hour plane ride and woke up only when I stood up to get off the plane.

sound asleep

Of course, since it was Mateo's first plane ride we didn't forget to take pictures after getting off the plane.

me and a still sleepy Mateo

While waiting for our bags, I made arrangements with one of the vans going to Caticlan. It was an uneventful 1 1/2 hours van ride for us. Since Mateo was still sleepy, he resumed sleeping a few minutes into the ride. We reached the Caticlan Jetty Port at around 12:30 in the afternoon. We all decided to eat there first before heading for Boracay island.

If the plane and van ride were relatively uneventful because Mateo slept most of the time, the boat ride was a different matter. Upon settling ourselves near the window, he excitedly looked out and enjoyed the seawater splashing on the sides of the boat. However, once the boat started its engine and the splashing became stronger because of the boat's movement, his hold around me got tighter and his eyes got bigger. My baby had his first scare of the trip. He was nervous the whole time, he'd try to go to Ramil, or my mom, or my sister. He was desperate to go anywhere because he was scared. We tried to console him by distracting him with songs. He'd clap along with us despite the nervous look on his face. Good thing the boat ride was a mere 15-minute ride.

Upon reaching Cagban Port, we took a tricycle that would bring us to White House resort. Although we still had to wait a few minutes while the room was being readied, we didn't mind because we were upgraded to the best room in the resort. Instead of our original booking of the resort's 2nd floor family room, we stayed at the ground floor. The ground floor was perfect for us, it has a kitchen, a living room, a dining room, and a very spacious bedroom. It was right beside the pool and you could see the beach even from the kitchen. Really perfect.

To be continued...

communing with God

Every year, our third grade students undergo the sacrament of communion. It always takes place on a Saturday and everyone in the school is required to help out in some way, whether it is to sing with the choir, make the communion invitations, arrange practices, and a lot more. It's also great to see the kids act grown up and really take to heart the sacrament they were about to take. It makes me remember my own communion, how it was such a big deal for someone that age. It also makes me wonder when it's Mateo's turn already. Though it seems so faraway from now, I hope he also takes to heart and understands what the sacrament is all about.

business calls only

My friend, who has a small travel business, has been complaining of numerous private calls being done by her assistant in her office. One of the reasons why she got a small business phone systems is so that she can have a dedicated phone system for all their business needs. Since their business is a travel agency, having an open phone line during business hours is very important. She plans to talk to her assistant soon. I just hope it solves her problem.

missing some old friends

I recently got in touch with some of my former officemates. I was so surprised that two of them got married already in a hurry. I told Ramil that maybe we can visit my old office some time this month so I could do some catching up with them. One of my officemate was even talking about cpm - Corporate Performance Management. She's finally getting her much-deserved promotion and she's being enrolled in a lot of trainings where she learns all about this and a lot more. I just hope we really get to push through with our plans of visiting my old office.

drug help

Drug addiction is a serious problem everywhere. I've known some people who have ruined their own lives just because they got hooked on drugs. Some would start on it 'just to try', not knowing that it's one of the biggest mistakes they might make because at some point 'trying' will not be enough. Some turn to it because of a big problem, the drugs (like alcohol) help them forget even for awhile, not knowing that they are actually creating bigger problems for themselves. I've tried smoking and drinking when I was an impressionable teenager but it never occurred to me to try drugs. I only need to watch the nightly news to know the worst effects of it on people.

People who are hooked on drugs need the help of the people around them. A drug addict almost never gets clean by himself. There has to be people willing to be firm. Usually, going into drug rehabilitation could help but sometimes it's not enough. The person has to cut himself off from places and other people that are associated with drugs which could be very difficult. Nonetheless, living as a drug addict is no option, not just for himself but for the society as well.

a mobile lifestyle

I have friends who are thinking of getting married soon. They've been thinking about it for quite some time but they both can't accept the fact that they would have to settle down if they do. Both of them are always on the go and they can't imagine staying put in a certain place for good. They're actually thinking of getting a class A motorhome so that it would be easy for them to travel. Well, I know they want to spend their lives together they're just trying to figure out the perfect living set-up for them. In any case, I'm looking forward to their wedding.