Loving all the way

After knowing each other for a decade now, being a couple for almost about the same time as well, we can say that we have finally gone through almost everything. We've been through dating, being boyfriend and girlfriend, being engaged, being married, and finally being parents. And did the romance and love fade? Not actually, but it did evolve.

Having read the book, "Creating your own love story", loving someone does not end on being sweet and mushy all the time. Actually, it only starts there. And then it evolves to something more solid, more unconditional and more fulfilling love. You start to grow together and experience everyday living together. It's totally different if you see each other everday than having the frequent dates when you were younger. Now, the love that you have can actually surpass anything. As a wife, I've learned to be more submissive and independent at the same time. I've come to know more of what my role is as a mom and as a partner to my husband.

The free love letter before has now become a vow that we've given almost two years ago. And it is continuing to change for the better. I will always feel blessed to have been given the two most important people in my life...Simon and Simone.

The one with moments

One of the most remarkable moments I had with Simone was just last week. We were playing one morning, I looked at her straight in the eye, told her i love her and she gave me this look that really surprised me. You know the look that lets you know that she understands the word I said specially the word love?! I don't know if it was just me being so emotional but I really saw it in her eyes when she smiled back and I did'nt help it, I cried. hahaha. My baby smiles a lot, as in she has this very contagious smile that can really lift up one's spirit, but this smile was different.

And just this morning, Simone really gave a kiss to her dad. I brought her near Simon's left cheek and asked her to kiss her daddy. She looked at me and when I neared her to her dad, she closed her lips and her eyes and gave that kiss. It did'nt have a sound, but it was a real kiss. so touching! It did'nt happen again. hahaha.

The wonders of a growing child.

The one with reminiscing

I had some free time to browse on our pictures here in our PC and it amazed me how after so many years of being a couple, we were used to be just the two of us.


goodness gracious?! will i ever be this thin again?!


courtesy of Mai


we were used to having Coda as our baby...one that you don't have to change diapers on.


and the times na super sweet kme we look like we just came out of a love story novel. haha.

everything's changed...for the better. we never realized how much we've grown until simone came.

"Two is a company, but three is not a crowd, it's a family."

The one with almost a month

It's almost a month since I filed my resignation and I'd like to share how things are doing around since I left work and started being what I call, a "business mom" (i really think this is the most appropriate term for me, nice noh?!)

~ My blog ads are working already and I get regular posts every week which is good.
~ Just the other day, I was able to close a good project with my former office. I was so happy I went home early. haha.
~ My online tutor has not yet started but I'm up for my last interview with the president, i think, then i can start already. im soo excited! i just found out that i can be paid with or without students. Im thinking of making it a full-time work since I can spread the number of hours in the morning and the evening.
~ I've already updated a couple of my IDs which unfortunately is needed for the transfer of my coporate phone line to a personal one. sigh
~ I've managed to attend the Pag-Ibig seminar already and so excited to apply as soon as we find a nice house and lot. Did'nt you know that you can loan 2M from Pag-ibig and you will only pay P18k a month if you get the 30-year term. not bad right?
~ I'm scheduled to get my NBI clearance so I can join concon in her sun cellular business.
~ We've set up our christmas tree already
~ Simone had her ears pierced at last!
~ Simon is still working very hard and sometimes when I look at him, he's really tired already but according to him, he's inspired to work more so everything's good.
~ I think I've adjusted to the fact that I won't get my 10-20-30 pay anymore. haha.
~ Simone is babbling more often and is starting to learn more syllables. She knows apooh, agoo, ababba, mamama, mweh, kweh, and the famous "aaahhhhhhhhh" that she does every morning. It's too early that she'd serve as our alarm clock. haha.
~ During our monthsary last 22nd, it's so sad that we had to fire our tech assistant in our studio. too bad, we really can't take his working attitude so even if we've become friends already, we have to prioritize our business more. We've replaced him with Ken who is a friend at the church. He's nice and we feel more at ease with him since we know him from church. He was able to post some posters already in the villages nearby, put up our tarpaulin up and clean the studio in a spic and span.
~ We're scheduled to attend corporate events like agri-link on October so we can promote our services more to other companies that will be exhibiting.
~ I was able to continue my baby book scrapbooking already

Basically, everything is doing great and we're all enjoying it.

Harley or not

My brother is a biker. He had his bike 3 years ago and he once told me about a site where he was able to meet fellow bikers whom he shares his passion with. Not only that he has met friends there but he also told me that the site promotes biker dating as well. You can check out profiles of the members, see if you have things in common or if you jive well. It's the largest biker community in the net. Who would have thought that you can actually meet fellow biker personals around the world. Not only that, they will also match your profile to other members' profiles so you know who you can chat the most or whom to ask for questions regarding bikes. All new members are, of course, posted at their home page so current members can look into them.

So whether you're a Harley or not, you can all join and try this site.

Games galore

If there's one thing in this world that my husband will never outgrow with, it's his love for video games and that's why PS2 for him is the ultimate toy for the big boys. He would always tell me that when he was younger, he did'nt have the luxury of toys and video games that's why now that he's more financially capable, he can buy a video game station for himself.

I love it when we play together and get really hooked to the game that we forget to take our dinner already just so we could play more. Sadly, when I got pregnant, I was advised to stop playing for a while since i had cramps brought by too much excitement on playing games. haha. That's how addicted we were with video games.

And I think we'll never outgrow it...we don't really have to.

Dilemma

My friend who's staying at Arizona right now is having a dilemma if she'd want to pursue of acquiring a property thru a Phoenix real estate agent. She was really excited but still not sure if she'd stay in Arizona until her retirement age or if she'll just acquire a property there and have it leased. Plus the fact that she'd have to juggle on two jobs just so she could pay the mortgage. But let's face it, a land will always be an asset to anyone and owning something that you can call your own is a very big accomplishment.

The one with housing loan

I went to a government housing loan last Friday and attended their seminar. At first, I wanted to inquire on getting a loan for a house and lot. And I learned that we can also make a loan to purchase any land for sale. They have a list of the acquired properties that you can avail for an easier and faster approval of your loan. I got interested in getting the land in Rizal but was also interested in the house and lot in cainta. I got their brochure and will discuss it with Simon as soon as we'd know what we wanted already. At least, I'm done with the seminar and I can apply anytime in the next six months.

The one with her 7th month birthday

Celebrated at Somethin' Fishy, Eastwood, Libis. We got their breakfast buffet which we loved so much. We really ate a lot. The waiters gave him a gift, a pink stuffed horse. very nice! here are some pictures




lots of food...but i can only have milk?!--simone


twins...


fishy people gave me a gift...nice!

The one with a heartfelt gift

For Simone's 7th month birthday, we gave her a very nice and heartfelt gift that she will definitely remember...we got her ears pierced! The day before she turned 7 months, we got her pierced. You can check the video here. http://hotmommajacque.multiply.com

Unfortunately, her pedia told me that she's old na to be pierced and might be a little 'magulo'. Good thing, she did'nt even move (or did'nt get the chance since she was swaddled) She cried (as seen in the video) but as soon as i carried her, she stopped crying already. very brave girl.

Happy 7 months simone! muah! We love you!

Please sit down

When we built our music studio, we had a hard time looking for the right pieces to fit in it. And luckily we found these cool bar stools that were on sale. We bought 4 good enough for the instrumentalists and for some clients. It's important to have sturdy furnitures so you don't have to buy over and over until you realize that the savings you thought you had were the amount of a very nice furniture already.

The one with practice lang

I'm sorry I'm not that patient with digital scrapbooking (from scratch) so when i got this Creating Keepsakes CD, man! it's soo cool. haha. this is my first project.

Check out my Slide Show!

Vacation Homes

While surfing in the net to find a good place to go to on our trip to thailand, i happened to land on vacation homes in the US and one of this is the Orlando Vacation Home Rental. What's cool about it is that not only that it offers pool houses, it also has condominiums and town homes that are really nice to go to. Home rentals vary from what type you will be needing, from 2-bedrrom to 7-bedroom home rentals. You can also search in their site based on the specifications that you need. Cool!

So if you're planning to go to Orlando, might as well visit this site first.

Planning

At the office where I used to work, we always hold our annual brand planning. It makes us be more prepared for the year ahead of us and to plan which brands to launch and which brands to promote most. Also, it gives us an overview of how our corporate structure would be like for the succeeding months. I always believed that planning is the best way to keep your prepared from your competitors by anticipating their actions and it will definitely be beneficial for the company if all plans will be implemented accordingly.

Now that I'm more at home, I'd also want to do more planning here, of our business, of my schedules and of keeping our home nice.

Construction destruction

Beside my mother's house was a small bungalow house before. And when the family migrated to Chicago, they transformed the lot into a 4-storey building which turned to be a headache. The construction workers failes to use the right construction materials to make their area clean. There would be debris falling on our house and on our roof. They should have at least cleaned their truck rack and not pile all excess materials there. The truck should have at least a good set of accessories so that they'd be able to contruct in a more clean manner.

I hope everything will be okay soon and I hope the heat between them will cool off eventually.

The one with giddily excited

First things first, if you notice, I put "The one" within my title to state that it's a personal entry, otherwise, I'm posting for my blog ads. As much as possible I try to put some personal experience to my blog ads so as not to ruin the essence of why I put this blog up in the first place. Anyway, I'm getting giddily excited over a lot of things and here are some of those:

1. My friend told me that she received some amount already from my ads. yey! It's a small amount initially but I told her to collect it first until it gets a little bigger. happy! I'm really earning!
2. Finally, we got our car already. Not so new model but classic. Toyota Corolla XL 1995. It's still nice for a 12-yr. old car and we're glad we got it a very good price. Yey! thank you Lord. We'll use it for my business matters and of course, to transport simone and make sure she won't have to ride a PUV until she's older.
3. Our first out-of-the country trip together in November - we've always wanted to travel together and this is the only time we could do it since December is a pretty hectic sched for us. Anyway, we're going to Bangkok, Thailand on Nov. 23-26. I got really good rates from Cebu Pacific. Imagine, P13k for two-round trip tickets. good deal right?! and we'll be staying at a friend's condominium. yahoo! we plan not to shop much but if it's for Christmas already, maybe we can do our Christmas shopping there. Downside part is that we'd have to leave simone behind. huhuhu.
4. Our get-together later with Opposwim - I'm excited for later. It's been a while since we were together to really chat and Simone is getting bigger already, they have'nt seen her yet. hehe.

There, have a happy weekend everyone!

My first job

I'm still trying to get the hang of me being a Stay at Home mom, and every now and then, I'd still miss going to work and the people I work with. Just yesterday, I reminisced on the first job position that was given to me and that was being a Customer Relations Staff. And you know what my first assignment was?! To get really nice reception desks. I'm not kidding! I did'nt know it's very important to have nice desks to welcome guests and clients as this gives the first impression to your company. So, I researched and had it customized according to the size given to me and the overall look I wanted to achieve. I think I did great since after seven years, they're still using it and it's still nice to look at.

A new life

As mentioned in my previous post, I'am still empathizing with my friend with a brother who is under drug rehab. And while surfing more about the procedure and all, I happen to get in this site that somewhere in Malibu offers individual treatments for those under rehabilitation. It's good to know that there are certain institutions who really make their patients feel special despite and inspite of what they're going through. They serve really good meals, they provide really nice rooms, and since it's situated just in front of Malibu beach, the view is spectacular. I'm sure everyone who wil be treated there will have a quick recovery.

I hope there's one here in the Philippines.

Home Improvement

Christmas is in the air and every Christmas, we put up our decors early. Last year, we installed our lights in October and this year, we plan to put up before this month ends. When decoring the house, it's important that you consider good lighting. It depicts the mood you want to convey. Depending on the kinds of lights to install, how many and hoy big will determine the atmosphere of it. Of course, location is as important. We made sure that we bought also the original-made christmas lights to ensure safety as well. We put lights on the windows, around the wooden angel I just bought, on the Christmas tree and at the staircase. wow, this is our first Christmas as a family and I'm just so excited! I think this cost for a Christmas postcard! haha.

The one with half a year

I just want to show some pictures of Simone now that she's 6 months already.


Some scenes are not suitable for very young age. Infant guidance is a must!




Meet the General... ma'am yes ma'am!


her very first feeding experience...August 21, 2007, 6:30 am


minsan...nakakakilabot ang pagkakamukha nila. hahaha.

The one with blow-up

We were blown-up! haha. this is our skin shot at Blow-up babies, Gateway branch. we had fun with the shoot, it's just that the prints are really expensive, we were able to print this shot only. But I plan to have the others printed as well in the future. The egg shot is really nice, although we picked out this one coz Simone had a very unique pose we cant resist...we call it the Angelina Jolie look.


please dont mind how big my arms are...hahaha.

The one with a child in him

Simon, my husband, at his age of 27 has some hobbies and stuff from his childhood that he cant get outgrow with. Among these are video games and RC cars. He's always telling me that when he was younger, he did'nt have one, thus, the fixated liking to this. Admittedly, it's nice to see him collect these. And whenever he plays with them and cleans them, I get amused as to how he is still into something that you think only young ones can enjoy. And then I've learned that this has become a collection for some men. They even have the gas-functioned ones and they are willing to buy those expensive cars.

Well, I may never understand their passion for toys for the big boys but they will also never understand out passion to shop.

The one with payperposting

I have recently added blog advertising as one of my resources and one of this is payperpost. What I like most about payperpost is that the topics will vary according to things that you want to talk about. In short, you have the liberty to reserve or reject an open opportunity, depending if you can give justice to the topic. After joining payperpost, my website's traffic generation increased and opened me to new opportunities. I have also learned about so many topics that vary from travelling, hotels, and hobbies. In the short time that I'm a member, I have earned an extra income enough to pay for my bills. I plan to save the money I get from blog advertising so I'd appreciate more of what I do. Being a stay-at-home mother, it gives me a great sense of fulfillment to still earn while working at home and payperpost does that for me.

So if you have blogs and you consider yourself an addict to it, I encourage you to make money out of it. It's fun and educational at the same time.

The one with marrying Vegas

Whenever I hear about weddings and casino, only one place sticks to my mind. and that's Vegas baby! I've never been there and don't know if i'll ever be so just for the fun of it, I tried searching some Las Vegas Luxury Homes and find out somehow how it's like living there. The homes vary from custom homes, condominiums, retirement communities and even gold and country clubs. Locations can be chosen among Henderson, North Vegas and Summerlin which vary according to population and sceneries found.

We'll never know, If I become a millionaire I'll let you know how's life really is in Vegas. haha.

The one with updates

It's been a while since I've blogged about updates on my life. First things first, sorry if my posts lately are all about blog advertising. It's really cool and i'm kinda getting the hang of it. That's why I made this post, just so I could make this more of a personal blog again. haha. Anyway, been busy lately. I did'nt know that running errands can take you a whole day and more. It's also fun having to have more control of my time. I feel like I can schedule my appointments more and I'm more organized now. But of course, there are times that I'd feel I'm not being productive. Let's say, if I don't have to go out and I'll just stay at home, I feel like I did'nt do anything productive. And suddenly I'd realize that hey, being a mom is a very productive role and having to take care of simone for the whole day is an adventure itself. Now that she's more sociable, I love it when we just lie down on our bed and I read stories to her. She loves Disney Princesses. She also loves hearts. I have this pillow with hearts on it and every morning, she'd look at it and smile. She nows tries to get things by attempting to crawl. and if there are times that she can't crawl, she'd roll. She loves her bath even more. We let her sit on her tub and play with the water while I bathe her. And to top it off, "sumasama na sya". The one when you'd sign the carry sign, she'd extend her arms and would want to be carried already even if she's being carried by someone else. Oh and her first banana experience (first solid food) was not so good. She had it last Sept. 4. She loved the food and ate so much. Unfortunately, she had allergic reactions to it which appeared the day after. weird coz bananas are the safest baby food ever. anyway, I immediately stopped giving her banana and will try squash tomorrow. Simone is not a picky-eater. She even drinks her vitamins straight up without mixing it with her milk. when it's feeding time and she saw her food being prepared, she get really excited and her eyes light up literally. and she jumps as if wanting to start to eat already. Whoever is feeding her will pray for the food and she loves it when I say "yummy" while she's eating. It excited her to eat more. and she always asks for more! hahaha. simone's built is not the chubby type. she's more on the lean type but she really is so heavy. haha. i just love every part of her.

pictures to follow...as usual.

The one with helping out

Last night, I got to talk to one of my former colleagues and she mentioned to me that her brother will be admitted again for a drug rehabilitation. I know this topic is a little sensitive but I just wonder why some people, despite of their economic status (whether rich or poor) and family support can still utter to throw their lives away for drugs. What benefits will they get? Will the addiction to it satisfy or even compensate for the number of days shortened in their lives? Will they ever give up drugs once addicted to it? I just hope and pray that those who have been victims of drugs will survive this and will never come back to using it.

The one with your donations badly needed

In my former e-group at w@w, one of my batchmates who got married last december 2005 gave birth to a baby girl last august 14, 2007. her name is Hannah (the baby). By the way, the parents names are Joan and Carlo. When she was born at Asian Hospital, they found out that the baby's lungs are full of mucus and had pneumonia. Unfortunately, even when the pneumonia was treated already, the baby still had difficulty breathing on her own, so she's in a respirator and in Asian Hospital's ICU. Until now, the baby's still in the hospital and her condition is very rare, like it might be even the first case in the Philippines. Our only wish and prayers are that baby Hannah will improve and get well, and that Joan & Carlo would just hang on and be strong.

Doctors found out that what Hannah is experiencing is a Congenital Central Hypoventilation Syndrome (CCHS), also known as Ondine's Curse. She has difficulty breating when she's awake, so she has a ventilator. When she's asleep, she totally can't breathe on her own. According to the doctors, Hannah might be the first case in the Philippines. CCHS is a lifelong disease and no cure yet.

For Hannah to breathe, a tube was inserted through her mouth. But now they performed an operation called tracheostomy, wherein an incision was made on her neck so that the tube can pass through there.

They are now in need of help. Their savings are all gone. Approximate total hospital bill now excludes the doctors' fee, and Hannah has 8 doctors. Hospital expenses in Asian Hospital is around 20k/day. They will be transferring to another hospital maybe within the week, after Hannah's operation has healed. Daily expenses there would be around 6k/day. Their bill amounted to over half a million already, excluding the CS delivery she had.

They are now sending letters to institutions for help, for assistance. If their requests are approved, then they can put tin cans in stores wherein people can put donations. If you see those tin cans around, please help them. If any of you are willing to give additional help, you can contact me for the meantime.

Please, please, please. Let's offer a prayer for the baby and the family. Everything has a purpose and reason greater than we can imagine so I'm blogging this to ask for your prayers to this baby. And God is speaking to you right now to share your blessings, you can leave a note so I can get back to you.

Thank you so much and God bless! I hope I could share more but this is all I know so far. As a mom, it's painful to see your baby suffer like that and you'd wish over and over that it would be you instead of her. So let's share some love and comfort to this family.

The one with a lawyer

Up until I got into college, I was'nt aware that there are different kinds of lawyers, the same with doctors. My friend who is in New York shared her story about her being a robbery victim. They were robbed and apparently, just as the time that the robber would escape, he fell and it was a really bad fall. The ironic part of it was the robber sued them and my friend had to get a lawyer just so they could counter the allegations set by the robber. It was really horrific. Fortunately, they won and they also sued another case on the robber.

Just a story I dont want to miss sharing.

The one with a new set-up

As you can see, I have a lot of new entries that you might be surprised with. I have recently joined Blog Advertising to get a new look for my blog. I wanted my viewers to get more information by reading my blog and by doing this, I hope I get to share more aside from my own experiences as a mother and as a wife. My liking to join this has evolved when i resigned from work and realized that the blog addict in me needs to get paid while doing what I want most. haha. seriously, when i learned about this, I said to myself that finally someone will pay me for my being a blog addict.

I hope you'd also try this and see if it suits you.

The one with an ultimate dream

I'd always see in a movie, whenever something romantic would come up, it's either the couple is having a star-gazing by the beach or enjoying a stroll by the shore as the sun sets. It would always have to include a beach. and so i wonder, does it really feel ropmantic having to have a vacation on the outer banks? I mean, we've managed to have our honeymoon in boracay but staying in a nice beach resthouse on your own is something to look forward to. I think I can stay there forever if i can (just make sure that there's a mall near the beach..haha) seriously, if we all can afford it, why not have a one-month vacation on a nice beachfront house. That's an ultimate dream waiting to become a reality.

The one with the vehicle

Finally! we already have a car. well, it's just a second-hand car but we're satisfied with it already. We just need it to and from the office, to run errands and to transport simone whenever she will be going to her grandparents' house. We bought a sedan and Simon and I are planning what auto accessories should we buy for the car. We want to put a nice seat cover for it, car matting, a bigger rear view mirror, and put have it installed with all-power lock for the doors. i hope budget will permit us to do it.

The one with blogging

I started blogging when I was preparing for our wedding back in 2005. I was amazed on how I became addicted in blogging that this has been my online journal since then. I will always update whenever something new came up. And part of blogging, you would always have to bloghop to other blogger friends and get to know what's new with their life.

The first time I learned about Payperpost is through my close friend in the net, Mai. when i first read her entries, I was wondering why she was advertising something and why all of a sudden, her blog is frequently visited. Practicing her word of mouth ethics, then i found out that she just joined payperpost and she's very much loving it. she told me that she has already earned a lot just by posting topics that interest her. then i told myself, finally someone will pay us for being blogger addicts!

so, i tried my chances and sent the my information and my URL. luckily, my blog passed and was introduced to a lot of opportunities that i can talk about. Simply, you'd only have to blog about the topic you choose and make sure that you follow the rules or the specifications they want you to include. Submit your post and wait until it gets approved. It is that simple.

I started to get serious with payperpost since I'am really looking for extra income that might come in handy. I just resigned from work because I wanted to work at home and spend more time with my daughter. That being the case, I wanted to explore more money-making opportunities with things I'd like to do and this is the best choice so far.

The one with the hotel visit

When we stayed at Richmonde Hotel last month, I had a difficult time making our reservations, despite the corporate rate we have at the hotel. Then, I chanced upon this:


HotelReservations.com offers easy booking of hotel reservations with just a click away...literally. I looked at the rates offered and found out that it was cheaper than the room we got at a corporate rate. Plus, to add to it, you have an endless choice of hotels, from 5-star to 3-star hotels, they all have it. They will even show you their rating on every hotel to guide you what hotels will fit your needs and each hotel consists of a description on its services, location and other facts that can also guide the guest.

In order to get you started, all you need to do is enter the dates you plan to check in and out of the hotel, number of guests to check in (children included) and tick the specifications you want in a hotel (e.g., fitness center, pool, bar, and the like) This information will be used to be able to sort out hotels to suit your needs and make your stay more pleasant.

Aside from the hotel bookings, you can also check out flight schedules and book them should you need to, check out car reservations for easy transport especially if you're a tourist, and other vacation rentals aside from hotels. You can also avail their vacation packages which are very customized accordingly: 1) a hotel, flight and car; 2) flight and hotel 3) hotel and car 4) flight and car.

All these can be done by simply clicking via their site. you can also be a member if you want to avail more discounts and freebies. pretty cool huh?

So the next trip we're planning is in Bangkok, this time I will make sure that I'll log in first at Hotelreservations.com. It's always much fun if we can make our lives a little easier and im sure this will come in handy. Happy booking!

The one with the next project

Simon and I have also been planning, among other things, our desire to have our own home. We have been renting for a year and a half already and we really want to have our own home so the rent pay will be put into a better use. We've consulted a few real estate agents already and we're still trying to look for something that will be within our budget. We actually don't know if we can already afford it but we can a least explore the options. And after meeting with the agents, I pretty have an idea what of the ins and outs of buying a property. Also, it's important that they are very patient with you, they will give you more options and will also entertain your endless questions. Buying a house is not buying a toy, it's something that should be thought over and over...of course, prayed for even more.

The one with first week

Tomorrow is exactly a week after my last day at work. and what do i feel? happiness! Here's what kept me busy for the last week:

1) set-up an internet connection for my part-time online job
2) last-minute to do's in the office (transferring corporate phone line to personal, settling savings fund in the office, updating SSS, and others)
3) we've been spending three days trying to look for a nice second-hand car. we can't afford pa a brand new e, so 2nd hand muna. pero man, ang hirap maghanap ha especially if you have this much only for your budget.
4) de-clutter our place. haha and im not yet halfway there. we have soo many things, I always think we'd always need more cabinets.
5) take care of simone - she just had her first banana experience yesterday. too bad, she had allergies that we found out in the morning. i'll try squash after four days.
6) settle bills
7) cook - was able to cook seafood pesto again! yey! yummy!

as soon as we get a 'new' car, here's what i've lined up under my things to do:
1) inquire at MTC
2) get our pictures at blow-up babies
3) update SSS and get my driver's license
4) deposit my cheque which the bank will not do unless i have my IDs updated. haha, after almost two long years, this is the only time i can do my updating. :)
5) set appointments for potential clients of our music studio

simply things to do at home:
1) start part-time online job
2) make a neat budget chart and list
3) update profile of music studio
4) photocopy fliers
5) make a calling card for myself under Studio 22
6) scrapbook my baby

of course, all above items will be on a scheduled basis so I'll have more time for simone or else, I might end up being semi-employed. haha. Simon loves our new set-up. I remember him texting me the other day how much he's so happy right now at our set-up. It inspires him to work double-time for our family. and honestly, i love giving him that feeling. the feeling of him being the head of the family and the sole provider. (and me spending the money, bwahaha)

but to tell you the truth, we are all adjusting. simon has to adjust going to and from work alone, i have to adjust waking up late (haha) and being more domesticated (but with style), simone has to adjust to not go to her lola's house early in the morning. I saw her on my second day at home when she gave me her signatured wondering look when i fed her. It was like, "mommy, it's lunch time. why are you here?" hahaha. and she kept on looking at our car, as if she'd want to ride on it already since it's time to go to lola's already. man, she really is smart!

all is well. i'd update you more soon. :)

The one with finally a SAHM

Yes, after seven long years of being employed to the first company that I have ever worked for (accenture employment for two months not counted), I have filed my resignation last August 31 effective september 1. Being an employee to one of the best, or probably the best Filipino employer in the country might make you wonder, 'why does she have to leave?' 'is she crazy?!' i had those remarks smacked on to my face already and i perfectly understand them. one of my friends even told me that many people would love to be in my employment shoes. well, don't get me wrong. I love working for my company. I have already imagined myself retiring there and I cannot ask for more. aside from the fringe benefits and a good compensation package, more importantly, i love working with my co-employees and our bosses. compared to other companies, ours was more low profile that let us be more transparent and easy to get along with.

So why the sudden change of heart? When you get to a certain situation that totally turns your whole life around literally, you tend to change your priorities in life, moreso, your decisions. And that certain situation came when I gave birth to Francesca Simone six months ago. Before I even got married, and even when i was only a student, I was a very, very hard-working person. I'd study overnight without any sleep, I'd work endlessly without overtime pay. hehe. I did'nt count my efforts because I like to see results with what i do and when it comes to work, I categorize myself as a workaholic and career-oriented person. I imagined myself being a boss someday and have the power to delegate and supervise work and make that change possible. But when I got pregnant, it was suddenly daunting me, without me knowing it, the passion for motherhood. My life is suddenly not 'just' about me or my husband's, but our child's as well. Knowing that every decision I'd have to make should be carefully given thought with, should be dealt with accordingly because at the end of the day, I have a child to take care of. Her life TOTALLY depends on me. and those things awed me...literally. I was overwhelmed with welcoming motherhood and I think spending the most quality time I can give to my baby is one of the priceless gifts I'd ever have to give.

Dont get me wrong, I'am not against working mothers and I will never be. In fact, I was raised by a working mom and I applaud my mom for raising us the way we were raised. My brothers and I share a very close bond and that I have to give credit to my mom. It's just that I realized that the 4 months I have worked after giving birth, I was looking for something else, something greater than what I'am doing at work. I wanted to try out something else, I wanted to explore other opportunities that I may have, I wanted to try a business and most importantly, I wanted to be more with my baby. All this can only be done if i leave my current company. And so, I filed my resignation and bid farewell to my close friends. I shared some tears with our boss whom I considered a dad to me. I felt the peace I was looking for, that finally I will be able to do the things I've wanted to do for the longest time.

So, what will I be doing now? While being a Stay-At-Home Mom, I decided to write a Life Plan for myself. At the top of my mind, here are some things I wanted to do first: 1) take care of the music studio - admin works, marketing efforts, promotions and getting more clients. from the time it was built, this business of ours has been neglected and i wanted to do more for this studio since this is our passion, music. 2) enroll in a training or seminar for wedding planning or accessory-making - people have been persuading me to try wedding planning as they totally envision me as such. I'll enroll first to a seminar and see where my feet will lead me. I've always known weddings have a special place in my heart. I just don't love them, I'm addicted to them for reasons I can't understand. haha. Maybe because wedding is a celebration of love blessed by God and to be a part of it is something worthwhile. 3) online money-making - we're not rich people and we also need extra income. i'm sure this will come in handy. 4) participate in Seeds of Hope ministry at our church - I have always had the burden to help these needy kids and I really wanted to make time for them and to help them out in whatever way i can. 5) be a full-pledged homemaker - for the couple of days after my resignation, it amazes me how time quickly flies even when you're at home. At the end of the day, I feel that I had so little time to do my chores or even my assignments for the day. haha. I still need some adjusting with this. i love finally having breakfast with simon on our dining table since we usually had our mobile (as in sa car) breakfast before 6) do whatever pleases me.

I cannot tell you how long this set-up will be. At the least, I have given myself six more months (until simone turns one) if this set-up will work. I do not even know if I'am meant to be a full-pledged homemaker. All I know is that at the moment, this is what I want. I know God has blessed our decision and He is pleased that we prioritize our family. I know God will provide and I know He will not forsake us. He has always been there, and He will always be.

The one with the last getaway

Simon and I are planning to go to Bangkok this november and I hope it will push thru. anyway, im currently doing some canvassing on which luggage sets will be best for our trip. it will be just a short one, 4 days will be enough. I wanted to invest on a good brand and a more sturdy one so i'd have an easy gliding the luggage.

Our good friend norene will accommodate our stay at her pad and she will escort us to tours and what best places to go to. I'am so looking forward to it as this is our first out of the country experience and I'm sure it will be fun. The only downside to this trip is us leaving simone behind, that's why as early as now we are mindsetting ourselves that we won't be seeing our daughter for at least 3 days. sad but i guess that dreadful day will still come no matter what.

The one with a souvenir

I remembered our 40th corporate anniversary and all the preparations we had to do. One of my assignments was to purchase souvenir pens. I thought it was a simple task but personalizing all of the pens to all the 250 guests in the event was not an easy job. I had to carefully check a hundred times if the names are all correct, whether the color of pen is for a male or a femal guest, and whether they want their full names or their pet names engraved.

Good thing, there are a lot of companies who do this nowadays and one of which is pensrus.com which i hope i ran into when i was still preparing for the event. My life would have been easier if i had them do it instead.

The one with stakes

Just for the sake of exploring, at the age of twenty-eight, i've never tried casinos before and if i were to try one, I think the best place to be is the Imperial Palace Las Vegas. With all the night life in the city, the hotel and casino is right at the heart of the Strip where all the action is. There are guestrooms that feature a relaxing atmosphere, hotel amenities that treat you like royalty, and gaming facilities that is all about rewarding the players. I've read somewhere that if you are a member of the club, you get to earn points and redeem these for cash back or other prizes...cool! Other facilities will also include dining, state of the art entertainment, shopping and fitness facilities.

Truly, the place to be for fun and a good vacation

The one with a business

I've read an email from my friend and she offered different types of home based business. I was happy to get an email and since I'am officially a housewife, I wanted to be entrepreneurial for myself. One of the things I have always wanted to do is make accessories and it's something that i want to explore more. I want to enroll in classes and when I'am up and about, I can do pieces on my own time and sell them online or to friends. I have always been fond of accessories and I want those foxy ones with unique styles. It doesn't have to be trendy, just something that will fit someone's personality. I hope I'll get to enroll in a class soon.