lucky lucky momma!!!

Thanks Rosey for the term - been mulling over the title but you were there at the right time at the right place and ONLINE!! at 930am! WORKING and ONLINE!! That’s MULTI-TASKING alright.

What is MULTI-TASKING? It is the ability to execute more than one task at the same time.

I do that. A LOT. And I know most people nowadays multi-task to get things done, it’s a fast paced life y’know. To be able to multi-task one has to have mental control.  So not too much, not too little, that goes a long way.  But being able to multi-task and be efficient at the same time is another story.  I like to think that I am an efficient multi-tasker as MOST of my friends and family are (some are way too…MALI-MALI).  I do my job as carefully and as accurately as I can.  I do make mistakes, OF COURSE!! I’m but human, but I try not to or the next time I do that same thing, I make sure I’m doing it right.

Don’t everybody just hate those haphazardly done works?  I mean, you ask them to do something menial, well lets say take care of deposit slips, and they do it just for the sake of doing it and they give you what? Wrong totals, wrong dates, and you have to do it over again for them because it’s taking a lot of your time correcting what they did!  In the end, you just do them yourself and resign to the fact that it’s a HOPELESS case.

So what if you can’t multi-task?  IT’S DEFINITELY ALRIGHT!! Even if you have to do just ONE thing at a time, even if slowly, just do it CORRECTLY.

Oh and this only applies to those who WORK (at home or office or where-ever).  Really WORK and not act or tell people they are working (YEAH RIGHT!) but in reality they make other people work their butts off for them.

I’ve never been the type who’d sit around and not do anything.  I’ll get bored and be grouchy the rest of the day.  I like to be busy doing something and be productive. I guess it’s because of the early training that I got from my grandpa.

Starting when I was eight yrs. old (or around that age), I had tagged along with my mom and grandpa to their office during summers.  I was tasked to arrange the invoices by number, it wasn’t an easy task since the pile of paper is as high as I was then!  I guess I was pretty effective for my age that I was repeately being asked to go back and arrange the invoices for the collection department!  I enjoyed the work though, and did I mention that I got paid for that kind of job? =) 

When I was older, I had to work at our other office and help my aunts.  This was exceptionally fun since I get to work with my cousins, so it was like play!  We’d go with the truck to deliver rolls of finished fabric.  I’d be the collector and in charge of the papers.  My ahya dennis and ahya ton would be busy helping the driver carry the rolls.  We even met Danny Javier of the famed Apo Hiking Society.  He owned Pidro and was one of our customers.  He even toured us around his work area, he was so fond of us but since it’s been too many years ago, I’m sure he doesn’t remember us now. 

I got to work at a bank after college and I loved the relaxed set-up of a Monday to Friday workdays and had Saturday for running errands, baking and serious gimmicks with friends.  Loved the set-up, but never escaped the stressful and demanding clients I had to deal with EVERYDAY!  Now I miss them! hahaha… Plus the branch I was assigned to was in the heart of Greenhills Shopping Centre!!  Which meant after banking hours, I was busy… busy with shopping!!! haha!

When my uncle asked me to help out in their business, with an offer too good to resist, I shifted gear!  So I accepted and bade goodbye to Greenhills Shopping Centre!! No more shopping everyday! =(  The job I was assigned to was so overwhelming that I got so challenged and ended up enjoying work.  Without any equipt knowledge and interest in chemistry and chemicals, I started from scratch learning how paint is made, it’s components and procedures, etc.  It also helped that the company enrolled me at the Paint Technology Class, where I met great friends (go PTC ‘02!).  I also had to take care of importation of raw materials where most of my headaches came from.  Really! If you’ve dealt with our Philippine customs, you’ll agree with me that they’re really incompetent and so corrupt!!  I had to enroll in DTI classes to learn Importation laws and procedures.  But you’ll never ever be ready for those crocs in Customs.  Grrrr!  Anyway, my last year in the paint business was marked with more responsibilities but without complaints, more friends met along the way, fun events with the paint industry peeps and my new found love of chemicals and colors.  I love PAINT!!!!

I had to quit my job because I was getting married and was moving far south of Manila.  It was inconvenient to keep my old job and travel everyday, considering the traffic, I will never get to the office on time and sane!!  The first few days of helping out my husband run the business got me bored.  I was used to having my hands full with papers to approve and sign, suppliers’ emails to answer, phone calls from the broker or the bank, supervisors rushing some materials, etc. Whew!  While here, I was just waiting for my husband’s cue on what to do.  After a while I got the hang of it and assumed almost all the paperworks my mom-in-law was doing for the company.  I had to self-learn everything. Thanks to the corporate-literate relatives that I have and my super helpful ex-officemates and of course my husband’s help, I was able to learn everything by the end of the 1st month.  I didn’t stop there though, much to my husband’s delight!  He was able to leave me to handle a day’s work when he went for a visit to a supplier’s plant.  And I was in my first trimester of pregnancy that time!  I was able to survive that day without any glitches! As much my husband was proud of me, I was more proud for myself. 

As though I don’t have my hands full yet with paperworks and helping run the business, I’m now dabbling with fashion accessories making (visit my site: agretch.multiply.com).  I’m still looking for other things to do and hope to diversify to other businesses.  But more than anything, I work but enjoy it, I work hard but I play a tad harder too.  I’m a workaholic and I’m lovin’ it! =)

Call it jologs… call it cheap… but we like to watch pinoy telenovelas and lately koreanovelas… hehehe…

Way back, I watched religiously Jericho and Kristine’s telenovela, Pangako Sa’yo.  Who will ever forget the famous characters - AMOR POWERS (Eula Valdes), MADAM CLAUDIA (Jean Garcia), ANGELO (Jericho) and YNA (Kristine).  I love the protagonist in Amor Powers, and I loathe the antagonist in the character of Madam Claudia.  The two young lovers, Angelo and Yna, fell in love and fell in between two nag uuntugang bato.  Young love sweet love, kaso kelangan may kontrabida talaga!! hahaha!!!

And came Meteor Garden!! hahaha… Dao Ming Si and San Chai!! For a week, I’d sit in front of the tv at 8pm pop in the meteor garden dvd and watched til 4am!!  I’d go to work with groggy, sleepy and with puffy eyes the next day because I cried with Dao Ming Si and San Chai while they fight for their love… really cheesy!!

Haha… Natatawa ako, coz my husband and I watch Ch2 telenovelas every night. We start by watching the news, then Kris Aquino’s Deal or No Deal (which Xandy says as dwi o no dwi with matching hand gestures… cuteness!), oh we love Butuin Walang Ningning’s Dorina and Lavinia’s struggle to become a big star, there’s Sa Piling Mo of Juday and Piolo, and My Girl!! My Girl is a Koreanovela that’s so cute!  Jovan likes it including it’s predecessors - Princess Lulu and Only You. hahaha…

My mother-in-law would kid us, especially Jovan, and that she bet we watch all the telenovelas everyday, but it turned out that she too is addicted to those…hahaha!! Kewl!!!

Try watching them, may nakakainis na you’ll remember someone you don’t like, or someone funny and remember a kalog friend, or you might see yourself in one of the characters hehehe…

Sit back and enjoy the telenovela!! hehe…

I always believe never to judge a person based on your first impressions on them, even your second, third, fourth and so on impressions.  Give them the chance to prove themselves.

I’m friends now with people who at first I didn’t like because they seemed conceited and stuck-up, but turned out to be just frank, confident and loyal friends.  There are some that I thought I clicked with, even reached the "chummy" state, but then after a while, after several stories heard and after seeing them in life changing situations wherein you thought they’d change, I retreat to the fact that they are just plain ill-mannered and that I can’t do anything about it. 

Sometimes I would ask my husband, "kala ko close kami, di pala, nadeadma pa ako!! hahaha…" and my husband would answer me with his trying hard rolling eyes," kala mo lang yun, sobrang friendly ka kasi! dineadma rin ako eh!! huhu (with pa-cutey pouty lips)" hahahaha!  We’re victims of this kala-ko-nice-pero-deadma-pala person. wawa naman!! hahaha… later we learned, we’re not the only victims! you evil you!! haha! 

It’s so funny now looking back, how naive I can be.  My usual lines when somebody say something negative about a person is "Malay mo…" like malay mo busy siya, malay mo masakit ulo niya, malay mo… hahaha…

I still want to be naive, even if I stumble upon another two-faced person.  I still want to not judge a person on my first impression on them, kasi nga malay mo!!! haha!!

Think happy thoughts!!! =) Always!

It’s finally starting to sink in.  Fatherhood, that is.  Little by little, my husband has been experiencing the joy and excitement of being a father. He rarely gets to play with Xander for a full hour, understandingly because of work and being a workaholic. 

Nothing beats the joy Xander brings to his dad when he would show his new tricks care of Mommy hehehe. 

Yesterday, we stopped over at McDo’s for a drive thru meal.  Jovan had to give up ordering his favorite big mac for a Ronald McDonald toy and settled for a bland tasting burger mcdo happy meal when Xander blurted out "McDo" when he saw the Ronald toy hehehe… "aahh… ganun na pala ang buhay tatay… burger mcdo na lang para masaya ang anak…" Jovan murmurred. 

One night as all three of us lay in bed, Xander began counting.  He loves to count.  But that night he surprised his dad by reciting one till ten!!!  Jovan was overjoyed, was shook awake by what he heard and requested his son to count again… hahaha… I’ve been teaching Xander numbers since he was a month old.  A lot of people were surprised when at 5 months he could count one to five with his fingers.  And no one was prouder for him than mom and dad =)

Coming home after a night out with friends last night, Jovan promised himself that he would try to spend more time with Xander.  He doesn’t like the idea of missing out on his son’s everyday development.  He has just realized that his son’s growing up really fast.  hahaha…  Next thing you know, binata na baby namin… =)

For the past two months or so, I’ve been waking up with a
heavy heart knowing I’ve hurt someone and feeling hurt the same way. For the awful words I’ve thrown, I’m greatly
sorry. For the atrocious actions I
received, I have forgiven. 

It’s such a great month; I’ve closed a chapter in my life
that I’d hope would never happen again. Things are better this way, peaceful and full of laugh and love.

Tao lang naman tayo lahat. We make mistakes, sometimes stupid ones. We learn and should learn from them, that’s how we become a better person. 

I also get hurt; I never want to hurt either.

But I value friendship even more. Friends are such treasures in life that a
little misunderstanding should never break up.  When you’ve been through
everything together, and when you can finish each other’s sentences, and you
know each other’s flaws and eagerly cheer on each other’s successes, that’s a
friendship you gotta make sure won’t slip your hand.

I’m glad we’ve patch things up and cleared the air. It’s good to know that the dynamic duo is
back on track again. And as friends, we
are to help each other every time we can, even without asking for one.  It was an awful misunderstanding on both
sides. Friends till the end. Right Candz?

“Life’s like a roll of
tissue paper… You’ll never know how much you’ve wasted until you get to the
end. And it’s sad that when you look
back, you see much of it was wasted on shit =)”

I
must admit, I was spoiled as a child, but hey, I was never a brat ha!!! Hehehe…
My amah (grandma in Chinese) did the spoiling. I used to think I was amah’s favorite apo since for the longest time, I
was the only girl in the family. But
looking back, every one of us was spoiled by amah!!! 

My
cousins and I would spend the whole summer in amah’s house. They have a big pool, almost Olympic
size. I learned how to swim
competitively because Amah and Angkong (grandpa) encouraged us to learn
swimming. I will and always remember
this one: One summer, when my cousins, Mark & I learned how to swim really
well, our trainer entered us in a swimming competition at the Valle Verde
Country Club. Nobody could accompany us
because it was a weekday. Amah had a
mahjong session scheduled that day and had just asked the driver to drive us to
the venue. But surprise surprise! She
cancelled her mahjong just to watch us! It was very important for all 4 of us
that somebody from the family had gone out of her way to watch us. So we gave our best! I remembered getting two golds out of two events
and my cousins and Mark won also. Amah
was so proud of us that she treated us at McDo, babaw but it was a great treat
for all 4 of us.

I
miss my Amah. Almost everyday. It was a pity that she never had the chance
to say goodbye to all of us. She had a
stroke on Christmas Eve, never woke up and passed away two days before New
Year.  Sometimes I blame myself for her death, if I
were there to get the chocolates from her room to give to the kids visiting,
maybe she’d still be here and maybe Angkong would still be here too coz I know
Angkong missed Amah so much and almost all of him died with her (he never
showed us, but there were moments when I caught him just staring at her
picture, teary eyed; and when he passed by the garage on the way out, he’d stop
by the new car he bought for amah, barely used, and holding it for a second,
then leave).   But I guess it was her time, and I thank God
that on her last breath she was happy because everyone in the family was
there. Angkong had joined Amah in heaven
a few years ago. And I miss them so
much. They were the pillars of the
family, and after they’ve gone I’m just glad they brought up their kids really
well. 

Although
she didn’t see me graduate from high school and college, I know she’s proud of
me. Although she wasn’t there when I
turned 18, I know she would have liked to give a big party for me but partied
nonetheless in heaven (it was one of her dreams, which she shared to me, to see
her apo celebrate a grand debut.. but alas, every girl in the family was
kuripot… hehehe and opted for a simple celebration). Although she and Angkong weren’t there on my
wedding day, I’m sure they were happy for me that I found a good husband. Although she wasn’t beside me when I gave
birth, I know she’s watching over me and her great grandchild. Although she wasn’t there during my
heartaches and failures, I’m sure she was always praying for me to stand up, to
be strong, to have the strength to face life’s challenges and to surpass every
trial. Although she wouldn’t be here
for the days and years to come, I am so sure she’s always cheering on me in
heaven. And I’m sure, if Cheska’s
reading this, she would just hate me for writing this piece and for making her
cry…. crybaby!!! just like me… Hehehe…

 “Everyday I always
love you, everyday I’m always thinking of you, everyday’s another lonely day
without you… everyday”

No, it’s not the movie, and I wasn’t
running after the groom. It was my bestfriend’s wedding last Sunday and I
hated it. I hated it coz it made me
cry!! Haha… While my friend was walking
down the aisle, I think I was the first one to cry than the sister or the mother! To think I didn’t cry on my wedding day! Well, I did, but after the party na when
everyone was going home, it hit me, I wasn’t going home with my parents, my
brothers and especially my favorite aunts. Anyway back to the wedding, it was a nice, cozy and well-organized
wedding. It was not surprising that it
turned out the way though coz my friend Kring planned her wedding up to the
last detail, the OC that she is and with an OC friend like me behind every step
of the planning stage, we’re sure not to have missed one. 

To make the celebration more
special was when two of our friends flew in from Jersey. It was like a reunion of sort. Not seeing Tuesday for almost two years (last
time we saw each other was on our own wedding days which was just a week apart)
and Marianne who we were lucky to have spent our Bangkok trip with last October
2005, it was nice reminiscing old times, catching up on what’s up with our
lives and with the lives of other people, in short tsismis galore! Hahaha… Upon
Tuesday’s request, we had breakfast at Jollibee Greenhills. It was just like old times but now with Xander. Dati kasi even if we stay out really late Saturday
night, we made sure we attend the 8am Sunday mass in Mary the Queen Parish and
have breakfast at the old Jollibee Crossroads Greenhills.  That
was almost a decade ago. Imagine! And as
of writing, three of us are already married and one engaged to be married next
year. I miss those days. Four innocent looking (but not quite)
wandering around Greenhills, spending idle nights in North Greenhills’ park where
Tuesday and Kring would carelessly ride the seesaw, talk about homework and have
sore muscles the next day and where Marianne and I would sappily sit on the
swings talking endlessly about the boys in our lives.

We’re four different individuals with just two
things in common, we love being each other’s friends and we love each other
like sisters. Right now, we’re not accepting
anymore applicants except for our respective partners who we have no choice but
to bring along. Haha…

Early on our friendship, we
surprisingly had one favorite song for no particular reason at all… SUPERWOMAN
by Karyn White…

I guess we all admit to not being superwomen but have always tried
to be one especially when it comes to our family, studies, work and friends. May the force be with you always mga mare!

Early
in the morning I put breakfast at your table,
and make sure that your coffee has its sugar and cream…
Your eggs are overeasy, your toast unlikely,
all that’s missing is your morning kiss that used to greet me…
Now you say the juice is sour, it used to be so sweet,

and I can’t help but to wonder if you’re talking about me…
We don’t talk the way we used to talk, it’s hurting so deep,
I’ve got my pride, I will not cry, but it’s making me weak…
I’m not your superwoman…
I’m not the kind of girl that you can let down,
and think that everything is okay…
Boy I am only human…
This girl needs more than occasional hugs
as a token of love from you to me…

I fought my way through the rush hour trying to make it home just for you…
I want to make sure that your dinner will be waiting for you…
But when you get there, you just tell me you’re not hungry at all,
you said you’d rather read the paper and you don’t want to talk…

You like to think that I’m just crazy when I say that you’ve changed,
I’m convinced I know the problem, you don’t love me the same…
You’re just going through the motions and you’re not being fair,
I’ve got my pride, I will not cry, still I can’t help but care!!!

I’m not your superwoman…(oh no no no!!!)
I’m not the kind of girl that you can let down
and think that everything is okay…
Boy I am only human…(I’m only human!!!)

This girl needs more than occasional hugs
as a token of love from you to me…

I’m not your superwoman…

I’m not the kind of girl that you can let down
and think that everything is okay…
Boy I am only human…
This girl needs more than occasional hugs
as a token of love from you to me…

Oh!!! If you feel it in your heart and you understand me,
stop right where you are, everybody sing along with me!
I’m the kind of girl that can treat you so sweet,
but you got to realize that you got to be sweeter to me!!!
I need love, I need just your love, I’m not your superwoman…

My friend Meyj
inspired me and some other friends like Ann to write blogs.  She started
blogging when it was still non-existent to most of us.  Come to think of
it, while we were still in college, she would encourage us to write letters to
each other even though we see and talk everyday!!

I guess unspoken
feelings were much easier to write down.  Much like being in love and
wanting to express your feelings by writing a love letter to your object of
desire, it is also perhaps a therapy for those hurting too.  Recently,
when I was hurting and had nobody to share my feelings to (sensitive issue that
cannot be discussed…yaicks! imagine… que horror! All anger bottled up ready
to explode.).  So I turned to the blog.  It was my first entry.  And I guess I went overboard with describing how I felt.  But,
still, that was how I felt at that time and I won’t give any apologies to
anyone who may have thought that he/she was the one whom my blog was referring
to, it’s my right to feel that way and the person has his/her right to read my
blog since anyone can read it.  And you know what? I felt better when I
finished writing… therapy nga!!

Getting back to
Meyj’s blog, her entries are so fun to read! Minsan may adventures, rants,
raves but mostly heartaches hahaha… diba meyj?  Life in general I guess!!
Nothing of the sort that typecasts people but what was truly felt during the time
of writing.  Besides, that’s why there’s blog.

Thanks Meyj for
introducing me to weblogs! If you get to
read this, I promise to write more, to RESPECT the feeling of the moment, to always be inspired and to ACCEPT what is.

Thanks to Caloy, Xander had his first motel experience, the Star Andrea Hotel way (hotel daw e!!).  The whole of Calamba was cut out from civilization… no electricity!! (Well, almost the whole south luzon especially batangas) Meaning no electric fans, no televisions, even no work for Dynasty (which rarely happens)!!  A good boy that he was, Xander never complained about the weather nor the lack of electricity, good thing!!!  A little rain but there was strong winds, it was cold outside but we didn’t dare open the windows because the wind brought the rain inside the house. A stone’s throw away was a hotel, ummm…more like a motel, the Star Andrea! It was God’s sent!!! No brownout!! We packed our bags and decided to spend the night there!  It was decent and clean.. and best of all… cheap!! We’re cheapos, fyi!! hahaha… Php1,000 for an overnight stay… is that cheap or what?  P25/can of coke (can’t live without it-jovan), and P70 for a plate of bihon guisado (they say that best noodles are served in motels…ask allan (javier) he’s the expert!!). Not as comfy as our beds but beggars can’t be choosers, right???  And that pic?  That was the morning after.. and yes, Caloy has yet to leave South Luzon, which still leaves us with a cloudy Mother’s day and happily but still stuck at home.