Big THREE - "O"

Last 2 weeks back I celebrated my 30th birthday.
I can hardly believe of the number and I would've worried if I wasn't feeling good, looking good and having more fun than I did 10 years back. I think I reached the point when I know how to take care of myself because as cliche as it sounds if you don't know how to take care of yourself then how can you take care of others. If I knew how to look this good before I'm thinking if I would've bagged those guys I was eyeing..hahaha. But I guess looks is just one self-confidence is another. I feel more sure and confident of what I want, how I want it and how I can actually get things or make things happen. I am savoring everything and anything life hands me. Yes including the ugly parts (as often as I rant about it) I appreciate that too.

About the celebration(s) since I'm with a new team no one here knows it's my birthday so I planned to treat my Filipino friends who I enjoy having lunch with then pizza for the tea-break for my team. Well thanks to facebook (where most people found out anyway) my birthday was announced to all. I don't want my team feeling bad they didn't know. Actually during my pizza treat they gave me this yummy mango cake. =). Speaking of facebook that is soooo sooo overwhelming to have I would think about 30+ friends greeting me there. I had YM birthday messages, emails and of course the phone calls from my family. It made it such a super day!!!So heartwarming indeed. I did not file for a leave anymore but I took the opportunity of using my "replacement leave in lieu of a public holiday falling on a Saturday". My family scheduled a trip to Melaka and although it's our second time to go there we still had lots of fun spending time together, exploring & doing things. End product we are so dark and Iaree is so red after the trip so I canceled the scheduled photoshoot at The Picture Company.

Ryan has given me my birthday gift during Christmas so it was a surprise indeed to wake up to a large present at the foot of the bed. Of course the little girl was much too happy to open it and it was a set perfume of Clinique Happy. With a very endearing cryptic note attached to it:



I can't take your cooking... good thing you're getting better at it!
I can't take your jokes... good thing you're interesting to talk to!
I can't take your shopping.... good thing I still have money!
I can't take your _____.... so I bought you a PRESENT!

Ang bait noh?!Well he said he was just trying to make a humorous attachment to the present. Overall it was a fab fab birthday. If I were in the Philippines I would have celebrated it differently but then again I was here and nevertheless had a blast. Thank you God for wonderful 30 years of my life looking forward to more years ahead.

Quick rant

As usual this will be a quick rant while hubby is busy with his PSP & Iaree is busy with her portable DVD watching Barbie for the Nth time. I do hope I find time to narrate about how fun my 30th birthday was though coz it's also like this blog's anniversary as well.

Wow talk about office politics at its best.

What are you supposed to do when you are so caught up with such? I am so missing my old boss, the best boss I ever had. Note to self meet up with her for some valuable mentoring when I go back to the Philippines. I am already forgetting what she had taught me before to zip it when you have nothing nice to say. How ah? Especially when you feel it's so bottled up inside you? I miss my friends in Cyber! I so miss how simply fun they are to hang out with and how I can be myself and hardly talking about work during lunch. Oh well. GTG. Mommy make milk na daw si Iaree.

My hand in photography

These past few weeks I'm so busy doing nothing. Don't get me wrong my daughter doesn't let me off her sight so if I want to practice with our D90 hah she'll be there to bug mommy. Anyway this is nothing to brag about but posting it here as this is the only site that's my own. Our multiply site is like our family site and facebook is out of the question as I'm not even close to even say I own a DSLR. Whew! I never knew learning the ropes of photography could be one of the most difficult things I have studied...errr...ok I still don't know how to drive but throw me a complicated study of cognitive psychology or neuro psych it would make more sense.

Having a cute baby is my life's good karma

It's official. It's not only my husband and me who says our daughter is pretty or cute so this is the proud momma speaking. Hahaha. I had an urge to reply to my college friend that my mother used to get the same comments when she mentioned online that I do have a beautiful daughter. Hahaha. Of course that isn't true and she of all people would know how insecure I was before.

Along with my reverie of thoughts as a result of this unplanned staying at home I received yet another invitation in facebook from this guy who was THE GUY from the past. Needless to say I have come a long way from the girl who had so many rejections so many heartaches as I am now the woman blessed with such a loving and supportive family, the pretty & talented daughter was an icing on the cake. Gosh how I used to cry a lot back then and now none of that matters and in fact they are the ones now seeking my friendship (online at least, well this guy still chats with me too once in a while and used to text me when I was in the Phil). How I ended up happy 80-90% of my days (which I think is a good percentage considering life's trials) is something that I marvel at. I am not certain how it happened. As Julie Andrews' once sang - "there's something in my youth or childhood...I must have done something good". Could it be that Ryan & I met at the right time? One thing for sure I'm grateful I was not stuck that time with these loser guys ugh or I wouldn't have this pretty little girl with my Chinese looking husband. So nice how things work out when I used to think there was no hope for me at all.

Have you set up your Christmas decor?

It's Christmas once again!

Have you set you set up your Christmas decor? This year will be an easy (?) one for me because I have the help of a very eager little helper.

Something unexpected

I was a planner and I guess I still am. However now I came to accept that life gives you pleasant surprises and nasty ones. It's there everyday in the little things that come your way. And life is wonderful like that some may not agree to that statement seeing how unexpected things can throw you off the track. End of the day it's a matter of outlook. You do not have to dissect each event in your life and ask questions that leaves you frustrated when unanswered.

This was my most recent pleasant surprise...
December 1, today, was supposed to be my orientation day and first day in my new team. To prepare myself for a come-back (recruitment) role I took a leave Nov 30 making it a 4 day long holiday for me. Yesterday at past 6 pm I got a call. "Sorry Rhodora your work permit isn't ready yet so you cannot start tomorrow." Such statement could make me panic but since my work permit is already cancelled on the other side I do not have any obligations to work with anyone. Which only means one thing for me...more time given to spend with my daughter even if I was not asking for it. I love it! Hahaha daddy was jealous!

My baby bumblebee

My oh my...my baby bumblebee is growing up too fast too soon!
I can't even call her my baby anymore or she will start cuddling up and making baby noises "eeeh..ehhh.."making her voice even tinier. Of course the cuddle part I do not mind but I'm starting to realize that she's spoiled by me as much as she is spoiled by daddy. Hmmm...we have to stop this. It's just that with only one kid at home it's so damn hard not to give her too much attention. Hmm..no wonder people are saying I was a spoiled brat. Mind you being spoiled is not only on the material things I think it's really more on getting what you want when you want it. That's why I was obviously so stubborn as well used to getting things my way. Hahaha!So life is such a misery and a tradegy when I don't when actually it wasn't so but. Although from the way I see it my daughter is not yet so bad in fact she has good manners that I myself forget to use on her. She says please when asking for something. She says thank you after you give it. When she's not toooo guilty or scared when we are angry she says sorry. She also says excuse me when we are in her way. I was so impressed that we didn't have to teach her this but I think it was more on setting the example and suddenly she was picking it up. The tv shows from playhouse disney was also a big help as when they talk to each other they all have their manners. Cool! So we do try to savour every fun moment as much as we can.

Did I do a good job?

I am leaving once again.
Since I joined my new company I have been hopping around the organization. Teehee. I had never been a job hopper and I never intend to but of course there were unseen circumstances. This time towards something that I like or at least not stuck with something(aka as unstable system that I am working on) or somewhere I do not like(aka Cyberjaya). I had to grab it while the window of opportunity was open. So while they used to rave about me and how valuable I am to the team that's why they cannot let me go and the other team getting me was saying she's our only best candidate for this job as the days are near I am actually getting pressured if I really am the girl they were describing.

I remember that I was willing for my career to take a backseat when I felt that my family is my no.1 priority. Thing with recruitment or perhaps having any thriving career for that matter with a household and child to balance is enough to drive any woman nuts. Add to that though being a wife is not exactly a task these are the things you still have to be good at. How can I be a good mom or wife if I am soooo stressed at work?? Anyway, I went back to the game didn't I? It was really great that I was able to stop and experience being a stay at home mom. Ideally, as my married colleagues put it, the job we are doing is just nice for moms like us because our priorities have changed. Hah! For crying out loud I am still very loaded and although at the end of the day even with people screaming at me I shut down my laptop to catch my bus that was just part of me developing a thick skin. Hahaha. Yes Recruitment may have a more hectic demands but I guess when your heart is set at something & it's the kind of stress I am used to PLUS career wise it add values to my experience so with it I still can climb the ladder in an organization if I want to.

Scary but I just realized I have not been in recruitment for almost a year. Will I make it as they expected me to? Hopefully later people I will leave behind in my team especially the managers who hired me will find it in their heart to forgive me. I love my team and the managers too!!It's not often you get to say that in your career right? I just hope too that later they will remember that I somehow contributed to the team. Sigh. Don't you just hate goodbyes