Robbery & Sale

It must be the height of Christmas season in the Philippines.

Left and right I am getting either stories about robbery or information about sale. I remember that during this season I am so scared going to robbery prone areas and vigilant to the fact that they get more and more creative each year. It's so terrible. Having stayed here in Malaysia for 3 years now makes me long to go back to the Philippines with the comforts of home and friends but reading about these horror stories and knowing how close you can get in experiencing one is the main reason why we are still here and considering to move to New Zealand - ZERO crime rate.

Oh but the shopping at this time is so awesome!!!I also remember not spending too much on months before so I can splurge on shopping for Christmas. As kids, lolo used to give us a budget based on the people who we will buy gifts for. Looking back I realize that was so nice of him to do that. As a child you felt it was ordinary but if he & lola could hear me now I now appreciate more what a great gift they give to us.

Well I'm getting sentimental coz we are not going home this year. It's so costly to go back home especially on peak season. Maybe I would just start saving up for a Christmas trip next year so that like when I was a small girl Iaree can experience being surrounded with lots & lots of gifts too coming from loved ones. But I do pray for my family and friends to stay safe during this season. I still can't believe how the demand for these bad people get high around this season. I mean are they doing this so that their own families have a great Christmas as well? Then it's totally missing the point. Even Jesus was born in a manger and did not have to be covered in expensive clothes and have a big spread of food before him. While I'm at it I will pray for these criminals enlightenment as well so that they do not affect of harm other people. Arrrgh. I really hope they stop this already. Aiyaa so worried lah! (hehe, I so speak with a Malaysian accent nowadays).

the upcoming 5th Year

We must admit that one thing we are jealous of other couples is that they still get to go out watch a movie, go on a date have a little alone time. Coz that doesn't seem to be in the vocabulary of my mom. If we do that she'll feel left out blah blah blah. And I also asked Ryan if my mom would agree knowing how we are with our daughter we don't have the heart to leave her anyway so we also have an issue.

The last movie we saw together was Transformers 2 and trust me I was the first in the exit door of the movie house. It was not a date at all. We used to have DVD nights at home but lately Iaree sleeps so late or she hostages one of us to sit with her in her playroom. Literally hostage or we'll get screamed at - "Daddy sit!" "Mommy sit!". If we are around there has to be at least one of us there with her. So nowadays to watch a movie that we like we watch separately too.

As we are in cost-saving mode we didn't want to spend on a lavish anniversary trip. Iaree would of course be FOC but my mom would be an extra expense, extra room, extra buffet breakfast...etc. Ryan is thinking of getting me a diamond something and I was thinking of getting him a watch as he doesn't own one. Problem is he is not keen of wearing one either. We are out of options here I wanted it to be a special day. I know we wont be able to go somewhere and nowadays Ryan is such as KJ to pose for pictures so even if I just make a special dinner at home the day will pass to be such an ordinary one. I guess I just have to dream on in having a special celebration. =( Sulk.

Car-less days

It's so difficult to be car-less in Malaysia. Transport system is not so awesome especially in the place we live now. And taxi/bus fare is not as cheap anymore after the fare hike.

On a different perspective we may be car-less but still thankful that Ryan is okay and harm-free. Really really worth thanking for especially when I saw our car's condition after the accident.

It happened one very rainy day on his way to pick me up as usual he was driving on an inclined highway with a good distance from the car in front of him suddenly the car stopped and when he hit the brakes since the road was inclined and slippery - BANG!!! The Proton Saga that he hit was dent free unfortunately our Proton Wira was like a sardines can that easily got smashed. What more the heavy rain caused further damage to the engine which the insurance won't cover. Talk about mucho dinero!

Last two weeks we both are enduring taking the bus and now that Ryan is getting the car back today he is actually considering of parking it instead at the bus terminal (cheap parking RM 1 = PHP 13 for the whole day) then taking the bus. Anyway I too am taking a bus since I work here in Cyberjaya now. Of course he's still thinking twice as he might only take 1 bus ride but waiting for the bus and the bus route takes an eternity to reach the destination.

Despite the expenses we are thinking of going somewhere tomorrow or over the weekend to celebrate getting the car back. Hehehehe. We really missed it.

My start date OVER THERE was made early!!!

Wag sabihan ng "easy lng or chill" ang tao na mainit ang ulo dahil inilipat sa work place na di nya gusto!Hmp!

I thought I would be over this and I have conditioned myself to start my new role back to the pitiful palce I called Cyber (no offense but I cant help it coz the transport system over there really sucks as in missing the bus makes 2 hrs diff in the time you get home and not to mention expensive!!!). However suddenly they changed the date and I would have to start earlier than expected. Now that I am so in a middle of a lot of this which I also expected to wrap up by their earlier committed date. Of course I want to leave my post with a good exit where I have finished if not possible all but at least 80-90% of my tasks. These past few weeks I have been building good rapport with the managers of the business units that I am in charge of. They are very easy to work with and considering their high posts they are actually very nice and have sense of humor. Likewise I have been friends with a lot of people here and got accepted quite well.

Oh well. Yesterday I slipped back to my "furious" mode and I am suddenly wondering how I can motivate myself and smile that I love to be there on my first day. I mean at the moment I know that I need to but I hope that "need" would suffice to fuel me to work efficiently like I always do with all my previous company where I love what I do and I like the place I work at. Oh and again please dont tell me to take it "easy" as I am obviously not in that state of mind!!!

Shopping crisis

What is it with women & clothes shopping? Well shoe shopping or even BOTH for some.

Our landlord who is nice but stingy furnished the condo with a tiny wardrobe closet (for my standard) which means I barely left Ryan space to place his clothes. Hehehe.

Now that I'm back to work and just came from shopping from our last trip to the Phils I am finally realizing that I have plenty of clothes. Because the only thing I have worn 2x - 3x are my slacks & cardigans. That too I have only alternately worn after a week or two. I even include thanking God every night specifically for this blessing apart from our health, safety & food that we eat. If we are not seriously saving - which we ALWAYS remind ourselves before and during the weekend - I'm sure I'd find it hard to resist the Malaysia Mega-Sale. Actually I had an early taste of it before we left for the Phils where I spent hundreds on Esprit & Mango (in fairness to me it was really a big bargain). Hahaha. To think I didn't have a job back then. But how come I feel I need a new skirt, blouse & blazer. Arrrrghhh!!!

Do you think I have started this little girl's career a little too early?

I love you Mommy!

I've been waiting for the moment my darling girl can utter the words I love you. Since she was about 18 months she can associate "I love you" with Barney's popular I love you song. She hugs us when the song is sung and even gives us a kiss. Recently she had been singing it with her own words - "A la lu". Since I sing it to her following the Barney I love you tune - I love you baby iaree. She surprised us weeks ago by singing it exactly as "A la lu Baby Yayee" hahaha. That was the same time we were sure she was referring to herself when asked what her name was. She calls herself Yayee.


Last week I've been getting her to sing A la lu mommy instead and when she did Ryan tickled her prompting her to sing A la lu daddy too. Being the cheeky (and alaskador) baby she is (like her dad) she kept on singing "A la lu mommy" on and on to tease daddy more. Then daddy realized she was singing A la lu mommy to spite him so he stopped tickling her and promised to tickle her if she says a la lu daddy. We called her on the phone the other day which we never missed since I went back to work and again she was singing to us a la lu mommy mommy. It was hilarious, she was laughing on the other line, I was laughing and daddy was getting angry. Hahaha!She was even saying I love you to Dora which she pronouce as - dowa so it was like she was saying I love you to mommy again. Hahaha. "A la lu dowa dowa".

Last night daddy's reverse tactics of tickling her finally worked after a few days of torture when she prefers singing A lu lu mommy mommy. Daddy finally enjoyed a lot of "a la lu daddy daddy".

All things are temporary...especially my job!

Though I was unable to share the past events on how we decided it was best for me to be a stay-at-home mom, those who were close to me knew why I was doing it. It wasn't easy and I wasn't fully supported even by my close friends and relatives. They felt it was such a waste that a straight-A student like me, almost completed her masters, who is very driven and ambitious would simply give up her career (to think they didn't know at that time that I was being offered an Asst. Manager position). We were so decided that even the begging of my boss (who not only had lenghty discussions with me but also sat down with my husband to make me stay even a few months longer) made me even extend my notice. What was hard to explain was since I had Iaree all our priorities shifted to her and what would be best for her. I felt that doing it for her I was doing it for myself too. It came to a point that this was not a matter of multitasking anymore (which I used to pride myself of doing).

It was a tough start, my mom went back at that time and financially it was such a bad timing for my side of the family. My father who was in the Phils for the Christmas break went back to work to find out his company shut down. We were all unemployed, me, my father, my mother & my prodigal brother who after 6 years is still in college and not even close to finishing it. This was followed by a series of unfortunate events which included my sister-in-law's retrenchment (she along with my husband supports their family) and the decision of my husband's client to drop him as their IT Consultant. Adjustment to the new role also took a few weeks for me. Iaree was more clingy and pampered by me when it's nap time. I carry her while asleep and if she sleeps 11AM I would surely miss my lunch. Motherhood it seems was more than a 12 hour job.

Eventually though mama found some temporary jobs and at least they have some sort of income. My sister in law manage to land a job too after almost a two month search.Although my brother who we asked to look for job too doesn't seem to understand the weight of our situation. I also got a hang of things at home and was actually enjoying it - finally! Ryan was very helpful around the house. Even after a long day from work he would help me clean up in the kitchen or take care of Iaree and let me do things. I knew I was doing ok when I manage to prepare regular meals, do a little housekeeping and still have time to play with Iaree. It was fun! And it was so amazing to see Iaree learn so many stuffs, I really got to watch her bloom. I was also enjoying taking naps with Iaree, a luxury working people cannot afford. If I am not sleeping I watch 2-3 episodes of my DVD series collection that I had to put off when I used to work. I completed Sex in the City and was halfway through Ally Mc Beal with Heroes, Brother's & Sister's and other movies on the side. Plus all Dan Brown books and more. I was having a blast for what most people warned me might be a boring role.

A few months later an opportunity came to me. In the midst of retrenchment, pay-cut, no salary increments and difficulties of getting a job, a Filipino acquaintance who got relocated in Malaysia offered me a job straight away with a good salary and a chance to upgrade our lifestyle as this would require us to relocate to a better place just a few minutes away from the convenience of hypermarts & malls.

As the decision to stop working was made over a long period of time it was not an easy feat for us to decide on going back. Arguments, serious deliberation, happy anticipation, fear enumeration all the usual fuss we tried to squeeze in a short span of time as the company didn't give me that long to decide to accept it or not. When we finally agreed to give it a shot against our previous conviction that it was best for me to stay at home for the time being and even if that time mama found a more permanent job & papa set up a small home business. It took like forever for them to process my employment permit but I was finally back to work after 6 mos of role change. It was so heartbreaking to part from my darling girl and after almost a month I'm still not over it. It was just a consolation though that this company is not as demanding and I am only 5-10 mins away from home. So I still get to play with Iaree in the playground or take her out to swim. Plus I cook dinner and even clean our room. Again we needed mama to help us out with Iaree coz they we such in a hurry before that we didn't have the time to process or even look for a yaya. (Nobody really expected the hitches in the work permit). It's all well isn't it? Brand new home in a place we so so love!!!Very very convenient to my workplace and though it's farther for Ryan, his petrol is cheaper because he passes via highway that is not too inclined as compared to where we previously live (read: full tank now lasts 10-14 days as compared to 5-7 days before).

It was a perfect picture...ONLY FOR A WEEK because the next week after I started work I was told that my post had to be dissolve due to wrong calculation on the load of work hence my team's headcount was exceeded. Ang saya di ba?! Literal na di pa umiinit ang pwet ko sa upuan ko. I was so mad and frustrated to a point gusto ko sapakin ung taong nagbigay sa akin ng work. Hehe good thing he was a nice person and he already had an alternative. He was offering me a non-recruitment job in my previous work location (which I totally hated and take note the location was one major factor in my decision to quit). Great right?!

We resorted again to deliberation time, well it wasn't much of a deliberation because as Ryan puts it - you are getting janitorial job with a supervisory pay, I'd just have to endure that long travel again. I have to set aside any career progression with this type of job. If we didn't spend for our house transfer, mama's visa & flight tickets we would consider me quitting instead. But I wasn't really left in the dark right and I came to realize that sometimes God has plans we don't understand at the moment. SLOWLY (yes slowly as the operative word here as I kept on lamenting about this to everybody when I was so so down) I saw the advantage of this unexpected and unwelcomed change. I may work far and travel long hours again but at least my work will not be as demanding. They even hinted that once I get the hang of my new role I can ask permission to work on our branch near our condo (where I am at the moment) or even work from home. With Iaree as my priority that could actually work. Let's see. It's just a year of contract anyway and despite what they say not counting eggs before they hatch we actually have. So a little sacrifice from me could do our family good. Anyway I have a very supportive husband, adorable daughter & helpful mother so I know I can pull this off.

The 2nd birthday Celebration in Pinas

It's not wise for us to go home as often as before so we wanted to make this trip a memorable one.

We made a last minute decision to throw a quick & simple Jollibee party for Iaree even if we decided against it in the first place (back in Feb when we bought our plane tickets) being considerate of the economic crisis that struck both our families directly. All along it was supposed to be a simple dinner with both of our families and that's it. When we were listing our menu and guest we realized that the expenses is so close to our original Jollibee party budget so a month before we left we reverted to our first plan of Jollibee party. We also thank God for the blessings we have received and we foresee that our families will be stable again soon so a party will not be so inappropriate after all.

Since it was a last minute thing, all the Jollibee's near Makati was either booked or the timing was off (it was Iaree's sleeping time) and although Iaree had no idea who Jollibee is, the food there is something we look forward to since McDonald's and other fastfoods are available here in Malaysia. Meanwhile, in Pampanga we learned from my sis-in-law's that since McDonald's in their town closed they only allowed party in Jollibee every weekends and only during Iaree's sleeping time. Yes, we wanted to give Iaree 2 Jollibee parties (at my hometown - Makati & at Ryan's - Guagua) .. Hehehe we're not addicts nor fans of Jollibee but as I've said it was the easiest fastest and economical choice for a children's party.

End product - a simple close family "grilled all-Filipino dishes" at Pampanga and a Jollibee party in Ortigas Roosevelt. The result? We had a blast and most importantly Iaree really really had a great time.

In Pampanga: After she warmed up with her cousins she had a great time playing with them. Not to mention it was the first time she saw a live chicken so even with the chicken she was so ecstatic. She was screaming, running and forgetting mommy & daddy. She bonded well with her cousins and enjoyed herself very much that Ryan and I was so happy despite not being able to throw a Jollibee or a grander party than that.





In Manila: She bonded well with Jollibee. Her first orientation of Jollibee was through pictures I downloaded and when she saw Jollibee on the first day we arrived she was shouting and pointing at a Jollibee restaurant. Saying "Jaalbeee Jaalbee! Hi Jalbee!Hiiii!" Ryan and I was so surprised. Even when we went shopping at Glorietta and ate at the food court she kept on waving at Jollibee saying hi and goodbye to Jollibee. Okay close sila sabi namin.Hahaha.And at least during her party Jollibee will not be something foreign to her meaning she wont be that scared. Leaving us with our worry that she will shy away from our guest who most of them she have not met and that she has limited food option since she doesn't eat spaghetti.

Come party time, all our worries vanished. She ate the spaghetti, chicken & ice cream (of course) plus after the party she requested for french fries. Best of all, she did not shy away from people that much and she even joined on one of the games. With our encouragement she kisses people and if they are lucky they can carry her. She looooovvvvvvveeeeeed Jollibee (of course with my instructions that Jollibee shouldn't move too much - knowing how Iaree is with dogs, she loves touching them but when they start moving she runs back to us, several times tuloy parang na-stroke na si Jollibee for not moving when Iaree is near-hahahaha). Ryan and I found ourselves enjoying a lot too. No erase that...my entire family enjoyed the party and seeing Iaree that happy Ryan & I was so so elated. We both wonder if elated is a word enough to describe what we felt that day. To sum it up it was simply a huge success. Reasonable expenses, a little career mode for me coz I personalized the loot bag with my imaginary theme (ABC's) and I labored over photoshop for her e-invites; 95% guests turn out (as usual si Remelu & family indianera and si Leira daw na nalimutan ang date hmmm); nice party pictures - no hired photographer needed (thanks to my cousin Tats, but friends who had digicam that day please send me din your shots) and acceptable video coverage (non shaky video) courtesy of my brother (thanks din kapatid!).


High pa din kaming lahat ngayon even if house quarantine mode kami. As expected Jollibee's dance number is on the loop of our video since we arrived last night. Ryan even said a while ago come on let's plan Iaree's 3rd birthday in Jollibee again. Hahahaha! This time we're undeniably a certified fan.