home again home again!

As the old adage goes..there's no place like home! So why leave in the first place?

You all know about this much awaited trip of ours apart from Christmas it will also be Iaree's Christening. Last Christmas it felt like a sad Christmas day for me as Christmas was not the highlighted event in Malaysia. Yes they do decorate the malls lavishly I would say even somehow grander than the indoor decors of the malls in the Phils but the spirit is just not there. So since this Christmas is very very special because it's Iaree's 1st Christmas it only felt appropriate to bring her to the Philippines to celebrate with the whole family.

Prior to the week before we left KL my schedule was crazzzzzzzyy to the nth power! This was because of our Indonesia hiring requirement. Ryan was so eager to finish all his RCA's (work requirement as well) so that our vacation will be work-free. (My boss should better not be reading this..hahaha) That same week we got sick, Ryan was coughing the next day he had a bit of a cold then Iaree got a fever, then it was my turn next was mama. (Disclaimer: Ryan did not start the bug at home, I should say this for the sake of our marriage that it was environmental..hahaha!peace mahal!) Anyway my flu got so bad that I badly need a rest come Friday ironically duty called a candidate for an urgent requirement was selected and I had to roll out the offer the same day. I asked permission from my boss to take a half day although he teasingly approved it I still got stuck with the office work & left at around 6PM. So much for the rest...Saturday of course was last minute shopping & packing. Sunday we almost got left by the last trip of the bus going to the airport because we wont fit in one cab I told Ryan to take us to KL Sentral Station then he will go back, park the car & take a cab. This is feasible if we left early...hehehe!I think I lost about 5 lbs by walking back and forth to where Ryan dropped us to the bus terminal and the elevator wasn't working!!I begged the dispatcher, driver and everyone from the bus line to wait for us as it was about to leave in 5 mins when I got there. So I shuttled back & forth pushing & carrying our 40kgs luggages from point A to point B. I did that twice and thank you they had guys who help carrying the luggage down the stairs hello!!Otherwise I wont be here. When I finally loaded everything, Ryan got there it was 15 mins past their time to leave KL Sentral I was out of breath and my throat was sooooooooo dry!

In the bus (a first for Iaree) Iaree was sooo talkative and was squeeling even when the lights were off. She was happily responding to the lady sitting next to us (a kababayan but was talking to Iaree in English as she heard us speak only English to her). She was such a delight! So sociable and responsive. =) What I was scared of was the plane ride which we managed with a little crying at first as she was really starving & sleepy (eh sabi ni Dr. Eric dapat sucking while take off eh...hehehe gutom na pero pinigilan kong i-BF so nagwawala na). The rest of the flight she was sleeping (while the other children was in haywire!screaming and crying fest itoo but our pretty angel was sleeping peacefully frowning once in a while with the high pitched screams of the other babies), my back & butt was in so much pain!! =( waaah ganyan tlga pag budget planes huhuhu.

We are still in the middle of our vacation. Trying as much as possible to enjoy our stay here but encountering a lot of problems already. To say problems is an understatement. It's not that we are running away from these problems but Philippines itself looks pretty gloomy as well. =( Just to settle the argument in my opening statement. I hope things turn a bit better. Will I manage to tell the story later...that is if I'm not too busy! Meanwhile let me post my sweet baby's Baptismal pictures in multiply. Ryan & I enjoyed it a lot despite of... =) I really love my husband & my baby sooo much!!! To our sweet baby WELCOME TO THE CHRISTIAN WORLD! May we be good parents to you always!

Hungry baby

IAREE: Mommy I'm hungry please go home!!!
(Picture taken by Ryan, "feeling" stay-at-home-dad = reality:unpredictable working sched dad)

Milk for the cat

A manager walked up to me while I was labelling the breast milk for Iaree "oh how cute you label your milk for your cat right?". Nyahaha! Okay fine the other day I was calling Iaree a cat while she was crying...

During an important meeting my boss wants to convene again after 15 mins. "Guys please lets meet again in 15 mins. Don't go for restroom break, no smoking sessions, no early lunch and no milking please..." Hahaha!Thus it was coined in the office that everytime I go to the server room I am milking. Umm humm so now I am a cow.

I usually "milk" in peace in the server room as no one holds the key to it except for our network administrators (who I borrow the key from). Since our Country Manager got back he frequents the server room. I realized he has a duplicate key so I always inform my colleague sitting next to the server room to watch the door for me. Thankfully no walk-in incident ever happened because of this. Last Friday was the day after Deepavali celebration and my colleague was on leave. I was so confident that our Country Manager was busy, our network was fine and plus I thought I dont usually take longer than 10 mins anyway so I did not inform anyone but my seatmates know I went for milking. Yes you can already guess the next thing...he walked in!!!But my back was turned away from the door and the lock is very noisy so before he even did I already screamed to warn him. Instinctively I wanted to shout "may tao!" but I cant right? Anyway as I went out everyone was horrified with the incident. (Please note I'm in a muslim / conservative country can you imagine their horror!!). We were all laughing about it....our country manager was so embarrassed and we think he is too traumatized to go in the server room now. HR made me a sign to use everytime I had to express milk...now it's a classic story that everyone jokes about.Hmmm...

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Breastfeeding is such a task for working moms and I am proud to say that Iaree at 4 mos exclusive feeds only with BM. Whew! Very healthy for her and economical for us. It just that BF is more common in the Phils than here kaya naman amazed na amazed sila sa akin palagi..hehehe.BF is a choice I had even before I got pregnant and I am determined to BF Iaree the longest I can. =)Thanks to my friends from the Phils, who have expereienced the same, for the unending support and encouragement!

Remembering my departed loved ones from afar...

Sure I've talked about missing a lot of holidays in the Phils because my family always did something special for all occassions. Not to mention the very long weekend in the Phils -- while here Ryan & I worked like horses in those 2 days.

Not to celebrate all saints day & all souls day will leave an empty void in me so with the support of my mom & Ryan after having dinner last Nov 1 we set up our own altar with candles & flowers for our departed loved ones. Said our prayers for the intention of the soul of lola, lolo, tita glecy, lolo nuling, omay, lolo humbelin & the relatives of ryan who he cant name.

When lola passed away we diligently visited her tomb every after breakfast at Dulcinea coming from the Sunday mass, a routine that we only broke after my lolo passed away. Yes we still visit the cemetery every Sunday when he died but the Dulcinea breakfast was not necessarily there. Ugghh..I know it is a privilege but we ate there since I was in highschool and lolo passed away when I was already working. Not to mention that lolo, who I fondly call my "talking alarm clock", wanted us to be up to hear the 6 AM mass...Yes partying the night before was not an exemption for the rule. So I had no curfews as long as I can get up in the morning and attend mass with the family. Of course this was the same when my lola was around except that with lola we somehow had a variety of breakfast - Mc Donald's & Jollibee was surely a treat! And earlier when we still can afford it breakfast at Century Plaza (no complains about here though..hehehe).

Anyway every all souls day Dokee prepares flowers the night before. Have the big boys repaint the tombs (one time with the small boys too who also painted the cat nearby). The whole family goes to the cemetery when it's not so hot outside just taking a tricyle from the house to the cemetery as it is heavily jammed in the vicinity and there will be no place to park the car.

We say our prayers and eat merienda there in the cemetery with or without lolo's brother's family. After that we attack the food stalls especially the green mangoes na maasim!!and the inihaw na pusit!!Deadma sa pizza, donuts, etc...kse naman mistulang food court ang Makati South Cemetery pag Nov.1 hehee. Somehow having fun there in the cemetery feels like we are still with them or at least we are hoping they see us from somewhere that we are all good and terribly missing them. This year is also the first year that Omay will no longer join us as he passed away in such a young age unexpectedly. I didn't get the chance to pay my respects to him yet. Inaabangan ko pa naman tuwing Nov 1 kug ano at ilan ang cellphone na nawala nya for the year and everytime he goes to the cemetery (actually anywhere for the matter) sobrang porma nya to the max. Hahaha! Another family member who will be missed.

Though we are far away this tradition will never be lost in our family. I will teach Iaree and tell her stories about our departed love ones. As a family we will always pray for them. In fact we started teaching her this year and she was so behaved and facinated with the light of the candle..hehehe. =)

Cuteeeee (Daddy & Iaree moments)

9:15 AM I am rushing...

Iaree was sleepy but complaining as she still wants to keep on feeding. Ryan was beside her but too sleepy to move. I told him to cuddle Iaree so she can go back to sleep but as soon as he did she started mumbling (we assume she so wants to tell us a stories when she does this), few minutes later she complains again --

Iaree: iiieee ieeee (with matching stomping of feet in the bed)
Ryan: iiieee ieeee

Ryan kept on imitating the sounds that she did that she stopped, looked at Ryan and giggled. Then she started telling stories again...hehehe.

So cute I had difficulty leaving them.

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Today is our 7th year anniversary and on the 17th of October our 3rd year together. As much as we want to make annual anniversary trips or do something special together we'll make an exemption this year as we don't have the heart to leave Iaree. Hehehe hopefully we'll have the courage to next year. She's so adorable and we just instantly miss her when she's not with us. We'll just look at the bright side we'll save what we didn't spend this year. Hehehe. Anyway about our anniversary I'm so happy to be with Ryan and that we are on our 7th year together as a couple. We struggle on some days but we continue to work things out. After each fight we learn new things and grow stronger so that we wont repeat the same mistakes. He's such a great dad I just hope that his stress on work don't get the better of him. I love watching him with Iaree how he enjoys carrying her, cuddling her and playing with her only thing he can't do is sing for her..hahaha! Anyway...happy anniversary mahal!!This is going to be an extra special day because of Iaree even if we don't do anything.

Motherhood..the new chapter in my so called life

When I came back to work a month ago I was getting a lot of "how's ur baby?" question that really is a mind boggler for me to answer. All our baby does is sleep, eat, poop, pee, sleep, eat, poop, pee. That's what babies do anyway on their first months but when I go home I came to reflect on how motherhood changed me and how Iaree changed our lives. (This is a hint for you guys that this is another one of my endless entry..hehe)

We were on our way to Ryan's hometown and we stopped over at megamall to check out something. Inside the bus I was sooo dizzy and hungry that I thought 2 slices of the greenwich pizza we bought will ease me a bit. I tried sleeping but when we got off I was throwing up the first chance I got. We thought it was just the heat or the food so we ignored it. Two days went on and I was still feeling the same...nauseous, throwing up, food cravings that I still throw up after. We weren't that suspicious that I was already pregnant since I was just a few days delayed (which was very normal in my cycle depending on my stress level that month) and I just finished a complete medical exam a week ago for our overseas employment and the pregnancy test showed negative. That's why it was a surprise to find out that I was pregnant. =)

I eagerly saw what I will do when I become a mom, mapped out things I'd what to do for the baby but when she came out it was a whole different story. This was the exact reason why I was scared to have a baby, not just because of the labor pains but because I put so much pressure on myself knowing that I am not an ordinary girl who will become a mom - I took a masteral degree that specializes on human development and I STUDIED how vulnerable each event in life is to a person. I felt should know the when, where, why & how of raising a child given all that I've learned but trust me I have so forgotten all the theories and concepts from school when Iaree is there crying or something that urgently needs my attention. The best weapon in being a mom I realized is not what I have studied (but it sure comes in handy) it's having good instincts, common sense and on some days simply your love for your baby & husband that will extend what you feel is already your long patience.

During the first two months I already cried 3x. I was thinking "oh noh?am I so bad did I do something wrong..etc". First - on the 3rd day we brought her home I cried that night for the difficulty of feeding her in the wee hours of the day then putting her to sleep so I can AT LEAST close my eyes to rest before she asks for the next feeding. Second - out of frustration that the baby doesn't want to stop crying and being questioned by my usually supportive husband why I can't make her stop. Third was when I tried weaning her or actually just trying to teach her to feed from the bottle as I was a few weeks away from going back to work. First two times the tears was out of pity for myself but when I cried the last time and I cried for her that when motherhood really sinked in & hit me. I thought the 9 months of carrying her in my womb already did it for me. While semi-weaning her I felt sad that I will not be with her everyday and that she would have to learn to live (actually feed...hehehe) without me. I felt sad that she was having difficulty feeding from the bottle & not from mommy. She was crying hard and I know she was hungry na. It was sooo heartbreaking I cant go near her those times para di sya ma-confuse na "why do I have to drink my milk from the bottle eh my mommy is here?" Eventually we both learned how to cope with it. The smiles & giggles that we share during feeding time & playtime when I go home or before I leave for the office is such delight!!!Understatement!Super sarap pang i-kiss at i-hug!!Winning feeling!!

A lot of credit goes to my very sweet, loving and supportive husband who never left my side since I conceived the baby. Sure he had sungit moments like scolding me for throwing up endlessly (as if I can help it) during the first trimester, scolding me for taking a bus instead of a taxi cab (hehe I think I deserve this one kse super hirap sumakay ng bus at mega-walkathon papuntang house) and when the baby is crying or hurt (obviously bringing our the over protectiveness in him). His little tantrums could never equate the attention that he gives me and the baby. Everytime he volunteers to wash the dishes or just buy food outside when my morning sickness was terrible or even when it wasnt at tinatamad lng ako. Everytime he offers a back or foot rub even without me asking. These was when he still had a shifting schedule. When we got a car, even coming from a night shift with a very stressful workload he will still drive me to the office. When I was giving birth he never left my side and made sure I was comfortable all the time. When the baby was out he wakes up with me even if he still had to go to work. If he sees I'm so tired or sleepy and the baby is not hungry he volunteers without second thoughts of putting the baby to sleep. Best of all he also puts up with my tantrums etc but I guess a big sacrifice was went I went back to work and when I have too many workload that he waits for me for hours coz he comes to the office early to pick me up. He would buy me food and wait for me without complains. Which reminds me the only time we fight is when I shop and he's too tired or too sleepy or too hungry (during my pregnancy or even now with the baby)...hehehe syempre as long as there are stores for me I forget that I'm tired or hungry plus the genetic thing in guys that they can't bear shopping!So it's obviously an unending war between us pag shopping time na..hahaha!(Kaya naman I am improving my skill of buying 2 pairs of shoes in 15 mins para wag mainit ulo ni Ryan sa tagal at sa gastos ko....hahaha!)

Nowadays my routine goes as work & expressing milk for the baby in the server room every 3-4 hours, work and go home, feed the baby directly, eat dinner, fix the bed, put her to sleep, wake up 2-3 times in the mid of the night to feed her, on the last feeding it's time to go to work again. So you see a very supportive husband and a very helpful mom is my best support system. Then again seeing Iaree grow up so energetic and happy can simply make your day, month, year & life as it is now. Now more than ever Ryan and I workout in coping with parenthood, work demands and life demands hoping to get some sleep in between. I now understood that the best compliment I could hear from people is "Wow Rhodora you are such a good mother!" - from my officemates who are baffled at how I juggle "milking" (as my boss calls it), working and motherhood at home. I now know that the best reward for a tiring day is an appreciative hug & kisses from Ryan and his remark of "Thanks for being a great mom!". Then of course to feed my vanity I so cherish the endless compliment I get from envious girls (even my OB-GYNE) how I quickly shed off my pregnancy weight...hahaha so superficial di ba?! Naah just kidding...I know I am not a perfect mom and definitely not a perfect wife...not to mention not a perfect employee/recruiter at the moment. Some days are simply a struggle while some days are a bliss. For now I am really loving every moment...laughing with Iaree, seeing her play with Ryan who loves her so much, knowing how my family back in the Phils are very excited to see her...what else can I ask for?

Now how did I manage to post this blog..Iaree & Ryan are still sound asleep. =) Hehehe!I told you some days are a bliss...hahaha!!!

Headaches & pains of a RECRUITER

As much as I openly talk about it to friends and love ones the headaches & pains of being a recruiter is sometimes just beyond venting.

Not in particular order I so hate --
1. Salary negotiations the last minute - especially for our industry endorsing a candidate to a client is one but asking the client for last minute adjustment is simply a no no. Why the hell do they agree to the rate only to negotiate it afterwards.

2. In no effort not to be discriminatory even my Indian & Malaysian colleagues agree that Filipinos are easier candidates to handle. Nice and polite. In my experience ONLY if I propose them for Singapore are Filipino candidates ok. Thing is for Filipinos it's all about the converted amount of the salary with no consideration of the cost of living in a country. With their unreasonable demands despite triple-quadruple savings they will get they turn down the offer without studyuing about the country's cost of living. Other nationalities will give you endless and unreasonable salary negotiations that you'd wish you never talked to them in the first place.

3. Unprepared for technical interviews.One can always come prepared for a telephone techical interview especially if I am your recruiter...haha!No seriously from the qualifications itself you can brush up on your skills unfortunately for some they blindlyl go through interviews and for whatever reason fail even non-technical questions for saying something inappropriate.

4. Backouts!!!!!!!Again most of their reason is salary.If you thought you have them in your hands it never is until you see their bodies reporting to the office on the said joining date.

5. Too many processes that's getting in the way of just getting the candidate on board.

I wanted so much to go for Filipino candidates unfortunately the Philippines may be abundant of talented IT professionals but they lack the skills for enterprise level. Even big companies in the Phils dont have the infrastructure to give Filipinos a good training ground to have skills at par in the global market. Lastly if they are qualified I just dont understand why they make my life difficult by making unreasonable salary negotiations to such point that we'd rather drop them off. Arrrgghhh!Good luck to me!Recruitment it seems is a whole different repetitive drama compared to the drama of my previous job as a full spectrum HR Officer.

AAARRRRRGGGGGGHHHHHHHHH!!

Thanks to my curiosity! After tinkering with the templates accidentally, my blog not only looks different but I also lost the links of my blog friends...now I have to retrace them one by one like I have retraced some previous features I have here.

Naubos tuloy oras ko sa pag-troubleshoot di tuloy me nakapag post ng kwento waaaah!