School break

I'm super delighted that hubby has taken some time off during this school break so that I can (have 'me' time) do some work (and more research on wampler, check it out at MusiciansFriend.com among other things). So far I have ticked a few from my to do list and hopefully this momentum continues for the next 10 days! I have picked up a new racket from home and I am super excited to get more work from this new supplier. 

On the other hand, I have also scheduled a jam packed couple of weeks for the kids. Some of the ones that excite me are: treasure hunt at the park, winter wonderland festival, pajama party, robotics class, a couple of playdates and a few trips to the library! I am also hoping to spend some time with hubby. It has been a long time since we have gone out on a date. Although nowadays our date means movie nights on the couch - that's pretty much it. Sad. Haha. But really, I guess just to spend time with each other and talk about everything else other than kids is the bonding time we need.

Me Time

The past couple of weeks, I've had my much needed (and wanted) me time. The most I've had since a very long time - I don't even remember when the last 'real' one was.

Hopefully I get more of these times so I can refresh myself from my mummy duties and just be me. I have been wanting to tidy up my office space, clean up my clutter, research on  https://www.guitarcenter.com/ as well as just catch up on sleep! I know this special time is important, even if I don't want to (yeah right!). Lately I have been feeling that I am not worth more than the other members of the family - and that what I want is not important. It feels like my waking (and even sleeping!) time is consumed by following my little family's whim. This may sound harsh, but coming from a mum that is on call 24 hours every day - for a long time now - I guess it is pretty real. I am just thankful that now I am able to reclaim a bit of me back.

Change is happening

For SO long all I wanted was for little miss to have a sibling. I come from a huge family and would have wanted to have a big family too-but I started having kids quite late in my adult life....

After losing our little boy last year I yearned to try for another baby when I was ready and this year it happened. I am now at 37 weeks and ready to pop anytime now! A girl again this time. As much as I miss our little angel- I am still trying to accept the surreal reality that I may actually be bringing home our baby this time. Soon. There are still some raw emotions I think which I will have to deal with when this baby comes out and as much as I am trying to just take things one thing at a time and not overthink it is difficult.

I am wondering what kind of change I would have to go through when we have another addition to the family. Surely lots of changes will happen. And ideally here are some changes I hope to achieve for the best:

*Routine- Having a daughter already start school I have had a bit of a routine going for the family for a while now. This will change and hopefully I would get to incorporate a good new routine eventually while keeping what we already have been doing. Tweaking here and there I guess especially in the beginning.

*Freedom- I've had some freedom for a while now after going on a break from the 'corporate' world in 2014. I know I will encounter a 'shock' of some sort when my recently acquired freedom will cease to exist for another 5 years. Someone will depend on me 24/7 again- clinging to me and depending on me for everything small and big. I will have to activate that extra 'sense' and mother's instinct overdrive again. It's a different extra 'sense' when there is a newborn involved, and a different one with a school age child I think. I need to be 'extra sensitive' again as a mum. If that makes sense.

*Physically- I expect to be more tired (yet again). I will have 3 people to look after, after all! And a house to keep, meals to prepare, etc! I will need to get that extra vitamin boost I think!

*Emotionally- As with all births there is an emotional and hormonal change happening immediately and sometimes not so immediate after delivery. I would have to be open to the change that would follow the physical change happening with the family. New dynamics within our family would take place and learned.

*Time Management- I hope to be able to manage my time better with a new little one. I know the mistakes I have committed when our first was born and hopefully I would have learned how to go about with better this time around! I have to think strategically and think up ways to save me precious time!

*Effort- This would be a big change. If in the past I could wing it here and there, I guess having another little person would mean I would have to be wiser in my efforts and choosing priorities.

*Priorities- Linked with everything above I would have to adjust my mindset and choose my priorities wisely. Obviously it would be good to have some sort of income coming in while I am on leave caring for the new little one, but I should have that same focus when we had our first born where I could anticipate how she was feeling even before she felt it. And I have to be ahead of the game once again.

Oh the life as a parent- as a mum! Always full of challenges, changes and planning involved!

the Balikbayan Route

Today I came across this Facebook Page, the Balikbayan Route and once again I missed Manila noise! There are days I think I would like to live back home again. However hubby reminds me that if we move back we wouldn't have access to what the Aus government can offer. Quality of air isn't good (especially downtown), the lifestyle is different (Manila malls vs Sydney parks). And this is in addition to the other many things to consider..................

Ok, but I tell hubby we will live in the province (if Tagaytay and Cavite is considered one!) to avoid the chaos in Manila but at the same time still be within three (!!) hours drive. Why can't life be simple and have all my loved ones in one country. Let alone one city. Big sigh. Growing up and the facts of life.

At the end of the day, we strive to give the best to our children (current and future) and hope and pray that we are happy with most of our decisions so that the journey of life will be enjoyable. C'est la vie.

Source

Yes Philippines Digital

I am such a showbiz chismis lover! And of course it has been ages since I've indulged in unadulterated showbiz scoop... so last month I subscribed to Yes Philippine Digital - through Philippine Entertainment Portal's website! The last time I subscribed was back in 2009. Oh simple pleasures in life. I guess it makes me forget reality for a little while and focus on the various articles available. My favourite reads are about featured celebrity homes. Taking a peek into the private lives of the celebrities can give one an insight to what they are like in real life - their taste, their personality and their guilty indulgences!

When I subscribed they didn't have the half price promotion (through Zinio) so I paid full price at $24.99. I wish I waited a little bit longer! But oh well, maybe next time I will catch a promo offer when I renew my subscription.

Off to read the goss now! December issue of YES is up!

 

Out of time

 

So much so do and always so little time to action! I don’t know if it’s just me and my (lack of) time management or whether I am being short changed by time. 24 hours seems to be just not enough to do everything I want or need to do. I am re-reading Purpose Driven Life again and I am reminded about my priorities in life... Still I can’t seem to cope. Life is going by way too fast! I wish I have an extra couple of hours just to “run my errands”. Errands which are really things that only I can do the way I want done. C’est la vie.

Somehow I am reminded of the movie with JT and Amanda Seyfried "In Time." Really, time is a sometimes felt like a commodity we are always wanting more of and never seem to have enough of. I liked that movie. I suppose I should watch it again now and it might shed some new thoughts on my current chaotic sense of time. Hmm - note for the weekend!! *Yes, if I actually find time to watch it!*

 

Revisiting an old photo of mine from 2011

Trying on dresses

THIS DRESS?
Photo from Eidress.com

.. In my dreams! I wonder what that means? Does it have anything to do with the impending domicile move? Or is it signifying a need for a career change? Hmm.

Or maybe, it means I need to buy more dresses! Shopping!! (Not)

Occasionally we dream about things, people, places, and other stuff. Sometimes we forget even what the dream was about, but sometimes we remember.

Last night, for me, it was about attending a college friend's wedding. I was trying on some dresses to wear. Whether I wanted the black polka dot dress, the (baby) yellow and blue dress (??!! ugh, colour scheme problem - well, it was a dream), or the shocking red ensemble. And, it wasn't a simple choice... I based the dresses on the black stocking that I was already wearing. Talk about putting an image on a background. My stocking was the blank canvass that needed something to go with it. Usually it was the other way around right? But no, not in my dream. The dress HAD to match the stocking I already chose.

OR THIS DRESS?
Photo from fashaddix.com

I guess in reality, we choose what we want based on a number of criteria: our mood, the event, what we have available, what is appropriate, what he have in our wardrobe. Really, that speaks more than just about dresses, mind you. It could mean principles in our chosen 'Lifestyle', career, home, etc. What is your "Stocking"? What is THE 'blank' canvass that you are choosing other things based on?

I wonder what I will dream about tonight.

Tagaytay in my Dreams

In a rushed and often times stressful daily life that we live in, we sometimes come up with a private dream land where we go to when we need that one second refuge from reality. It is my family's recent trip to Tagaytay which I recall and relive. Even for just a moment.

I wonder what about our Tagaytay overnight trip made it so special. Was it because we stayed at the Discovery Country Suites and got pampered so much. Or, was it the lovely massage we had at Nurture Spa. Perhaps it was the Filipino luncheon we had there? Let me relive the moment..

At the Discovery Country Suites..
The minute we stepped into bliss, a refreshing drink welcomed us. Perfectly enjoyed by the table overlooking our home for the night. Breads, cheeses and wine (off limits for me though) delectable as can be. Hubby indulged, while I resisted a bit. Baby slept soundly in her capsule, giving hubby and I a bit of time to breathe in Tagaytay aroma and scenery. Our suite opened onto a great view of Taal lake, and the lush bed invited us to sleep in longer the next day. Our little one cooperated, all the way through breakfast by the same table that welcomed us the day before. Ah, the morning meal was the best. A number of choices that all appealed to us, and when our meals finally arrived we enjoyed every gram served. The quick tease of heaven ended too soon.

At Nurture Spa..
We arrived at the reception area with tense muscles, but as soon as the swishing of the breeze and humming of the wind reverberated through the afternoon sky we were instantly feeling more relaxed. We were dreaming of our own gazebo with high ceilings on a clear, breezy summer day. Plus personal masseuse. Calming. Relaxing. Perfect. Only for a good moment, we were able to enjoy serenity and the time while it lasted. It couldn't have been more perfect to end our special treatment with sweet and spicy warm tea. Perfect actually is a word that doesn't quite come close to how we felt at that time.

The food..
The food was great, as hubby and I enjoyed Filipino cuisine served to us any day, every day. Tagaytay offered us more than just dreams, but a chance to play pretend reality for a quick while.

We will be back. Soon. For now we will bottle up all the memory and seal it tight. Release a bit of that perfect scent every so often when we need rejuvinating from the real world.

Nice Sunday

It was a nice, nice sunday.. Still have a week left til winter is over, and we welcome spring, but the temperature hit 26 degrees! Lovely! Where else in the world can that happen?

Loving it..

Making my life easier

Recently I discovered online grocery shopping at Woolworth's HomeShop website. I usually like doing the grocery when I am not pressed for time, but sometimes it can be a painful chore. Especially when it's time to buy rice/detergent/etc (this can be gruesome taking it home-living without a car can do this). So now I have the option of doing my heavy shopping online, and have someone take it straight to our apartment! Another plus, is that I can just browse through weekly specials in one go. You know how while at the supermarket it can be overwhelming seeing all the stacks and shelves of goodies. One can easily miss out on things, or forget stuff to buy.

I love it that I can just click one button if I decide not to buy a certain item. I can even double the same item in one hit. Overall, I guess Homeshopshopping is just an alternative. Nothing beats the therapy of going through aisles and aisles of actual goodies.

Fashion sense

Why do stars get away with wearing something like a 5.11 Tactical Series uniform? I was watching the morning show today and they were reviewing stars and their choice of clothes. Kylie Minogue had this combat pants on and it was not very flattering. I am not really the biggest fan of cargo pants and the like. I think I've only owned one set of these pants which I've only worn once. I guess it's really a preference. If I could say one thing about this army boot camping style : leave it with the experts who wear them for a purpose. I don't think that army fashion will ever be in. That's just me.

Kaleidoscope Me

I start the day as God's wonderful creature.

Rush through breakfast, as a human being in need of food.

Run to my bus stop, get on the bus, start work, as an employee.

Do my job, as a consultant, a travel professional in my industry.

I have a bit of lunch break, get on the phone to my good friend, to her I am a confidant.

I work through my day, cajoling and interacting with people, as a colleague.

At the end of the work day, I turn off my pc, and switch back to my plain me.

I run and catch my bus home, read my lecture notes on the bus, I am a student again.

I get home, cook dinner, switch on my 'wife mode' me.

After dinner, I relax a bit, watch tv, sit in front of my laptop, I am a cyber techie gal.

Just about to sleep, I switch back on my God's wonderful creature plain old me.

Head off to dreamland, until the following day when I embark on another kaleidoscope me.

Shopping day

Today was shopping day for me and hubby, and I think it’s one of those few days that we actually both bought stuff we wanted. Usually it is just him who gets to purchase, and I, being the stingy one opts to window shop. Today also is the longest shopping day that we did not even have a tiny bit of argument about waiting while the other shopped! Have reached the point where we need a Debt Consolidation Loan to get through this recession? Not really. We have swiped our cards a fair bit, but we know our limits and how much we can afford. Maybe when we decide to purchase a car, a debt consolidation loan would be handy! For now, I have already paid our credit card bill so until our next shopping spree day!

Laptop Break

I Can't wait to get my internet connected!! Finally (cross fingers) I get it set up by tomorrow night!! :) It's just so annoying that I can't open up and read my blogger friends' blog updates with different windows open, while I check email, read online Filipino news, and my Pinoy showbiz,etc!

I have to admit I enjoyed giving my laptop a bit of a break. I was able to catch up on sleep. I think almost every day I was asleep way before midnight. I was awake as well by about 7 or 8 am. I have let go of a lot of blog opportunities and entries I said I would do, but then again I don't regret it (much). I know I would live another day without net. I guess when you don't have a choice then you just have to live with that fact.

Oh well.

I have also gone to a couple of places, picnics, night outs with friends and colleagues and of course boyfriend. I guess every once in a while we all need a break from the online world. I had mine, for the year! So, next hiatus would hopefully be not until next year. HAHA.

Loving my flats

Ballet flats. I remember having a fascination for ballet flat shoes when I was young and studying ballet. I loved the way the shoe turned magic on me as my classmates' eyes were on my feet doing my ballet walk and run. Those were the days.

In high school I had the chance to revisit using ballet-like flat shoes that were sold by Sari Sari/Cinderella. I loved how they would curl up, just emphasizing how comfy the bendable soles were.

In college, I had a bit of a break from flats. I enjoyed my chunky shoes then. Clanking on my feet, making me appear taller than usual. It must have been a phase.

When I moved here five years ago (my anniversary is actually today!!) I was so into pointy heels. Then, came the walking. Walk to the bus stop, walk to work, walk up the hill. I beared it all, until I became practical and went back to loving my flats.

The past recent years I have revisited wearing my flats and find it really comfy. I keep a few heeled pairs underneath my desk at work, for those impromptu meets and others. Once I opted to wear my flats to this work function. I was the only asian girl! And while having cocktails and chatting, I felt all the Aussies towered over small me. But I managed to pull it off well, so I loved my flats even more.

This weekend I bought two pairs of flats. Nothing expensive just a gray coloured one and a brown one. I love how I can just slip them on, with anything I am wearing.

After my purchase my boyfriend and I went to another shoe shop: Shoe Box. There was this cute cute black heels that caught my eye (this doesn't happen very often anymore-especially for heels). I was tempted to buy it, to replace my stock underneath my work desk. But I just bought two pairs a few minutes ago. I resisted, but right now I am wishing I have bought it.

I am loving my flats, but once in a while the lady in me wants to prance around in my sexy heels.

On buildings and trees

Traveling to countries which don’t have much infrastructure can either be an advantage or a disadvantage for some. A lot of the Western world would have their constructions with Precast Concrete laid out with careful thought accompanied by modern designs. While many countries in Africa (such as Mauritius, which I’ve been to recently) and Asia don’t have it all yet. Tall trees are in place instead of tall department stores, children playing alongside the roads outnumber the cars traveling by. Precast Concrete Septic Tanks may not be something everyone knows about, high rise buildings may not be seen but it surely these pose no hindrance to a real adventure traveler. In fact, sometimes without traces of modernity the place can be more appealing, as it is less commercialized. To each their own, really. Each city’s architecture and infrastructure may be charming in their own way, even the lack of it is welcome (in my opinion that is).

Plans and dream homes

I was so close to buying a property in the city a month ago. Thinking about everything involving House Plans excited me and hubby. However due to interest rates going up (it still is just heading straight to the ceiling) and other personal reasons I have decided to just hold off for now. Although our plans are on hold, we are still always talking about details on what kind of design or theme we would like for our first home together. Whether it was a country house or a very modern looking house, I’m sure it will be something nice. Hubby has got a great eye for quality furniture and about arranging them at home. Having said that I too like decorating my house however sometimes I have a tendency to buy one piece of furniture regardless if it matched my other furniture. I am learning though and soon I would be an expert at creating Home Plans ( I suppose still not as good as hubby).

Another thing that interests us is investing in a vacation home, away from the hustle and bustle of the city. We haven’t gone as far as doing Log home plans or anything like that, but we are thinking of a nicely done with the perfect ambience to get away from it all during weekends. For now these are all plans, but with a lot of hard work and patience we will reach our goals one day. Until then, we can always dream and surf around the internet for great home ideas.

Getting my driver's license

I’ve been meaning to get my driver’s license for NSW for the past five years, but I’ve only started seriously thinking about it again the past few months. I’ve organized so many tours while my family was with me, and all the time I had to just rely on tour companies to do their job. And, yes it was a job well done. But after a while you feel you’d want to be able to take yourself around, drive on your own, at your own time to each place that you want to visit. Not be limited to taking the coach to a set itinerary. I still have my Philippine license but since I am a permanent resident here now I cannot use that to drive here. I’m thinking that it would be beneficial for me as well should I decide to look for Car Hire Spain or New Zealand. Really, I should be putting to practice my driving skills so that I’d be ready to just hop on a rented car, or eventually purchase my own car!

Saturday Picnic at Bradfield Park

Just wanted to share this photo I took from last Saturday's. Should you want to read my entire post, please click here.

I went to the beach on Sunday but I was not able to take any photo....... :( Next time!

New York and Fashion

New York has always been equivalent to fashion central. And by that, people who are serious about fashion go and study everything about fashion. And where else would they go to do this? Of course, New York. I know of a couple of fashion frenzy friends from Manila who've actually searched for a fashion school in New York on the internet. And soon thereafter were living their dream in the urban NYC lifestyle revolving around fashion, fashion and more fashion. I was updated by them everytime they would come accross a good New York fashion school.

So for one who's got their eyes and mindset to find the best New York fashion schools the internet is a great way to start your research. Information that's so easy to access, with one click all the fashion schools new york would be at your fingertips. Listed and ready for you to choose one. Gone are the days when one would have to send letters to different schools just to find out what courses they offer at how much, and the school would have to send an information pack to you. Now, everything is online. If i was not in the Travel Industry, I would have considered being in the Fashion Industry, and researching my way to finding a good New York fashion school! Maybe one day if I were to do a career change this will be useful to me.