Life In Plastic, It's Fantastic

No, no, no... I’m not talking about Barbie.  I’m talking about “the plastics”.  

In the corporate world, although people are well-educated, there are times they tend to forget their values. They hurt people just to appear as though they're the only ones doing their job to earn the trust of the boss and get promoted. 

Beware of them. They pretend to be caring and kind but behind your back they are hitting you with mud. They will pose as someone you can trust but one day you will realize they are stabbing you hard without any intention of keeping you alive. 

Be careful, they’re very dangerous.

Thankful

For a soul mate who has been with me for more than half my life… who has loved me for me and in spite of me… and still continues to fill my life with so much love…

For a child who brings out the best in me and inspires me to be the best I can be…

For a mom who loves her children unconditionally...

For a sister who inherited her mom's selflessness...

For a father who made me strong and level-headed…

For a family that loves singing, drinking and being happy…

For a job that keeps me on my toes (and made me start blogging again)…

For friends who helped me know myself better, listened (and are still ready to listen) to my life’s dramas and those who still remember and take time to to say hi or go out for lunches, dinners, or coffee despite their busy lives…

For holidays, celebrations and long weekends... 

For everyone who has touched my life in one way or another…

For everyone whom I love and everyone who loves me…

For all the blessings, challenges, and everything in between.

For everything in my life.

Movie Date

We watched Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows last Saturday! Didn’t really like it. I. LOVE. IT! Being young at heart, hubby and I are both fans of Harry Potter books and based on what we saw we can say that compared to the other HP movies, this installment was the most faithful adaptation. I’d say it’s indeed darker and the colors are muted. But I can understand why that has to be because I read the book. It was the dark times and the beginning of the war. Would have been weird if it’s still all too colorful and whimsical. I’m no movie critic but for me overall it’s a great movie.

This is Fun!

Kiddo’s field trip was last Thursday. We went to 3 locations: Kulturang Pinoy, Ark Avilon Zoo and Enchanted Kingdom.

As usual, he wasn’t into activities that entail performance in front of a crowd so he’s not in these kulturang pinoy pics. They had the kids dance folk dances and play old pinoy games.



Second stop was Ark Avilon. He definitely enjoyed playing with the birds and feeding the rabbits and sheeps. He was also excited to see the lions, leopards, and tigers.

He had the most fun at Enchanted Kingdom. “This is fun!” were his exact words. He enjoyed the rides I thought he wouldn't.

It's field trip season so many buses of students arrived and as the hours passed, the lines became longer and longer so we weren't able to get into some rides like the roller coaster. So we're definitely coming back.

Despite the long lines and aching feet, kiddo had so much fun.

Side Tracks

Irate Employee

Office friend 1 got pissed with a certain someone; so pissed she'd want to get rid of her. Can't blame her 'coz most of the time, this certain someone doesn’t seem to know what she’s doing. It seems that she’s spreading herself too thin, taking on a lot of things that apparently she can’t handle.

Extra Love Affair
Office friend 2 currently has love problems. Just recently her boyfriend is turning cold and she’s trying to reach out to no avail. Apparently earlier this year, they’ve had the same issue and she caught the guy red handed with another woman. After then they broke up but got back together after a couple of months. Knowing the guy’s track record, Office friend 2 can’t help but think he’s doing it again. Sad thing is that they have a daughter.

Is being in a monogamous relationship really that hard? Why are there men who can’t avoid having an affair outside their relationship?

Mojito
Office friend 3 is celebrating her birthday and took us out for a drink after work. We had one round of mojito and several rounds of chitchats.

What's On My Mind
I still got my fingers crossed for a movie date on Saturday. I really want to watch HP7. But before Saturday, there is tomorrow! Tomorrow is kiddo's field trip and we got to wake up earlier than usual... and on that note, I got hit Publish now so I can hit the sack.

Celebrating Life and New Beginnings

Hubby and I went to one of my best friends’ birthday dinner last night at Balducci in Serendra.


It was a celebration of life and new beginnings. Aside from it being the celebration of EP's birthday, it’s also the beginning of a new chapter in his life – life after cancer.

He was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma a year ago and underwent treatment. During those trying times, his faith and optimism never wavered. To me, he is the epitome of hope and courage. He’s one of the reasons why I try not to complain about little misfortunes and made me realize how ephemeral life is and to value all the blessings and relationships I have.

With his new chapter, I’m also constantly reminded that God is indeed good all the time.

Thank you for being an inspiration, EP.

Party Planning

To party or not to party? That is the question.

I’m just starting to plan kiddo’s 5th birthday celebration. For the past 4 years, we’ve always had a birthday party for him. We celebrated his 1st birthday at Shakey’s, 2nd birthday at McDonald’s, 3rd birthday at Jollibee, and 4th at his school.

Now I’m thinking not throw a party this year because of what happened last year. Kiddo wasn’t so into it and was frowning almost the entire time although he started smiling towards the end especially when he saw the gifts.

So initially, I was thinking of just spending it at Enchanted Kingdom, a local theme park. When I told him about it, he got excited. But just a couple of weeks ago, we found out that their school is already going there for their field trip this November. That’s why I’m now back to the drawing board.

One of the things I'm considering is a simple family outing at a beach resort in Batangas (or anywhere near Metro Manila). I thought about this because he enjoyed our Boracay trip last September and he even suggested we go back there for his birthday. He enjoyed that trip so much he didn’t want to go home.

But that’s just too expensive so I'm thinking maybe Batangas, Subic, or somewhere nearer the city. 

I'm also thinking of a simple celebration - maybe just go somewhere in the metro and have a simple family dinner with our extended families.

Let’s see how it will pan out. Anyway, I still have 6 weeks.

Hubby's Laurels

Hubby works at a call center that caters to US clients; hence, he ought to work nights.  Having this kind of arrangement takes a lot of getting used to. We really make an effort to see each other on a daily basis.  Good thing is that we work in the same building so it’s easier for us to be able to say “hi and bye” at night before he start his shift while in the morning we have breakfast together, talk and catch up.  He exerts effort in coming to the office earlier than his shift and going home as soon as his work is done.  Yeah, I know, too good to be true... But even before we got married, he’s always been this dedicated to me and now to our family.

That’s why I’m really proud and happy of his latest achievement.  Just last week, he was chosen to be part of an elite team at work.  I’m so happy for him seeing that he finally had the chance of being promoted.  In his previous job, he waited for years to have this opportunity which he never had until the time he jumped ship.  To be fair to him, he also didn’t see it as a career when he started so he never applied for higher posts. But when he finally decided he wanted to move up, although he tried, it wasn’t given to him.

He’s really smart, dedicated, and hard working so I’m glad he got this well-deserved promotion only after a couple of months with his current employer.  Just proves he’s really good and his previous employer sucks.

The Moon and Stars Can Tell

There’s this astrology website I learned from my friend. He recommended it because according to him some of the predictions came true for him.  Not that I believe the site but I became a regular monthly visitor to check if there’s something nice for me there.  My November horoscope is really interesting.  It said something that may be aligned to what’s happening to me and so I’m hoping for things to go as predicted.

These are my favorite parts:

With Mars in Sagittarius all month, you will have all the courage, drive, and determination to get what you want. Others will say you have become a model of productivity and you'll feel that way! By the third week of November, you'll likely get an important nod to move ahead on a key new endeavor or relationship. No more waiting!

Mars will be in Sagittarius all month, giving you the open road to begin a whole new cycle - take full advantage! You will be filled with determination to succeed, which is why you will!

Horoscope aside, I’ve been praying for my lateral move to happen soon.  My transfer had been approved a month or 2 ago under one condition-- they want for me to find my replacement. One of my friends at work even jokes that it’s hard for someone to take my place. Therefore, my most awaited transfer won’t happen anymore.

After looking and looking, I finally found one who passed the assessment but the big BUT there is that they want to try him out first, which means I will still have to wait. Too bad!  So seriously, I’m hoping and praying for the bosses to realize NOW that they need me more in the other team so that I can FINALLY move on.      

The Best Things In Life Are Free

Another crazy week passed.  It’s been a tiring yet fulfilling week for me as a mom, wife and recruiter.

Kiddo got high marks from his 2^nd quarterly exams! Yey!

His grade in Filipino improved compared to the first quarter.

Hubby was handpicked to be part of an elite team at work. 

He’ll have Sunday off this week! Another yey!

I was able to line up good candidates for some of my ageing requirements… meaning less headache and less heartache.

Oh and Inang got her voice back… got better from cough and colds.

Time to rest this weekend and spend more quality time with the family. Happy times!

Wonder Woman

Work stuff has been crazy.  Sometimes I feel that my bosses think I’m Wonder Woman and that I can do anything. 

But still... I gotta be thankful I have work.