Come Hell or High Water

Kyle, Matt, Ma and Pa, enjoying a late snack at Da Vinci's

"Come hell or high water". You'd think that's what happened seeing the pics of my parents here in Cebu. But no, they almost had to cancel their Cebu trip after being given a scare by PAL for subjecting the passengers of the 930am flight to a more than an hour of delay due to "further aircraft servicing". Mama, who easily gets nervous taking plane rides, naturally thought it was unsafe to take that plane to Cebu.

The 830 call I received from Paparazzi was to tell me they were not going on the trip. I suggested that they take a later flight. They were told all flights were fully booked with people taking advantage of this long break and time of the year (All Saints' Day) . Jerry promptly made a call from Cebu to PAL and reserved and confirmed 2 seats for them on the 330pm flight. Thank GOD for Jerry's quick thinking...

After stressful conversations through cellphone calls where I even involved my brother, based in Canada, they finally relented and proceeded to take the afternoon flight. Mama even asked why I had to drag Junnie to "act as lawyer" for me. Hahaha. Well, I just felt they would find it hard to refuse him... I was absolutely correct!

After all is said and done, I'm glad they still made the trip!


Mamarazzi and Paparazzi seeing my new office for the first time. Kyle, busily toying with Redford

The King and I

Unlike in Manila where there is a Repertory that constantly provides aficionados with their fill of production stage performances, Cebu doesn't have anything close to that. However, the Sacred Heart School - Jesuits attempts to bridge that gap now by producing stage plays participated in by a mix of professional stage actors, students of the school and members of its PTA. For the second year, all students, parents and friends were enjoined to watch. Last year it was Oliver. This year it was The King and I.

This yearly activity by SHS-J for fund-raising has actually inspired the participation of some of its students, teachers and parents. I'm glad there is something like this where even my kids enjoy watching the live performance of some classmates and teachers. It is good exposure for everyone and a fodder for those fond of watching stage plays.

Outdoing himself, Benjie Diola, the stage director, enthralled his audience with spectacular backdrops, colorful costumes and stellar performances and singing voices of actors. My family is one with most in saying that Oliver was a good one but King and I is simply better.

Kudos to the cast and crew of the King and I! Encore!

Getting SPAmpered for the First Time

Last Thursday night, Jerry surprised me with an invitation to a night at Sawadee. Oooh... He remembered one of the things listed on my 43 things list where I wanted to experience going to a spa. Though I have given several spa certificates as gifts, I have never been to one. How one looks inside, I could only imagine from the pictures I see on brochures and ads. I'm totally a neophyte in this area and I don't know what and how to prepare for this first experience. Hehehe....

The appointment was for 830 pm, so by 820 pm, we were at the reception area, trying to figure out the "menu"... massage with arometherapy - P550, Thai tranquility massage - P450, traditional Thai massage - P500, Shiatsu - P500, and a host of other pampering treatments that have already escaped me. We went for the massage with aromatherapy.

As we were led inside the quiet and dimly lit spa, I could smell lavender permeating the Thai-inspired area. Hmmm... And the soft sound of oriental/classical music, gently rushing water and birds somehow felt like we were in some faraway place. How relaxing... First part of the whole treatment was a floral foot bath where Jerry and I sat next to each other on plush leather recliners as two attendants gently massaged and "pumiced" our tired footsies. We immediately enjoyed the foot bath as we sipped our complimentary cups of tea. Ah, glorious!

Before proceeding to the couple's massage room, we took a quick warm shower... separately. Hehehe.... Then donning the Thai kimono and nothing else (Jerry had his brief on), we lay on separate beds. The kimonos were replaced with warm towels. For an hour and 15 minutes, we were oiled, kneaded, rubbed, tapped, pushed, pulled and stretched. All parts of our bodies got the pampering they badly needed. From the tips of our toes to our heads, the tightened knots were loosened. I was amused to find out I was actually ticklish on some parts of my body! Ahahaha! Most parts I totally loved the sensation and some parts where the skin got pressed a little too hard, I felt a bit sore, but still okay. While the attendants were doing their stuff, I felt like dozing off...

After the session, the attendants, brought in cups of tea and warm wet towelettes. They wiped us free from all the oils that covered our skin. My skin was tingling all over and I felt moisturized, recharged and rejuvenated. As we were putting on our clothes, I thought how quickly the hour went by... I would love for another round of pampering!

Back in the car, I slid the Christmas MP3 I just burned. While listening to the happy tune, Jerry and I looked at one another, smiling and said this was something we'd like to do a bit more often... together...

Mamaya Na Instead of Mamamayan Muna

AGENCY 1

Two weeks ago, I had the chance to avail of AGENCY 1's services when I went to submit some business docs for certification/ registration. Their building was relatively new. There weren't much people applying for registration. The officer-in-charge of information was quite accommodating as she tried to answer all of our queries. When we had problems with the location of the bank where capital was placed, Atty. C. readily assisted us. That was a Monday when I had the papers completed and the assessment paid. I was told to call again on Thursday of the same week.

Come Thursday, when I went to follow-up with the laywer-in-charge, Atty. H., I was advised to check with her Tuesday of the next week. I was starting to wonder what they have been doing since Monday... Hmm... Anyway, I thanked her and left.

Tuesday came and I went up to Atty. H's office again and found out that the docs will be transmitted to AGENCY 2 yet. Thinking that this will eat up at least 2 days in the snail mail, we volunteered to handcarry the articles and by-laws ourselves to save on time. The assistant was more than happy to give us the docs.

AGENCY 2

The same day we got the papers from AGENCY 1, we forwarded the same to AGENCY 2. The lady gave us their contact number and advised us to call back 3 days later. Today is the second day but we opted to call just in case they already have the papers ready. We weren't surprised to find out that the docs were still for review. The lady told us that when the papers are ready, they will transmit the same back to AGENCY 1 via mail. HUH? The papers will be transmitted via SNAIL MAIL? Nooo!

Again, we volunteered to handcarry the docs ourselves to save on time. The lady acceeded, however, we still had to wait till they have issued their endorsement. Hopefully, that will be tomorrow. Two weeks after we have paid the assessment. Does processing really have to take this long?

Why am I writing this? I'm writing this out of exasperation, my way of letting off steam. I just couldn't understand why these government agencies would take so much time reviewing these docs. Ok, granting that they had numerous applications to process, I see them very relaxed and moving ever so slowly like there was no rush to finish their backlogs. They absolutely didn't look like they were neck-deep with work!

LTO

My 2-year driver's license is expiring in a few days, I thought I should do it this morning and even told Jerry to have his processed as well. We requested one of brother-in-law's carshop employees to drive us to LTO as, ironically, there wasn't any space to park there. We had a contact person from inside who led us to a lady fixer. The lady fixer took our documents and old licenses and walked us to the drug-test facility where we were promptly told to give some urine sample.

While awaiting the drug-test result, we were led again to a small makeshift booth for eye check-up and medical exam. No check-up and exam were done but we were given a sheet of paper each that indicates that we passed the test. A few minutes later, the drug-test results were already handed to us.

Going back to the LTO office where a multitude of male drivers were waiting for the release of their new licenses, I couldn't help but think why there weren't much women lining up. Hmmm... After a total of 2 hours and renewal fee of P1200, we were handed our new licenses. The fixers will be sent their "facilitation fee" later on as Jerry said its not a wise move to give money while they are still officially conducting office. Okay...

In conclusion, if you go through the proper channels in government agencies, your papers end up being shoved to the bottom of the pile of applications. But if you try to cut corners and willingly pay your way to a speedy process, you lessen the hassle and get your money's worth as well.

Sad, but true.


AGENCY 1
An independent, credible regulator adhering to international standards, to be a prime mover of Philippine economic development by ensuring a fair, efficient, and transparent capital market.

AGENCY 2
The government agency tasked to manage and supervise technical education and skills development in the Philippines.

LTO
The LTO envisions a well-developed transportation system that will play a vital role in improving the quality of life of the Filipino people, particularly in providing a more viable means of land transport and a secured travel for transport users and commuters.

_____

My previous license was effective for 2 years. Now, the new one is for 3 years.

YEY, I don't have to go through the process of giving urine sample, lining up and feeling ogled at by men for being the only female there...

BOO, I have to endure having that spaced-out look in my picture until 2008! (Must license pictures be always that baaadddd?)

USA Here I Come!

While waiting for the glass frosting supplier, I took a few online quizzes AND was amused at the results...

1. If the questions I got asked were the same questions in real life, then I'm all headed for the land of milk and honey...Hahaha!

You Passed the US Citizenship Test

Congratulations - you got 7 out of 10 correct!

Could You Pass the US Citizenship Test?

2. And would probably be in any of these cities...

American Cities That Best Fit You:

75% Las Vegas

70% Austin

65% Atlanta

65% Honolulu

65% Miami

Which American Cities Best Fit You?

3. And finally, to drive a point...

You Belong in the USA

Sweet! People either love you or hate you And you really don't care what anyone thinks Big and bold, you do things your way

What English Speaking Country Do You Belong In?

AHAHAHA!!!!

... Oh well.... That was just for kicks...and the glass frost/tint supplier is still nowhere in sight!

A Constant Reminder

...that prayer is for everyone...


...everywhere...


Just find the time to say yours...

Bored....NOT!

my very zen workspace

Most of the furniture have been delivered now. I'll say about 95%. Just the 3 chairs for the booths are for purchase as what we previously intended to buy were too big for the space. My office is now complete. I now have my vanilla mid-back swivel chair, 2 guest chairs in cream color, my 3-drawer mobile pedestal, and the clear glass desk. That's just about it. The look is very minimalist and I kinda like it.

This afternoon, I moved in to my new room and almost instantly got settled in. I love that I don't have paper clutter and that I don't have voluminous paperwork to do. Hmmmm.....

Best of all, I love the fact that when I turn my gaze from my desk, I get...

this kind...

of visual...


If there's such a thing as infinity pool, this is my infinity view.

In The Flurry of Activities...

I found myself with not enough time to post. No post however doesn't mean my life has been on a standstill. On the contrary....

...we were busy:


...looking at office furniture...




...with the final stages of the fit-out of our new office...





...treating A-ma for dimsum at Lai Garden, Crossroads...




...celebrating 3 birthday parties in one week: Kyle's, Angie's and Mymy's...





...meeting balikbayan friends, Glenn and Janet, for dinner and coffee...




That was a quick wrap (in pictures) of things we've done for the past week.

And after all the work and food binging... I now go back to having this...



On to the next post... hopefully soon. :D

Kyle!!!

Last week, Kyle's teacher/adviser finally gave him the corrected report card for the first grading period. Call us OC, OA, stage parents or whatever, but Jerry and I simply refused to accept the original one, when we saw an unacceptable grade of 89 in his Mandarin class. The grade was low enough to disqualify him from getting the first honors.

On my prodding, Jerry promptly checked with the Chinese teacher and gladly found out that there was some mistake in the scoresheet. Because of the teacher's admission of error, we immediately requested for rectification... After about 2 months of waiting, the corrected report card was finally given just last week. The new grade is now a 93 and pulled him up to first. Weee! All's well now. :D

This afternoon, as Kyle got into the car, he happily announced he won first in Spelling. Then being the "sadista/makarinyo-brutal" Mom that I am, I teased him and said, "Maybe they all let you win since they know it's your birthday today. Hah!" And we all burst out laughing especially when Kyle naturally retorted and said in the Cebuano vernacular, "No uy!" He even added by saying he beat the no. 1 guy in his class who mistakenly spelled "chandelier" with an "sh"....Ok, we take the cue this time and finally give him a congratulatory nudge. "Naks! Galing-galing naman..."

The boys thrive in this kind of "slightly pressured" environment... very much similar to what I had back when I was a kid (ok, ok, minus the 1st honors. And back then it was more self-imposed than anything). Hehehe...

For tonight's special dinner, we planned a fusion of Japanese cold soba, Cebuano ngo-hiong and roast chicken, and Tagalog bulalo. Kyle, our second boy, our middle-child, the artist in the family (probably explains his mood-swings), the bedimpled one, turns 9 today. It's the perfect cap to a recent strng of happy moments in this kid's life.

Happy birthday Kyle!!! *Hugs and kisses* I hope you treasure all these happy memories.

Revisiting Jollibee

When Matt and Kyle were tots, we were frequent diners of Jollibee. Being there did wonders to their fickle appetites. Buying them those meals with free toys almost guaranteed stress-free feeding time. However, we have long put to rest the kids' (ours included) cravings for the cholesterol-laden fried goodies - burgers, chicken, french fries, etc. We found other alternatives that were more reasonably-priced, in Cebu's (still cholesterol-laden) local fare - ngohiong, puso, lechon, etc.

Yesterday, after watching Matt's basketball game (their team, the Jesuit Eagles, won over USP), we all trooped to Jollibee Ayala for snacks. All the yelling and the cheering got everyone famished, I suppose. It was Jake's first treat at the establishment since he was born. Like before, we indulged in the same crunchy chicken, and burger plus we got me a petite salad. Jake loved the choco sundae and finished off most of one cup (part of it I ate... small part of it lang... hehehe).

As usual, we had a swell time, finishing off quite easily the small portions of food. Though it didn't fill the boys up as much as they wanted to satisfy their teenage (aka huge) appetites, it was still considered a welcome treat. Plus, we were all amused to look at Jake getting all messed up.

It guaranteed another stress-free meal, as I expected.

Life Continues... Yes, Even Without the Househelp

It's been more than a week now since we let the househelp go. She was advised to leave for a lot of good reasons and after tolerating her for a few months. Now we're back to doing things ourselves. Jerry handles the cooking (I know, shame on me!), I do the other stuff like washing dishes (manual labor over here), dusting the house, fixing the rooms and tidying the toilets (real cleaning is courtesy of Jake's nanny, God bless her!). The 2 elder boys do their bit of helping too like straightening their beds and picking up after their own mess.

For the past year, househelps have come and gone. The good thing is we're all adaptable to the changes now and when the situation calls for it, we all rise up to the occasion (armed with cooking and cleaning stuff!).

Living Miracles

Babies all develop at their own pace. There's no hard and steadfast rule that says a heavy newborn is bound to grow bigger than his contemporaries in the same manner that a delicate newborn will grow slower than the others.

Having a baby born ahead of schedule and with low birth weight due to oligohydramnios (low amniotic fluid in my case) or pre-eclampsia (high blood pressure in cousin Mimi's case), does not render the baby slow to growth and development.

My Jake and Mimi's Marti were born weighing just over 2 lbs. It's naturally frightening to realize that 2 lbs is way too far from the normal 6-7 lb birth weight. All thoughts about complications and such were never far from our minds. But with a lot of TLC and prayers, we are hopeful that these adorable gifts from GOD continue to grow well.

When I think about it, Jake and Marti just came as early blessings.



Left: Jake at less than a week old (2 lbs). Right: Jake at 1 year & 7 mos old (28 lbs).

I BREATHE, I'M ALIVE, I EXIST

The renovation/fit-out of our new office at the IT Park is now 80-85% completed. While the office is still being done, the team who will be handling the technical stuff are still in the Ortigas office. So I'm practically the only employee for Cebu as of now.

It's my first day of work with the new employer but in the absence of a decent office to park my stuff, I'm here at the coffeeshop right beside us. The fast and dedicated internet connection I'm using is already the facility provided by our office. So far, so good...

Here I am with my iBook, taking a break, sipping coffee and just being happy to be here...


the wide expanse of green right outside our office...

Despedida

Part of my more than 20 Corporate Services team members (General Accounting, Credit & Collection, Billing and Invoicing, Purchasing, HRD, Security, Facilities Maintenance).

Hi Team! Goodbye Team!

Thanks for all the support.