Leaving on a Jetplane

I'm going on vacation for five weeks. It seems so long, doesn't it? Well considering I'm flying halfway around the world, I might as well make the most of it. The tickets doesn't come cheap either so I'm trying to get the most bang for my buck here. The last time I was back in the Philippines with my family was six years ago. That was the first time for dh and second time for my daughter. My immediate family lives in California so there is no reason to go back. This time, it will be for a special occasion. My parents are celebrating their 45th wedding anniversary so all relatives are going to be there. I'm sure one of my aunts will make a comment that I look like a whale. (Hmm, maybe I should've taken some diet pills.) In any case, I'll just have to grin and say " I'm healthy, happy and not divorced. Thank you!"

-----Read Full Post-----

Going on Vacation

It's finally here. My family vacation starts this Sunday, well, for me and the kids at least. Dh's vacation will still be in two weeks. In any case, why don't I feel excited? I should be since I'm going back to Manila and see my family, friends and relatives. My kids will see the house where I grew up plus we will go to my mom's province, the place where I was born. Hmm, I guess it boils down to the saying "There's No Place Like Home." My home is here and this is where I feel at most comfortable.

-----Read Full Post-----

I Need My Java

If you told me 4 years ago that I will be a coffee drinker, I would've told you "No way!" I grew up drinking chocolate milk or orange juice for breakfast. When I started working in San Francisco, I would always get the brunt of jokes during our breakfast meetings. Aside from being the youngest in the team, I'm also the only person who doesn't drink coffee. Anyway, I started drinking coffee regularly after my parents visited us and stayed for a month. My parents are both coffee drinkers and I guess it rubbed off on me during their stay. I didn't have any coffee makers before they came and I bought one just for them. Now, I am an avid coffee drinker so I couldn't believe that I ran out of coffee beans this morning. I usually have a stash somewhere in the pantry. Then I remembered that I have some coffee pods. What a relief! Am I addicted to coffee? Not yet anyways. I can still function during those mornings where I'm too busy or in a hurry to make myself a cup.

-----Read Full Post-----

Happy Birthday BFF!

Today is my very good friend Mira's 18th forty-something birthday. What can you give someone who has everything? Good wishes and a big hug. :o)

Happy birthday BFF! I wish you good health and more happiness. You deserve it!

-----Read Full Post-----

My Hummingbird Visitor

You read that right, there's a hummingbird that stays all day in the feeder. He just sits there, guarding the feeder from other hummingbirds. Whenever another hummingbird stops by and starts feeding, he will scare them away. The feeder is hanging in front of my kitchen window so I always see it whenever I'm near the sink. The bird is always there. He either sits on the feeder or sits on the metal feeder hanger. I don't buy the commercial hummingbird nectar, I make my own and obviously the birds like it. At first, dh bought the red nectar from the store but the birds don't seem to like it. When I used my own concoction, the hummingbirds started hanging out in the feeder. If this particular bird keeps on staying in the feeder and drinking every couple of minutes, he'll probably need some diet pill to fly.

-----Read Full Post-----

Go Back To Work?

But I AM working! No kidding. A stay-at-home mom's job is not a walk in the park. I've said it before and I'm going to say it again, I don't regret sacrificing my career for my kids. I worked here in the US for two large companies for over 10 years before I stopped to be a full-time mom. I'm lucky that dh shares the same views. Watching my kids grow and being there for each special moment is fulfillment for me.
So now that they're in school full-time, what's next for me? I received some emails after I posted my resume online. Yes, even with this bad economy, there are jobs out there. You need to have special skills though. I worked in the technical field so I got a lot of offers to go back. There is a problem though, I cannot work in an 8 to 5 job right now. The kids get off from school at 2:30 and leaving them all by themselves is not an option. I also got an offer for a technical sales position. A sales career can be very lucrative but then again, the hours are not right for me. Oh well, I'll have to see what other options I have.

-----Read Full Post-----

Clothes to Give Away

It's that time of the year for me where I clean out my kids' closet. My daughter have grown two inches the past year so she has a lot of clothes that does not fit anymore. Then I have to sort it out these gently used clothes that can be given to friends or donated to charity. My sister lives on the other side of the country so shipping all the clothes will be expensive. I plan to bring some with me when I go to the Philippines in a couple of weeks. My sister is going there too so I'll give her some of the clothes. I give all of my son's clothes to my BFF Mira since she has a little boy. I also found some disposable diapers along with leftover baby toothpaste and other toiletries. I'll have to check in with our local battered women shelter if they accept these things.

-----Read Full Post-----

One Cell Phone, Too Many Choices

I've had my cell phone for 2 years now and it hasn't given me problems until now. Well considering that I only use it once in a while, it has been useful. These days though, the charge doesn't last the whole day which is frustrating. I'm now considering getting another to replace this old one. My network is Verizon and we are not considering changing. My husband said that he doesn't get any calls drop while in the freeway with this network compared to Sprint. Too bad, it would be nice to have an IPhone. Come to think of it, I don't really need a gadget like an IPhone. I just need one of those regular cellular phones that sends and receives calls. I don't do much texting either. I would rather call than text, it's faster that way. This is the opposite of cell phone users in the Philippines. They send text messages because it is cheaper than calling. I remember when I was visiting 2 years ago, it took me a long time to compose a message. My friend said I text like a snail. ha ha
So how do you choose your cell phone? Do you care about the gadgets that come with it or you just want one that works?

-----Read Full Post-----

High Insurance Costs for Less Coverage

Everything seems to be costing more these days. What's worse is that you actually get less than what you would've gotten a year ago. That is awful, isn't it? From food products to services, it's all the same across the board. I'm still thankful though that dh is working so we don't have to worry about our health and dental insurance. We don't have the same coverage as we did last year. Cigna raised their premium so we chose a different kind of coverage. We get to keep our primary care doctor which is important. We still have the same dental coverage which is great since my daughter will be getting braces. She only has a slight overbite, which is barely negligible. We'll see what her orthodontist says. She'll be a teenager soon and up next will be to look for the best acne treatments for teens. I really hope that this economic slide will turn around soon. Everyone is affected by it in one way or another.

-----Read Full Post-----