Chasen Dreams

My very long weekend starts at this very moment. As I’ve told you in my previous posts, I’m a civil servant and government work in NCR is suspended from November 17-20, 2015 for the APEC Leaders' Meeting.  I won’t discuss my opinion on this APEC something though.  What’s  in my plate right now is a six-day vacation!  I’m very excited.  No. We will not travel or hole up in  a posh hotel in the metro.  We don’t have funds for that yet.  I will just stay at home with my darling girl.  We will play, sing, laugh, dance and make yakap-yakapan. Moms especially working moms know how exciting days off are.    Here are my other plans: 1.        Finish my work backlog 2.        Buy and wrap Christmas gifts 3.        Clean our house 4.        Finish the remaining episodes of Scandal 5.     ...

This post has been sitting in my draft folder for days already. I was a little bit hesitant to publish this because I don’t want to be judged. Actually, being judged as a woman, wife or employee doesn’t give me a fright.  But, I fear being judged as a mother. I fear being judged on how I raise my daughter.  I don’t know how to explain this to you (without oversharing) but  I feel that the world expects me to be the perfect mom to Baby C.    I am expected to shower her with so much love (which is so easy for me) and to raise her well (which is a tricky thing). Although I fear to be criticized, I still decided to click the publish box.   It’s a way for me to accept and to admit to the whole  world, that I am not perfect…that I am far from being a perfect parent but I am striving to be the bestest mom to my daughter…that I make mistakes but very willing to correct them. Days  ago, Baby C had her monthly checkup and vaccination. ...

At 1 year old, Baby C has more or less 20 books.  She can’t read yet.  She even tears and “eats” her books. Despite the tearing and eating, we still continue to buy her books.  We want her to be exposed to books at an early age.   We want her to know that reading is cool.  When I saw the facebook status re: BOOK EXCHANGE  on my newsfeed, I spontaneously commented, "Count me in".  Actually, it was not the 36 books that Baby C might receive that lure me into signing up.     It was the idea of spreading the love for reading.   Besides, giving a book to a kid won’t hurt, right? The facebook status goes this way. “Calling all mommies, daddies, mommies-to-be, teachers, grandmas, grandpas, and all book lovers! I need friends of any age to participate in a BOOK EXCHANGE! You only have to buy ONE book and send it to one child, then your child will receive 36 books or more in return! Let me know if you are inter...

I was born in the 80s and I consider myself as Batang 90s. Trick or treating was not part of my childhood. Halloween for me then was going to the cemetery, making balls out of candle wax, eating balut with cousins and listening to scary stories.    And  I only received treats during Santacruzan or Flores de Mayo. In this day and age, we have adopted the way the Americans celebrate Halloween.  I believe it’s not a bad thing.  For me, celebrating Halloween by wearing costumes has no religious implication.  In my opinion, it’s not about worshipping devil or whatsoever. It’s only about having fun…no more, no less.  It’s the time of the year when kids and adults can wear spooky, cute or whatever costume they want to wear.    But of course, for us Catholics, it  is  the time when we remember and offer prayers for our departed loved ones. Last Friday, we had a Halloween party at the office.  It’s actually for ...

Our financial status is not at its best.   Our household expenses have bloated while our cash inflow has decreased. I think I already mentioned  that I no longer receive windfalls.  Also, my husband’s salary increase this year is  below 5% of his last year’s salary.  While we are not on the phase where our cash outflow is more than our cash inflow, the fact that I sometimes regret our decision to invest in  real properties is alarming.    I don’t think my salary will  augment  in the near future.  Although  I heard that there is a bill seeking the increase of salaries of government employees, I’m sure that the increase would not be that dramatic. Spell INCOME TAX!   To receive a higher salary, my only recourse is to pass the exam and automatically hop to Salary Grade 23, which is a few notches higher than my salary grade.   Believe me, it’s easier said than done.  I’m still hopeful though...

One of the applauded dishes I’ve cooked at home is Chicken Cordon Bleu.  According to my husband, the dish reminds him of our Biggs (local food chain in Bicol) dates in Naga.  Okay, I admit, my version is not at par with  Biggs Cordon Bleu. But,  my version is also yummers. It’s just that Biggs Cordon Bleu is soooooo good.  They also use pork while I use chicken. (I tried to use pork but for some reasons, I can’t achieve the tender and juicy pork cordon bleu.)    Chicken Cordon Bleu is soooo easy to prepare. Promise.   The level of difficulty in pronouncing the dish is inversely proportional to the level of difficulty in whipping it up.  It may sound foreign and complicated but actually the recipe is so simple.   It’s budget friendly too. Ingredients:  Chicken Breast Fillet Sweet Ham, cut into two Cheddar Cheese (I used Eden Cheese) Thyme Ground Pepper Butter Egg (beaten) 2 tbs milk (I used evap)...

I’ve been receiving Uber Promo Codes from friends and acquaintances on Facebook.  Although I already heard and read about Uber, I thought the invites were just spam messages so I didn’t bother to acknowledge them.   I thought Uber is a pangmayaman thing. Other than it sounds shushal, it also involves gadgets and apps.  You know, when I hear “Install this,  download that blahblah”, my brain automatically shuts down.   Yes. I’m not techie.  I’ve embarrassed myself so many times because of that.  “What’s tether?” “What’s power bank?” Boom!  Ang jologs lang.   I even discovered Viber just recently.   I know. I know. I’ve been living under a rock.  In one of our conversations, my officemate told me that he tried Uber and his experience was pleasant. Some of the positive considerations he cited: 1.         No need to hail a taxi 2.        ...

It’s my birthday in 6 days! Waaahh! I will be turning 32.  You know what? I still feel like 22.  Nothing has changed  except that I am now stouter (haha) and yes, wiser.  But, on second thought, I realized that  in ten years, so much has changed.  I am now a wife. I am now a mother.   I am now a civil servant.  What else? I have surpassed failures. I have made genuine friendships.  I have nurtured old friendships.   I have become a better daughter (weh) and sister and aunt.    I have always looked forward to my birthday. I grew up in a family where birthdays are special days.  My mom would always make me feel special on my birthday. Hindi uso sa amin ang birthday party noon kasi we couldn’t afford it.  Ang ginagawa ni Mama, she would cook and pack spaghetti  and would let me deliver the packed spaghetti to my aunts and uncles.  It was like an it’s-my-birthday reminder. And it worked. Pag-uwi k...

Baby C just turned 1 last September 11.  Indeed, time flies so fast.  Our darling girl is now a toddler! She’s becoming more malikot err curious. Ang dami niya na ding tricks. Haha. And she continues to amaze us every day.  She continues to make us so happy.  She continues to be the reason why I am sometimes late to work or why I sometimes do “undertime”.  She’s so adorable that leaving her is an everyday struggle.  I wish our office would provide a day care center  as part of its Gender Awareness Development program.   It can be done, right? To celebrate the gift  that the Guy up there has given us, we threw a party at my parents’ house in  Naga City. It was a simple party. It was just family, it was intimate  but,  I cannot say that it was a  “small party”.  My husband and I belong to a big and tight-knit  family kaya pamilya pa lang, barangay na. Haha.   As my sister-in-law said, “Expect fo...

I am from  the land of the Oragons (The oldies consider this word vulgar.  So, I never use it at home.)  I am a Bicolana, Nagueña specifically.  I transferred to Metro Manila in 2010 and until now, I am still not used to big city living.   If I only had a choice, I would want to live in Naga for the rest of my life. I would want to raise Baby C  there.  Without being regionalistic, I believe Naga City is such a great place to live in.  It’s a place where you can find “balance”.   It’s still not polluted.   You  can still find trees and  vast agricultural land.  The traffic is not that heavy.  The cost of living is not that high. Case in point, pedicab fare  there is only P5.   Naga City is also not “so probinsya”.  May SM kaya doon. Lol.   Hotels and banks are everywhere.  And if you’re a party spirited animal, I assure you that  boredom will never set in.  ...

A week ago, I had my wart cauterized. It was big that the dermatologist had to inject anesthesia.  After the procedure, he prescribed an anti-bacterial ointment, which I did not buy.  Boo! After two days, the wound got infected. Ang kirot.  But, I said to myself, “Nung bata nga ako, mas malaki pa dito sugat ko,  Merthiolate lang ang katapat.”  So, I didn’t bother seeking professional help despite my husband’s insistence.    To alleviate the kirot, I took Mefenamic Acid.  I also took Amoxicillin. Seven days after the cautery, the wound got bigger and eekier.  That was the time I decided to have it checked by a dermatologist (not the one who cauterized my wart).     Dermatologist:  Anong nangyari dyan? Me: Na-infect po ata. Pinacauterize ko po pero di ko nilagyan ng ointment. Dermatologist: Ah, nagtitipid ka, eh lalo ka ngayon mamamahalan. Bibigyan kita ng antibiotics. Me: Doc, umiinom na po ako ng a...

“Ano kayang lulutuin ko?” – This had been my usual dilemma every afternoon.   Actually, thinking of what to cook is really not a chore for me.  Anything connected to cooking is fun.    So,   I thought there was no reason for me   to create a meal plan.   That was until I realized that I was wasting so much food and I was spending so much on food.   One meal would usually cost us P150  on the average, and I would incur P3,000-4000 on groceries per week (baby’s milk excluded).   Such realization made me decide to whip up meals  which are cheaper but healthier than our food choices then.        I have decided to  create a weekly meal plan with a COST LIMIT.   It’s actually challenging but the following reasons pressed me to carry it out:   First, we are not getting any younger. Eating too much meat and junk food is definitely not good for us....

I posted here about our electric bill concern and how we could minimize our electric consumption.  I found out that the new electric meter has nothing to do with our electric bill.  Nananahimik siya. Wala siyang kasalanan! Haha. Yes. The blame should be put on us, the “feeling rich” kids.   I enumerated  the things that we should do to lower our electricity usage.  We’ve been doing Numbers 1 and 3.  As per suggestion of Jill of Frugalhoney , we’ve stopped using the hot and cold setting of our water dispenser.   And after a month….Tadaaaaa….. Our electric bill was reduced by P1,000.  Yey!  We could have reduced the bill  further if we had just stuck to the plan of decreasing our AC usage.   Anyway, at least we've become more inspired to do Numbers 2 and 4.   We bought two electric fans for the living area and master’s bedroom so, we could limit our AC usage.   Last night, we set the AC...

source Yes. You read it right. The theme of my darling girl’s first birthday party will be Clash of Clans (COC)!  Any violent reaction? Haha.   Actually, my friends and relatives shared the same reaction when they found out about the theme.  “But, your child is a girl...”  Yes.   My child is a girl and I want her to be a WARRIOR!  I want her to be brave, smart, confident, kind  and hardworking.    I don’t want her to be frail, shy, self-centered and dependent.   I want her to focus on her skills, talents and attitude not on physical beauty.  I want to raise a warrior.     And…hmm…my husband and I like playing Clash of Clans and we think that a COC themed party is going to be FUN!!!  Anyway, first birthday parties are for the parents, right? Haha. We already have a theme. So what’s next? Honestly, I am not good at planning a party (at planning in general).  But, I...

My husband and I have always wanted a minimalist home. We’ve always wanted a home which does not house a lot of  knick-knacks.    Actually, it’s my husband who’s fussy about the stuff we bring into our home.     It should always be worth the space.    One of my husband’s dreams is to hang paintings on our wall.  He is not that artistic but he appreciates art.  For me, artworks are all the same. Haha. So when I saw a painting in a department store which price was slashed by 50%, I became so giddy and immediately alerted my husband.  My husband’s response was “Ah okay…but I don’t like mass produced paintings” and cut my excitement just like that!  Ah ok…My search for paintings ended right then and there.   Then last February, destiny brought us into a coffee shop  with an  adjacent art gallery.  It was not our intent to go to that place.   Our plan for the night was to dine at Jose...

I almost had a heart attack (oa!) when I found out how much our Meralco bill for the month of June was. Actually, opening the envelope of our  electric bill  is always  like opening the  Ms. Universe winner’s envelope.  Parating may kaba. Haha.  Our June electric bill gave me a big shock (electric shock lol).   I was expecting a lower consumption compared to last month’s since our bakasyonistas (my husband’s relatives) went back to the province  but contrary to my expectation,  it went up by 100 plus kWh.  Then, I remembered  that early June, I was notified by the Condo Admin staff that they changed our unit’s electric meter.  It may be the cause.  I’m not certain.  I will talk to the admin staff first before I make a conclusion. It may be our actual electric consumption  and I just  find it difficult to admit.   Here’s the rundown of our appliances and their corresponding usage: refriger...