What’s another word for busy?

I wish I don’t anymore have to write that I’m busy.
I wish that life could have been simpler, relaxed, laid-back.
I wish my days were about staying at home, gardening, cooking more, playing with my son, doing arts and crafts, going shopping or to the spa, seeing places. Wish, wish, wish…

Wish lang naman…

So just give me another word for busy para maiba naman because at this point, busy and all it’s relatives (including the superlatives) are the only words in my vocabulary.

Ironically, I seem to welcome this state. I am currently learning so much I am actually contemplating a career in sales. Or I could go into logistics. Maybe marketing? mwahaha! Wish ulit…I should just probably stick to a career in finance.

All the running around is wrecking havoc to my health. Naks! Siempre, I need to de-stress and retail therapy usually does the trick. Early this week, I got myself my dream pumps at more than half it’s price! Lucky eh?

But really, at the end of the day, when my son greets me with a big, warm hug, all the day’s cares are instantly forgotten. Then I’m all set for another busy day…err, what’s another word for busy again?

Kite-flying

Dear Anak,

After weeks of spending long hours in the office, Mama decided to come home early yesterday. It was a lovely afternoon, with the wind blowing hard and the sky so blue. I took my time walking home, waving, smiling and exchanging pleasantries with neighbors who were also out on their lawns. I guess everybody was just relieved that the sun was finally out.

Earlier this week, I had asked Manong Ben and his son, Dennis, to help us clean up because the grass grew fast during the rainy season. It was a joy to come home to a freshly -mowed lawn and newly trimmed shrubs. Again, i took my sweet time taking in the clean surroundings and fussing over the flowers.

Yaya told me that you had earlier played with our neighbors and had just taken your dinner and finished your bath. But I insisted that we go outside to enjoy what remained of the beautiful afternoon. You happily obliged naman and asked if I wanted to play with the kite Yaya made for you. The strong winds propelled the kite as high as the string will allow while we ran around the house laughing our bellies out.

It was already after sunset when we stopped playing, exhausted but happy.

Thank you, Vince for that wonderful afternoon. It was the best way to cap a very stressful week. Indeed, the best things in life are free.

the world beckons

Last year, my officemates resigned in droves to try their luck in Dubai. Early this week, when the year has barely started, another one in my department left to follow the same route. And there are talks of quite a number leaving the company this year. I already lost count how many ex-officemates I have in Dubai. All I know is that six of them are my son’s godparents and they have abundantly showered him with gifts and moolah.

Just when everybody is setting their sights on Dubai, a friend got her immigrant visa for Canada yesterday and will be leaving the country in May 2008. Her name is in my list of prayer requests for various visa grants. There were originally 9 in that list, and now it’s down to 5. And I just started praying for them 8 months ago!

At my high school yahoo group and my Friendster account, a big number of my contacts/friends are scattered all over the globe. Ireland, New Zealand, Hawaii, UK, the US, and the list goes on. Judging from the pictures posted, they all seem to be living great lives.

With the vast opportunities available for professionals in the international market and the palpable lack thereof in our country, there is really no stopping Pinoys from leaving. I would not even venture into discussing the imminent “brain drain”. All of us see that coming. Oh well, not that my opinion matters, though.

On a personal level, I am perturbed with what’s happening. Is this just some temporary hype that we are willingly submitting ourselves into? Or is the Philippines really going to the dogs and if we stay, we’re pitifully going down with it? Will it really be a greener pasture out there? Or maybe the pasture indeed looks greener from the other side? How will my son adapt to a new place? Will I even have more time with hubby considering that we’ll be slaving ourselves to buy a new house, car and pay our start up debts all over again?

Question after question sometimes rouse me from a dreamless slumber. Questions that need outright answers as the whole wide world beckons.

Where was Mama?

Anak,

Mama had to be at our main office in Manila last week for a meeting with the big bosses. I would have left you at your Lolo’s place as is usually the case when I travel but with such short notice on this particular trip and your class resuming after the holidays, I was left with no choice but to ask Tita Chiq to stay with you and the yayas while I was away.

When mama left, you asked why I was bringing a huge luggage but I just told you that it contained all my papers at work. You seemed to believe that lame explanation but tita chiq told me that when you woke up the following day, you immediately asked why you are still in tita’s bed and complained that I did not transfer you to our room. The following night, you refused to sleep in tita’s room and insisted to sleep in the sala “so that mama will see me right away and move me to our room”.

I was teary-eyed when tita texted me about it. It has become harder for me to leave you now that you’re older because you already expect mama to be home at nighttime for our bedtime routine. Thankfully, the phone at our manila office is connected directly to our home phone so I called you. I did not have to worry about the bill while you babbled about the program on tv, your drawings and your food.

Mama stayed at your Ninang Ann’s place which is just about 5minutes drive from our office. I got to meet Emman who is also my inaanak. Seeing him made me miss you more because you are about the same age.

Ninang Ann was kind enough to drive me to your other Ninang Ann (hehe you have two ninang ann’s) who just lives nearby. We had so much fun talking that we did not notice it was already nearing midnight when we decided to go home. Mama had to be up early for a breakfast meeting at Dusit with my bosses.

We had a tight schedule with all the meetings that were lined up during our short stay. Mama was relieved, though, that everything turned out okay.

I just wish you and papa were with me.

Goodbye 2007, Welcome 2008!

Happy New Year!

It’s been days since my last post. I have been having a hectic time attending all the parties, shuttling from one place to another and finishing up my workload for me to be able to take a long vacation from Dec 22- Jan 1.

So what have I been doing during the holidays?

We went home to be with our parents, relatives and friends for Christmas. We had a mini-reunion on Dec 23 to celebrate my uncle’s birthday at his farm. The heavy rains failed to dampen our spirits as we enjoyed food freshly harvested from his farm while dancing and singing to music from a rented videoke machine. Dec 24 was spent with my side of the family for our traditional Christmas dinner at my parent’s house. My son just loves being with his cousins and basks in the attention of the older relatives. He entertained us with nonstop dancing till 12mn to the delight of his grandparents. Dec 25 was spent with hubby’s side of the family. I am too lazy to give you a blow by blow account of our activities but I swear we had a splendid time with our loved ones.

New year was spent at the “log cabin”. It was just me, hubby and our son so for a while, we were a “normal” family with the mom and dad taking turns cooking, cleaning, doing the laundry and taking care of our son. We also played badminton, visited the mall and checked out the sights.

2007 had been a marvelous year. We have been blessed tremendously and as my way of thanking Him, I was more generous with my gifts this year. But as I have been telling hubby, the best and most precious gift we gave and received is time. With the nature of our jobs, it takes a lot of effort for us to be together but in 2007, we made the most of whatever time we had for our family. Looking back, we deposited a lot of good memories into our son’s emotional bank account.

2008 promises to be an even better year as our family braces for a new adventure. It is a bit scary to be out of our comfort zones but we are assured that things can only get better. Wonderful things are up for the taking…better, brighter days up ahead. Welcome 2008!