Today's Random Thoughts

i am taking time off from work today because i got a call for a job interview this afternoon. it's not until 4:30pm but i didn't want to rush from work to my interview. and friday is jeans day at work so it wouldn't look good if i show up dressed in my interview suit.

ahh, i feel great so far. i slept late last night and woke up just in time to prepare Vince for school. by the time hubby returned from dropping him off, i have already given rafa his meal, vitamins, a bath and have taken a shower myself. so i have a couple of hours to spare before preparing lunch.

as i write this, i hear A puttering with his tools. he's been working on a multi-media shelf for our sala for a few days now. i keep telling him we should just buy one but he insists he'd like to make one. it doesn't look good yet and i'm worried it will be a sore in the living area but he assures me that i'm going to be pleased when i see the final product. oh well, let's see...i just don't understand what's this thing with guys and their tools.

where's this entry heading? i don't know... i just felt the urge to write and i even don't have a particular topic in mind. i was blog hopping earlier and one blog got me thinking: what do i do best? what do i want to do with my life? what job is there for me that could be rewarding--financially, spiritually, emotional and all the "ly" in the world? what is my purpose in life?

i think i should stop before i ask questions that should never be asked...:P

obviously, i am just jittery because of the interview :)

Valentine's Day 2k10

We woke up late on Valentine's day because on Saturday night, A and I slept at 1am. No, we did not go out. We spent the night catching up on housechores, with hubby ironing three weeks worth of laundry and I cleaning the kitchen and bathroom. Bonding to the hilt!

On V-day, we heard morning mass then headed to a Vietnamese restaurant with friends for lunch. Sa dami namin, it looked like we reserved the entire place, the owners had to refuse a lot of customers because there were no more tables. Isang buong barangay na talaga kami dito.

There were so many things to celebrate: Cyndere and Fred's civil wedding that morning, Dina's birthday, Rafa's 11th month, Elijah's 5th month and of course---LOVE!

Trip to the library

Last Saturday, I had to have some documents certified by a Justice of the Peace (JP) at the library. I am impressed that certification of documents here is free unlike in Pinas where you had to pay at least P300 for every document 'notarized'. And it's not only lawyers who can certify but also CPAs/CA's, police personnel, pharmacists, engineers, and the list goes on.

Anyway, after having all documents certified, I decided to apply for membership at the library because hubby is already a member and regularly takes the kids to borrow cds, dvds and books. I completed a very short form and got my membership card in less than 5 minutes. How efficient is that?

I then proceeded to the video section and started browsing. Unfortunately, most of the new releases were out but I still went home with these:

1. Tuesdays with Morrie- I was able to start a few pages of the book but did not get to finish it. I'm surprised that there's a movie. Perfect!

2. Daddy by Danielle Steele- I've been reading D.S. novels in high school and college. I'm looking forward to watching this.

3. Becoming Jane- starring Anne Hathaway

4. Parenting video

I have 3 weeks to finish all four. Now, let's see if I can find time to watch these...

Of tennis, violins and cow manure

It looks like it's going to be a very busy year for Kuya Vince. Today, he started with his tennis lessons. And because the racket brand Head is sponsoring the clinic, each student is given a small racket to use for the entire year. He couldn't stop raving about their first lesson when he came home. Naku, baka puro lang to porma! Next week, he begins violin lessons as they are also encouraged to take an arts class. Sosyal naman, may pa-violin-violin pa si Kuya!

How different his primary years are from mine! Coming from a public school in a small town in Mindanao, all I can remember aside from our regular classes are gardening/cleaning lessons .Everyday, before we start classes, we have to help cut the grasses because our school's only janitor can't keep up with maintaining the huge grounds. And in the afternoons, there was Home Economics where we had to tend to our own plot of veggies- pechay, sibuyas, kamatis, sili at kung anu-ano pa. Grades were dependent on how healthy your plants were. Ang masaklap, we could only use natural fertilizers! Buti nalang, my father has pangsabong na manok so I can easily bring chicken dung to school. On some days, though, our terror-of-a-teacher would require us to bring cow manure only. Eh, dios mio, di naman ganun kadami ang baka sa town namin! I remember having fights with classmates on who gets the cow manure we see on the roads. Sometimes, out of desperation to get additional points, we would wait patiently for a cow to poop. Gross, i know!

Looking back, I would say it was a good learning experience and I wouldn't mind my kids going through the same stuff. But as it is, my boys will have a different story to tell their grandkids and I'm sure it will be as interesting, nevertheless.

All in January

After what seemed like a very short summer break (1 1/2 months), Vince is back at school and is now on Year 1. How time flies! We have to get him a new set of uniforms as he's barely squeezing into his old ones. He also lost another front tooth when Rafa accidentally kicked on it while playing. He looks and speeks funny these days.

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While Kuya was losing teeth, Rafa had 3 of them growing all at the same time. His gums must be real sore/itchy coz the poor little fella is biting anything he can put his teeth into. Thankfully, he's not feverish or nag-tatae and still manages to give us a smile without fail. He's most adorable when he wakes up and peeps from his crib to see if any of us are watching. He has this mischievous but very sweet smile. But he could also be a handful and is very different from Kuya. He is more independent, more active and I think a lot smarter than Vince at that age.

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We celebrated our first Australia Day on Jan 26. It's actually our second but last year, I was heavily pregnant so we didn't get to join in the celebrations. There were many events around the city on the day but we hit Hyde Park to see the impressive display of vintage automobiles and race cars. There was a huge crowd watching the concerts for the children and the older ones. There were freebies from a few companies and dozens of food stalls. But what really struck me is the amazing support the residents had for all the activities. From their enthusiasm, you would have thought they're celebrating for the first time. I would love to see Filipinos doing the same on Phil Independence Day.

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We finally visited Taronga Zoo. Out of the blue, a friend lent us a gold pass which coincidentally admits 4 persons. Hallelujah! We've been putting aside the zoo visit because at $41/adult and $20/child, we thought it was not worth it. So on Jan 30, the boys and I packed 'saging turons', burgers and chips and took the fifteen minute ferry ride from Circular Quay to Taronga. We were so amazed with all the animals specially with the seal and bird shows. The view was also breathtaking as you can see the Opera House and Sydney Harbour Bridge from the zoo. We enjoyed it so much that we wouldn't mind paying on our next trip.

It's been a good start to the year. Thank you, Lord for all the blessings!