January 18 - Late

I wanted to use the new bag Ate Lora gave me for my birthday. While I was transferring my stuff, I realized that my office keys were missing. So hinanap ko muna siya everywhere before finally taking a bath.

Only after that did I realize -- hindi pa gising si Celia... At hindi pa gising ang AndyKoko! Whaaaa--?! Rush-rush-rush... pero siyempre, kahit ano pa ang madali namin, late pa rin kami.

Although I was wearing my jogging pants, all set for my morning exercise, pagdating ko sa office nagbihis din ako right away ng office clothes. It was 9 AM na kasi.

I don't think this will be a very good week.

January 17 - Ark of Avilon

Promised D'Gob that we'd go to the zoo for her birthday. Since may sangkaterbang things to do pa si Oca on a Sunday morning, we settled for the Avilon Zoo in Tiendesitas.

Hey, not bad. I like the concept of an ark. Parang Noah's ark ang design n'ya. The place was rather compact. Just right for little kids.

You can feed some of the animals pa. May kamahalan nga lang ang presyo ng gulay na nakatuhog sa barbecue stick. Half a carrot is P20. Talbos is P10. D'Gob, and even Andy and Koko, enjoyed feeding the rabbits. They were all in this big pen -- dozens and dozens of them!

Nagpicture-taking kami with Pauline, the orangutan. After the photo op, it took my hand. I thought nakikipagshake-hands lang with me. Tapos, good thing I was looking, kasi tinatanggal na pala n'ya bracelet ko! Aba -- ang kleptong unggoy na 'to!

Anyway, we had a great time. Before leaving, we ate ice cream and had one of those 3D pictures taken. Cute!

January 16 - PTC

Top 3 si Andy sa class nila. As for Koko -- he may prove to be another Albert Einstein. A late bloomer. (Sana bumukadkad na siya before the third term ends.)

January 15 - Planning Churva

Every Friday from here on, we will have a planning session cum seminar with Dr. Ned. Although I look forward to the learnings, I will miss the free Fridays.

Nakauwi naman ako nang maaga. I was able to hitch with Arleen. I was thinking -- should I drop by the hospital and have my almost-month-old-cough checked?

Di bale na lang. I'd rather yarrr the rest of the afternoon with D'Gob. : )

January 14 - Debut

Arleen and I celebrated our birthdays on this day with a free lunch for Brand Ideas. We ordered the Fiesta Intercontinental package of CCME. It's a 6-course meal good for 20 people at an affordable price of P2995 only.

The feast included: Beef Roast Slices with mashed potato, Chicken Lasagna, Pork Barbecue, Seafood Medley, Chopsuey and Dark Chocolate Cake.

Each dish was placed in a carton container with foil/plastic and properly labeled. Well-presented, I must say. Very professionally done.

Food quality wasn't bad either. Pero maraming room for improvement. The beef roast slices were medyo tough. The mashed potato looked like linupak. The chicken lasagna was medyo dry. Wagi sana yung pork barbecue pero medyo malalaki yung cuts. The seafood medley and chopsuey were okay. Yung dark chocolate cake -- ika nga ni Iten, parang siya lang ang gumawa.

Overall -- pwede na rrrrin... kung hindi maarte ang kumakain.

January 13 - Personal Appearance

Back to my passport story.

An officemate told me the "personal appearance" won't take long. More or less, around 15 minutes. My schedule was 3 PM to 4 PM, so after our meeting (and with the consent of my wonderful boss, kasi actually may sabit pa kami) I headed off to DFA via MRT.

Anyway, I got there around 3:20. There was a long line sa holding area. Tapos at the signal of the guard, we all entered this big hall with windows for our personal appearance. It was relatively fast. The DFA guy just checked if I looked like the person in my photo. He also checked my name from a list and wrote stuff. I asked what's the next step. He said-- well, what I heard him say was: "Magbayad ka sa auditorium."

But bingi that I am, it turns out that I was supposed to pay sa cashier which was in the same hall and then go to the auditorium (for encoding). There was no line at the cashier (thank God!). Pero the auditorium was another story. Hanggang labas ang pila at paikot-ikot siya like a neverending story! Betchabygollywow! Tapos, to make things worse, while I wasn't looking there was this 6-footer goon na sumingit pa sa harap ko! The nerve!

The clock ticked on as I waited for my turn... 4:00...4:30...5:00... Nakarating ako sa encoder's desk around 5:40 na. I arranged for a courier service pa and was finally out of DFA before 6 PM... haaay. That makes it 2 1/2 hours (grumble-grumble).

Sabi nila baka napasabay lang ako sa throng who weren't able to renew their passports last December. Maybe. Was it worth the effort? Well, all I paid was P500, plus P100 for my picture, P9 for xerox and P100 for delivery. Sa travel agency, it can cost from P1,300 to P1,700, wala pa yung photo and photocopy. Kung nagtitipid ka, not bad yung savings huh?

January 12 - D'Gob's Birthday

Thank God for a wonderful boss, I didn't have to go back to the office after my trip to DFA.

Pero late na rin ako natapos (the story reserved for another day). So instead of taking the more relaxing bus ride going to Ortigas, I decided to go through the chaos of rush hour at the MRT.

From the Ortigas MRT station, I walked to Galleria and decided to buy some gifts for D'Gob. I bought her a pink dog stuffed toy and a pink ball. Would've bought a small cake for her sana kaso baka masira lang siya sa bus.

Anyway, like last year, we celebrated D'Gob's birthday at Jollibee. Masaya naman ang prinsesa.

When we got home, Oca gave her gift #3 -- a cyclist in a battery-powered bike with lights that moves to the tune of "Lonely Goatherd". Tuwang-tuwa ang Gob-gob!

January 11 - Relaunch

Today, I start to wear my new clothes -- the ones I bought before and after my birthday. In fairness to me, I got most of them at 50% off. Not bad, huh?

This time, pa-gurl na uli ako. I bought blouses that try to hide my big tummy. At first I was planning to buy all Bayo, thinking they were fat-friendly. But after fitting I think a zillion blouses, I ended up buying just one. Big disappointment.

Ang pleasant discovery ko is this shop in Robinsons Galleria called pd & co. An officemate told me this used to be Paper Dolls. Anyway, they have a lot of nice tops in plus sizes. Happiness! I bought seven.

I also bought one blouse from Plains & Prints. And one blouse from Celine's (just so I could get a Celine card).

Speaking of Celine, I also bought three pairs of high-heeled wedge shoes! (Ano 'to - confessions of a shopaholic?)

Minsan-minsan lang naman.

January 10 - On Recipes and Ingredients

photo by yoshimov
When buying a cookbook, I prefer the ones locally made. At least, most probably, the terms used will be the ones I know. Like what the hell is a capsicum? I had to guess from the glossy picture beside it.

Now when it comes to choosing a recipe, I make sure the ingredients are easy to find in the palengke and supermarket.

I swear I saw frozen scallops somewhere. Syempre I searched Makro, Ever, Robinsons, and SM Hypermarket -- wala!

So instead of scallops, I had to settle for shrimps, datapwat may shrimp dish na akong handa.

After the party, I searched my memory bank -- saan ko ba nakita yung scallops na yan? And I remembered! It was in Shopwise, when I bought candles for that trip to the cemetery.

Oh well... next time.

January 9 - Milk Budget

We're handling the Abbott account and ideally, dapat love your own. But whenever I see the price difference of Grow - their least expensive milk brand - vs. Bear Brand Jr. or even Nido 3+, I always hear this little voice tell me: "Huwag na lang."

Pero when the pedia recommended Pediasure Plus, ano pa nga ba? A small can is P400+ - mas mahal pa sa big can of Bear Brand Jr.! Joskoday!

Talagang D'Gob is my precious.

January 8 - Renewing my Passport

A friend told me that renewing one's passport is a cinch. If you want to save, you can just go straight to DFA and do it yourself instead of going through a travel agency. Anyway, you will really have to go to DFA (even if you go through a travel agency) because a personal appearance is required.

So off I went. I approached the guard at the Roxas Blvd. entrance to ask for directions. He told me to turn left at 711, look for the spot na maraming payong, turn left and go to the basketball court. Then he told me not to mind the people who will offer me assistance.

I've heard about that. Those people who seem to be helpful tapos sisingilin ka ng malaki. I don't know why they tolerate that.

When I went to the basketball court, all I had was my old passport. I didn't know where to go. I had to ask pa what to do. Sana they have step-by-step instructions na very visible sa entrance. Like, near the Information Desk sana may malaking sign that says - "Step 1: Get your application form". Tapos dun sa photo bus, may malaking sign uli - "Step 2: Take your picture" and so on and so forth.

It took me just a little over an hour to get my appointment slip for the personal appearance. Not bad. But I'm sure it would be even faster if they had signs. And also, if they designed the place more efficiently. Yung one step after the other.
Well, they're moving to a new office soon. Baka mas maganda na sa bagong opisina.

As I stepped out through the exit, only then did I see that "Step by Step" sign. Ganun?! Weird. Tapos as I was trying to read it, the guard said - "Miss, bawal tumambay dyan. Kung tapos na kayo, dumiretso na po kayo palabas ." Ganun?! Ang labo talaga ng gobyerno natin. Tsk-tsk.

January 7 - Happy Birthday

I celebrated my birthday with the family by having dinner at Amici in Megamall. When SM said "We've got it all for you", talagang tutuo nga! Aside from the range of merchandise you can find in their malls, constant pa ang introduction of innovations.

As we were about to park, we noticed these red and green lights overhead. It turns out na each parking slot has some kind of sensor. Pag may na-sense siyang kotse na nakapark sa ilalim n'ya, the red light turns on. If the slot is vacant, the green light turns on. So, kahit na sa malayo, you would see if there's a vacant slot in that particular level. Galing 'no?

January 6 - At home si Celia

Ever had househelp who was so at home, she would make some of the decision-making in the house? Kainis. Ganun si Celia.

She set up the Christmas tree and other decor without me asking her, which is fine, really. Pero since medyo lacking in artistic inclination siya, medyo hindi maganda yung pagkaayos. Parang biglang may sumulpot na puno sa gitna ng sala. Jack and the beanstalk? I only found time to fix it just before New Year. Well, I was hoping to have the decor up anyway until mid-January at least.

Pag-uwi ko kahapon, biglang-- WAAAAH! Nasaan ang Christmas tree?!!! The overzealous househelp has decided to put it back in its box -- tree, balls and all. Ngak! May handa pa naman ako this Sunday and I was hoping the family would see my wonderful Christmas decoration. Grrr...

January 5 - XL sa FX

photo by gem
Maybe barkers at FX terminals should have another responsibility aside from keeping the line in order and collecting the bayad. I think they should also ensure that the seating arrangement will be for the utmost comfort of passengers -- read: isa lang na mataba per row please!

This morning sa middle row, dalawa kaming large, isang XL at isang M. Joskoday! Parang hindi ako makahinga sa kasikipan. The only consolation was nakasandal ako. Times like this, I wish I had a car.

January 4 - First Day High

First day of work for the year. Since the Christmas holidays is coming to a close, I decided to finally deliver my gifts to my inaanak. One is the son of a former officemate who now works in another ad agency. Although we haven't seen each other in ages, I still make it a point to drop a gift at his office every Christmas. This is a text I got from my kumpare: "Thanks Lenore aka Sean's last remaining matinong ninang. Merry Christmas and a happy new year."

It's nice that my effort was appreciated, to be recognized as a "matinong ninang". Pero naisip ko, until when do matinong ninangs give gifts to their godchildren? Just a thought.

Anyway, that was the highlight of my day. Other than that, my first day was rather... ho-hum...

January 3 - Facebook Games

I got to chat with my good friend Cheryll. She noted na panay Fishville laman ng FB ko. Wala na siyang masagap na tsismis tungkol sa akin. l remember hating people who were too busy with their Brick Games, di mo na makausap. Am I becoming one of them?

But Facebook games is one of my favorite mother-daughter bonding moments. D' Gob loves to play. Yarrr (laro) Luto is Cafe World, Yarrr Prowr-prowr is Farmville, Yarrr Peesh-peesh is Fish World and Fishville, Yarrr Tao is Petville. Me and D'Gob share in the decision-making whenever we yarrr. Which dish to cook, which veggie to plant, which fish to buy, and which outfit to wear.

So maybe, Facebook games somehow help kids like Gob become more confident in their decision-making (yah right).

Araw ng Patay - January 2

photo by paul david
This is the death anniversary of my mother-in-law. The hubby, D' Gob and I went to the cemetery for a visit. It wasn't a very pretty sight, there were weeds all over and tire marks pa! Tuloy, Oca decided to hire someone to put new grass and care for the plot for the entire year. The cost -- P500 for the grass and P1,200 for the maintenance. Not bad. I wonder how many clients Marilou has (she's the caretaker). To earn the same amount as a regular househelp, she needs at least 40. Hmmm...

365 Days - January 1

I'm reviving my blog and adapting the idea of my nephew. He captured his 365 days in pictures. I will try to do the same, but in words. Let's see how ningas cogon I am.

Heto nga -- it's January 3 na. My initial plan was to write one entry a day, every day. Syempre I'm already two days behind schedule.

Anyway, my first thought is about New Year's potluck. What to buy for a New Year's party when most stores are closed at tinatamad kang magbake or magluto.

The hubby and I didn't want to go to the mall, so we just cruised along Dona Soledad Ave. looking for something interesting to bring. There was a small bake shop open, but their cakes didn't look very appetizing. Thank goodness we saw the ever reliable Red Ribbon. Konti lang ang cakes available. Pero buti na lang meron pang one piece of chocolote mousse left that's big enough for the whole clan. P700+ -- not bad for a big cake that won't fail you when it comes to taste.

Come dessert time, akala ko di mabebenta yung cake. But by the end of the party, halos naubos din siya. Two thumbs up to reliable Red Ribbon! And Happy New Year to all!