My Husband's Birthday Greeting

Lemme be the first one to greet you a very happy birthday, Tag.  I know tomorrow won't be your usual definition of happy since it entails going to the Land Transportation Office to renew your license. But taking that aside, I hope you have a cool day.

To Good Food and Great Company

... not necessarily in that order. :)

I have been procrastinating on writing a blog about it.  A few weeks ago, my colleagues con breakfast mates con "school bus" mates had the craving to go food tripping.  It was fun because Tin, Jan and myself have not tried Bon Chon (known for their great Fried Chicken).  Since we were foodies by heart (and by stomach), we felt adventurous and excited about it.

Boy, was it a pleasant surprise!  There was nothing spectacular about how they serve their food - It was fried chicken (and rice) on a red plate but their secret ingredient was delectable!  The coating was food-gasmic! I still can't figure out what they ingredients they used.


Added to that experience was being with great company - such refreshing laughs, stories and just pretty much silly giggles from twenty-thirty something kids. Our tummies were aching by the end of the meal.

When we left Bon Chon, we thought the day was just too great to end yet. We decided to slow down in Caramia.  Sadly, the place was too busy so we went Bon Chon's side of the Ayala Triangle.  We ended up going to Banapple. 

Because we didn't want to overstuff, we got a slice of cheesecake and a chicken pie to share.  I decided that it was a great experience worth sharing that I bought pies and a slice of cake to bring home to my kids. 

I write this with a glass of milk on my table.  Cheers to great company and great food! :)

The Casting Call

People say couples of different nationalities make the best looking babies. I don't know if this is true because as parents, their own kids will always be the best looking ones.  Suffice it to say, my daughters are, for me, the most beautiful creatures in the whole wide world.

My daughters are Fil-American-Italian babies.  They look eccentric which makes them quite noticeable even in a crowd.  Trips to the mall or the park may sometimes have strangers (agents) who ask us to have aVTR shoot for modelling possibilities.

Two Saturdays ago, I succumbed to the pressure.  I went to a casting call for a modelling agency.  Because it was running for a couple of months, it was the perfect venue to try it out.  I'm sure there will be less crowd.

So I had Pot all dolled up with make-up and hairdo to match.  I was approached by a couple of organizers to say that I have cute kids (Nemo was also with me).  Come photoshoot time (for the portfolio), Pot was the first one to get called in.  In comes to photographer with some instructions. Pot flashed her signature pose - chin on shoulder, too sour-smile - that can never win even just a second of airtime.  In comes the photographer with some instructions. 

What did Pot do on the next few slides?


......

She covered her face and begged for nap time.

Here's where the story ends.  Now I know... She doesn't like the limelight.

The Yaya Chronicle (Part I)

I've put "part one" in the title because I am sure I'll be writing more about this until I muster the courage to get rid of my yaya (nanny).

My last nanny before this one stayed with us for almost one year.  She practically raised my second daughter, Nemo, since she was only a few months old when Chel (ex-nanny) was employed.  Her husband was hired by my Mother's family as an Uncle's caregiver.  So when my uncle passed away and her hubby had to go home to the province, Chel went with him.  Like any other relationship, she had to move on and live her life with her husband. 

Moving on to my dilemma...

My new nanny has been with us for more than a month.  She has been sending bad vibes since day one but since I was pretty desperate on getting somebody to help take care of the kids, I vowed to "try" to look away from the bad vibes. 

Last week, I heard my younger daughter cry in my Mother's room.  When I went there and asked what was going on, the nanny got panicky and said Nemo slapped her so she gave her "the look."  I have a feeling something else transpired that day so I asked my Mother to take extra caution and not leave the baby alone on nanny's care.  My Mom's been taking care of the kids while she, the nanny, went to be an all-around maid.  I am still looking for a new nanny and, by golly, I wish I can find a new one soon!

We also noticed that a lot of things did vanishing acts at home.  Cameras, phones, money... Because there wasn't a direct line between those incidents (the tangible ones were found, money wasn't) and my maid, I didn't have a solid basis for acting on it.  

Two days ago, we had some rice supply shortage.  Since it was a Monday, I couldn't do my grocery shopping.  The maid volunteered to get it from the neighbor's mini-mart.  We gave her money for 10 kilos and specified which one we wanted to get.  She came home with some extra change.  My mom went back to the mini-mart later that day to give the excess back and there she learned that the maid got 9 kilos - and kept some extra bucks to herself. :(

I want to get rid of her so badly when I found out (my mother asked me not to and look for a replacement first).  It was petty, cheap and all too scary.  If she can do that for less than 100 pesos, what can she do for more? 

Why is it so hard to find somebody you can trust? :(

My Husband's Daughter

I am blessed with two adorable daughters.  They brighten up even the most gloomy days with their silly antics.


....


But are there times when you wonder if, as a parent, there are things that you missed out on doing?


Case and point:


Pot, my eldest daughter, is four years old.  She is very good with articulation that it scares me.


       Pot:   (Frustrated with what she is doing) Sh*t!
       Me:   Pot, that's not a good thing to say!  Please don't say that again.
       Pot:  What the hell, Sully?
       Me:   Dad!!!!!!!


Pot was walking to our bedroom almost passed the bookshelf.


       Pot:  F*ck, my book!
                (Dad laughs hysterically)

That seals it.  Pot is my husband's daughter!

Going Back to Transpo Basics...

I recently left my work for seven years.  That meant leaving my comfort zone and starting anew.  It wasn't so difficult until I had to reaquaint myself with the horrors of commuting.

I forgot why I hate them and why I soooooooooo love Rubi (our car) - passing through SLEX was horrific especially at night.  I sometimes wake up from a short nap in the car to scream because the buses were just too damn close to my window - so close I can almost smell the stink of whatever gooey things were smudged onto their filthy body.  It's a good thing my husband (who drives) doesn't get distracted too easily.  Otherwise, we probably would have had our fair share of road accidents.

My first month in my new company was a breeze.  Picture a spoiled wife who was chauffeured to and from work - that is me.  This morning, reality bit me.  Commuting was a bitch.  It felt like the bus' wheels weren't touching the road, like it changed lanes from 0 to 0.5 of a second.  For a split second, I thought of how I cannot see my daughter celebrate her seventh birthday and how I cannot walk with her to the altar on her wedding day.  And just for that moment, I wish I didn't leave my previous company.  Yikes!

Good God,  I hope these bus drivers know what they are doing. 

                                                                                                         -- Rose