Halloween Family Bonding

Wow, it's been a while since I last blogged.  My excuse?  I became a busy career woman who got so tired after work and I had to reserve the rest of my energy for a short family time before going to sleep.  If ever I got to do some internet surfing, I just look around and check my FB.  The internet at home was also down during the long Halloween weekend, that's why my husband and I entertained ourselves by making this Halloween season a memorable and joyful one for our daughter, Rian.

And since our daughter is taking a week's vacation now at her grandparents' home in Laguna (and the internet's back!), I guess I owe my blogger friends a story posted on this blog site. *wink*

October 29, 2010
Halloween at Office!  There was a Halloween office decoration contest, costume contest, kiddie program and of course, Trick or Treat.  I didn't get to visit all the decorated offices but the ones I saw were great.  The theme of the HR department office (where I belong) was Harry Potter.  They even had one of our Korean student OJT's as Harry Potter.  the rest of us wore something white with black blazer or jacket, and necktie (so that we would look more like Hogwarts students.  We planned on renting toga's but it was too expensive).

After office pictorial at our Harry Potter inspired decorated theme

October 30, 2010

2nd shot of Cervical Cancer Vaccine.  And I had it at my right arm this time.  It still hurts.  Anyway,  this was also the day when I first saw my ex's girlfriend (the one that he flirted with when we were still together).  She was my husband's officemate and we saw her when we arrived at his office building that day during my vaccine schedule at their office clinic.  I don't know if she knew me.  We didn't warmly greet each other, probably because my husband didn't get to introduce me formally (our daughter was with us and all the attention of his officemates were at her.  Well, I didn't mind at all, anyway).  But we got to talk casually, just a sentence or two.  And when she finally left, my husband and I smiled knowingly at each other and I said, Ah, yun pala ang gf ni Nhald.  She's nice and I felt no hatred towards her because we were both victims back then.  And anyway, I should thank her for snatching my ex.  Because of it, I got the chance to fall inlove with someone BETTER like Jeff, who is now my husband. Harhar!

Nuvali Tripping.  My family also went to Nuvali to just look around.  We didn't want to go home straight to Alabang because we knew there was a heavy traffic at expressway going to Manila.  While at Nuvali, we also got the chance for a tripping to see the model houses of the subdivisions.  Among the houses we saw, my husband and I would have wanted the one at the Nuvali Estates with 3 bedrooms + 1 maid's room, 2 restrooms, and a big kitchen.  But for now it's all in our dreams because it was worth almost 5M!  Well, we still have to sell our house and lot first at Batangas....

At Nuvali park

October 31, 2010

Trick or Treat!  It was not our daughter's first Halloween but it's her first Trick or Treat experience.  We went to SM Southmall to attend the Trick or Treat there.  I dressed up Rian as a doll (she was wearing a cute all white gown with small black dots on the skirt, with matching white stockings).  I wanted to put red spots on her cheeks using my lipstick but my husband won't approve.  But well, she still look like a doll on her costume.  She was very happy to see lots of other kids there.  She also gave an exciting scream of delight when she saw monster decorations (she wasn't afraid of them!).  We even rode the kiddie ferris wheel and she was all excited!  And the best thing she enjoyed there was watching the show of a tall man clown!

In the afternoon, I bathed her for the second time (because she was already smudged with chocolates and candies which she ate at the mall) and I super brushed her teeth.  Then I dressed her as a fairy princess, which she would ramp around the subdivision for another Trick or Treat.  She got her pumpkin bag full of goodies plus an extra bucket of candies!  In just a few minutes, quota na ang baby ko! Harhar!

A neighbor on her Jasmin costume and my little tot in her fairy costume

November 1, 2010

At Laguna.  The night of october 31, we packed my daughter's things and went to Laguna where we stayed for the holiday, and where our daughter will stay for a short vacation.  I hope she will not cry too hard when she miss us because my heart aches whenever I remember leaving her.  But well, she has to learn to be strong, away from mommy's arms for a moment in time.  She has to learn to trust time that mommy and daddy will come back for her.  I'm sure she will enjoy being with my parents, and I'm confident that while she's there, she will learn a lot while I'm away. :)

At Alabang.  So my husband and I returned to my in-laws home at Alabang where we currently stay.  Rian's taking a vacation and the internet's back, and now I'm back blogging.  I missed all my blogger friends! :)

On Sick Leave

I'm having a looong weekend right now.  But I'm not in the mood to celebrate it because I'm on sick leave.  And there's nothing exciting on being sick.

Monday afternoon-- a heavy rain poured down from the heavens.  And because I didn't want to get stuck in the office because it seemed like a long heavy rain, I got out of the office after work, 5pm on the dot.  It was super duper raining outside but I got an umbrella.  I guessed, I would shield me from the rain...but that's what I thought.  My head was safe but my feet and legs were not (I was wearing our uniform skirt and stockings that time).  So cold water creeped in my open toed shoes.  And when I got inside the aircon bus, the feeling became worse because I started to feel the cold creep inside my whole body.  When I arrived home, I changed clothes fast, fearing I might catch flu.

Tuesday-- I felt cold in the office, probably because I used my only uniform blazer again (which was quite cold from the rain.  I didn't have time to iron it again to make it warm).  That night, I started to feel chill all over my body.  And that's it.  The next day, I was really in chill.

Wednesday-- I put socks on my feet and jacket the whole day.  I was like a suman.  And I felt a little silly because all the other members of the house (my in-laws) were wearing light clothes while I was in almost-winter clothes.  I watched the newly appointed President Noynoy Aquino's speech (but I didn't finished it because I really felt so damn bad).  My head and throat also ached a lot.  I skipped lunch and just slept.  I know I really needed a lot of rest.  My husband, who had an overtime work at his office, treated me that night at North Park because I couldn't eat anything but soft foods.  I ordered Nanking Beef and Wanton soup with HongKong noodles, and had a Honey Lemonade and water for drinks.  Imagine, we're eating in North Park, in my pajamas (and imagine, I didn't even take a bath that day because I was too cold).  I felt like a lucky street kid.  I'm lucky to have Jeff as my husband. :)

Thursday-- I told my boss I couldn't be able to go to work because of my fever and flu.  I felt warmer than Wednesday, and I was perspiring a lot.  But I knew I was still not ok because I still felt weak.

Friday-- This is today.  I was supposed to go to work, but my body still feels weak and I am afraid to get cold again and catch flu.  My officemate teased me, "whatever your reason is, hihi!", maybe she thought that I'm just making excuses to have a long weekend.  I told her, "Girl, trangkaso ito dahil sa ulan nung Monday!".  Hay, if I only have enough strenth to go to office today, I would go because my sick leaves aren't paid....and it is so much harder to have a deducted salary (meaning, our family budget will be affected).  If others thought I'm happy with this sick leave, they are totally wrong.  Any family person or mother will not be happy to know that she will not meet the expected family budget.  Well, at the same time, I won't be happy also if I go to work despite of my current health status and would find myself in worse state afterwards.

Oh, my brother-in-law's in ICU right now because of Myocarditis.  A virus targeted his heart muscle.  Hmm...we're actually both having colds and fever these past few days.  But his case got worse, he had to rush to the hospital.  Now, I'm thinking of having the same clinical test because I fear that I might also have the same illness (I pray na sana hindi naman...pero wala namang masama if magpa-test diba?).  I'll convince my husband regrding that.

Good thing, my daughter's at Laguna right now, away from all the viruses we have here at Alabang.  I pray that she would stay happy and healthy there.  I miss her.

Busy May Weekends

Summer in the Philippines starts at around the month of March and April.  But for me, my summer just started this May, 2010 (even though it felt like the whole year is going to be summer because of the heat.  It's sooo hot here in our country!)...walang pahingang weekends ito!!!!!

May 1 - Labor Day. I was supposed to have the vaccination against Cervical cancer, but since I had allergies to certain anti-biotic, I was advised not to take it.  So to make the most of the day, my family and I went to Nuvali Park at Sta. Rosa City.  I had posted an article on this.  To read more about it, just click here: I can't take the vaccine...at least for now.

May 8 - PNB HR's Summer Outing @ Baguio City. I wasn't all excited about the trip because I had been in Baguio for so many times.  But then, since it was an office outing + teambuilding, I finally decided to go, but I had to go home after the dinner of May 8 because my family and I would travel to Laguna for Monday's national elections. The whole day of May 8 had been tiring but fun.  I was asleep during the entire ride back to Manila (I took Victory Liner bus, at around 2:00 am of May 9).  Below were some pictures of our summer outing:

Balance! balance!

After dinner (with the PNB Human Resource Group)

A scary thing actually happened to us on the way to Baguio.  Click here for the story: Scary Photo (On the Way to Baguio)

May 9 - The bus from Baguio City finally got to Manila at around 7:00 am.  My hunny was already at the bus terminal, waiting for me.  When we got back at Alabang, I gave my baby Rian a big hug then slept for a while.  Around lunchtime, I packed baby's things (and also mine) because we're going to Laguna (Rian would take a 3-week vacation there with my parents and siblings because my father-in-law would take a gallbladder operation, therefore, our relatives here in Alabang would be busy taking care of him for a while).  I would also sleep overnight at Laguna because of the national elections on May 10.  However, my husband would return to Alabang that day because he was registered in his hometown (and he was a poll watcher.  Raket nya kasi may Php 500 sweldo per meeting cya dun!).

May 10 - It's a National Holiday because it's our country's Presidential Elections.  Time to vote for the one we think could run and manage our country best.  We spent the whole day outside our precint because the line had no system at all and the poll watchers were so pasaway (means they go against the rules).  When the police came over to organize the voters, the flow of voting became fast (at last!).

The line outside the voting precint (before)

 

The line outside the voting precint (almost 8 hours after)

After the voting session, we finally went home.  And it was the time I left my baby, Rian with her grandparents (on my side) fo a 3-week vacation.  My heart ached when I walked away, while Rian was watching me with quizzing eyes.  It was the first time we wouldn't be together for a long time.

May 15-16 - It was also a mother's day last May 10, and it was my husband's birthday last May 13.  But we never did celebrate them because my husband and I planned to have an overnight summer getaway at City of Springs resort at Laguna.  We just visited baby Rian on the morning of May 15 at my parent's house, but my husband and I took off to the resort by lunchtime to check in.  We rented the room with an indoor pool (which later we realized that the water was hot because Laguna is well known to have hot springs resorts).  I would write more detailed story on this next time. :) The next day, we said bye-bye to Rian and left for Alabang to my husband's parent's house where we are currently staying.

May 22 - My husband took a leave on a weekday before this weekend, but he just stayed in the house for the whole day.  That's why he wanted to go spend the day in a mall (specifically Trinoma).  It was also a very hot day, and going to the mall to cool off was one of the greatest idea we could think...and the cheapest one, basta hindi kami magsshopping, hehe.

May 29 - My husband and I traveled back to Laguna on the night of May 28 (Friday) to take baby Rian with us (her vacation is already over).  Then we went to the hospital in Alabang for Rian's check up and vaccination (PCV, Pneumococcal vaccine).  Baby Rian cried a lot and aloud when the shot was given to her!  And she had slight fever the next days due to the shot (and sobrang mukha siyang matamlay), I had to absent from work on Monday to take care of her.

Well, that's the summary of our family's activities during the month of May, 2010.  Summer's ending and we're giving way to the rainy season.  Goodbye hot sunny days! :)