Sparing the Rod:
I slept with a heavy heart last night. I think it was one of those days that I had to cry because I really felt bad :C Alvin tried hard to comfort me saying that it's alright but I still felt bad. The reason? I spanked Liam last night.ANd I knew he got hurt because he didn't cry.
Before I got married I was dead set that I will discipline my kids the way my parents did (no offense meant to my in-laws but they are just too mabait to even scold their kids)...meaning I will spank them if I have to if that is the only way for them to learn their lesson.
Liam just turned 3 last December and I feel that he is now at the peak of the terrible 3's age. There are days that my patience was being tested but yesterday was the day of all days. It started when we were in the bank and I was talking with the bank employee, he insisted on something he wanted even if I wanted and told him to wait already. I had to cut my conversation with the bank employee three times because he was really distracting me. When I wasn't paying attention to him he would deliberately make his voice loud and it was very annoying! This is just one of the little things he does to attract attention. Throughout the day he did bits and pieces and at night time I lost my patience already! :C After I spanked him he kept quiet when I felt he was ready we had a heart to hearT talk and told him the reason why I had to do it. I reassured him as well of my love.
I cried when we went to bed because Liam has been a good boy. Even when he was still a baby he didn't give me and his Papa a difficult time. Now that Sam is here, he has been a great help as well and he still proves that he is no difficult kid. I guess he was just being a 3 year old during the times he was acting silly and that is why I felt soooo guilty.
After that incident I felt that he learned his lesson already. I also learned mine. I hope that the coming days will be better days for him and for me as well. I love you Kuya!
Balikbayan Box.
When we migrated to Sydney, Alvin and I decided to bring along with us our collection of books. Him -- his ME, TM, Seminar notes, and Finance books. Me - my sandamakmak na mga visual aids, LEAP materials, teaching books, SPecial ED books, my collection of pocketbooks, my children's classics book collection --Roald Dahl, Disney, Dr. Seuss, Narnia are just some of them. They were kept in this big balikbayan box which we have kept in our "harry potter" room only to be touched now after almost 2 years!
Ang daming basura! Naisip ko and dami ko na namang tinabi di ko naman alam kung magagamit ko pa! One classic example, my admission letters from UP MAnila, subject change forms at UP Diliman, I mean, to I really have to keep all of these? It's been what, more than 10 years! I don't know what is it in me that hinders me from letting go of these things! But I want to already! MAybe I am just afraid that what happened in the past might happen again now -- you know, the need for that will only arise only when you have just disposed it! Kainis di ba? Ang tagal tagal mong tinago tapos nung tinapon mo biglang dun dadating yung pagkakataon na kailangan mo na pala! I will most probably be buying a paper shredder this afternoon and a file cabinet probably tomorrow because I just want to get rid of all these stuff and keep the essential things already. The funny thing is some of these books will be brought back to Manila! I will just ask my Mama to donate it in a public library. That way more people will get to benefit from it. And I won't be buying books for the next 12 months! I will just borrow in the library. ANyways, I already have the essentials :D and the collection of books in the library are far more complete! NOw, moving on, moving on...I need to move on!
Multi-REading
I borrowed plenty of books about raising boys and girls. Now I am multi-reading two books that will hopefully help me and alvin become good and better parents. Why not take advantage of the opportunity these books present to help? They say kids are not born with a manual, well, if there are books like these that will make the "task" easier, why not read? Of course, I don't absorb and will not be doing everything that I read. I will be critical but it helps to know more about the differences and the ways on how to raise boys and girls. I have one of each so I have to read both. At the end of the day it will still be just the four of us, yes, but I just don't want to be put in that situation where I will tell myself that I didn't do everything I can to equip myself with the things that could've helped me become a more effective parent. If we spend hundred of hours studying and preparing for an exam how much more if we are to tackle this very challenging task of being parents, right? I am just happy that Alvin is open to these kinds of books as well :D
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Frustrated!
Yes, I am! Well, call me a late bloomer but it was only last week that I discovered about these group coupons -- you know, webiste based companies that offer real deals that gets you to save plenty as compared if you are to purchase the product and/or service in the actual store.
Well, months before a friend has already mentioned one site to me and I did not pay attention. Another time, I saw a blog article featuring one of the best deals the website has to offer. Well, it was only recently that I actually visited the sites when I was looking for deals for our possible out of town trip to Manila (probably Cebu or Boracay). One site led to another, and as they say, the rest was history.
Today, on one website I'm starting to become an addict to, there is what they call "for members only" event that presents flash sales every hour and the deals they are presenting are really enticing! So I was up and about the net is ready since 9 am! not wanting to miss any good buys, I was eyeing the 32GB HD and with my hubby's go signal, I was ready to make my very first purchase! But lo and behold, I think the server of the website cannot accomodate all the people who would want to purchase the same item. I made it at check out but cannot proceed with the payment. For one hour I tried, but the frustrating thing was, the hour for that item hasn't lapsed yet and yet it has been already been sold out!
That led me to the comments found on their facebook page. Oh well, it was a good sale and what else do I expect? I am not as furious as the others. Let's just say that my enthusiasm for these deals and coupons are not as ok anymore. Maybe if I get one succesful purchase out of these good deals, maybe, just maybe, I will get addicted to it.
I am still keeping my hopes up, especially the deals in Manila. I am excited to purchase so we can use them when we have our holidays there.
I am keeping my fingers crossed that I will have one successful purchase today.
SO wish me luck!
Well, months before a friend has already mentioned one site to me and I did not pay attention. Another time, I saw a blog article featuring one of the best deals the website has to offer. Well, it was only recently that I actually visited the sites when I was looking for deals for our possible out of town trip to Manila (probably Cebu or Boracay). One site led to another, and as they say, the rest was history.
Today, on one website I'm starting to become an addict to, there is what they call "for members only" event that presents flash sales every hour and the deals they are presenting are really enticing! So I was up and about the net is ready since 9 am! not wanting to miss any good buys, I was eyeing the 32GB HD and with my hubby's go signal, I was ready to make my very first purchase! But lo and behold, I think the server of the website cannot accomodate all the people who would want to purchase the same item. I made it at check out but cannot proceed with the payment. For one hour I tried, but the frustrating thing was, the hour for that item hasn't lapsed yet and yet it has been already been sold out!
That led me to the comments found on their facebook page. Oh well, it was a good sale and what else do I expect? I am not as furious as the others. Let's just say that my enthusiasm for these deals and coupons are not as ok anymore. Maybe if I get one succesful purchase out of these good deals, maybe, just maybe, I will get addicted to it.
I am still keeping my hopes up, especially the deals in Manila. I am excited to purchase so we can use them when we have our holidays there.
I am keeping my fingers crossed that I will have one successful purchase today.
SO wish me luck!
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Thursday Nights
I love thursday nights because it's my TV night! After becoming a full time mum and wife a couple of months ago, I realized that this is no easy job. At the end of the day you feel tired and exhausted. But three weeks ago I started this thing "my TV watching night" It started when the newest seasons of Desperate Housewives and Grey's Anatomy started. I was so happy when Channel 7 decided to have these shows shown back to back! Staying up late is okay because I get to relax while watching these shows. Adrenalines rush with Grey's Anatomy, I laugh when I see myself in one of the Desperate Housewives!
I am also happy that my hubby, Liam and Sam have been cooperative as well and have been giving me this much needed "me-time". Alvin takes care of Sam or lets me stay and finish the shows, without forcing me to already sleep with them. Liam behaves as well. Not making kulit so Mama can enjoy watching the shows.
Thursday nights are late night shopping nights here in Sydney. But for me? It's definitely my late night watching night and boy am I loving it! :D
I am also happy that my hubby, Liam and Sam have been cooperative as well and have been giving me this much needed "me-time". Alvin takes care of Sam or lets me stay and finish the shows, without forcing me to already sleep with them. Liam behaves as well. Not making kulit so Mama can enjoy watching the shows.
Thursday nights are late night shopping nights here in Sydney. But for me? It's definitely my late night watching night and boy am I loving it! :D
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Writing a Book
One of my dreams when I became a teacher was to write a book. I remember what my then mentor, Virgie Gayda-Esteves said, writing a book is not far-fecthed when you are teaching at the Ateneo. So I made a mental note of that remark while I busied myself in my academic and non-academic duties at the grade school.
The first opportunity to write and have my work published came thru one of my colleagues, Grace Uy-Yn, who wrote part-time for Mathalino Magazine, a Mathematics supplementary magazine published by Diwa Publishing, distributed to elementary schools in the entire country. I wrote children stories that tried to introduce, explain and teach kids as well. Of course, from the title itself, Mathalino, the magazine was about Maths. I wrote a lot of articles for them, experiencing writer's block every now and then and writer's katamaran as well.
Come 2006, one of my colleagues and sparring partner in Ateneo, Jim Patrick, presented another opportunity for me to write. This time, it was a Math textbook. You just can't imagine the excitement I felt when I received the offer. Okay, so probabaly it was not really the book that I really wanted to write, but hey, a textbook is still a book, right? Since at that time there was an issue on textbooks published in the Philippines (errors in the lessons and facts), we had to follow the guidelines of writing a textbook outside the Ateneo. We had to get the approval of our then Headmaster, Fr. Joey Fermin, S.J. (+) before we can proceed with the project. He didn't want any of his teachers being involved again in the "textbook scandals" and we did as what we were instructed.
I think it was only early 2007 when we finally started with the project. At that time I was also already busy with our migration, I was still teaching, and I was already heavy with Liam. Talk about multi-tasking! I thought I can't finish the project! Aside from the lessons, we had to prepare the teachers' guide. I remember doing the teachers' guide (revisions and all) even if we were already here in Sydney. To make the long story short the book was published by Salesiana Publishing (DOn Bosco Press) and I have been collecting my royalty pay for two years now. hehe
Looking back it was a dream come true for me, especially when I got my hard copy! I mean seeing my name on the book, my outputs and ideas. Wow. It was such a great feeling. My nephews and nieces also got excited when they saw their names on the book! Liam actually saw the book the other day and when he saw my picture at the back cover, he asked if that was me and what the book was. Since the book was a Math textbook for Year 6 students I told him that Mama wrote the book for him and that he can use it when he is in Year 6 already. He was happy. :D
I came across a saying that by the time you reach 40 you should have already written a book, planted a tree and ______... I forgot the last one. Well, I'm done with the two. hehe. I still have 8 more years to research and do the last one.
Now that I am not into teaching full time, I just pour my creative juices and put into writing my ideas thru my blog. Yesterday I came across one forum that presented the dilemma of having no back-up files of the blogs that have been written. Many responded and it pointed to this website that allows you to make a book out of your blogs. I wanted one of course! Seeing everything that I have written in print? Yes! And having a back-up as well of all my written outputs? Better! My blogs after all are very personal. I can just imagine what that person felt when the admin of the blog site she was using suspended her account and she can't retrieve any of her blogs anymore! Que horror!
I tried to do it yesterday and it was really very easy. The site does the lay-out and of course you have a say of what to include or not. You can actually even do the printing of your blogs by year! A couple of months ago I actually asked Alvin if he can have my blogs printed and give it as a thank-you booklet when I die to people who come and mourn and pay their last respect to me. Of course he didn't want the subject (me dying and sounding like nagbibilin already) so he just shrugged it off. But after finding this site yesterday I immediately asked him if I can have my blogs printed. And of course he knew that it is one thing that will make me happy, so he said yes! :D (no bullying promise!) From August 2009, when I took my blogging seriously, up to the present, it will cost me around $60 for the printing of my book (naks!) hehe. But I am considering the other option of just having it in pdf file and just have it printed and bound at Officeworks. It will be a lot cheaper!
I am excited. It may not be like my previous works that have been published and distributed in the Philippines, but hey, I was still the one who wrote it, and more importantly everything in it is personal and a part of me.
So Book number 2, here I come :D
The first opportunity to write and have my work published came thru one of my colleagues, Grace Uy-Yn, who wrote part-time for Mathalino Magazine, a Mathematics supplementary magazine published by Diwa Publishing, distributed to elementary schools in the entire country. I wrote children stories that tried to introduce, explain and teach kids as well. Of course, from the title itself, Mathalino, the magazine was about Maths. I wrote a lot of articles for them, experiencing writer's block every now and then and writer's katamaran as well.
Come 2006, one of my colleagues and sparring partner in Ateneo, Jim Patrick, presented another opportunity for me to write. This time, it was a Math textbook. You just can't imagine the excitement I felt when I received the offer. Okay, so probabaly it was not really the book that I really wanted to write, but hey, a textbook is still a book, right? Since at that time there was an issue on textbooks published in the Philippines (errors in the lessons and facts), we had to follow the guidelines of writing a textbook outside the Ateneo. We had to get the approval of our then Headmaster, Fr. Joey Fermin, S.J. (+) before we can proceed with the project. He didn't want any of his teachers being involved again in the "textbook scandals" and we did as what we were instructed.
I think it was only early 2007 when we finally started with the project. At that time I was also already busy with our migration, I was still teaching, and I was already heavy with Liam. Talk about multi-tasking! I thought I can't finish the project! Aside from the lessons, we had to prepare the teachers' guide. I remember doing the teachers' guide (revisions and all) even if we were already here in Sydney. To make the long story short the book was published by Salesiana Publishing (DOn Bosco Press) and I have been collecting my royalty pay for two years now. hehe
Looking back it was a dream come true for me, especially when I got my hard copy! I mean seeing my name on the book, my outputs and ideas. Wow. It was such a great feeling. My nephews and nieces also got excited when they saw their names on the book! Liam actually saw the book the other day and when he saw my picture at the back cover, he asked if that was me and what the book was. Since the book was a Math textbook for Year 6 students I told him that Mama wrote the book for him and that he can use it when he is in Year 6 already. He was happy. :D
I came across a saying that by the time you reach 40 you should have already written a book, planted a tree and ______... I forgot the last one. Well, I'm done with the two. hehe. I still have 8 more years to research and do the last one.
Now that I am not into teaching full time, I just pour my creative juices and put into writing my ideas thru my blog. Yesterday I came across one forum that presented the dilemma of having no back-up files of the blogs that have been written. Many responded and it pointed to this website that allows you to make a book out of your blogs. I wanted one of course! Seeing everything that I have written in print? Yes! And having a back-up as well of all my written outputs? Better! My blogs after all are very personal. I can just imagine what that person felt when the admin of the blog site she was using suspended her account and she can't retrieve any of her blogs anymore! Que horror!
I tried to do it yesterday and it was really very easy. The site does the lay-out and of course you have a say of what to include or not. You can actually even do the printing of your blogs by year! A couple of months ago I actually asked Alvin if he can have my blogs printed and give it as a thank-you booklet when I die to people who come and mourn and pay their last respect to me. Of course he didn't want the subject (me dying and sounding like nagbibilin already) so he just shrugged it off. But after finding this site yesterday I immediately asked him if I can have my blogs printed. And of course he knew that it is one thing that will make me happy, so he said yes! :D (no bullying promise!) From August 2009, when I took my blogging seriously, up to the present, it will cost me around $60 for the printing of my book (naks!) hehe. But I am considering the other option of just having it in pdf file and just have it printed and bound at Officeworks. It will be a lot cheaper!
I am excited. It may not be like my previous works that have been published and distributed in the Philippines, but hey, I was still the one who wrote it, and more importantly everything in it is personal and a part of me.
So Book number 2, here I come :D
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Plans Plans Plans
I love to plan things! Planning takes more than knowing what you would like to do, it involves other skills that allows my mind to work :D
I am busy planning a lot of things, which I think will make my hands full in the next coming months.
Project number 1: Our trip to Manila. (I think I should refrain using "home" for Manila and embrace the fact that Sydney is now our "home", besides, Sydney has been GOOD to us). This is the biggest project so it's the number one on the list.
For this project, I need to do a lot of exchanging e-mails with our travel agent. Rates, dates, details of the trip. I need to apply for the passport of Andrea (which I already did). Check on travel insurance and get one. Funding. Planning and shopping for the pasalubongs and whom to give it to. Plan things to do while in Manila. And that brings me to the next projects.
Project Number 2: Andrea's 1st birthday party. Yes, we decided to have her first birthday party in Manila even if almost all her friends and all her cousins are Sydney based. Anyways, we still have families and lots of friends in Manila. We plan to have her party in Manila so we can have the value for our money. It's a bit expensive here and the kiddie parties here are not at par with the ones we have in Manila. If we want the quality of party like the one that Liam had, here in Sydney, we better be ready to shell out big bucks. And being practical people, we won't. So this project involves planning, organizing, budgeting, coordinating with the people who can help me out in the coordination - Manila based family and friends, and shopping! I have already started shopping with the prizes here in Sydney. I am excited, even if it's still 9 months away!
Project Number 3: Out of town trips. There are option 1 and option 2. Option 1 is somewhere near, if our budget will not allow us to travel down south. Option 2 is of course a grander out of town trip. The problem now is, we have decided to separate the out of town trips with my family and his family (to keep me SANE). Now which is which...who comes with us in Option 1 (I bet it's my family)...if it's Option 2, baka kaming 4 na lang! hahaha This project again involves coordinating with travel agents, checking out airlines, airfares, checking out the nice beach resorts etc etc etc.
Wow, I have just only listed three and yet my brain is working double time! But I enjoy doing it. There are still a lot of smaller stuff that needs to be taken cared of with these three projects...the get togethers with friends and family while in Manila, the big decision of to sell or not to sell our lot in Pasig while we are in Manila, the shopping, the spa sessions, the visits to the derma and salons!
ooohhh, it's just going to be BUSY in the coming months! Mind you, these are not the only ones that I do. I am a full time wife and mum, no helpers or yayas. I am also a student on my last year at a Certificate course I took. So just imagine how I'm juggling all these things! Am I relaxed? YES, I am. Very Much. But, come June 2011, it will be a different story already ;D
I am busy planning a lot of things, which I think will make my hands full in the next coming months.
Project number 1: Our trip to Manila. (I think I should refrain using "home" for Manila and embrace the fact that Sydney is now our "home", besides, Sydney has been GOOD to us). This is the biggest project so it's the number one on the list.
For this project, I need to do a lot of exchanging e-mails with our travel agent. Rates, dates, details of the trip. I need to apply for the passport of Andrea (which I already did). Check on travel insurance and get one. Funding. Planning and shopping for the pasalubongs and whom to give it to. Plan things to do while in Manila. And that brings me to the next projects.
Project Number 2: Andrea's 1st birthday party. Yes, we decided to have her first birthday party in Manila even if almost all her friends and all her cousins are Sydney based. Anyways, we still have families and lots of friends in Manila. We plan to have her party in Manila so we can have the value for our money. It's a bit expensive here and the kiddie parties here are not at par with the ones we have in Manila. If we want the quality of party like the one that Liam had, here in Sydney, we better be ready to shell out big bucks. And being practical people, we won't. So this project involves planning, organizing, budgeting, coordinating with the people who can help me out in the coordination - Manila based family and friends, and shopping! I have already started shopping with the prizes here in Sydney. I am excited, even if it's still 9 months away!
Project Number 3: Out of town trips. There are option 1 and option 2. Option 1 is somewhere near, if our budget will not allow us to travel down south. Option 2 is of course a grander out of town trip. The problem now is, we have decided to separate the out of town trips with my family and his family (to keep me SANE). Now which is which...who comes with us in Option 1 (I bet it's my family)...if it's Option 2, baka kaming 4 na lang! hahaha This project again involves coordinating with travel agents, checking out airlines, airfares, checking out the nice beach resorts etc etc etc.
Wow, I have just only listed three and yet my brain is working double time! But I enjoy doing it. There are still a lot of smaller stuff that needs to be taken cared of with these three projects...the get togethers with friends and family while in Manila, the big decision of to sell or not to sell our lot in Pasig while we are in Manila, the shopping, the spa sessions, the visits to the derma and salons!
ooohhh, it's just going to be BUSY in the coming months! Mind you, these are not the only ones that I do. I am a full time wife and mum, no helpers or yayas. I am also a student on my last year at a Certificate course I took. So just imagine how I'm juggling all these things! Am I relaxed? YES, I am. Very Much. But, come June 2011, it will be a different story already ;D
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