Candice: 2 Summers Ago

August 11th, 2010 Going Places, Memories, Motherhood & PregnancyTags: Candice, Cavite, Days Hotel, Tagaytay

Time flies.

This picture was taken 2 summers ago in Tagaytay City. Candice was about 6 months old and still kalbo and bilog. It was my first time to be away since I got pregnant with her in January 2007. I was like a bird that’s flown out of a cage. I was so happy.

We were checked in at Days Hotel – Tagaytay for about 2 days. My husband and his colleagues gave a seminar to public school teachers. We were “part of the package” so we got hotel accommodations, too.

Can’t wait to go out of town once again. Yeah, getaway agad ang nasa isip. Haha. I’m already dreaming of another Tagaytay trip — maybe 3 months after I give birth to Baby 2.

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Gifts & Memories

June 3rd, 2010 MemoriesTags: White House

This picture brought back so many good memories from the White House. I still miss the place. If I ever win the lotto, I’ll purchase that house and renovate it.

Candice was probably about 1.5 years old in this picture. She was so thrilled when this gift was delivered to us via Air21. It’s a xylophone from Tito Bunny.

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For the Love of Learning

April 17th, 2010 Memories, Sticky Notes

“You really love school!”

This is what my husband would usually tell me every time I’d go down memory lane (which happens almost every day) and talk about my schooling days. I’m always ready to share a hodgepodge of tales from elementary school, high school and college.

Well, he is right. I do love school. And for a long time, I dreamed of working in a school either as a library custodian, an archivist, or a researcher. I didn’t want to be a teacher. I wanted to be someone who receives and utilizes knowledge for practical application.

At school, I eagerly reviewed for quizes and wholeheartedly researched on every topic that caught my fancy. I might have been labeled by some people as a “nerd,” but I’d often debunk the idea and claim the title “zealot” instead. My enthusiasm is fueled by my love of learning. I never wanted to appear like a walking encyclopedia; I only wanted to be knowledgeable enough so I could save the world. (OK, I know that’s too much.)

At university, I was an occasional guinea pig for an exam builder. Friends who majored in Education would turn in sample exams and ask me to answer them. The test scores weren’t the fun part; it was the test itself.

So then, following years of zealousness, I eventually landed a job as knowledge worker in a software company. It was all about writing, editing, researching, and finding solutions to every bit of customer problem that came my way. I dutifully worked on every assignment (and hoped that someone would send me Dell online coupons as a reward.) But what did I get out of it? Aside from physical and mental fatigue, which sent me to hospital confinement, I learned a lot of technical stuff related to Internet security. And, of course, I came to fully embrace the saying “Knowledge is power.”

To this day, the love for learning burns within. I’m an at-home mom who plays parenting by ear, takes a lot of cue from my toddler, learns to cook dishes, writes/edits articles on the side. I sometimes think about going back to school or signing up for an online course. But because I haven’t pinned down the right course to take, I just take my time and put the idea on the back burner. After all, learning happens everywhere – in the kitchen, through reading, at the playground, in the garden. You just have to know how to make good use of what you got.

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Scrapbooking, Take 2

January 22nd, 2010 Memories, Things & StuffTags: collage, digital scrapbooking, Scrapbook Flair, scrapbooking, scrapbooking kit

I started scrapbooking in 3rd grade. At that time, I didn’t even know it was called “scrapbooking”. I was into a lot of art projects in grade school, and one of the things that we did in art class was the collage. After making perhaps a dozen collages, I got bored with the flat surface and thought about putting other stuff on paper like old buttons, ribbons, cut-out fabric, etc. I wanted to feel some texture, some bumps, some form. So I got hooked for a while and did a few more pages to complement my school projects.

In fourth year high school, we were required to make a scrapbook that was to highlight our high school years. We were supposed to put in there all the achievements we’d made and then present the scrapbook to our parents during the Rigodon de Honor. Unfortunately, my parents did not even bother to look at my scrapbook. (It was a stressful time for our family, so I couldn’t really expect much from my folks.) After that event, I threw away the scrapbook and lost all interest in scrapbooking.

Last year, at Candice’s 1st birthday celebration, we received a scrapbooking kit from a friend. I made plans to start a scrapbooking project, but never got to do it until only last week, when I realized that it’s been more than a year since PJay gave us that kit. Sayang naman. And I know I’ve always wanted to give scrapbooking another try even though I’m busy raising a toddler and writing on the side. So, one quiet afternoon, while Candice was asleep, I went down to the basement and looked for the kit. I brought it to my desk, got my Bic glue stick and scissors, and began my first scrapbooking project for this century!!! I was able to do 2 pages in about half an hour. I still need to get more pattern paper and embellishments, so I can’t take a picture right now.

My first digital scrapbooking project, made using Scrapbook Flair

While waiting for my chance to visit a crafts store, I thought about doing some digital scrapbooking just to keep the enthusiasm going. I’ve been curious about digital scrapbooking for the longest time but never really bothered to click on any related link. A few days ago, I searched the Web for some freebies and found this free scrapbooking software called Scrapbook Flair. It’s a simple drag-and-drop software that lets you create digital scrapbooks in a jiffy, patterns and embellishments included. You can download more add-ons from the developer’s website. I’ve yet to explore the Scrapbook Flair’s other features, though. I hope to make more projects as I poke around the menus and all.

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Postcards from home

October 12th, 2009 Memories, Sticky NotesTags: Belarmino St., moving out, Ondoy, rains

Note: I wrote these while we were in the process of moving from one house to another. More updates in a few days. Still busy with a lot of things. – C.

Tuesday, 29 September 2009, 11:00pm

Well, we’re here. Almost here. Most of our stuff have been moved to this old house, which will be our house in the next few years. We slept here last night, our first time to “sleep out” since the time we were in Days Hotel in Tagaytay. I’m still namamahay, and I don’t know how long this’ll last. I hate it, of course. Even my little girl is feeling the same discomfort. But I know she’ll be all right for as long as Mom and Dad are with her.

I am writing this entry at my office desk. Yup, I have a “corner office” that includes a desk, a wooden chair, a lamp, a window, 2 bookshelves, a framed photo of me taken at Central Park, and a laptop. It’s all fine by me. I don’t need much else. It was actually so sweet of my dear husband to set this up for me. Of course, we share this office as his work extends beyond the bricks of Southridge school.

Tomorrow, we haul again — the books, the clothes, the little stuff, etc. Every time I see one item go from that house to this house, I feel a pinch in my heart. Yes, I’m a sentimental fool. I can’t help myself. I love that house. I called it home for 3 years. G and I have beautiful memories made in that house. We were in that house when I finally had the chance to freelance from home. That house witnessed how we managed (barely) to get through this second pregnancy and have our first child. Truly, I have a treasure-trove of good memories that I can retrieve in a split second. And lest we forget – that house was Candice’s first home. She practically spent the first 2 years of her life in there. I hope she won’t forget the place even until she grows up.

What was once Our Little Mansion

I pray that in the next few weeks – and yes, it’ll take weeks! — I’ll get over my separation anxiety and begin to call this house my home now. This old house is just as lovely and quietly boasts of its systemic housekeeping. Several repairs are necessary, though. But overall, it has its good merits.

***

Monday, 05 October 2009, 3:21 pm

Finally had the chance to work at my desk, as in REALLY work. I’m thankful for this home office. It’s a well-lit, well-ventilated corner.

My brain is tired. It’s time to rest.

P.S.

Because I can’t use online references at this time, I am back to my trusty Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary and Merriam-Webster Dictionary of English Usage. What fun!

***

Tuesday, 06 October 2009, 1:37pm

Mmmm. I can already smell Christmas. I’m working at my desk while savoring the cool Cavite breeze. This makes me want to play standard Christmas songs. When I was a child, I enjoyed many afternoons of the ‘ber months staring at the falling leaves and smelling the earth’s scent. Every leaf that fell was like a tick of a clock. The observations would go on until Christmas arrived. I didn’t care much about the gifts that I might receive. I just wanted Christmas to come soon.

(It’s amazing how a one-paragraph entry can instantly revive memories. I am now looking at scenes from my childhood. Lots of ‘em. Mostly wonderful scenes.)

Ah, but work beckons.

***

Friday, 9 October 2009, 1:58 pm

I hope to have broadband back by tomorrow afternoon. Strangely enough, I am not having withdrawal symptoms. I’m enjoying my time here at home cooking, watching tv, sorting stuff, etc. But I do worry about my Gmail inbox, as it is constantly swamped with work-related emails. And I’m not actually fond of wading through a flooded inbox. I probably have about 100+ emails by now. Sigh.

Rains have been pouring since the time of Ondoy. Fortunately, the past few days have seen much better weather. There’s usually a bit of drizzle at noontime and a few hours of rain during the wee hours of the night/early morning. The air is cold – I love it! I hope the temp stays this way until Feb or March.

***

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On celebrating a marriage

June 8th, 2009 MemoriesTags: anniversary, Candice, G, wedding

How curious to see life unfold before you. When you mark the anniversary of your marriage, you suddenly go down memory lane and retell stories that make up 9 years of knowing each other. And then you look at your first offspring and marvel at how God maneuvered everything to bring together this blessed family.

Everything’s so right.

Last week, as G and I went reminiscing, I tried to recall the past anniversary celebrations that we had. It was relatively easy to revive memories from the first two years, but the third year seemed a bit bleak. I worried about it for a while. This morning, however, the fog suddenly cleared and my memory had a good jog once again.

Here’s a rundown of our previous anniversary celebrations:

2006
We had a juicy beefy lunch at Tropical Hut then we drove around the old Imus town proper to check out antiquated pre-war houses. We couldn’t go too far at that time because I just went through a D&C (dilation and curettage) procedure following my miscarriage. G wanted to cheer me up with burgers and old houses )

2007
Once again my condition didn’t allow us to go to a faraway place. I was on second trimester and was on bed rest most of the time. I had a prenatal checkup on the day of our anniversary and actually had to ask my OB-GYNE if I could stay a bit longer in a mall and have lunch. She said I could but I had to stay seated most of the time. We treated ourselves to a huge meal at North Park in Alabang. It was my first time to eat the special North Park siopao. A few months later, I gave birth to a siopao-like baby.

2008
It was our first time to celebrate with the Li’l Dumpling. We thought about celebrating our anniversary with G’s side of the family because they were supposed to migrate to the US that year. Mommy made a sumptuous lunch (as usual). They didn’t get to leave though.

This year we celebrated our 4th wedding anniversary with memories and words that transcend burgers, old houses, and dumplings. We did have a good lunch with our little girl. (She ate a lot of lumpiang shanghai, fried chicken and ice cream.) Somehow an anniversary celebration is never complete without good food and nice gifts. They form part of the blessings that you ought to share with loved ones.

But beyond all these gastronomic delights and fancy things is the pure joy of being together still and staying strong amidst trials, adversities and seemingly erroneous decisions. This, I suppose, is the whole point of celebrating a marriage.

Happy fourth anniversary to my Knight in Shining Barong. Mwayyy.

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