Overloaded Inboxes

Are you one of those who have an inbox full of emails?.... One who keeps at least 2 email addresses? Well, I am. And despite having 3 separate, all active, email addresses, I can't seem to manage to keep the inbox clean. I try to answer all the emails addressed to me but somehow I can not seem to delete them. This is most especially true when it comes to my work related email addy. I do not delete for the simple reason that I may need to refer to it again or that the topic is important.

But since the mailbox is overloaded, it takes some time for me to find the specific email that I need. Ha, ha. It totally defeats the purpose of why I keep it!

Thus, this morning, I started clearing my inbox. Golly, doing this task is so tedious that I totally forgot the time. I need to be religious from now on in maintaining my Inbox manageable.

Good luck to me.

Food Trip

Last night, I had dinner with my girlfriend for some some bonding moments. We ate in a restaurant in Eastwood and had a nice time. The place has great ambiance, service was okay and the food was great. We ordered Bangus Sisig, Kilawin Tanigue, Oysters in Pesto cheese (yum, yum!) and Grilled Liempo. Everything was okay for my taste except for the Grilled Liempo which I find too sweet and too fatty not to mention overly grilled. Hey, did I mention that the beer was also affordable? And to finish the night, we decided to indulge ourselves (as if we haven't had enough) in having a Banana Split and Brownie Fudge Blizzards at Dairy Queen.

Who says girls don't eat like King Kong? Bwahaha....!

Faith or Fear

Deciding on something big is honestly something that frightens me. I've noticed that as I grow older & enter adulthood, I become less and less adventurous. Is this normal or expected for someone reaching the middle age or is it just me?

Lately, I've been dwelling on making major changes in our lives. The thought of it makes me excited and optimistic but at the same time it makes me afraid. Quoting Jim Paredes, "should I invest in my faith or invest in my fears?"

Questions that only I could answer.

F4 The Rise of the Silver Surfer

The excitement begins early in the movie as the chase between the Silver Surfer and the reluctant Johny aka "Human Torch" takes place. He was reluctant because he was wearing an expensive suit to the wedding and it would be a waste just to burn it. But duty calls and off he goes. Personally, I find the movie okay and with the right touch of humor. And as a first time watcher of Fantastic 4, I was able to follow right away the different characters. The ending was not what I really expected though.

On the Road

Ever since school started, I was back to my chosen profession.... the designated driver of my kids. My day starts at 5:30 am wherein I bring the 2 eldest kids to their different schools. Noontime is spent bringing my third son to his preschool and at 3 pm, I shuffle fetching everybody from their schools. We are all home by 4 pm. This schedule makes me on the road most of the day.

Driving the streets of Manila can somehow leave you insane. Almost all the main streets, were jammed. Potholes can be seen everywhere. The traffic advisory seems no help to me since I always happen to listen to it just when I am already stuck in traffic.

So what do you need to bring with you before heading the city roads? A bag of patience and a lot of music CDs.

Looking for Statisticians

For those looking for extra bucks and willing to put their free time to good use, we are looking for freelance Statisticians who have excellent writing skills as well. Applicant must be adept in using SPSS & other statistical tools for data analysis. He/she must be able to design research methods and do questionnaires. We offer a competitive rate on a per page basis.

Interested applicants may email their resume to cecwritingtutorialservices@yahoo.com.

Father's Day

Restaurateurs would comment that Father's day does not bring in the same amount of customers that Mother's day does. There's more gaga over Mother's day that one would conclude that fathers are not being given due recognition. I know a lot of modern day dads who are very active in child rearing. They would not only work hard for their family but also be relied on to take care of their kids. Gone are the days when fathers are just confined to bringing in the bacon. They not only bring home the bacon.... they also cook it.

My children are very lucky to have a dad who is kind and patient. One who do not shun away from responsibilities, no matter how big or small. One who went astray for a moment but quickly regained the right path. And in rightly doing so, he not only earned the deep affection and love of his kids but also their trust.

I am very proud of my children's father. Not only does he provide well for our children but he is someone who goofs around with his kids, wrestles with them, hugs them, covers their books and notebooks, fetches and takes them to school when available and disciplines them if needed.

Looking in the eyes of my children, I know that their fondness for their Dad is something they will bring with them as they grow up.

Happy Father's Day, Jon!

Ocean's 13 at Trinoma

I was very much hesitant to watch Ocean's 13. The trailer simply didn't impress me. So it took a lot of coaxing before I agreed. We watched it at the newly opened Trinoma. The movie experience at Trinoma was worth it. The seats were very comfy, the place was cold, there was ample legroom so you don't feel cramped. Best of all, the sound effects were superb.

The plot of Ocean's 13 was ordinary. Hadn't it been for Brad Pitt and George Clooney, the movie would have been a flop.

Passing only Once

My dear friend recently emailed me about her friend who died of Hemorrhagic Stroke at the ripe age of 32 years old. What a waste! I could just imagine the grief his family underwent for his untimely death.

I may not know this guy personally but his story made me remember that life is indeed short. Death doesn't choose anyone nor the time, nationality and age. It strikes us when we least expect it. This ought to remind us that we must make the most of the time that we have in this world.

As parents, we are often consummated in the task of earning so as to give our children the best education that we could afford. This is a noble intention and I salute the parents who strive to prepare for their child's future. However, this would mean having both parents work. Before, a family could live solely on one income but with the rising costs of just about everything, a double income becomes a necessity.

So, how do we slow down when we know we need to work and earn? How do we aim for the work life balance? How do we make our presence felt in the lives of our children in their growing up years? Is this possible? The answer is YES. It is a matter of priorities, of distinguishing what is important and what is not. Our society today is filled with so much distractions that muddles our thinking.

The truth of the matter is we have to give up something in order to gain something. If both parents are working, they would have to give up or lessen after office activities like drinking and going out with friends so as to be home early. This would mean learning to say NO to accepting more projects or pushing for overtime. Instead it would mean getting home early so as to have time to tutor the kids, have dinner with them or spend more leisure time with them. Yes, it entails a lot of sacrifice but in the end it would be worth it knowing that you did not miss out on your children's lives.

It is not just about making money and building a career. It is not about the number of cars you have or the number of zeroes your bank account has. It is about making memories with your loved ones... of sharing simple pleasures. These are the things that would be relevant at the end of the day that no matter when Death would call, we would have no regrets.

I'd like to end this post by a song that was sung by a priest in a recollection that I attended. I could not remember the whole song but the line that touched me most was:

"Show me your kindness,

Show me your love

For I shall pass this way only ONCE."

The Rhythm of the Rain

Have you ever listened to the sound of the rain on your roof? I would do this especially in lazy afternoons and everything is quiet. I find the sound soothing to the mind and soul that it helps me gets in touch with myself.

With the daily hustle and bustle of daily living, we would take for granted the importance of being attuned with our self. The stresses that one receives nowadays as compared to the stresses experienced before is much more heavy and frequent. Thus, listening to the sound of the rain makes me slow down and ponder on things no matter how trivial and short it may be.

As the season changes from summer to rainy, so must we. It is the time to gather strength and recuperate the energies we have lost. A time to know more about our self..... a time to feed our soul so that at the end of the rain, a new YOU will blossom.

Are we almost there?

Half of the year has passed and I think it is good time to start assessing if the goals we have set upon ourselves for the year 2007 has a fair chance of being achieved. At the start of the year, most people would have set their own list of what to do's and not to do's. Often, we would fall short of that list for reasons or excuses that only we could know. But, it is still not too late if we are behind in meeting our objectives this year. Let us make use of whatever time left in attaining our own dreams, may it be big or small.

Back to School

Vacation is over as quickly as summer ends. For mothers like me, I'm sure you are also preoccupied getting ready the things for school. This also means a seemingly endless covering and labelling of books. Thank God for the notebook cover packets that are now available in the market. For moms with more than 2 kids, I'm certain you understand what I mean with "seemingly endless" book covering.

Not only do we have to organize the things for school but we also have to prepare our kids for the opening of classes. This is important as it would minimize the adjustment that they have to go through from vacation back to the rigors of school life.

For my kids, I make them sleep early at least two weeks before the scheduled opening of classes. This would enable their body clock to adjust to sleeping early and that means 9pm. As you know, my kids resist sleeping early when they know that they do not have classes the following day. So this rule is really met with a lot of resistance and side comments. The comments would include from me being "KJ" or "kill joy" or being too strict. They would even reason out that since summer would soon end then I have to allow them to sleep late because they can not do this anymore once school starts. Whew! Imagine what mothers have to go through for such a small rule.

I also involve them in preparing their stuff for school. Depending on their age, I would let them choose their shoes or bags as long as it is allowed by the school. This would also include their school accessories such as pencil cases, erasers, etc. Somehow, doing this eases the transformation. I remind them as well of the good times they had with their classmates and favorite teachers.

Lastly, this is also the time to discuss how much allowance they should get. For my high school son and grade 3 daughter, I ask them to write down in a piece of paper what they expect to spend in school. This could be for snacks or school stuff that they might want. It is also best to allot a portion of their allowance for savings. From the amount they have written, I then decide with my husband if the amount they gave is reasonable or not. Expect to have a long discussion over this which could be a good exercise for them later on in life when presenting their side or argument.

In the end, it is how we parents handle the situation. School time should never be seen as negative. Instead it should be viewed with much optimism and enthusiasm.

Rainy June

As I write this, rain continues to pour and the sky is filled with darkness even if it is still early in the afternoon. Is this a sign of a gloomy afternoon to match my sullen feeling? What is it with rain that makes one feel downcast? I'm sure there is a scientific explanation about this but I am too lazy to research about it. And I prefer not to dwell so much on this feeling.

So what do you like to do when the rain starts to fall on a lazy afternoon? For starters, here's my list:

• spend the afternoon in bed with a good book surrounded by lots of pillows
• update my blog
• listen to soft music
• watch a horror movie with my kids
• catch up on my snooze
• eat champorado ( a warm glutinous rice chocolate )
• cuddle with my loved ones

That's all I can think of right now. You are welcome to share your own fave activity for the benefit of other readers and of yours truly. Tralalala....

Breezing through May

The month of May passed so quickly that I hardly noticed it. It has been a busy month full of decisions and changes that I'm not even sure if my title would be appropriate. I am a bit dissapointed that I was only able to write a few posts for May. Funny, but I find it hard to start writing again after my unintentional hibernation. Hopefully, I would be able to get back on the track....