1/31/14

i'll be seeing it my way

I thought my 20/20 vision is already back but I think I'm feeling again all the symptoms that my husband shared to me that seem to indicate problems with eyesight. Or is this a sign of aging? Thanks to all those years of working in a computer and sometimes staying up late and not getting enough sleep, I may now have to wear corrective eyeglasses anytime this year or even sooner than that. I hope I can find something that's not only budget-friendly but also something that looks good on me. I wonder if I would look great in large frame glasses because just as I would love to see them worn by other people,  I really love to wear them myself. It should be to my advantage that I wear eyeglasses with large frames because it can widely cover a huge part of the face against the direct heat of sunlight.

her very first educational trip

Last January 25, my daughter attended a field trip as part of their school activity. There were two itineraries on that day. The first itinerary is the Greenwich Pizza Making Activity at Gaisano Grand Mall in Lapu-lapu. After that, they went to Happy World Museum in Gabi, Cordova. My husband was the one who accompanied her on these two itineraries because I had a commitment that day. Anyway, I was glad that she enjoyed all these two activities with teachers and staff, classmates and schoolmates.


getting serious with her task

a photo with everybody

at Happy World Museum

We're glad that the school had picked these two activities for their educational/field trip because they didn't have to travel that far.



1/29/14

had fun singing last year

I feel like I'm not done yet with blogging about last year. :-) There was so much to blog about last year's happening that it didn't feel quite right for me to just skip it just because I got busy. Anyway, let me just talk about how husband, Dippy and I spent our Christmas last year. We actually celebrated it and had fun at our neighbor's house. Oh, my sister also was with us on Christmas. It was actually the first time that a good neighbor (a couple) invited us to have dinner with them. They prepared food; we prepared food as well. We had a bottle of red wine (for the ladies), some beer (for the two gentlemen) and juice for the little girl. I also brought our Magic Sing along, so we can have karaoke while we are still hours away from Christmas Eve. A few rounds of wine and beer have almost turned us into overnight sensation/professional singers, or should I say, wannabes. LOL. Good thing, a lot of the neighbors were also singing then. I did try to record my performance that night (just one song) using my cellphone and I realized that I must have been so out of tune after I got tipsy or drunk. I know my voice wouldn't be as bad as it was if I picked the right songs and adjust the pitch and other settings a little. My sister suggested to invest by getting a good set of speakers or an  audio equalizer but I'm not sure if it's a reasonable expense for me who doesn't do karaoke frequently. Maybe I'll just have to rehearse more often - there's great audio when I take my shower. Right. :-)

blessed to have good friends

One of the many things that I liked  about what was happening in our lives last year was that I made some good friends. Yes, it was this year that I have turned some acquaintances into good friends. Indeed, no matter how busy we are, and whether we are single or married, we would always need and appreciate the existence of good friends. It's hard to find real ones nowadays but once you have found them, they can be your good friends for life. Unfortunately, there are also some who will just leave you behind or vanish into thin air. Whether they keep you for life or eventually leave one day, it's important to remember that they are there or aren't there in our lives for a reason. Anyhow, as they say, it's not about numbers that matter but the quality of friends that we have. Agree?

putting that passion for music to good use

Learning how to play a musical instrument, such as the guitar, can do more than just ease the boredom or loneliness of a person. Although it depends on one's level of interest and skills, one can really make money out of it once he or she decides to become a musician, be it a full-time or part-time thing. I also happen to know someone who didn't even finish college due to financial circumstances yet is still able to feed his own family by putting his guitar skills and knowledge to good use. What I mean is that he's never been out of work as he's able to land some jobs and gigs which needed his skills and expertise. I remembered he was the one who recommended a specific amplifier to a common friend and his bandmates who have just started out as a band then and they had nothing but good words about the equipment. Now, I heard he's a master salesperson now and has been earning more by selling and performing demos of electric guitars and amplifiers.

1/27/14

tough decision made last year

One tough decision we have made last year was to let go of our little girl's nanny. That was tough for us, at first, because some adjustments really had to be made, career-wise, so that we would be able to attend to our little girl's needs without sacrificing our income. It was quite a challenge to keep the routine in order but somehow we have managed to pull it through. Lately, the challenge for us was to keep the house organized and in order because our daughter has been so good at messing it up. We've both been thinking of better plans this year and even in the years to come so that, a step at a time, we can better improve our finances and the quality of our family life.

1/25/14

the husband is up to something

I knew husband's too busy to do even a small woodworking project this month. That's why when he kept looking at Reid Supply for a couple of days now for some plumbing and woodworking materials, I thought husband was really up to something. Just this afternoon, though, while having our usual conversation over coffee, he opened up to me about his desire to realize our goal of having a family business. So, that was it - he took inspiration from the page because that's the kind of business he wants to have someday. Hmmm, what can I say? Those are guy's stuff. I wonder if I can also come up with business targeted for women or mothers? Well, I really think the famous financial adviser Francisco Colayco is a great motivator. We have learned so much lately from his lectures aired on TV about the importance of having passive income and accumulating wealth, not just money.

1/18/14

a year-ender report on our life as parents

It's back to blogging time once again, folks! Ahem! I thought I would be able to blog earlier than today but, much as I would have wanted to, family, work and some other  priorities really got in the way, especially towards the end of the year. Still, I hope to start the new year with a little "year-ender" of some sort.

I am happy to say that, although last year was quite a challenging one for us, we were somehow able to successfully carry out some decisions which have something to do with our life as parents.  I cannot complain anything despite that we were not able to accomplish some of the goals last year. Overall, there were more blessings we have enjoyed that we hardly notice we have also endured
some trials. I am really thankful for all the material gifts we have received last year. More than anything else, though, I am thankful to God for giving us gifts of good health and whole lot of good friends.

Our little girl, on the other hand, has enjoyed every bit about her life as a preschooler and as the lone daughter. Husband and I have noticed a lot of progress, not only in terms of academics  but also in terms of displaying good behavior. Thanks to her teacher in school for partnering with us parents in helping to mold and shape our kid.

I and husband are still discussing our plans for the year - what we need to accomplish as according to priorities. It really helps to have realistic plans even though we may not be able to execute some of them.