We Are Family

Yah, it’s been a while that i have updated this blog.  It’s not because of lack things to write.  On the contrary there are a lot of happennings for the past few weeks but i don’t think they worthy to blog about.  I blog about things to immortalize them, not allowing the memories be buried to oblivion.  Negative things are the ones we choose to forget so why blog about it?

The challenging things experienced by our household hindered me from blogging.  Negativity looms over me like a dark cloud for a while and i wouldn’t want to write when i’m bitter or angry or simply confused.  I’m glad to say that we’re past the tumultous times and i’m back to my happy self.  :)   So, what happened during the past few weeks you may ask?

• B.boy had fever and after 3 days it cleared.  It was replaced by rashes that last for a day.  The pedia said it’s because of the virus.
• We all (including our yaya) went home to Ilocos. (May 12-14)
• Yaya wasn’t able to come back with us.  We have no replacement.  Good thing that my mom’s helper volunteered to be a reliever until we can find a new yaya.
• Morning has started our food biz.
• B.boy suffered an extreme separation anxiety.  We’ve learned a lot from it and it sure deserves a separate post as others may find it useful too.
• My mom was able to find a new yaya. 
• We celebrated our 2nd year wedding anniversary.  We were quite broke but nonetheless happy.  I made a movie and gave it as my gift.  It was truly a labor of love and i was very fulfilled when i saw tears roll from his eyes while watching it.  We have been through a lot all these years but with God’s help the knot that binds us together gets stronger.  You can view the video on the sidebar of this blog.

Welcome me back to blogosphere! 

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I need to do something but i’m not doing it. Everything i need is here infront of me but i can’t start. Help! somebody give me a push.  :p

How about you? Have you experience something like this too?

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Head is numb

Eyes are heavy

I need rest so bad.

Sleep beckons, i hope to succumb in peace.

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Everyone has a dream. For some it is to have their own happy family, others to have a new car or house. For M0rn1ng and i, it is to have a business that we can call our own. It may be small but it should allow us flexibility that would translate to quantity and quality family time. It has been our goal ever since but the baby came first so we have to shelve it for a while.

Morn1ng was working in call center for 3 years and we have a difficulty finding time to sit down and catch up on each other’s happenings. The daily scenario was, he comes home and i get ready for work then i come home and he’s prepares to work. He also missed a year of bonding with B.boy.  Since call center work requires him to be awake during night time, he spends most of his days sleeping when he’s at home. I don’t complain as i know his job is no joke. But it’s hard when the couple don’t have parallel schedules. Our household is out of sync.

So after a prayerful consideration of the matter, we decided to take our dream out of the shelf and make it a reality. M0rn1ng tendered his resignation by the end of March. It was such a big leap of faith but we are certain to pursue our dream. Since we will be a single income household temporarily until the business picks up, we made modifications in our budget. With God’s help we are doing pretty well after a month and if we really stick to our budget i am confident that we will stay afloat.

From the beginning we are set to buy a franchise but after a month we are still unable to find a suitable location. One fine day, Morn1ng stumbled on a food cart for sale at Puregold, Libertad. The location is perfect as it is situated at the food court opposite the grocery and we have observed heavy foot traffic. M0rn1ng spent a lot of days observing the day to day sales of the business and it looks promising. We also liked that fact that we will make the food ourselves rather getting it from a franchisor. It will entail more work but we have the flexibility to  lower our food cost and thus maximize our profit.

Turn-over will be on the 15th. We hope things go well. 

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Took a half day leave today as i haven’t had a decent sleep for 3 days in a row. B.boy has fever since Saturday evening. We had him checked by his pedia this afternoon and she said it’s viral. It’s suppose to be gone 5 days after Saturday. If he still has it we are advised to go back. I’m hoping that he will be well soon. We’ll be going to Ilocos this week-end and he will have a difficult time travelling if he’s sick.

I also need a decent shut-eye, my batteries are running low.

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Morning and i both love the beach and sunny weather. So it isn’t surprising that we had a lot of fun doing these:

Banana boat ride

Believe it or not, this is the first for me and it did not disappoint. Oh the thrill of bouncing in the waves while you get salt water sprayed on your face. We got a bit friendly during the ride as we wave to everyone we pass by.   :p

(We obviously had fun)

Island hopping: Crystal Cove, Snorkling, Puka Beach

We boarded the boat at 7 am for our island hopping. Armed with our breakfast, we set to our first destination: Crystal Cove. It was a bit windy at that time and we were greated by big waves which rocked our boat a bit.

After a few minutes we reached Crystal Cove. We found a nice shed and we started eating breakfast. It has a very nice view of the sea and you could see the waves crashing at the cliff. It is very pleasant to look at. I suppose i could spend a day there with a good book.

We explored the caves afterwards. There are 2 caves to visit.  The first one is near where we had our breakfast. There is a winding stairs going down and once inside you must be ready to be splashed with water. The waves can get pretty strong. I got a very good shot of the boys while they’re peeping down the cave.

We walked a bit further to reach Cave 2. Going inside is more exciting than that of Cave 1. We are very fortunate that it wasn’t high tide as the water at the mouth of the cave is only knee high. There are ropes to hold so that the swift current will carry you along. As you go deeper there are areas that you must really bend to go through.

Overall we enjoyed Crystal Cove. Oh by the way, entrance fee is 100 bucks per head.

Next on our agenda is snorkling at Crocodile Island. Our boatman brought some bread to feed the fishes. I always enjoy snorkling because it feels like being inside a big aquarium where you can bask in the bountiful riches of the sea. I can only imagine how diving can be so much better and i hope to have a chance to do that one of these days.

You can also buy buko (coconuts) while there. There are manongs in surfboards which sells them, 3 pcs for 100. If you are not buko lover you may buy popsicles instead.  Here’s manong magbubuko at work. 

We went to Puka beach after. We did not stay long because it’s already lunch time and we all want to go back to Boat Station 1. We just had a quick dip and we headed back.

The Paraw

This is what we enjoyed the most. Cebu Pacific’s inflight magazine recommends this as a “must-try” and i must say that it truly is. It is super sulit at 600 bucks for an entire hour for 6 pax. The ride has a calming and relaxing effect as you feel the boat glide in the water sans the chugging motor. You can also dip you feet in the water while the sailboat is in motion. And oh watching the sun set riding this babe is simply memorable.

Try it and i assure you a ride of your life. 
[googlevideo=http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-6889075150204901455]

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B.boy is now fascinated by phones. He likes tinkering our mobile phones. Even remote controls are turned to phones as he puts it in his ear and blurts out eeeeow. He also automatically puts his hand on his ears whenever he hears us say hello.

Last Friday night we were playing with him. We were carrying and at the same time spinning him around. He enjoyed it so much and asked me to do it again and again, which in turn made me dizzy. So i said…tama na baby, hilo na si mommy. He didn’t want to stop so i reiterated hilo na si mommy, hilo na hilo. You know what the little one did? He placed his hand on his ear like talking to someone on the phone.   :)   Nyeh! Bisaya ang anak namin.  Lolz!

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Instruction: Each player starts with 7 random facts/habits about themselves. People who are tagged need to write on their own blog about their seven things, as well as these rules. At the end of your blog, you need to choose 7 people to get tagged and list their names. Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them that they have been tagged and to read your blog!

• I pinch my pillows to help me fall asleep. This has been my habit since i was 3.
• I don’t eat shellfish. There was this episode that mom forced me to eat, being the drama queen that i am, i blurted the infamous line “Kahit patayin mo ako hindi ako kakain ng shells”.  I still get teased about that even now.
• I’m really stubborn. If i’ve set my mind to something you’ll have a hard time changing it.
• My feet looks horrible. Para shang galing sa ilalim ng lupa. 
• I left our home (parents) at an early age of 16.
• I went to 3 different schools during my high school years, one in Riyadh, the other in Marikina and the last one in Ilocos Norte.
• I’m extremely nice except when hungry or sleep deprived.

Mission accomplished Joy! 

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Before i relate our Bora Adventures, allow me to thank our sponsors; ate Shi, Vivz and Ely. Thank you so much from the bottom of our hearts. We enjoyed ourselves tremendously. (Sa uulitin. hahahaha! Boink!)

This is where we stayed for our first 2 nights. It is conveniently located at Station 2 where restaurants and white beach are a minute walk. We stayed at their Family Apartment which can fit 6 people. It has a balcony with the pool and garden as it’s view. There are 2 bedrooms, one is located in the attic. It also has a kitchen where one can cook meals. Fridge and utensils are also available. I think that is very good if you are travelling with a group. You can save a lot by cooking rather than eating out.

The interiors look good and has a homey feel to it. But for someone who loves the sunshine, i find the apartment a bit dark inside though. I’m not sure if it is because of inadequate lighting or due to the paint color.

They also have a mini pool where you can dip to beat the summer heat. We liked that the water is a bit warm especially at night. It is perfect for our B.boy’s night swim.  
Since they don’t have their own resto, bringing in your own food, cooking inside and asking their staff to do “paluto” is acceptable. One time tatay bought fresh seafood and their staff cooked it for us. We had a sumptuous yet inexpensive meal.  And oh, they set it up at the pool/garden area so the ambience is delightful too.

The downsides? Well, we had problems with the bathroom. The drain is clogged so it got a little flooded which made it look icky. We got help from the housekeeping and it was fixed the next day. The other thing is about the AC. It cannot ventilate the other part of the attic.

Nonetheless we enjoyed our stay, it is truly a value for the money. 

(Enjoying a dip in the pool)

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To tell you frankly, i’m very uneasy breastfeeding in public esp during first few months. I’m uncomfortable with onlookers. For that reason i bought nursing wears and it really helped me breastfeed in public with ease.

We had our first summer getaway in Bora a few weeks ago. Before that i was thinking of a way to breastfeed B.boy at the beach and at the pool discreetly. We weren’t too keen on buying a nursing swimwear because my beachwears are still good and we wouldn’t want to buy something that will only be used occasionally. It was good that we came up with the “sarong” idea. We can buy a big sarong that can be wrap to my body while nursing B.boy. It worked and we saved some precious bucks just because of it! 

(Stay tuned for our Bora Adventures)

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I had a free lunch and merienda today. We had lunch at Tempura because a friend will be leaving us and will be migrating to the US. I’m pretty sure she will be terribly missed at our workplace. She’s bubbly, smart and very hardworking. Anyway, when we are about to pay the bill, she told us that it’s on her.  :D Thank you so much!

Then merienda time…one of our teammates ordered pancit bihon from Ambers.  Sarap!

Ah, life is good!  

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• Destination: Tagaytay
• When: April 6-7

We’re excited for this trip because my parents are joining and this is their first outing with B.boy.  :)  See here for the planning stage.

We left the house at around 6 am and dropped by our aunt’s house in LP. We had a delish breakfast there. We also met their newborn grandson, MJ. Mukhang naiingit na pupunta kaming Tagaytay so they are thinking of going there the next day to have breakfast.

We bade them goodbye at around 8 and headed off to Tagaytay. Our first stop is Fantasy World. Too bad we weren’t allowed to go inside, so we contented to just have a few shots outside.

We went to Residence Inn Zoo after. They have this new package that for 169 bucks, you can visit Paradizoo as well. Paradizoo has flower gardens, vegetable farms, basically it is a theme farm. Sayang kasi we don’t have time to go there for it’s nearing lunch hour. We should have skipped Fantasy World and went there right away. Well, there’s always next time. 
We’ve seen a lot of improvements since the last time we went. There are more animals and they even added picture taking with tigers as an attraction.  :)  B.boy had a great time! Sobrang tuwang tuwa and bata.  Zoos are really must sees for kids. And oh btw, this is his first visit to the zoo.

We then went to Leslie’s for lunch. There are a lot of people but we we’re immediately seated. They have a new building and we were accomodated there. We ordered Bulalo, Ginataang kalabasa, hipon, at sitaw, and inihaw na pla-pla. The food was good but it was quite expensive. I’ll tell you why later.

We checked-in to Mi-Jo afterwards. It is like a home away from home. The staff and owner are efficient and friendly. True that it is no hotel but the room is spacious and clean, just the way we wanted it to be. Besides at 3K for 6 people, it is quite a steal.

We had a shot nap to recharge and we went out at around 5pm. We’re suppose to visit Picnic Groove and eat the merienda we brought but traffic was bad so we went the other way. We ended at the empty lot near Taal Vista Hotel. They have horses and bikes for rent. Too bad we forgot to bring our kite. It was super windy that afternoon and kite flying could’ve been perfect.

We had a light dinner at Mushroom Burger. Since it is Holy Week, the place was full to the brim. We were able to find a place after a while. We didn’t know that they have a playground at the back of the eatery. B.boy enjoyed the swing, see-saw and slides.

We went to Cliffhouse after. Finally we were able to go there! Ganda pala dun. The ambience is somehow like Greenbelt. We had crepes at Cafe Breton and had fun exchanging stories. We stayed there until 10 pm. We will definitely go back and try the other restos in the area. They seem to be a posh place for a date. 
Our aunt called us early the next day. They are on their way to Tagaytay too and they want to have breakfast with us. They suggested this great cafeteria place situated near the highway. Mervin canteen is the name and they serve great tasting tapsi. Their bulalo and pansit is yummy too. We should have gone there than Leslie’s. hahaha! At least we know where to go next time. We were so happy because food is good and cheap. 
 

We visited People’s Park before heading back to Manila. Overall we had a great time. Everyone was happy esp Mama, Papa and B.boy. Papa was even suggesting to go back and camp at Picnic Groove. We think it’s a brilliant idea. We can bring tents and have grilled food. Hahaha! It will fun. So, until next time. 

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