Blog...redesigned

Okay, I spent almost the whole day redesigning my blog. Finally, I'm done! Whew!

I'd like to know what you guys think - would you prefer that I use HaloScan instead of the Blogger comments? Was the 3-column layout better than the old 2-column one? How about the colors? What do you think of them? I chose it because they're the colors of autumn - one of my 2 favorite seasons, the other being winter. Walang autumn dito sa 'tin pero paborito ko sya because the season is very memorable to me. How about the header? Is it better or worse than the one I had before?

Do you think it was a good move for me not to display all the blogroll links that I have or you feel otherwise? Would you like to see my most recent Haloscan comments or just my Cbox? How about my reader community? Would you like me to have it or not?

Voice out your comments and suggestions. I may not be able to do everything you'll be suggesting or I may disagree with your opinion, but just the same, I'd love to hear your thoughts. You may e-mail me or just leave a comment w/ your e-mail address or blog address. Let me know what you think and who knows, you might be the lucky one to receive a little something from me in the mail.

I'm tired and I need to rest. It's been raining hard the whole day and this is just great to start October. Oh well! At least, it's a little cooler now.

Yummy Cupcakes

My SIL recommended that I go and try Cupcakes by Sonja at the Serendra to try and taste their scrumptious cupcakes. I haven't been to Serendra myself so a couple of weeks ago, we went there and tried it.

When I first set foot at Serendra, I knew that I won't be going there as much as I go to MOA or Glorietta - unless I have a lot of money to spend. It's a place that I'd love to go to once in a while if I feel like it. The restaurants are unknown to me and by the looks of it, very pricey. For me, if I can't pronounce the name properly, it must be expensive. LOL! I may sound crazy, but that's how I look at things sometimes.

It was the 1st year anniversary of Cupcakes by Sonja when we went there last September 8th. There were a lot of people and since I couldn't decide what to buy, it took me a long time to order. Everything looked so good to me and the smell of the store was sweet! Finally, I decided to buy a dozen, ate 5 of them and gave the rest to Papa for my siblings to enjoy. Some of the cupcakes melted in my mouth and their strawberry iced tea was awesome. It's really expensive for a piece of cupcake but I guess treating myself to these once a month or every 2 months won't be too bad at all, especially if I'm craving for it.

I didn't like Vanilla Sunshine, which was their cheapest cupcake available. But I'm definitely going back for the Red Velvet Vixen and the Banana Creme one. MH appreciated the Cookies and Creme one but said it was so filling and too sweet. Basti got a cap and balloon as treats. Awesome!

I did a second trip to the cupcake store on September 10th and this time, I went with Ellaine and Karlyn. They said the cupcakes were too sweet (they're figure-conscious gals) for them and expensive. I guess that meant I won't be going back there with them. Oh well, you can't please everybody anyway. But at least we had a great time taking pictures though.

Sexy for the Halloween

Athan, who's a member of our Events Committee at the office, told us that the office is coming up with something for the Halloween but did not divulge the "gory" details yet. But he said that it's something that we're going to look forward to and enjoy.

Maybe they'll ask us to come in our scariest attires or maybe a dress-up-your-station gig with a Halloween theme. If there would be no limits to what we can do, I'm sure there will be some who'd like to be in sexy costumes for the Halloween event. Others would opt to look like real-life zombies or Frankenstein. Whatever their decision would be, looks like it would be so much fun!

Personally, I'm not too keen about things like this but it would be great to take photos. I guess that would be the only thing I will be doing come October 31st.

Time to evaluate

Another quarter is over for us in the office. Everyone is looking forward to October 27th because that would be the day when our quarterly performance bonus will be given out. It's going to be quite a busy week for me because I would have to prepare my self-evaluation on how I fared for the past 3 months. Apart from our scorecard, completing this evaluation will also serve as a helpful gauge for us to see how we are doing. This self-evaluation is our own version of a human resources software wherein we have to list down all our accomplishments, our areas for improvement and goals in order for us to be in touch with how we are doing at work and what do we still need to do in order to attain our goals.

I know I worked really hard the past quarter but as I've mentioned earlier in a previous post, things did not work for me last July and August because I still failed to meet our variance metric. I'm just hoping that by the time the quarterly scorecard comes to a close this week, things would still look bright for me come October 27.

Wish me luck!

Office Space

In our office, reception desks practically do not exist. Although the senior AA has her own worskstation (as we call it), the others practically have to share with the other employees on the production floor. I know how it feels to share workstations because every single day, I go through that. Sometimes, I would still have to clean up the desk that I'll be using because the previous user left coffee cup marks or bits of candy wrapper around. But it's just something you have to get used to sometimes.

It's really quite sad that for now, the company cannot do anything about it. But hopefully when the building that the company would be leasing is completed, and that's around middle of next year, everyone will be able to enjoy a 1:2 ratio for workstations.

October 22

Ate Girlie tagged me to do this interesting tag about birthdays. So sorry that it took me a long time before I was able to do this.

This tag needed me to head off to Wikipedia for the information I headed there and chose 3 events, 2 births and 1 holiday that coincided with my birthday. I'm supposed to tag 5 friends but I decided to just tag anyone who wants to do it :) By the way, if you're gonna do this one, you will have to remove the name in the first slot to place everyone up on the list so your name can be added to the bottom of the list.

I was born on October 22, a certified Libran and proud of it :)

Important Events that happened on October 22nd:
1. 4004 BC - Date the universe was created according to British Archbishop James Ussher after using the Bible's chronology to calculate the date.

2. 1964 - Canada: A Multi-Party Parliamentary Committee selects the design which becomes the new official Flag of Canada.

3. 2006 - Michael Schumacher drives his last Formula 1 Race. The very same day the Spaniard Fernando Alonso wins the 2006 Formula 1 World Championship, becoming the 8th and youngest driver to win it twice in a row to emulate the achievements of Mika Häkkinen, Michael Schumacher and five other drivers.

I share the same birthday with:
1. Shaggy, Jamaican musician in born 1968

2. Zachary Hanson of The Hansons, born in 1985

Celebrated Holiday:
Under the French Republican Calendar my birthday is Pomme (Apple) Day, first day in the Month of Brumaire

And the list:
Teacher Julie
Mommyness is Happiness
This is a miracle
HiPnCooLMoMMa
MommyBa's Journey

I'm Nice..

I know that I've neglected my blog for so long that my regular readers don't drop by that much anymore. I guess they got tired of seeing the same old things in here and I can't blame them, really.

However, the other day, I got a notification in my mailbox that I received a comment from one of my good friends and fellow blogger, Joy. I was so ecstatic to know that she gave me an award for being nice. Aside from the fact that it's my first blogger award, it came as a surprise which truly made my day! Thank you so much, Joy, from the bottom of my heart.

It's now my turn to present this award to the people who are and have been nice to me and other bloggers in more ways than one. This doesn't come in any particular order.

Bambi - We were schoolmates from grade school 'til high school. We did not grow up to be that close but I just would like to acknowledge the fact that she is one of the nicest persons I know. No pretensions - it's just her!

Datu - As his name suggests, he's really like the king of niceness! I don't get to see him often because we work on different shifts. But whenever we see each other, he never fails to greet me and just goes out of his way to say "Hi!" His blog just shows that he's one sincere, honest and nice person - aside from the known fact that he's very much talented and good looking :)

Cessna - She's another schoolmate of mine. She's not just witty and personable, she's one great Mom and writer. It's just great to know that despite the time that passed between us, we still regard each other as good friends. Her being nice is just one innate trait of hers that I will never forget.

Markie - He is niceness and patience personified. Galit na yan pero nice pa rin sya! I know he's going through a tough time right now, but I know, that in time, he will get by it. We rarely see each other anymore, but I know that we're still friends, and he's still nice to me in more ways than one. I miss you, dear!

Last, but not the least, I'd like to give this award to Ate Girlie. I've been meaning to meet her but I guess it will come at a later time. Hip, cool, sexy - for me, she's the epitome of the modern Mom. She has always been nice to me and her comments have always been such a joy to read.

Surprise for a Friend

Last August 24th, we surprised Karlyn with a birthday gift she'll never ever forget.

Karlyn celebrated her 24th birthday on August 20th. We didn't give her a gift due to lack of preparation so together with Ellaine and Athan, the 3 of us decided to come up with something really nice for Karlyn. It wasn't easy for us to talk about it because Karlyn's with us during breaks and practically most of the day. We came to a point where we told white lies and even made Karlyn feel a little uncomfortable when she's around. We had to deliberately get out of instances when Karlyn would like to be with us, which in turn, left her a bit disappointed and irritated.

The big day came and there were a lot of twists and turns that happened. It came to a point where Karlyn got so irritated with us that day we thought that she would never show up.

That night, I was the one who led her to our booked hotel room and she was teary-eyed when she learned that it was a surprise for her. She told us that she's very touched and will not forget that day. All the irritation was worth it!

Many thanks...

I feel so blessed and happy to have read all your messages of well-wishes and prayers for me to be able to go through my trials and challenges. Despite the fact that I don't see most of you in person and knowing that there are people praying for me is already enough to know that I am loved and cared for.

Super duper thank you from the bottom of my heart :)

Congratulations, PJ!

PJ gave the team a pizza treat when he was given his regularization papers last August 31st. We fondly call him Clau-Clau (nickname for Claudine) for the fun of it after we have "baptized" Marky, Geri and him as the "Barretto Sisters" of the team.

The Yellow Cab pizza was indeed yummy and filled our hungry tummies during the last break. Thanks PJ! And again, congratulations! Go use your leaves! LOL!

After shift that day, Karlyn gave a treat for me, Ellaine and Athan. She received some food vouchers for Burgoo from HSBC as a birthday treat. Athan was going on the night shift again for September so it will be another month before we could see him again. Once again, the food trip indeed filled us up with such scrumptious dishes that added a lot more calories to my ever-increasing body weight! Thanks Chix! We surely enjoyed the treat you gave us!

Apologies

My schedule's been out of this world the past couple of days. I've been writing but haven't uploaded all my entries just yet. I've tons of photos I'll be sharing and lots of stories too. Unfortunately, my life has been a whirlwind ride.

My computer is not cooperating. I'm still on the lookout for a recovery software that will retrieve all my deleted files from the drive that now houses Windows Vista by accident (due to MH's mistake), I think I'm gonna get sacked as a layout artist at N4D because I failed to meet the August requirements. My work stats did not cooperate with the hard work I put in to meet the numbers. My car needs gassing up but I'm broke and down to the last 100 pesos that I need to stretch 'til the 12th - a very serious price I have to pay for being sick.

This is that time of the year when everything seems to be going ALL SO WRONG! It's a yearly thing and yet I still haven't anticipated it to come. That was bad preparation on my part and I only have myself to blame for that.

My life is just pathless for now. I'll be where the flow of life leads me. There are things I need to change and hopefully, in time, I will be able to jump start the change that I badly need. I don't want to admit it but I feel that I'm almost about to break down. I just hold on to prayers and the belief that God will not give me something I can't bear. With that, I'm still alive and smiling.

Keeping it secured

I still don't have my own house. But I just hope that when that time comes, I would like to have a mortgage life insurance that could pay off my mortgage if and when I die by any circumstance. I know it's just thinking way too much ahead of what's on my plate right now but it pays to be prepared for the inevitable.

It is every parent's dream to provide their family with a good future and roof to house them at any cost. It's one thing I'd like to work on having and I know that in time, with a little more perseverance and saving up, I will be able to have the house of my dreams.

Now, I'm just wondering if there are insurance companies here in the Philippines offering that kind of insurance. I will surely sign up for one if there's any.

Viva Las Vegas

Another part of the US that I would love to visit would be Las Vegas. From the stories of my parents and siblings who have been there, it's a fun city to be in. It's a vibrant city - full of life and lights. You won't get bored from all the shows you can watch and the spectacular buildings that house most of the casinos and hotels that abound the place. It's a place where everyone can just have a good time and enjoy 'til you drop.

A friend actually recommended the Tropicana Las Vegas to stay in. He says it's a great place to stay in to enjoy what Las Vegas has to offer. I asked my brother and he told me it's just okay and I can stay there if I want to.

Thinking about it makes me excited. It would really be great to be in Vegas. I just hope that opportunity will come soon.

WAHM

I never had regrets of being a stay-at-home Mom before I left for the UK last year. It was actually the best decision I have ever made in my life.

But times are hard nowadays and as much as I would like to live the full life of being a SAHM, it's not possible at this point. It makes me feel guilty that I have been struggling to balance work and my family life. For the past 9 months, I know that I have failed to do that but still I do my best.

If only there's a chance for me to just work at home and still be able to make ends meet for the family, I will definitely do that just so I will be able to have more time to tend to Basti. But I guess, for now, I'll have to make do and appreciate whatever I have. My son is smart. In time, I know, he'll understand why things had to be this way.

A new home

If there's one thing I'd like to do if I ever go to the US, it is to visit Florida and its wonderful vacation spots. It would be great to visit the fabulous beaches and enjoy real treats from Disneyland as well.

My brother did consider investing in an Orlando real estate property but says that he still could not afford it for now. If ever he does, that would just be great because I can stay free in his place and that would mean having more to spend for a vacation of my dreams.

How I wish things are just that easy. But I guess, for as long as there's a dream and a goal, nothing is impossible. I'm sure he will be able to achieve that dream in no time.

New furniture

Good ol' bro has been telling me that if I'd like to upgrade my furniture here at home, I can take a look at the wide variety of choices from Powell furniture. Aside from the fact that they carry a lot of lovely designs, the prices are competitive and affordable. I've been telling him that with the little space I have here, I think buying furniture would not really be a priority for me at this point although it would be lovely to have such wonderful pieces decorating my home.

Like I always say, so many things to buy, not enough cash to spend. Hehehe!