DAVAO: THE PREMIERE CITY OF THE SOUTH

This working trip to Davao is my first out-of-town travel for the year… you see part of the reason why I have been remiss in posting regularly in this blog last year 2007 was because our office has been quite busy – arranging media engagements for THE BOSS almost every month. What’s even more exciting is that the work brings us to different provinces of the country. It started in Mindanao (Cagayan de Oro) and I was lucky to have been part of the first leg of the so-called ‘provincial tour’ sometime in July. But since there was just four of us in the office, it couldn’t be possible that I will get to join the provincial sorties every single time since someone had to be left behind to man the ship, so to speak. So during the next sortie which was held in Bohol (around August), I wasn’t able to join them. For October, the group went to Butuan and I was once again not chosen to join. On November, there were two trips: Leyte and Laguna and I was lucky to have gone to both. I specifically chose Leyte since I figured it would be near Samar where a cousin and I may get to visit another cousin but it wasn’t meant to be… Before the month ended, we headed off to nearby Laguna while Masbate became our last trip of the year (December). I declined joining the Masbate leg because I already visited Legaspi when the hubby's unit had an outing in 2006 to visit butandings in Donsol.

So when the year started, I was lucky once again to have made it to the list of employees who will be going to Davao. This is another of my dream destinations – not because of the numerous places that can be considered tourist spots (although they also have many notable ones!) It is rather because Davao, a known premiere city of the South is truly a must-see in the Mindanao region. It is also a shopping mecca for batik malongs, colorful bags, hats, trinkets and much more… Besides, during these ‘working trips’, we never really expect to be able to make the rounds of tourist destinations because ‘our bosses’ keep telling us – we’re here for work, not act as tourists!?! But there were some instances when the governors or even the province mayors are generous enough to take the group/secretariat to some popular sights. This happened in Bohol (where they rode a tour bus to visit Chocolate hills, the tarsiers, Loboc church and Panglao beach). Then again in Leyte, where the city government even provided us a tour guide for the city tour to visit some museums, the Palo Leyte landing site and finally the San Juanico bridge. The others – CDO, Butuan, Laguna and Masbate were purely working affairs and didn’t include any tours in the itinerary.

January was a month for rest and for a while we thought that the provincial gigs were suspended (due to lack of budget!) but it seems not because by the first week of February, the office was once again abuzz with activity and for only the second time (after Cagayan and six other provincial trips) my husband and I were finally together in a trip (hurrah, hurrah!) Our actual venue was in Tagum City but since there were no direct flights there we were able to savor what Davao had to offer (even if it’s only for a day and after all our work was done!!!)

Our PAL plane reached Davao City on the 6th of February and we all enjoyed a buffet breakfast at 7 am at a restaurant at Victoria Mall…sorry I forgot the name of the resto but suffice it to say the food was good since there was so many to choose from and we were already quite hungry that I forgot to take pictures (he,he,he) Besides, we had to wake up at such an ungodly hour at 2 am just to reach the airport and catch the first flight at 6am so I guess I could be forgiven for forgetting such teensy-weensy details. After our breakfast, we rode in rented vans for an hour-long ride to Tagum City. For the first day, we got busy with the preparations of the venue, the media center, the invitations/co-ordinations with media and local PIA, etc. We only took a short break to hear mass since it was Ash Wednesday and we visited Tagum's church - the Christ the King cathedral. Too bad that it was already dark by the time we got out so we weren't able to see the huge rosary.

For the next couple of days we got busy with our work – Everything was already standard procedure for us (well, after six trips we have already managed to get our jobs down pat) but we didn’t expect the huge number of media who came to witness the event. Even Susan Enriquez was there although she was only one of the three Manila-based reporters who came (because everyone else was caught up with the Jun Lozada expose which erupted at the same time). We got deluged by Davao-based reporters and even from nearby provinces like Cagayan de Oro so that our IDs and press kits ran out. But nonetheless, we were able to cope up and simply made do with what we had.

So on the third day, when our duties were finally over the group decided to just pack our bags and head for Davao City where we were billeted at the Marco Polo Hotel. After checking in our bags and freshening up a little in our rooms, we all left for Jack’s Ridge and for the first time in three days we were finally able to sample Davao cuisine at its finest! Sure, the food during the 2-day workshop was OK because the governor’s caterer was Kapampangan and they sure know how to cook good food. But still you can’t take Pampanga out of them no matter how far and how many oceans they have traveled. They still will taste like fiesta food pretty much like a typical Kapampangan.

So at Jack’s Ridge we gorged ourselves sick with seafood – particularly their inihaw na panga ng tuna, kinilaw na tuna, , sinigang na hipon, and calamares. Of course there was always the staple barbecued chicken and pork and so much more. But while waiting for the food to arrive, we had a great time posing for pictures. Then, after the heavy meal some of the guys went down what seems like a sunken garden to shed off all the food they have eaten but I just watched them because I didn’t feel like I had the strength left to go up so many steps. I stayed behind atop the hill and watched the city of Davao before me – and I’m reminded of the Antipolo overlooking. If what the owner of Jack’s Ridge say is true then the entire city of Davao used to be submerged in water due to evidence of shells and other sea fossils only found underwater that were discovered there on that same hill. After awhile, we all retired for the night since we had an early day tomorrow!

The next day, the hubby and I got up early, took our baths and ate breakfast at their restaurant downstairs. We were literally overwhelmed with the buffet spread that Marco Polo offered and we would have wanted to eat them all and take our sweet little time devouring everything but we couldn’t coz we have to be at the lobby by 8 for our Davao city tour.

Expectedly, the group wasn’t able to leave by 8 because we were so many and we had to wait till each and every one of us had finished with their breakfast, taking their baths, doing their usual toilet routine, and dressing up. Finally, when everyone was ready we left aboard three (or was it four?) rented vans to visit the world-famous Samal Island. We took a short 30-minute ferry ride to Samal Island where our first stop for the day was the Bat caves. The entrance was free although we had to endure a short ten-minute walk from the entrance to the actual cave itself. Once there we were all overwhelmed not just by the sight of millions and millions of bats sticking to the all the cracks and crevices of the cave but also by the smell!!! I never realize until this moment that bat droppings could smell like a public toilet – thus we never ventured any nearer to the mouth of the cave. Also, the guide says there were many snakes living at the cave floors, just waiting for the right moment to snap and catch their next meal.

After awhile, we left the bat caves since it was already almost lunch time and we proceeded to Paradise Resort for our lunch. We were actually hoping to visit the Davao Pearl Farm but there was a bit of trouble with the schedule so they were unable to accommodate us. Well, the resort itself wasn’t at all bad – they had a mini zoo where we had fun looking at the animals while waiting for the food to arrive. Of course, the boys also had their own kinda fun watching all the women in skimpy swim suits. They wanted to stay behind and go for a swim but the bosses didn’t want to stay anymore so after the scrumptious albeit very expensive meal, we all decided to go back to Davao City to continue the city tour.

We visited an Orchidarium, where they sold orchids cheap! (This is another reason why I wanted to go to Davao – because of their flowers!!!) Then we went to a Butterfly farm and the Crocodile Park where we didn’t just see crocodiles but lots of other animals too. It’s just too bad that we had so little time to tour Davao so we were unable to go to the Eden Nature Park and which they say is another amazing place to visit. Neither were we able to visit the Philippine Eagle Foundation. So I guess we’ll just add that up to my already expanding list of places to go back to (if and when I have the time and money for it!)

Our last stop before we finally boarded the plane back to Manila was – yes, you guessed it right! … shopping at the Aldevinco mall. We were unable to shop at our own sweet pace because the shops were already closing (so early at 7pm???...totally unheard of in Manila!) We also had to hurry to catch our 9pm flight so I didn’t have the luxury of time to browse and browse before finally picking what to buy. Instead, we entered the store – bought malongs and large hankies; entered another store to buy bags and pretty shawls; and still another store for the fans… too bad for me I didn’t get to buy shirts which they said only cost PhP80…maybe next time. Coz there surely will be a next time because this Davao trip is so bitin!!!! I want to come back here with purely leisure as my agenda so I can fully savor everything that Davao had to offer – its magnificent beaches, amazing flora and fauna - nature at its best, freshly-caught and cooked seafood, sweet fruits, unique coffee blends, fab shopping finds and so much more!!!

CHI-CHI’S 7th BIRTHDAY AT MAX’S

We spent the day today having a blast at Chi-chi’s birthday party at Max’s… her motif is ‘prince and princess’ so the kids had to wear gowns and princely costumes to attend the event. Expectedly, Kit didn’t want to take part in such hulla-baloo so he opted to stay home na lang even if it meant passing up on the crunchy fried chicken of Max’s…anyway, so it was only Kaye and I who went and we borrowed a gown from Nicole for Kaye to wear. Nicole had a pretty mermaid gown which won for her the best-dressed award of the party. There were many games and thankfully Kaye joined in some of them but only with a lot of prodding from me and Mama and Anna. Anna’s friend, the actress Kat even made a surprise appearance. There were many people who came and took part in the celebration but I guess it would be more if relations between us would become finally OK...but it's not and we should just be happy for moments like this to spend with family.

Chocolate Kiss Moments

Last month my Mom and I had a little bonding moment… you see we were never really close. She was not that type of mother – the caring, over-protective kind who will fuss over you and ask you how you were or if you have eaten. More often than not, we were left to the care of yayas and she was well… busy with her work. Not that I have any reason to complain – we were all brought up well… all I’m really saying is that we never really got the chance to be with each other often, especially while I was growing up. Hence, our bonding moments as mother and daughter were really few and far between.

Our moment actually started out as still work-related… you see even after she has retired, she has not stopped working. She continues to work part-time as a researcher for AIM to add to her income as a professor and she took me in as one of her researchers for a writing project. And as part of the research, my study was reviewed by a UP professor. She joined me in hearing the comments/ suggestions made by the professor (which were many by the way!) And when it was over, we decided to eat lunch inside the campus. It was her treat – maybe her way of assuaging my prickly pride – what with all the revisions I have to undertake with my study! No but kidding aside I wasn’t really all that hurt with the comments. In fact, it was understandable since it was my first time to take on a research project of that magnitude and I really welcomed the suggestions she made so I can further improve the paper. I guess mama really just wanted to share with me her many blessings and have this chance to spend some time together.

I chose the place where we will eat – at first, I suggested the UPCAS cafeteria but it was lunchtime and expectedly packed. So off we went to Chocolate Kiss since I haven’t eaten there yet but I have already read many good reviews of the place. Mama has eaten there already –many times during her meetings with a former UP Alumni president (because the resto was situated in the 2nd floor of the UP Bahay ng Alumni) and she said the food was good.

The ambiance when we entered was quite charming – a perfect date place, not so quiet but neither boisterous as to disturb the diners. I heard they even play the piano on weekend nights... very nice indeed! As expected, the place was quite full, but we were lucky to get a table for two near the window which offered us a wee bit of privacy. We both ordered pasta – hers was pesto while mine was my all time favorite, carbonara and it tasted great! We also had iced tea which was served with some form of syrup as sweetener or maybe it was honey – I couldn’t really tell. But the coup de grace was their cakes – I wanted to taste them all but the prices were a bit steep so I made mama take her pick. I could not remember the name of the cake, all I can recall was how good it tasted – I think it was walnut something.

While we ate all the great food, we had fun chatting about the goings-on in her life and the house – now that my brother is back home, she had lots to say about his new shenanigans, but she’s not really complaining. She didn't harp all that much and there were less complaints in her stories. Admittedly, her aura seemed much better now.

Still, I am glad when she mentioned that she has ceased to dwell on the negative side of life, thanks to an inspirational CD that helped her a lot. I’m happy that she has found something to help her be happy or even a bit more positive about herself and her life. I’m happy too that she has her friends to always support her. I guess what she needs more right now (is not a new lover!) but to realize that her family, too, will be here for her. So here’s hoping we’ll have more bonding moments like these… just to let her know I’m here if she needs someone to talk to...

Myk at NKTI

At long last it seems that my first-born son finally grew some sense and would soon be having a job!!! Instead of just staying home playing the computer all day --- well, technically, he’d still be staring at a computer all day but this time it’s for a reason --- he’d be a CCTV operator and the computers he would be staring at would help a lot in maintaining the safety and security of patients at the NKTI. At least this time his time spent facing a computer monitor would now be a productive endeavor! Maybe this would make him realize the importance of studying college since he’d see how so routinary his task would be if he stays at the lowest rung of the corporate ladder. Because that’s what would happen to him if he refuses to get a degree, he would just stare at the CCTV screen all day and all night! But with a degree, he may be assigned to a real office doing something analytical that would work his brains out! Or maybe, it would push him to study in the PMA…who knows?!? But I’m jumping the gun here, I would just take each day as it comes and first hope that he passes the initial interview (which I know he will, since Irwin is a dear friend of mine as well as Mama’s) What I just hope is that he’d do well in this job so that he would be able to earn some money for his needs – which I also hope he would not just splurge on gimmicks with friends or worse…girlfriends! I’ll just pray and keep my fingers crossed…

ALL GIRLS DAY OUT!

Last Saturday, some old college friends cooked up our own version of an all-girls day out wherein we all took a day-off from chores (being a Saturday and laundry day!) and just hung out at a friend's place - doing nothing but eat and chat and watch movies all day long!!!! It was truly a treat to remember coz aside from gorging ourselves with delicious food, our tired and aching bodies were rewarded with a much-needed massage and manicure/pedicure - all for free!!!

All this was courtesy of a long-time childhood friend who decided to give us these treats to celebrate her birthday. The day started at around 1 pm (coz that's the time she normally wakes up) when her driver picked us up within the vicinity of QC to bring us (two other college friends, a newly-wed sister and myself) to her place all the way up in Antipolo.

The house itself was huge... they say it was an ancestral relic from her hubby's side of the family. But, being a relic - the place still needed much repairs...although they're slowly doing this one room at a time. The showcase was their bedroom - it was done in all white and was reminiscent of the palatial bedrooms that can be seen in most luxury hotels... very pristine and elegant! Her dressing room and bathroom was also to die for - with its wide vanity mirrors and very unique bathtub. But the piece de resistance is their new video room ... with its huge wall mounted plasma TV (it took up an entire wall, I swear!) complete with seven Lazy boy lounging chairs that is truly designed to increase anyone's viewing pleasure (just check out the pics!)

Then, there was the food - I know this friend of mine is into the restaurant business so it is expected that she'd know her way around the kitchen or even where to get the best eats in town - and we were not disappointed! Upon arrival, we ate some snacks of homemade sandwiches (pandesal with giniling filling), Lord Stowe's famous to-die for tarts and Mary Grace's creamy cheese rolls! After watching a movie, a fruit and cheese platter arrives and we once again munch our way while watching and chatting/reminiscing on old times ... sorry, I'm not much of movie buff so I don't really remember the titles we watched but I do remember it was about Michelle Pfeiffer hooking up with a younger man. How apt... although the situation is still far off from our own personal lives- we're not even in our forties and all still very much married - we still enjoyed the movie's plot and laughed ourselves silly at their lovey-dovey antics!

We lost track of time, but I guess it was during the third movie that we decided to eat dinner. We weren't really all that hungry but we wanted to stand up and remove our lazy bodies from the lazy boys so we all trooped to the dining area where we ate a sumptuous feast of fresh salad, grilled sea bass in hollandaise sauce, pasta with olive oil and tuna /or longganiza. And though we said to ourselves that we weren't really hungry, we still managed to gorge ourselves to the brim, so much so that I felt so inclined to sleep already. After all, by that time it was already way past my bedtime (which is normally at ten pm) but I couldn't really sleep coz it was only the time when these people start to be awake (they're all insomniacs, by the way). But, what the heck! I decided to stay since the next day is a Sunday anyway and I rarely find the time to go out and enjoy myself like this so I just let myself savor the moment!

By the fourth movie, about the time after we had our dessert (mango torte) and coffee, I fell asleep a bit - I think around 15 minutes or so. By then, we were watching a stand-up comedy flick of some black guy (as usual, I have forgotten who it was??? ) and after the movie and after we all had our manicure and pedicure, we proceeded to the main theme of the party which is 'the OC' - yes, we're all in some way afflicted with it and my friend was generous to give all of us some loot bags complete with OC stuff like multi-colored boxes, folders, and envelopes for organizing our numerous bric-a-bracs. We were also given paper tapes to use with her electronic labeler - I wasn't able to list down some of the things I want to label so I just let my daughter make her own name labels and also for her brothers.

To cap it all off, we all had a very soothing massage courtesy of her blind masseuse and admittedly it was a very good way to end the evening... even if it was actually already 4 o'clock in the morning. We would've wanted to sleep over (well, my daughter did sleep a bit at her daughter's room) but they had to travel to Tarlac and visit one of their resto's there. So the driver once again dropped us off in QC and we made the long travel back to our home in Bulacan... but it was worth it. It was fun reminiscing with friends and having the time of our lives. It was fun to just let everything go and forget our day-to-day worries as moms, even for just one day! Thanks so much dear friend and here's hoping next year she'd spend her birthday the same way... it will be something to truly look forward to...

FIRST (…and hopefully the last!) FIESTA AT TONDO

Today, the family awoke early and got ready to leave for Tondo, Manila to attend the fiesta celebrations there. Their fiesta is usually held on the third Sunday of January, much the same as Cebu’s Sinulog fiesta since they both have the same patron – the Santo Niño.

It was a bit difficult getting there which is why we opted to leave early to steer clear of traffic areas and get there with ample time to park the vehicle. But sad to say, the house rented by our pamangkin (who lives there and works as a vendor at Divisoria) was situated within a tiny eskinita and so we had no choice but park in the corner and walk the rest of the way to their house.

The fiesta itself was uneventful, we were too far away from the city proper to view the parades and see the street festivities – we just stayed inside the house and ate delicious fiesta fare prepared by no other than Ditse who slaved all day yesterday and today to cook menudo, afritada, fried chicken, among others… what made our stay memorable was what happened afterwards, in the afternoon, just as we were getting ready to leave.

We were standing outside the house, trying to walk off the numerous pounds we just gorged into our bodies when suddenly a commotion occurred and many people were seen hurrying inside their homes and so without asking what and why, we just followed suit. It was much later when we found out from neighbors (and from Jun and Rely who were outside at the time) that a stabbing incident occurred at the street corner and the suspect with a knife ran inwards, to the street where we were situated and hid somewhere in the inner side streets of the place…thankfully, the suspect did not harm anybody else. The FX we left at the corner even had traces of blood…eeew! I guess that was more than enough to shake all of us up and after awhile we decided to leave lest it become dark soon and God knows what else would happen once nightfall happens… hopefully, this would be the last time we would attend such an event in this place.

UNIQUE GIFTS

The Christmas rush is past - the decors neatly wrapped and tucked away, gifts have all been opened with all the wrappings thrown away... but I would like to make my one last post for Christmas 2007 just to share with you the little things I gave away to friends and co-workers.

You see not everyone is blessed with lots of money to buy pretty gifts and it seems kinda awkward to always be just on the receiving end of gift-giving when Christmas really is all about showing someone how much you have appreciated them all these years.

Thus, in my own little way [and meager government employee budget] I still managed to give away the following little tokens of appreciation:

For little kids, I gave away these little beaded coin purses which takes me about two hours to make.... but since I am only able to do this when I get home from work (usually while I am watching my telenovelas) I am only able to do one each night. Often, when I help my kids with their assignments I don't get the chance to do anything at all. So I was only able to complete about 20 coin purses this Christmas which I was able to give away to cutesy nieces and even daughters of friends.

For teenaged nieces and lady friends, I had a choice between cellphone holders or cosmetic cases made in varying colors. I had to take pains to find out which is their fave color so that I know they would really be able to use the ones I made for them.

The gifts for our bosses I did not really make. Instead, I had my mother-in-law whip out her secret recipe for atsara which I then placed in red bowls, wrapped in sinamay, tied with a red ribbon and voila! A truly delicious and unique gift which they'd hopefully appreciate (well, if they eat atsara, that is!)

Finally, for some friends and co-workers, I baked some muffins and cookies which I then placed in red boxes or in pretty Christmas themed square plates, wrapped in cling paper and tied up with a gold ribbon. The gifts do not really cost me much - only my time, patience and a whole lot of love... just my own little way of showing how much I care...

WALKING

Today, I decided to start walking outside the office compound. I would’ve wanted to walk around inside the compound but I just hate to be at the receiving end of questioning stares and smirks by some people and so I decided to go out of the compound and walked around the office area. It helped a bit that another friend decided to walk with me otherwise I wouldn’t have been able to gather the guts to start exercising again…these are the times when I really miss my life in Camp Crame because there I can always do tae-bo on Tuesdays and Thursdays – no questions asked! No raised eyebrows??? So unlike the crowd here… oh well I guess I just can’t have it all. Anyway, what’s important is that I have started to walk again and in fact, I just recently bought new shoes pa (which were on sale about a week ago!) So I just hope that I TRULY would be able to sustain this and continue my pursuit of wellness coz after all I ain’t getting any younger hehehe…

MY FIRST PDI BREAKTHROUGH

Finally, after about three months of operation, and after three months of sending letters to editors to the different newspaper outfits I finally had my first breakthrough in PDI…well, I have already seen most of my letters published particularly in Malaya and Manila Times but this is the very first time ever that I got one published in PDI…this particular paper kasi is so fussy in choosing which letters to publish so the time I was able to get one published is truly some cause for celebration! Well, this isn’t actually the first one for the office, because I think Joanne already had a first, but this is just the second and I’m just so glad that it came from me!!! HURRAH! HURRAH!

KITCHEN (MIS) ADVENTURES [PART 3]

Just being true to my word, huh? well, at least it's still the second week of the year so I guess I have no reason to slack off just yet... Well, last weekend, I started to fulfill another vow I made to myself and my kids - to return to baking!!! And besides, I still have a few friends whom I haven't given gifts for the holidays so I'll just bake some goodies for them, wrap them in special packaging and voila! edible yet special presents for special people, no less! (my other unique gift ideas will be the subject of another blog...)

OATMEAL COOKIES WITH NIPS


I saw this recipe in an on-line site, I guess it was from a chocolate company like Nestle or something like that. What I really like about this cookie is that I am able to feed my little girl fiber-rich oatmeal which she otherwise would not have eaten if it were served in a traditional bowl with hot water, milk and fruits. She thinks it's yucky when oatmeal is served that way but she just adores oatmeal cookies, not knowing they're made from the same stuff she hates so much. I don't really remember the recipe much (even if I have done this for countless times already, I still need to have my recipe card file on hand) so I guess I'll just recount the procedures I followed...


First I creamed the butter using a standard mixer, added sugar (I used moscovado by the way, some say it has less of the artificial stuff found in most white sugars), egg and vanilla. Then, I added the pre-mixed and sifted dry ingredients - flour, baking soda, cinnamon, salt and nutmeg. Finally, I added about 3 cups of oatmeal ( a mixture of instant and bran oats to make the cookies chewy). Then, I formed them into balls, placed them about 2 inches apart in lined cookie sheets then my daughter placed some nips onto the cookies and popped them into the oven for 10-15 minutes.

CORN MUFFINS

This one's a recipe I got from sassy at pinoycook.net (you may check her website). What I like about most of sassy's recipes is that they're very easy to follow and she gives very detailed instructions that even a dimwit in the kitchen like me can easily follow. I won't anymore give details of the recipe... just take my word for it, go visit her site. I'll just post photos of what I did. [BTW, her pics are better than mine coz I think she uses a 10 megapix camera while I only use my celphone's 2 megapix cam, so there!] Anyway, I can assure you, they taste better than how they look... proof of this is the way I almost didn't get to taste them coz my kids ate them as soon as they were out of the oven. Good thing I saved a few to give away to a friend...















BAKED CHICKEN

Well, this is one recipe that didn't really come out right but I promised to post even those that became kitchen disasters so that I would remember not to do them again... You see, I decided to bake something for lunch coz I figured I'm already baking cookies and muffins, why not save myself a little time and just pop something in the oven after I have finished baking sweets. But I didn't have a baked chicken recipe on hand so I decided to use instead a bbq chicken recipe I found from an old newspaper file. I thought it would turn out the same but I was dead wrong! While the chicken was being baked it smelled great! But after about 30 minutes, I began to notice that it wasn't cooking as fast as I wanted it to and when finally I took it out after about 40 minutes, it still wasn't cooked through. So into the fryer it went and we ended up having fried chicken instead... I guess it was wrong for me to place it in an oven-proof baking dish, like what I use when baking fish. Maybe it would have turned out better if I just placed it in the oven's griller and never mind if I had a whole lot of mess to clean up afterwards... anyway, I guess I've learned my lessons well...

NEW YEARS RESOLUTIONS

I guess everyone has to go through with this... some may think it as a very tedious chore that tradition dictates everyone to do at the start of the year but end up not fulfilling, so they tend to stop doing it altogether. But for me, even if I don't really manage to accomplish all the resolutions that I have made, I guess it helps that I somehow set some goals for myself otherwise I would end up not striving for anything at all... so here goes...

Resolution No. 1 - DIET! DIET! DIET! I've tried doing this [albeit half-heartedly] for the entire year last year but instead of losing weight, I ended up gaining 10 pounds!!! So this year, I intend to really stick to my diet - eat food only in moderation (less rice! no sweets!), drink lots of water and try to put in some exercise, especially during the weekends. I also intend to let my 11-year old son join me in this crusade since he weighs as much as I do (130 lbs) and he's only 11 and not even five feet tall!!!

Resolution No. 2 - Go to mass every Sunday - Last year, I admit to have been a little complacent in my relationship with the Lord thinking that He'll always be there no matter what. But I guess I need to prioritize HIM more in my life especially now that I have so much to be thankful for...

Resolution No. 3 - BLOG more often. Last year was the year I started blogging and admittedly with all the things going on in my life - I guess, I took my writing for granted so now I vow that never again will I let this happen! I hope to be able to blog at least once a week... (especially now that I am allowed to bring the laptop home)

Resolution No. 4 - Spend more quality time with the kids and the hubby (I guess I've been neglecting him, too). If last year was the time I vowed to cook more delicious meals for them more often, this time I still intend to continue that (thanks to sassy! and other new cooking sites I discovered) and also take them out more often - even if for simple picnics at the park or trips to the zoo. This month, I promised to bring them to the science centrum at the Mall of Asia - that would be a good start!

Resolution No. 5 - I need to find a second job... well there are so many things that I have planned to do this year - maybe a trip to Cebu, with a sidetrip to Bohol during the May fiesta or to enter my kids in some English tutorial lessons or ballet - and I can't do all of these without any money so I really need a part-time job, maybe tutoring Koreans through the net - anything at all! Just so I would be able to fulfill all these dreams.

Resolution No. 6 - I also want to refurbish or finish the renovation of our kitchen. You see, last 2005, we had our kitchen extended but our funds ran out and we never really got around to do the finishing touches like the cabinets, tiles and even painting of the walls. We just made do with it coz anyway, we're able to use it as it is. So I guess more money is needed to finally make my dream kitchen become a reality.

Resolution No. 7 - If I can't yet find a second job, I guess I need to rejuvenate my chocolate candy or cookie business so I can earn even a little money on the side and at the same time make sure that I provide healthy snacks for my kids. I hope they would shun junk foods and only eat the baked goodies that I make so they'd remain healthy and fit.

Resolution No. 8 - Continue scrap booking! I know some may think that with the advent of blogging, scrap booking will be a thing of the past but this is not really necessarily so. So I guess I need to dig up my scissors, my colored paper and glue and start scrapping those memories away!

I guess that's just about it... these eight resolutions are already quite hard for me to muster but I'll try to add some more when I think up something new. Wish me luck!!!

SAVORING COFFEE BREAKS

These past few days have been wet and dreary... although the newspapers do not report a storm, they say the rains are here to stay for the next few days because of the cold front that also signals Christmas is approaching. But instead of lifting up my spirits, the weather has gotten me sort of blue and a little bit depressed...

I guess it also doesn't help that these past few days the headlines, too, have been hogged by depressing news - the latest bribery scandal in Malacanang and the bombing/explosion in Glorietta. So rather than let out my emotions with a scream and contribute to the existing mayhem , I would rather find solace in mundane everyday things - like indulging in a hot cup of brewed coffee and a slice of rich creamy pastry.

There is a coffee shop a spitting distance from our office and it serves great coffee and an array of pastries that are simply to die for...chocolate decadent cake, blueberry cheesecake, choco caramel cake, banana walnut and blueberry muffin. It is perfect for quiet moments alone or when meeting long-lost friends. The past two months, I have met two different sets of friends whom I haven't seen for the longest time - one just came from a one-year stint abroad while the other was simply busy rediscovering herself.

But during moments when I take my coffee breaks alone, I simply indulge in Arabica brewed coffee courtesy of our office coffeemaker and just buy pastries from the corner bakery - I can take my pick - carrot slice, banana bread, cinnamon roll, brownies, or crinkles... my choice of pastry, a cup of steaming hot brewed coffee, and an internet-connected computer - these three things are enough to inspire me to blog and chase my blues away.