Hi – Since we are always at home during the weekends because we still don’t have our car, I was able to save a big amount in my credit card bills. No trips to the mall really mean less expense.
Lo – Since we are always at home during the weekends because we still don’t have our car, we really miss the mall as there was really a time that we really got bored from staying in the house the whole weekend.

Hi – Howell was invited to give a lecture on Computer Security by the Philippine Society for Industrial Security. This means he will give a lecture to managers and professionals from different prestigious company.
Lo – The lecture will be this coming Saturday, so he won’t be able to make it to Bela’s swimming class again.

Hi – I have a few interesting projects at work which I am really excited about as it will really keep me busy.
Lo – This means I will really be very busy.

Hi - We already got our approval for our auto loan
Lo – Now we are confuse as to what car to buy. LOL.

And so we thought that our expenses for the repair of our apartment are over, we learned today that the carpenter who did the installation of the galvanized iron for the roof did not really do a good job. Or worse, he asked us to buy materials which we think he did not really use for the repair.

The new tenant is already occupying our second apartment and our new tenant is a family friend that is why I am more worried since we feel that we are not giving him the service that is due to him.

We initially planned to use the money left for the repair for the wood flooring but I guess we have to use it now for the repair again of the roof. We did save a lot on the labor fee of the laborers but I guess the payment is really commensurate to the service that they can give. I guess, it is really important to hire professional contractors to do our house repairs. Lesson learned. Next time, we will know better.

Our Line up of Summer Outings:

May 9 – 10: Hubby’s company outing and Bela and I will be going with them. The outing will be at San Juan, Batangas.
May 16 – MBAPs summer outing at Tagaytay Highlands. I am so excited already. It’s been a while since I last saw the MBAPs and their families so I am so looking forward to this.
May 23 – My High School friends are asking me to organize a summer outing also. They suggested Club Manila East so it will just be a few hours drive from Manila since we will be bringing our kids also.
My aunt is also asking me to organize our family outing. Maybe it will be this coming May also.

I guess our May is fully booked with trips to the beach so this means swimsuits or sexy swimwear. I better start looking for the best weight loss pills. Otherwise Bela will ask me to change my swimwear as my big tummy is showing. LOL.

I will just post a rant here. Actually, I am quite happy with my new nanny. She has been with us for more than a month already and we are happy with how she works. She wakes up early so she was already able to clean the house even before we wakes up, she is hardworking as you always see her working, and she really has a pleasant personality since she is always smiling. Bela also loves her since she is really sweet to Bela since she is a mother too so she knows how to get Bela’s weakness and attention.

But I was just really pissed when we woke up this morning since she just left a note on the table to inform us that she is taking a day off today. Her husband arrived last night and she asked our permission if she can sleep at their friend’s house so she can be with her husband. We allowed her since she promised that she will be back in the morning. We were supposed to go out today to look for discount lighting fixtures so we were surprised when we read her note since we plan to just leave Bela with her while Howell and I are out.

We will really not care if she takes a day off again even if she just had a day off last Sunday. Our only concern is she should have told us in advance of her plan so we can adjust our schedule too.

Oh well, we can never really find a perfect nanny, right? I guess I just have to talk to her when she arrives later so this will not happen again.

I was chatting with my friend the other night and I found out that she just got out of the hospital after being confined there for two days because of extreme asthma attack and allergy.

According to her, she just ate pancake for breakfast and as soon as she is done with her pancake, she already had difficulty in breathing. Good thing she has Benadryl inside her bag (since she has allergies, she always have medical supplies in her bag or at their house) which helped ease her condition a bit. But she was still rushed to the hospital because she still has difficulty in breathing.

Her doctor said that she might have allergies with flour (which is the main ingredient for the pancake that she ate before she had her allergy attack) and her allergies affected her respiratory system so she has difficulty breathing. It is good that she act fast and she was able to take Benadryl which according to the doctor, has saved her life.

She really realized that allergy is something to be taken seriously. She will be visiting an allergist soon so she will know what her allergies are so she will avoid accidents such as this.

I am glad you are doing ok now, friend.

Join us here.

1. Have you been good this week? No. LOL. I am so stress out with a lot of things that I have been really cranky these past few days.
2. Name some things you shouldn’t do in a hurry. Shopping. LOL. (Otherwise, I always end up doing some impulsive buy).
3. Name a sound that drives you nuts. The voice of our neighbor while he sings videoke every single day. (I know we Filipinos love to sing but is there anything else that he can do rather than stay in front of the TV every single day for videoke.)
4. When is the last time you bought fresh flowers? For my grand mother during her birthday.
5. Name the first thought that comes to your mind when I mention “Time”. Time is precious.
6. Is there something that you’re supposed to do on a daily basis, that you have not yet done today? I think I am productive today and I was able to accomplish all the things that I need to finish.
7. Do you love finding trouble to get into? No, I hate trouble.
8. Which are you better at, remembering faces or names? Faces. I am not good with names (specially after I had an anesthesia when I gave birth).
9. Can you see your home on Google’s Street View? I haven’t tried.
10. It’s official, I’ve become ___! A lomo enthusiast. (I bought my Holga camera already but I haven’t found the time to send my rolls of film to the shop for developing. Hope I can do it this week).

Saying that it is really hot is an understatement. Summer is already here. Even in the office, our air conditioning unit can’t even stand the hot temperature that I requested for an extra electric fan in my room because it is really hot. Before, I have to wear a jacket inside the office because I can’t stand the cold but now, how I wish I can wear something comfortable at work, like shorts and cotton shirt, since it is really very hot.

That is why when hubby mentioned that he wants to bring me and Bela to their company outing in San Juan, Batangas, I did not think twice and I immediately said yes. The outing will be on May 9-10 and we will be staying at one of the resorts along San Juan, Batangas. They are still debating on where to stay (one of their choices is Kabayan Resort) so the venue is still not definite yet, but I don’t care whichever venue they choose as long as I can enjoy the beach, have my massage while I lie lazily in one of their cabanas with outdoor cushions, and just have fun with Howell and Bela.

.: Photo snagged from Kabayan Resort Website :.

Oh boy, I can’t wait as I know that a day at the beach will definitely be a good way to cool off this summer.

Last Palm Sunday, before going to church, we went to Ace Water Spa in Banawe for a quick city getaway. I promised my cousin that I will treat them at Ace Water Spa since they got good grades at school. But they have plans already for that day and since my sister and I are already set in having a spa, we decided to still push through with our plan.

Bela still hasn’t taken a nap yet but looks like she has no plans of going to sleep so we decided to leave after having our lunch. Ace Water Spa was really crowded that day since it is their anniversary week. But the good thing is they have a “Buy 3 Get 1” promo that day so we were able to get one free ticket which we can use until April 19.

We all enjoyed the hydrotherapy treatment even though the place was really crowded. After an hour or two of swimming, Bela was cranky already as she is starting to feel sleepy. I brought her up so she can drink her milk and she fell asleep immediately.

Howell and my sister decided to get out of the pool also as they are already hungry. So after changing, we went to our favorite restaurant, Café Monaco, for merienda. I was so hungry that I had a bite of all the food that we ordered which includes - California Roll, Spicy Beef Ramen, Tapsilog, and Bibimbop. (Please give me a list of diet pills that work since I am pretty sure I won’t be able to stop myself from eating and I need to loose weight as I already gained 5 lbs already).

After our sumptuous meal, we went home and went straight to church for the Palm Sunday mass.

Join us here.

1. When did you last sleep in a tent? When I was still single which is like more than five years ago. I hate outdoors and I am not the type of person who enjoys camping out. LOL. But Howell asked me if I can go with them for their Mt Mayon hike since he wants to show me his hometown. We camped out at the foot of Mt. Mayon after a day of hiking.
2. What comes to mind when you think about relieving yourself in the great outdoors? Great outdoors for me is when we spend time at the beach.
3. Where’s the best place you ever went camping? Since I only have a few choices for this, I would say when we camp after our day hike at Mt. Mayon. This is my first time for me to do mountain climbing also so it was a very memorable experience for me.
4. What’s your favorite camp food? Canned goods.
5. What’s your sleeping bag like? I think it was comfy. All I can remember was that it was the sleeping bag of my friend which she lends to me since I don’t have any camping gears.

How was your long weekend? We just stayed at home during the holy week. It was really our plan to just stay at home during the Holy Week. We did not plan any out of town getaway since we know that beaches are really crowded since most of the people take this long weekend as an opportunity to go on vacation. Second is, we still don’t have our car and Howell and I were too lazy to go anywhere if we will just commute. Third is my grandmother had an accident which I blog about here.

So due to our circumstances, we really have no choice but just to stay at home which is good since we were able to accomplish a lot of things. I was able to finish reading the book that Howell gave me to prepare me for my MCTS exam. Aside from that I was also able to finish all my online tasks. Howell on the other hand was able to update his blog, and he was able to clean our guest room and threw away some old stuff that we no longer use (this reminds me that we have to buy new area rugs for our guest room). He was also able to start reading the book for his Microsoft certification exam also. And most importantly, it was a time well spent with family since we were able to spend more time with our dear daughter.

They say that Boracay is the best place to be this summer. So I am not surprised when I heard from the news that almost 4,000 tourists arrive everyday to the beautiful island paradise of Boracay.

I can just imagine how crowded Boracay is this summer. They say that it is so crowded that it looks like it is the town fiesta of the Black Nazarene. LOL. But I don’t think that’s my cup of tea. If we go on a Family Vacation, we prefer a place where we can truly relax. Something like the beach resorts in the Riviera Maya.

Imagine enjoying a shot of Margarita while lying on a hammock where I have the best ocean view. Or we can do water sports activities that my daughter will surely enjoy, or just fly kites, have a barbeque or just enjoy the white sand beaches that the Mexican Riviera Maya has to offer.

Just thinking about it makes me feel relax and calm already. I wish we have the budget to do this as I am sure it will surely be one fun vacation.

Photo snagged from karismahotels.com.