coffee break ver. 1.33

Sorry folks if my previous posts have seem hurried, but reality bites while one is dreaming. Anyway, I’ll try to catch up on IOU tags and whatnots and I’ll start with Jan’s coffee break question for this week.

What to do????

Drum your fingers.

Roll your eyes.

Kill the drivers next to you with your stares.

Count how many celebrities are splattered on billboards all over the expressway either in sexy swimwear or underwear or make a note to self to confirm if so and so politician promoting skin care products really has flawless skin.

If commuting, catch up on much needed sleep lost due to the previous night’s gimick.

And so much more…

This might come as a surprise but sometimes (actually, a lot of times) I enjoy being in traffic jams especially when I commute. It becomes a pocket of time where I can find sanctuary from the cares of everyday life. No one tugging at me, calling me for this and that, asking me to do so many things all at the same time.

Basically, I am a creature of solitude and in order for me to function well I need to have those specific times where no one disturbs me at all and I can have the opportunity to process things thoroughly. I turn it into a moment to imagine, dream, reflect and take stock of life and be thankful. Deep noh? Well, having two homeschooled kids, no househelp, work at home deadlines etc., I crave for those moments of silence.

I actually have fond memories of the time when I got caught in a traffic jam years ago while I was riding a bus and no one offered me a seat. I distinctly remember that scene where I was holding on to the rail above and enumerating in my head all the things God had given me like peace in my heart, His unconditional acceptance of who I am, the blessings I had even if times were hard so much so that I was already smiling I think to the bewilderment of the other passengers who must have thought I was nuts. I remember that to this day and it still shields me from the frustration of being stuck in a place where I am not in control. 

Sometimes I get frustrated when I know I prepare early and do everything not to be late for an appointment and something out of the blue happens to prevent that, I find out later that the other party wasn’t available at all or was also late etc for reasons beyond our control. I have also learned that most of the time, when I fret and rant about not being able to get to a place I’m supposed to be at and I have diligently tried my best to be on time but the circumstances prevented me from doing so, most of the time it was because God was ordering my steps and orchestrating things to work out something special not just for me but for other people as well.  

So I have learned to choose to be calm and spare myself the wrinkles from the unnecessary freaking out and just use that pocket of time to watch how the shadows fall on the ground, look up at the sky and check out if it has any fancy formations, read the ridiculous and often funny business sign boards typically Pinoy, observe the expressions on the faces of the people passing by and wonder what their story is all about and how to capture their moments in picture or in words. When all these things fill my heart and my mind it leads me to sing a silent song of worship in my heart as I thoughtfully consider all these things He has made.

I do a lot when I’m in a traffic jam and sooner than I think, I’m already where I need to be. 

Those are my thoughts for now. Dinnertime beckons me and I must heed the call of the mundane. Later y’all!.

Ciao!

coffee break ver. 1.30

After a long hiatus from Jan’s coffee break, I’m slowly getting back to my blogging groove. I really like this week’s topic because it’s a topic close to our tummies. However, it’s a bit difficult to narrow the foodie choices down to just three so I’ll choose three categories - high end,  middle of the road and  ’pocket’ friendly dining places.

HIGH END 

CIRCLES at the Shangri-la Makati :

If you are a buffet and eat all you can type of foodie then one of the best places to pig out is at the Circles located at the Shangri-la Hotel in Makati. International cuisine is their strength so there are numerous choices to satisfy whatever craving you have. Indian, Japanese, Chinese, a lot of Western dishes and desserts that keep calling your name to fill up your plate over and over again. It was our second time to dine there last week and fortunately the service was much better than the first time. As far as cleanliness is concerned, the proof is in the bathroom and so far I have no issues with them. When it comes to the price however, you better go there really hungry because it will set you back at approximately P1,600 ++ per person. Fortunately for us, somebody footed the bill so all we had to do is relish each mouthful with gusto. But if you’re planning for a really special occasion then, hey, go ahead. You can always hit the treadmill the next day.

The Manila Peninsula 

One of my all time favorite hotels is the Manila Pen. I actually felt so bad when it got wrecked during the Trillanes takeover last year because I really like Manila Pen. We haven’t been able to dine there for years already but my most unforgettable memory about them is their “Baked Alaska” which I tasted more than ten years ago. I don’t know if they still serve it today but I still have to find one as yummy as the one I had years ago. Unforgettable. Really.

MIDDLE OF THE ROAD

Kanin Club at Paseo de Sta. Rosa or Westgate Alabang

If you prefer Filipino cuisine with that home-cooked appeal then Kanin Club is a must. Their signature ‘crispy tadyang’ is our favorite aside from their yummy gourmet ‘turon’ and practically everything on the menu is a must-try. The first time we ate there, I felt like a judge on Iron chef tasting and savoring every dish they served. The servings are generous, enough for a family to share and the price is just right.  Don’t forget to try their Thai green mango salad!

SONYA’S GARDEN in Tagaytay

If you like it light and healthy, then Sonya’s Garden is where it’s at. Freshly picked greens from her garden sprinkled with edible flowers is a romantic, yummy treat to try. They usually serve a set menu at approximately P500 to P600 per person. I love their dalandan drink. If you go during the day, you can also snap some shots around her lovely garden.

“POCKET” FRIENDLY

MAX’s Fried Chicken

Now here’s an ever reliable place to dine, affordable and always yummy. Their chicken is true to form “sarap to the bones” talaga plus the price is absolutely pocket-friendly. Sulit sa bulsa.

Chow King

You can’t beat P39 Chao Fan anytime. Busog kaayo!

I have so many more but I’m getting hungry already so I’ll leave you with those choices to drool over. I need to grab a bite, hubby just came in with our village’s Jimanji roasted chicken.

Chao!

coffee break ver. 1.25      What do you love most about being married?

First of all, happy anniversary Jan! Now on to your coffee break question…. hmm. Hubby and I have been married for almost ten years already. Yeah, that long and I guess like any other couple we’ve had our bad hair days and our salad days. We didn’t get married saying to each other “Ga, I don’t fix my bed when I wake up” or “Ga, I don’t do toilets, ha”. I realized that what you know about each other from the moment you are presented as husband and wife is so minute compared to the endless unveiling of your spouse each day you live together. Everything gets magnified tenfold – the good and unfortunately, the bad as well.

What do I love most about being married for almost ten years? I wouldn’t exactly say love but maybe what am I most thankful for — if that were the question then I would answer I am thankful for EVERYTHING. Although I cannot say I am happy about everything because there will always be ups and downs in any relationship, nor will I say I like everything about married life. I do know that at the end of the day I can say I am THANKFUL for everything – both good and bad. Simply because I believe everything has a purpose and that there is always a higher reason that doesn’t reveal itself until the appropriate moment set for it. It quietly demands that you simply trust the One who put you together to LIVE each day beside each other even if the road ahead is not so clear.

I am thankful that my life is richer – that although the pains sometimes have been unbearable, yet the unexpected joys are unspeakable and incomparable. I am thankful that I am loved and accepted no matter how I look or how I feel any given time of the day. I am thankful that I can speak my mind freely – to argue and disagree, to banter and to rant at (whether dh deserves it or not lol) and still be treated with respect. I am thankful that I am cherished and deemed precious by two little souls who think I am the best in the whole wide world even when I doubt myself and think otherwise. I am thankful to hubby for all his efforts in trying to be the best husband he could ever be to me. Salamat ‘ga sa Thai massage Most of all, I am thankful to God for helping me realize that marriage is a good thing even for someone like me.

Coffee break :     How would you reward yourself after a long day at work?

I’m a part-time WAHM so my working hours start when everybody else goes to bed and there’s finally some peace and quiet in the house. I wish I could reward myself more often with a day at the spa or the salon but our skeds are so erratic, I just rely on hubby to bring me little treats. Puede na ang turon at sago sa ‘kin. lol What’s really nice is that hubby is studying how to do different kinds of massages (he hangs out a lot and reads these books at Fully Booked) and I get to be the guinea pig. So I have an in-house masseur at my beck and call.

If I can’t have that regularly, what I really look forward to is the chance to tag along with hubby when he has out-of-town trips or events na puede ang 3 sabit. The chance to go outdoors and bring out the camera for some serious photo shooting – that’s a real treat for me. The spa and the salon can hang, I’d rather pack our backpacks and go anywhere, anytime.

p.s. if ever he reads this, I wish he’d buy me Proactiv sana – (the best acne treatment out there IMHO) not because I have acne but I do have oily skin and the whole kit makes skin maintenance really easy. Mine is all gone and that would be a nice treat, sana. (hint hint)

coffee break ver. 1.21 - How were you like as a grade school student?

Mmmm, this one’s a bit tricky coz it’s just been like a few years ago (yikes! I mean ages ago) so my grade school memories are a bit fuzzy (overtaken by my own kids gradeschool escapades lol) but I’m still going to give it a try.

I remember chocnut and ice drop mongo and sweet corn flavor, grade 3 spelling bee, waking up to the sound of the church bells ringing telling me I’m late for school, blue and white school uniforms, daddy tying up my shoes for me, twenty-five centavo tricycle fares, nearsightedness and wrongly prescribed betty la fea glasses, climbing up our guava and camias trees (our backyard was cat tree heaven back then), holen, jackstones, pick-up sticks, sipa and piko, patintero, chinese garter with matching kung-fu shoes, field days and recognition days, a snooty science teacher who embarrassed me in front of the class (God bless her ), happiness was signal number 3 typhoons which meant no classes, martial law and bagong lipunan money… all these are snippets of my childhood. Where did gradeschool fit in? In between the cracks, I guess I didn’t do a lot of studying back then, I was sort of winging it through and quite honestly I still wonder how I got through. Speaking of chocnut I think I need to get my fix. Be back later!

coffee break ver. 1.20 -  What characteristics of a school are you looking for?

Goodbye, pool floats! Hello, school bags! Hopefully the bags don’t float when the floods come.  

I actually do not know how to answer this question right now because, at present, our kids are not enrolled in a traditional school but as of today (while my sanity is still intact) they are being homeschooled. I actually don’t have the statistics of how many families in the Philippines homeschool their kids but I do know that the number is growing steadily.

What is homeschool? It REALLY IS school conducted at home. The next question would probably be WHY? Which brings me to Jan’s coffee break question. Let me put it this way. The decision to homeschool was a joint decision between hubby and myself. It is not something that will work for everybody but this was what we thought was best for our children. This is also not a decision that can be taken lightly because it requires a really strong commitment to see it through. This is what we agreed on and we will continue to do it as long as we are capable. We agreed on what we wanted our children to learn. We did our research on the different curricula and methods of teaching in different schools and what we were looking for is not part of or even if it was, the school itself is not accessible to us, logistically.

Hence, our house is not your typical house. It is filled with books, books and more books all over. It is where our children are educated. It is not a perfect school but I know that our intents for their best interests is the driving force that pushes us to persevere. Our aim is to educate and raise them to fulfill all their potential. This is what burns in our hearts. Our home is our school and school is in the heart of our home. 

Here’s a wonderful definition I got from the 1828 Webster dictionary to inspire you all:

EDUCA’TION, n. [L. educatio.]

The bringing up, as of a child, instruction; formation of manners. Education comprehends all that series of instruction and discipline which is intended to enlighten the understanding, correct the temper, and form the manners and habits of youth, and fit them for usefulness in their future stations.

To give children a good education in manners, arts and science, is important; to give them a religious education is indispensable; and an immense responsibility rests on parents and guardians who neglect these duties.

Here are some famous people who were homeschooled:

Educators

Fred Terman (President – Stanford) 
William Samuel Johnson (President Columbia) 
John Witherspoon (President of Princeton) 

Generals

Stonewall Jackson 
Robert E. Lee 
Douglas MacArthur 
George Patton 

Inventors

Alexander Graham Bell 
Thomas Edison 
Cyrus McCormick 
Orville Wright & Wilbur Wright 

Artists

Claude Monet 
Leonardo da Vinci 

Presidents

George Washington 
Thomas Jefferson 
John Quincy Adams 
James Madison 
William Henry Harrison 
John Tyler 
Abraham Lincoln 
Theordore Roosevelt 
Woodrow Wilson 
Franklin Delano Roosevelt 

Scientists

George Washington Carver 
Pierre Curie 
Albert Einstein 
Booker T. Washington 
Blaise Pascal 

Statesmen

Konrad Adenauer 
Winston Churchill 
Benjamin Franklin 
Patrick Henry 
William Penn 
Henry Clay 

Composers

Irving Berlin 
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart 
Anton Bruckner 
Felix Mendelssohn 
Francis Poulenc 

Writers

Hans Christian Anderson 
Charles Dickens 
Brett Harte 
Mark Twain 
Sean O’Casey 
Pearl S. Buck 
Agatha Christie 
C.S. Lewis 
George Bernard Shaw 

Religious leaders

Joan of Arc 
Brigham Young 
John & Charles Wesley 
Jonathan Edwards 
John Owen 
William Cary 
Dwight L. Moody 
John Newton 

Others

Charles Chaplin – Actor 
George Rogers Clark – Explorer 
Andrew Carnegie – Industrialist 
Noel Coward – Playwright 
John Burroughs – Naturalist 
Albert Schweitzer – Physician 
Tamara McKinney – World Cup Skier 
Jim Ryan – World Runner 
Ansel Adams – Photographer 
Charles Louis Montesquieu – philosopher 
John Stuart Mill – Economist 
John Paul Jones – father of the American Navy 
Florence Nightingale – nurse 
Clara Barton – started the Red Cross 
Abigail Adams – wife of John Adams 
Martha Washington – wife of George W. 
George Washington – 1st President of the U.S.
James Madison – 4th President of the U.S. 
John Witherspoon – President of Princeton U. 
Benjamin Franklin – inventor and statesman 
William S. Johnson – President of Columbia C. 
George Mason

coffee break ver. 1.10   

How would you spend a rainy day on a lazy afternoon?

If I had the luxury of time to spend a lazy rainy day to myself I would:

1.  eat hot steaming bulalo or lugaw, tokwa’t baboy   

2.  do a traditional scrapbook layout

3.  read my BookSale cheap finds

4.  watch a Yo Soy Bea episode and if I’m really feeling loony leave a no keyword comment on YouTube video for them in Spanish

5.  watch the rain

(sigh….) I actually love rainy days. There’s just something soothing about the sound of those gentle drops of liquid silver on your window pane, don’t you think?

coffee break ver. 1.9 

It’s kinda difficult to write about kindness after disciplining your child which is what happened just a few minutes ago. It isn’t the happiest place to be in, for me as a parent or for my child. That’s why it is important to make sure that there is a restoration and a reaffirming of relations between parent and child immediately after. It is in this safe haven that the child learns to mirror forgiveness and acceptance. This is where kindness is imparted.

I am reminded of a song that I learned several years ago, the lyrics go “It’s your kindness that leads us to repentance O, Lord. Knowing that you love us, no matter what we do, makes us want to love you too.” I have found these words so true in my own life and something I want in my relationship with my children. I have found that harsh, judgmental discipline did so little to change me. It only made my heart hard and distant. External compliance does not translate to internal obedience. It’s only when kind and tender words of genuine love and concern are spoken that one’s heart becomes more open to correction and where walls of defense break down.

I try to remember moments when I have been given mercy when I discipline my kids. Of course I want them to know justice… that there is a consequence for wrongdoing. One cannot know and fully appreciate the kindness of God if one does not have a full understanding of His justice.  I want them to experience mercy… to receive acceptance and forgiveness even if it is not deserved. The kindness of God. 

It is difficult to give something that you do not have.  I have abundantly received this over and over again … this divine act of KINDNESS…  from a  God who exacts justice but instead dispensed mercy to a wretch like me. With His help, I hope that I may be able to mirror Him to them. And if ever there are times that I don’t, I trust in His mercy towards me as well.

Coffee break with Jan – ver. 16
It’s Money talk Monday and Jan’s coffee break topic is quite timely. Her question is:
                                            What is your budgeting secret? 

An accounting background is not a pre-requisite before you can make a budget. Logic, common sense, a clear understanding of priorities and an action plan to execute these priorities are actually the major elements that make a good budget work. Why? Because expenses are Choices. What we do with the choices that are presented to us is our Decision. And these decisions are based on Priorities relative to our own values and lifestyles. You are in fact, a CEO of your own company, which is your household, and you are responsible for making decisions, good or bad that make or break your money bank.

We have been in a budget-overhaul mode these past few weeks because of the recent events in our country that affects us all… the rice ‘shortage’, the ever increasing fuel costs which creates a domino effect on all other consumer goods that are part of our grocery lists, etc. etc.. It hasn’t been easy. If we continued to go on with our previous spending patterns, we would never get out of the “red“. Borrowing the word “doodads” from Robert Kiyosaki – our “doodads” have to go!

Here are some of the not so secret things I do as far as budgeting goes:

1. Be in the know where your cash flows. Is your spending (cash going out) faster than the rate you generate income (cash coming in)? The devil is really in the details. You might not realize it but that the gourmet caffe latte you had this morning on your way to work could already be equivalent to your daily minimum wage and now you’ve already spent it even before the day’s work is done. Keep a tab on those little details.
2. Best place to eat is at home. We try to eat at home before we leave the house so that we don’t have to spend that much on food when we go out. Then we can splurge a little bit more on desserts etc.
3. BYOB. Bring your own baon (packed food) in short. I have two kids and I can’t stop them from being hungry or thirsty while we are on the road so that need is already factored in and is part of my grocery list. Instead of the drive thru, they have their little foodie bag packed with goodies they can munch on thru a traffic jam.
4. Barbecue it! That’s how I describe it when we have to do chores or errands in a certain location. Tuhugin na ng sabay-sabay. We make sure we do all we can do when we are in a certain place. By doing that we make sure our gas gets its full mileage benefit.
5. Be a giver. I know that this may sound out of place but this little truth nugget has seen me through over and over again. The more we have given, the more we get back in return. It’s actually the best kept secret that anyone should ever know. What you sow, you will reap and often the reaping happens when you need it most.

So those are my 5 tips on how I budget. I made a little cartoon based on a true story my hubby told me. This really happened to him while he was growing up. Enjoy! 

and a getaway place as well. Actually, I’m really not a coffee drinker but Jan, one of my bloggie friends, has been hosting a coffee break post every Mondays. This week’s post has me stumped. I’ve been pressed to finish a lot of last minute stuff at home, like my son’s final homeschool evaluation exams, changes in our Kumon schedules, a few design jobs for a friend, plus my mom and my sister are coming home from abroad for a visit etc. etc., I couldn’t squeeze my brain to remember the answer to her question. Actually, it’s been such a long time ago (isn’t that a revelation LOL) and my brain needs a little push (or maybe a shove) just to recall such details. Brain caffeine alert! Maybe, it’s that coffee break post that’s waking up my nerves telling me I need to pack my bags and go on vacation somewhere… anywhere! Maybe I’ll check out the Hilton Head rentals and ask my sister if she would like to go there after her visit here. I’ll tell her to pack me up in her suitcase as well… lol.