New Schedule

As RV and Aron are both attending school (at St. Gabriel International School as Grade 1 and Nursery respectively), I have to adjust my schedule to prepare them for school and accommodate their needs. Here’s a glimpse of my activities during normal school day as a full time mother and father:

5:00AM Prepare breakfast
6:00AM Boys bath
6:30AM Breakfast
7:30AM School Bound
8:00AM Charma’s breakfast
8:30AM Clean the house, wash the dishes, etc
10:00AM Prepare lunch
11:20AM School bound
11:45AM RV’s Lunch
1:00PM Fetch Aron
1:30PM Charma’s lunch
2:00PM Aron’s siesta
4:00PM Fetch RV
Review RV & Aron’s lessons
5:00PM Prepare dinner
6:00PM Dinner time
7:00PM Wash the dishes and clothes (partial)
8:00PM Boys sleep time
8:30PM Finish washing the clothes
9:00PM My real rest (watch tv, etc)
10:00PM Chat with my husband
11:00PM Sleep time

Welcome to domestic life charma!

"Inatay"

Whew, now I know how it is to become a full time mother and father (or “inatay” in Bisaya) as I am now doing it, which explains my absence in the blogsite for more than a month! I took an indefinite leave of absence from my work to be with my kids in Manila, finally fulfilling 100% of my duties as a mother with a bonus role of a father after 10 years. And honestly it’s not an easy task, more difficult than my working experiences. My new role requires a lot of patience and triple hardwork and not to mention the unlimited TLC for my 2 growing boys RV and Aron. But I’m not complaining, infact I am truthfully happy with my new role. The level of fulfillment and happiness is different from what I had at work – it’s a new high for me. Plus, my kids were extremely happy of my career move, so happy that they kept on hugging me everynight till they fall asleep.

Now everytime somebody asks me how’s work, I nonchalantly told them I have a new boss – a very demanding yet very rewarding boss – my family.

Despidida Party Part 2

September 16, 2008

Yah, yah, I managed to report on work eventhough I only had 4 hours of sleep. I checked on the gurls and like me, they also reported to work. Wehehehehe. By the way, Anna invited me for a dinner tonight exclusively for her family and relatives only. I was really touched when she told me that she invited me because I'm part of their family. By 6PM, I immediately went home and proceeded directly to Anna's house where we feasted on crabs and fishes.

Later, the two of us shared some bonding time where we talked about her departure tomorrow. We were then joined by our newfound friends Junars, Rex and Ron and together, we sang songs and jammed the night away. We ended up again at 1AM. Whew! For two straight days, I slept for only 4-5 hours and still managed to report for work! Vital-C is really effective then.

Despidida Party Part 1

September 15, 2008

As mentioned, we had to postpone the mini-reunion / despidida party to give way to the PDA Grand Night yesterday. So for a Monday, it was very unusual for anybody to have a night-out, but we just did. We had no choice as my best buddy and high school classmate Anna is scheduled to leave on the 17th. Fortunately, the original cast we contacted also came along. Amidst the slight rainshower, me, Anna, Liv, Malyn and Jing went downtown to fetch Ynna and Erwin. We then proceeded to Jacksridge in Matina to eat dinner. Enteng, a good friend of Anna, met us there. After a sumptuous dinner, what followed was non-stop picture-taking initiated by our frustrated phographer, Liv.

At around 11PM, we unanimously decided to pass by Cynthia's Bajada (in front of McDonald's) to watch our very own Day 7 band play their gig. The lead vocalist, Edward, who happened to be our "silingan" and elementary classmate warmly welcomed us. We ended up staying at Cynthia's until the wee hours of the morning as we enjoyed the songs played by the band. But what the heck! It's been two years now since the last time we had this kind of fun so better make the most out of it.

But wait, it didn't ended there. By 1AM, we went back to Mandug where my girlfriends were treated to door-to-door deliveries. What happened next was a drinking spree with Erwin, Enteng, Anna and me at Enteng's house. And guess what, we returned home at around 3AM! And to think it's still Tuesday and I have work by 8AM...Zzzzzzz

PDA Season 2 Grand Dream Night

September 14, 2008

After 3 months of following this reality TV show in ABS-CBN, the end finally happened, and it's not just a one-night event, but a two-night event! Last Saturday, September 13, the grand performance night was held wherein the top 6 scholars namely Bugoy, Liezel, Laarni, Van, Miguel and Cris performed their last gala night. Obviously, I'm still rooting for Bugoy who sang Ligaya by the Eraserheads and Climb Every Mountain. But I must say, Liezel's performance was also impressive.

The following day, a Sunday, was the announcement of the Grand Dreamer. We had to cancel our supposedly mini-reunion of some highschool friends because of this. Almost all of my friends and colleagues were praying for Bugoy to win the show. And so, you could just imagine our dismay when Laarni was proclaimed the winner. We were sooooo dismayed that we ended up drinking beer! Grrrrr, personally, I really don't like Laarni as mentioned in my previous post. Moreover, how come Miguel got the 3rd spot and not Liezel? What the!

Anyhow, we still feel Bugoy and Liezel were robbed of their thrones, nevertheless, we also knew that they will be the first two to succeed among their batchmates. True enough, Bugoy's single, Paano na Kaya, composed by the maestro himself Ryan Cayabyab, was all over the local radio in Davao. We got another hit here man!

Dana Foundation Team in Action

September 11, 2008

I had a fun day today coz finally I was able to join the Dana foundation team in action! This was unplanned actually. Tired of driving alone due to last night's activity (we attended another wake in Mandug), I hitched with the group on their way to Sto. Tomas. They dropped me off at Pantaron coz I will be observing the extension program conducted by FSIA which is related to my next project with the company. But since the program ended earlier than expected, I had no choice but to go with the team to Semong Kapalong because that's my only ride home. But boy, I really was glad I did.

Together with sir John, Dale and Francis, we painted the water reservoir of AMSEFFPCO in Semong, the first of its kind in Davao del Norte. The reservoir is a big pot with a capacity of 5,000 liters good for 40 households. This was created as a joint project of the cooperative and Dana foundation. According to sir John, when they created the pot, other officials of the nearby barangays, local government officials and representatives of government agencies, were present to witness and observe it's making. Of course, Riza Calma, the coop manager was very proud of this.

Since I was unprepared, Francis was kind enough to lend his new shirt to me so that I can paint. I was happy coz this will be my first time to do such. We started at around 1:30PM and ended at around 3:30PM. Each one did their part, including officials and members of the coop. Never mind if our fingers had paint in it or if my shirt had paints, the end result of a half-green, half-yellow pot, was all worth it. The different sense of fulfillment and happiness led us to discuss other projects of the foundation. And I immediately told sir John that if I have time, I will definetly go with them.

The voluntary work that I did gave me a different kind of high and happiness. I was so overwhelmed that I was seriously thinking of doing this full-time, that is, if my resources permit. As of the moment, I will just grab whatever chances I have to help other people. It's just returning a favor from God when He blessed me with so many things!

Sulit.com.ph

September 07, 2008

I forgot to blog about my being a member in Sulit.com.ph Buy and Sell Philippines. I have been a regular visitor to this website since last year but never enrolled myself. It was only in August this year that I finally decided to become a member, first and foremost because I'm selling most of our stuff and secondly, to check on online businesses. I must say, the site did help a lot. And the good thing about it, it's FREE - membership is free and advertisements are also free. My very first ad in Sulit was the Encyclopedia I was selling (which I also blogged here). But I had to cancel the ad days later simply because it's already sold (lucky me!). Nevertheless, I continue to use the site in searching for additional income thru the internet (pay per click, pay per post, etc). Meeting new friends is a bonus here.

To know more about Sulit.com.ph, simply visit their site by clicking this link: http://www.sulit.com.ph/?ref=charma0378