Excited to be Home

Oh yeah, it's that time of the year when it's a MUST for us to be home with our families. If you think about it, there is actually a lot of good places to go to to celebrate this season without work interruption. My husband is officially on leave while my company is on shutdown (no operations, no work).  But as I repeatedly say, our parents are already old and my nieces and nephews are growing up so fast. I don't want to look back to this day in the future and say "I should have spent more time with them".

Enough of the drama!  

So, I"m making a list of my to-do's prior to going home.  Here are my priority activities and need to make sure I have evrything with me:

1. Do bank transactions. You know how crude our banking system -- everything has to be printed & filed in your branch of account, even as simple as updating your address. 

2. Visit an OB and a specialist -- hopefully 2014 will be "the" year

3. Go to a dermatologist -- the last time I had my facial here, it left me a big scar in the middle of my forehead. So NEVER EVER will I try it again here

4. Meet up with special friends --  I said special because during this time of the year, parties, get togethers are left and right. So let's see who will allocate time for me :-) Ergo,I need to buy gifts for these special people. 

7 days to go....tick tock tick tock tick tock tick tock tick tock....

Flexible Work Arrangement

Who would have thought that my blog entries "Benefits of WFH" and "Cons of Working from Home" will eventually lead to an invitation as a guest speaker in CAMFEBA's 3rd HR Symposium. Can anyone guess which topic below was assigned to me? :-)

Anyway, here are some pictures taken during that event.

When I was invited to share my experience FWA, it seems that the issue of flexibility is becoming everybody's interest and needs which is actually good. Although based on my observation, basing it from the questions I got from the audience, most companies here may not be ready for it yet. But one has to start somewhere, right? So, it's good that they asked, it's good that others shared their experience, 

My interest in FWA is simple, "Being able to worm flexibly makes me happy, makes me enjoy the work that I do and therefore it helps make a difference. 

Postcard

I was already working when we  had our first landline installed. Not because we can't afford it but simply because the technology in communication was not yet advanced that time (cellphone was not even a known word) and sad to say, private companies and the government were not investing on it as well. So only a few houses in our street will have one. If you need to make a call, go to your nearest pay phone booth. Oh yeah, I remember back in college when I had to drop several 25cent coins just to make sure I don't get cut as I was asking a classmate of a lesson I missed. She was even laughing because she can hear tricycles in the background. 

When it's summer time, the only way I get connected with friends is by writing letters. I have 3-4 classmates I write to regularly. We exchange letters almost every two weeks (because ordinary mail takes around 7 days). And take note, these are handwritten letters that are 3-7 pages (back to back yellow pad). 

Fast forward the time.....just last week, I received a postcard and saw it in our doorstep. From afar, I can see the postcard and I initially thought the apartment was giving away free postcards. But I noticed the airmail stamp and suddenly I felt excited that someone actually sent me a real postcard. The feeling reminded me so much of what I shared earlier --- writing long letters, going to the post office to drop it off then waiting for the mailman to arrive after a week or so. In this day and age, I am not sure if there are still people sending handwritten letters/postcards. 

For someone who used to write, send and receive handwritten letters/postcard, this postcard is very very much appreciated. appreciated.  

Another topic about Rain

I grew up in the city and strong rains never really bothered me at all.

I remember my father, sister and I would usually walk, literally walk, amidst the flood in my neighboring hometown. Little did I know that that activity will soon come in handy. Yes, when I learned how to drive and it's traffic in the main road, I usually take the inner streets. Back then flood water wasn't that "dirty." I mean I can still see the road and I remember kids playing outside, under the rain.

When I started working, I still enjoy it when it's raining. In fact that is the time I would usually invite friends for a lunch out or go to a nearby mall (which was Greenbelt). I just love walking in the rain -- no sweat, no sunburns! Just the cool air touching my skin. 

But now....na-ah! Just the sight of flood water makes me think of all the possible diseases I can acquire. Going outside the building scares me of the worse traffic scenarios. Lastly, the accidents -- falling branches of trees, falling billboards. 

Oh how I miss how life was simple and 'cleaner' then....

Passionate about Passion Spa

I talked about how much I like and am enjoying their services  in this post.  So, let's take a peek on what's inside...




The big facade with their name of course. So you won't miss it. 

For swedish and aromatherepy massages, you will be asked to choose your preferred oil scent

For facial services, the products they use depend on your skin type,  (imported & known brands)

 

Towels everywhere and I can see where they are stacked. so, I am assured that they are clean and if I request for one, they have a supply 

 

They have so many rooms, depending on the service. This one is for the traditional Thai massage. 

 

And after a relaxing massage (body or facial), here's fresh salabat for you

Baguio (Late Post)

The last time I was here was year 2004 with my friends in MBA school. The last time I was with my family was way back college graduation. Now, it's more fun as we have kiddos, my pamangkins, with  us.

<backtrack>

When I went home last April, my sister told me their family is going to Baguio early May and since the vacation house can accommodate more people she floated the idea of us (me & my parents) joining them. It was a no for me as my return flight is scheduled that same weekend and SG airlines flight for the following week was already full. But persistence is the key. I don't know how my sister did it but an hour after, she told me that she was able to rebook my flight. I even thought it was a joke because I've been calling for days but it only took her like 5 min. My doubts were confirmed when I received a confirmation email of my new sched.

So, the next question -- how to get there.   Do we bring our own car,  ride with my sister or just take the public transpo?  Both my parents are discouraged by their doctors to take long road trips (in the Philippines). Driving on our roads is like driving on the moon. For someone who has heart problems, that is not advisable. My parents and I decided to take the bus....yes, Victory Liner at its best. They have a "1st class bus" that has wifi, tablet (which you can borrow in case you don't have one) and reclining seats!!!!

Yeah, that's me enjoying their 1st class service. We got the 1st row seats so there was really a lot of leg room. Not to mention, they offer snacks (junkie, cupcake & bottled water)

It only took us 4 hours as it was an express ride. No need to stop-over as they also have toilet inside the bus. I think we it was a good decision as it was totally hassle-free. You just sleep and when you wake up, you're already in Baguio!

We went to the usual places and my my my....it really has changed a lot. Like in Mines View Park, I was surprised with so many market stalls. I can still remember it was only along the road where people would sell their stuff.

Anyway, my new escapades in this trip include the following:

Strawberry shortcake from Vizco's which is really worth a try. Calamansi cake from a Mongolian (buffet) restaurant.

They say Baguio is not complete without stopping by Choco-Latte de Batirol.

 It is a hot, thick bittersweet blend with a distinctive texture

I don't have pictures inside SM Baguio but that's another new to me. Well, I really hope we can go back there again this time with my hubby. Let's see...what about spending Xmas there.....

Rainy Days are here again

I am just thankful that we moved to a different apartment. In the old one, everytime it rains continuously for 2 hours, expect knee-deep floodwater outside which extends up to 50 meters. I am so scared everytime I need to go out or when I am out. Just the thought of the car not suddenly moving and that I have to go down to push it really scares me lol.

Anyway, I am thinking of having this set-up near our front door. I think it will be helpful to prevent mud sticking on the floor. But it also made me ask ... so who is going to clean the container or the stones after? Like can I just leave it unwashed? because what is the difference if I place a mat instead? but that's just it...mats look very ordinary and with these, it adds some design/character to the house. Oh well, let me think more on this...hmmmmm....