christmas countdown

46 more days and it's Christmas!!!!

I never paid attention on this until now. Unlike the previous years, I get all excited counting the days before Christmas. I would usually start my countdown as early as October. I would even start jotting down people whom I'll be giving present on this once a year special occasion.

I dunno if recession has to do with it, or a calamity like Ondoy has a major say on this, but I realized that it's just not me who's not too excited for Christmas. Well, it's really nice to be with your love-ones and to receive and give presents on this day, but to make it as extravagant as the Christmases in the past- i think this is out of the question now.

I strongly believe that we can celebrate the holiday season without splurging too much cash on hand, or going extra your credit card limit. One of these days, I will come up with great ideas on how to celebrate Christmas in a cheaper way.

46 more days and we can make Christmas 2009 the best Christmas still.

simply mhei ☺☻☺

comeback Ü

It's been a while since I last opened my blog sites. I have been very busy these past months at work and at home that I couldn't find any spare time to write at all. I just couldn't fit it with all the household chores and endless tasks at the office. Well, I am still busy but finally, I was able to sit down without my son pestering me, and without my hubby making snide comments on me using the computer for hours.

Well, it's already October and just a few weeks away and it's Christmas time again. I have to start scouting for presents for my inaanaks again. I want it to be different this time. Because I usually shop for gifts latter part of the year, and I realized that t-shirts or toys have always been what I have in mind. I know my inaanaks are already getting tired of it, and I bet they would want something new. I definitely have to go to the mall and start checking for other items i can give.

When you say Christmas, it's also synonymous to being a glutton, so I better start my diet or I'll look like the biggest looser. I have to stop craving for chicken skin or Mang Raul's BBQ!! I have to steer away from co-workers selling delicious pastas and brownies! I have to start hitting the gym once again or I'll have a not-so-good-looking body forever, with an aching lower back at that.

Since we feel the season for the entire month of December, Christmas for me also means ANNIVERSARY. That's wedding anniversary and CVG anniversary. When I say wedding anniversary, that means I have to start scouting for a place to go to: Out of town escapade would definitely be wonderful! Any idea? Coron or Panglao? or Siargao? .... And when I say CVG anniversary, it will be my fifth year with my ever-beloved employer- Convergys Philippines. Fifth year is synonymous to retirement!! yahoo!!! So i can retire at an early age anytime after December!!

I definitely am looking forward to everything! ☻☺☻

simply mhei ☺

goodbye summer hello rain!!

It's mid-June now and it has been raining for the past days...Summer time is indeed over and since we are in the tropical part of the world, it's rainy season now!! No winter nor autumn nor spring.... Well, it's time to say goodbye to summer and hello to rainy season..I hate to do this, but I need to bid my sad GOODBYE to beaches, white sand and welcome mud puddles...farewell to tan lines and HELLO frizzy hair...GOODBYE swim suits and say hello trousers and jackets...HELLO high tide and GOODBYE low tide....HELLO frost bites and GOODBYE heat rashes...GOODBYE 24/7 air conditioner and HELLO 24/7 heater...GOODBYE ice cream and HELLO hot cocoa...GOODBYE perspiration and HELLO pale skin...

GOODBYE SUMMER VACATIONS AND HELLO RAINY ADVENTURES!!! ☻

on credit cards and debts

I just recently watched Confessions of a shopaholic at my friend Jason's place. I know, that movie was shown months ago, and since I'm not a movie buff, I just watched it because that's one of the most recent dvd copies he has.

I like chick flicks. Ofcourse I'm a lady for one thing, and I just hate seeing gory films with blood all over the screen. And I loved this movie. Let me just say that I can relate with Isla Fisher who played Rebecca Bloomwood, an obsessed shopper-turned-successful columnist. I love writing... I am a frustrated writer. and I have lots of credit card debts for being a shopaholic once. Well, I'm not really that type who will not go home without at least 5 shopping bags. But the fact that I have loads of cards and debts makes me really go for this flick.

It has been so hard for me for the past couple of months, struggling real hard, rendering overtime work and looking for extra income just to be able to pay off all my debts. You wouldn't want to be in my shoes. You wouldn't want to hide from all those collection callers just like Rebecca Bloom. You wouldn't want to be like me who tries hard to resist all temptations to go to malls because surely, you'll buy something AGAIN rather than paying what you purchased the week before. Even I have a very stable job (is it?? hahahaha!) and has been with the same company for almost 5 years which pays well somehow, salary and allowance won't be enough to pay everything off. With a husband who is sooo much like me, you'll feel like heaven one minute and hell after.

On the brighter side, I am not using my cards anymore (as of today), had one paid off and cancelled(which leaves me 3 more), and I am trying my best to recover from all my responsibilities.. I just hope I can do it before it's too late......

simply mhei

beach bum

I really just LOVE the beach!!!

Although it has been raining these past few days (on a summer time mind you), It still feels so good to be on the beach. Just seeing the clear bluish green water makes me feel relaxed... the hot climate yet cool wind that gently brushes your cheeks... foot prints in the fine sand.... the perfect sky that looks like a painting... having a good tan... and ofcourse those gorgeous boys in their tight trunks showing their to-dye-for muscles... SO WHERE ELSE WOULD YOU RATHER BE THAN STAY ON THE BEACH FOREVER, RIGHT?

Call me desperate, call me pathetic, or brand me ugly names, I DON'T CARE. But I'll definitely make the most of my summer and join every person I know who has plans on going to a summer spree. This is actually just the second time for this month and I was the UNINVITED guest again, hahaha!! I had to literally forced Migs again to tag me along to his team's outing in laiya, San Juan, Batangas. I used my talent (which is acting, ahem!) to make my hubby agree. Well, to tell you quite frankly, we haven't had our honeymoon yet because I was already preggy when we tied the knots. And that was more than four years ago. We seldom go out of town, that makes us both feel that it's about time we join our friends and enjoy while we still can. So in short, he brought me with him. Ofcourse I won!!

The drive all the way to our destination was supposed to be for just approximately three to four hours, and guess what?? It took us 6 hours. We got a little lost wherein we passed a somehow spooky area, with all those trees without lights that no one was passing except for us. But it was fun and we just charged it to experience. The place really isn't that big but the beach is so nice that you'd forget how crowded the place was.

We had a fantastic time, food was great, his team mates were so warm that I didn't feel an ounce of timidness. We had an hour boat ride and they did snorkeling. I would want to but I guess I am not that brave to test the deep blue sea since I don't swim. Atleast I had my pictures taken in the middle of nowhere. I wanted to stay there but I have to go back to reality and head home for I have shift the following day. I wasn't able to go hunk-searching, but it was such a great stay that I have to thank my hubby's team mates and his boss-Losh who have been so accommodating.

And best of all, I had my tan. ☺

simply mhei

Is it really summer??

For the months of March until May, Philippines is known to have a very hot climate. When I say hot, it's really HOT that you want to stay inside the fridge forever than perspire like raindrops. It is so hot and humid that even you are walking at a very slow pace, it seems like you did an hour of jogging for sweating big time. Electricity bills definitely will shoot up for turning the aircon practically 24/7. Ice cream and Halo Halo vendors will surely get better income for everyone will crave for something cool.

Well, for the past 4 days, if my calculation is correct, it has been raining real hard. I don't know if we have a storm coming since I seldom watch telly. It is supposed to be summer time and it's raining. Weird, isn't it? Ofcourse I am not complaining. Even if I have to commute and be stranded the whole day and get home with mud all over my jeans... I LOVE IT! I just love the feeling of seeing those people wet and all because they don't have umbrellas handy, hahaha!!! Kidding side, we need rain on summer season like this to somehow balance the weather.

I just hope it won't rain tomorrow because it's BEACH DAY for me!!!

simply mhei

summer time!

It's summer time once again!!

Everyone wants to hit the beach and have tan, ladies are on a strict diet and excited looking for the skimpiest swimsuits, lots of people are scouting for the best beaches around... We all want to lounge near the sea and have fun.

Had just one trip to the beach early this month. I admit, I just literally forced my hubby and his former team mates to include me on their team building but it was worth strangling their necks because I really had a fantastic time. At least I had my tan and I can already say that I went somewhere this summer, hahaha!

The place isn't as neat as those white sand beaches that will cost you a fortune if you stay overnight, and it's just regular sand, typical to those gravel and sand that we would normally buy to build a house, hahaha! It's somewhere in Ternate, Cavite, forgive me for forgetting the name of the resort, it's ranch something resort. The place has a pool with slides, with hall, videoke, and you can have bonfire at night. The rooms are just fine, and best of all, the accommodation rates are within your budget. You can cook, sing all day-all night, talk dirt and yell at each other for all they care. You can snuggle with your partner under the cool palm trees, you can climb the trees like monkeys and get coconot, you can do what you want to do!

If you are just after hitting the beach and having fun with limited funds, then this place will really do. I bet it will even be better if they will develop the place. Not as glamorous as Amanpulo or Boracay, but at least you need not worry about plane tickets and going home with no money at all. 2-3 hours drive from Manila and you're there. And if you are with someone you enjoy being with, does place matters???

simply mhei

change of body clock (again???)

After 4 days off work(2 days off and 2 days leave), I am back and guess what?? My shift changed again. Well, I understand that I am working for a call center industry wherein even on the interview process, I was expected that I might be on a shifting schedule and I should adapt to constant changes. I kinda like the new schedule, though it starts a bit early(4am) for someone who sleeps late, but if you were in the night shift forever, then all of a sudden you'll be transferred to the morning shift the following week, then back to night shift the week after and then AGAIN back to the morning shift the week after next, what do you expect? It's not that I am complaining, it's just that sometimes I feel that it's not fair. I would understand it more if you'll have to only adjust your schedule for several hours but from changing your body clock totally every after week, well, you will say that it's too much, right? And we are coaches, we are not like those regular voice and cyber agents that have flexible working schedules. Transition classes have been in the night shift forever...well, there was a time that transition coaches were split into 2 team- night and day shifts to address seat capacity and service level but now, the whole team was transferred back and forth... I admit, I don't get the point, but who am I really to complain? For me, it will even be easier so my hubby and I will have somehow the same schedule since we work for the same company. Just think of that additional pay I am getting for night differential(If you work from10pm-6am as per revised Philippines Labor Code)...

I have heard we are gonna be in the morning shift for good. Well, whatever the schedule is, whether opener or closer, it's fine, but heck, I hope changing our transition schedule wouldn't be as extreme as what happened to us lately. But on the brighter side, at least we still have work. ☺☺☺

simply mhei

almost done

After a month and a half of commuting to and from the office...after all the hassle of finding engine parts...after starving myself to death and after depriving myself in buying stuff I crave for...finally, Migs and I were finally done paying for our new engine- a fuel injected something(Please pardon my little knowledge on car parts).

I believe I did mention that our car just stopped from working. We were so lucky that it didn't happen in the muddle of the highway with cops roaming around that we have to pay big bucks. I realized how convenient it really is having your own car...you don't have to squeeze in the mass of perspiring bodies(just imagine how you smell by the time to get home) while riding a jeepney, you need not wait forever for a tryke when your shift starts in the wee hours of the morning, and ofcourse, having the pleasure of taking shortcuts to avoid that effing traffic.

Well, just a few more car parts, and ofcourse installing the new car engine, then I'm a happy camper!

simply mhei

great combination!?!?

I have been telling myself for the past weeks that even I have few hours of sleep, everything would just go out just fine. I have overtime pay, i have extra money, hence, I'll have something to spare and have my car fixed.

WELL, I GUESSED WRONG.

I just did the most sensational, the worst case scenario I never thought possible, something unknown to human being, a very humiliating situation I ever got myself into, something I don't want to happen again in a million years. Worst, it can be regarded as the talk of the century.

Fine, I'm overreacting. I just couldn't figure out what mess I was in and how to get out of it.

My shift starts 9pm and ends 6 am, but I only got home around 10am when work isn't that far from where I live. It's just a 45-minute drive home including the normal traffic Las Piñas City has (Please don't ask what the not so normal traffic is like, you'll have severe headache). It looks like I've rendered overtime again. You're WRONG. Actually, overtime in a way but not paid. I just have to finish some of the admin tasks I have being a transition coach(I LOVE doing admin tasks mind you). So in short, I'm tired but I NEED to cook something. I felt that I have been neglecting my job as a wife lately, so I decided to cook something extra special for Migs, well, not really that special, but a dish that I'm sure he'll love-our all time fave caldereta. And since I have to make the meat tender and all forever, I have to make it as quick as I can or I'll lose the chance to have my much awaited beauty sleep again.

That means I have to do shortcuts, so yes, I have to do away with the ready made caldereta mix and just add the stuff and you're good to go. I saw 2 packs of caldereta mix in the fridge (or so I thought) and threw the contents on top of the boiling beef. Now that everything is tender (including the veggies), I tried to taste it, and guess what? IT TASTED WEIRD! And you know why? BECAUSE I JUST SIMPLY USED A CALDERETA MIX AND A SINIGANG(TAMARIND) MIX on my a kilo and a half beef!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm dead! I SWEAR!!!!!

Imagine tasting caldereta with a sour twinge. Well, that's how you'll find it. I bet you wouldn't want to eat caldereta for another decade.

Well, what else can go wrong, right?

With the global economic and all, I don't want to just put 'em into waste. So, I have to wash the meat and rinse several times like your laundry and start from scratch. And I guess, now I can call it Mechado.

Caldereta and Tamarind Mix that turned out to be Mechado- such a perfect combination, right? Hahahaha.

simply mhei

overtime

It's so nice to sleep for over 8 hours!!! Specially if your sleep has been ranging from an hour to 4 hours for the past weeks!! I have been rendering overtime for the last three weeks, I would even render overtime during my rest days. We are not really required to render OT but due to my non-stop needs, well, I feel I HAVE to. Even Migs, my hubby, renders OT whenever he can. Let us not mention the incentives if we are to complete 30 hours of overtime for the month of February. Well, that's something we are both looking forward for... We have a lot of bills to pay...not to mention having to fix our car who stopped working all of a sudden. I realized how hard it is not to have a car... Having to commute to my mom....to go to the office in business attire..then ride a jeepney...it's not kaartehan or luho as someone would probably say, for me it's a necessesity.

Well, going back to my regular sleep, here comes the endless no-sleep week again for I am back to reality!!! I HAVE TO GO TO WORK...

simply mhei

I hate Mondays!

I hate mondays! I dunno why but i feel like it's the slackest day... The day before going back to work, the day after our habitual family day...

Don't get me wrong, I just don't like the idea of being idle on the first day of the week. On the other hand, I did something out of the ordinary! Well, I did the laundry, cooked pasta and washed the dishes, took care of my baby josh--that's something else, right?? You might think I'm lazy. Well, you can say that again. Honestly, I just don't have time to do things a normal housewife should be doing for I am so busy at work, and I feel like the only consolation I have after work is to have my well-deserved rest.

So going back to my least favorite part of the week, do you also happen to hate mondays??? I would have loved Mondays since I'm off work and I can do some surfing and what not, but having a son who wants to be in front of the computer 24/7, not even giving me time to play my aps on Facebook..who would love to be on rest days??hahaha. Good thing he's eating right now or I would have not been able to write a post.

simply mhei

pc and my family

It has been a while since I last visited my blog sites. Aside from the fact that my internet was disconnected due to non payment (oh well, that sucks big time), I have been so busy with work, my family and my friends that I don't have time to make a blog or two. Plus the fact that my 3 and a half son started to love playing computer games and surfing the net! If only I am rich, I swear Ill buy another pc or a lap top perhaps so I wouln't have to share it with my hubby, and now, my kiddo. Whenever we're all home, we would spend our quality time strangling each other to death just to be able to use the computer. Say, I started checking my mails or playing my aps in Facebook, Josh, my son, would start to whine and would literally push me out of the pc so he could play. Ofcourse, being a mom, and not wanting my son to start being disrespectful to me, I'll give way and have him use the computer. Then just an hour after, my ever bully husband would shoo my son away so he can have his turn use the computer too. Since he knows that Josh is so afraid of him, he'd use the pc when it's Joshua's turn since he can't ask me to leave the computer. (I'm the boss!! Hahahaha) So Migs my hubby would finally have his turn and since my son just asked me to stay out the computer, I would shoo my hubby away so I can use the pc again. Then my son would push me away, Migs would bully Josh and I would bully Migs. Then I'd get tired either because I would already be late for work or I got so bummed with taking turns with 'em and would just go to sleep. So if you ever wonder why I haven't been updating my blogs, now you know damn well what has been happening to me lately.

simply mhei

NEW YEAR ESCAPADE

Goodbye 2008 and hello 2009!!!

The previous year has been really great. There has been a lot of good and not-so-good memories that I want to thanks everyone who has been part of it. Whoah!! Enough with the drama.

Well, this New year's eve celebration has been very remarkable! Even I am somewhat in recession lately, with huge credit card bills and all that, we were able to celebrate it with superb dishes, splendid fireworks and with my loved ones.

I was so fortunate to have been given December 31st and January 1st as rest days for this week though I had to be on split rest days per week for the past two weeks. Still all worth it!

Migs and I bought some colorful fireworks. It has been a while since I last bought fireworks and I was surprised how expensive they are now. Well, can't complain though. We just bought a handful-2 fountains, 2 small boxes of pink firework displays and 1 medium sized colorful fireworks. That already cost a thousand bucks, can you believe that?

We had grilled liempo, lechong kawali, beef caldereta, holiday ham, and fruit salad for our Media Noche. We didn't have that much time to cook and anyway it was just my mom and dad, then migs my hubby and josh my son. I bought ingredients for an italian-style spaghetti, but since I practically slept the entire day, I wasn't able to cook it. Can you blame me if I'm so tired? Hahaha.

The best part of 'em all was our ROAD TRIP with my close friends jaypee and jason. Jaypee used to be my editor in chief in college and the person who referred me to CVG and jason is our papa bear in the office. Well, originally, we planned to go to The Fort to party after the putukan blues is over. The place was so jampacked with youngsters that we decided to head to Antipolo at 4am in the morning.

The trip to Antipolo was like the movie/ps game The Silent Hill wherein the place was so foggy(was it really fog or the aftermath of the new year's fireworks?) and the road looked so silent and a little scary. Unlike The fort, Antipolo was a ghost town that early New year's day. Bars were closed and I could barely see any vehicle or people out in the streets. We then saw Cloud 9 with a signage that says they're open 24 hours. So we drove our way up to steepy Cloud 9. Guess what? We found no one, not even a guard or receptionist. We just took pictures and scared each other and drove off.

It's 5 in the morning on new year's day and we're still in the middle of nowhere with no idea where to go to after Antipolo. Well, though we have not stayed for more than 30 minutes at The Fort and antipolo, we were still enjoying our escapade. So, we hit Eastwood next. And ofcourse, since it's already breakfast time for everyone after a major party, we didn't find any open bar and party people, just a bunch of lunatics taking their pictures with Ronald Mcdonald. After Esatwood, we passed by Metrowalk, then, we went to Rockwell, no luck either. Well, what do you expect? Everyone was so damn tired by then.

Since we literally went to all the hang outs in Manila, we headed to Makati to check if there's still life at 5:30 am, and guess what, we found one in Makati Ave.!! We didn't like the genre of music so we tried to scout for other places. And since we became so hungry with this thrilling road trip, all we wanted was to have breakfast and go home. We decided to have Northpak for breakfast. And you guessed right...Northpark is already closed. We went to check Tiananmen(me and migs' favorite), they were about to close also, the we tried to check Nextdoor, which is below Tiananmen, they were still open but everyone was there I didn't think we have a fat chance to squeeze our bodies in. So we finally decided to just have our old time favorite tapa and proceeded to Ruffos' which is just a walking distance from Makati Ave.

At last, we finally found ourselves a table. Place was also jampacked with people who were so tried after partying hard. You might think that we didn't enjoy the trip, but we difinitely enjoyed every minute of it, all thanks to Jaypee and Jason who made the day really fun, specially having those snide remarks on people we saw along the way.

Yeah, it was like a long journey with no fair result, spending a lot on gas for going practically from south to north and vice versa, but it was really fun and definitely something I'll look forward to sometime soon.

Thanks our driver with no less than my husband Migs, my fashionista friend Jaypee and my ever reliable frined Jason. Happy new year and I hope we don't go around road-tripping all througout the year. Hahahaha!!
♥♥♥ simply mhei ♥♥♥