Pagbabago

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Fresh out from highschool and still naïve on what commuting is all about, I spent my first steps towards college life with my mom discreetly on my side. She was with me when I took my entrance exams, when I enrolled to the university, on my first day in college, and few weeks more after. Thanks to my friends who inspired me to fully grasp that portion of college life, I told my mom that I was ready to take the route home all by myself. The truth was, I was really not alone, for I was with my friends who served as bore-busters while on my way home. Since my dad drove for me from gradeschool to highschool, I found commuting really interesting. What made my adventure more special were the Goldilocks goodies bought in front of our university. We happily shared fluffy mamon, tasty polvoron, caramel popcorn and even took turns in sipping the sago gulaman with jokes, laughter, and stories in between. We were students with limited allowance and we made most out of our extras by sharing the Goldilocks goodies we had.

It was second semester when Elmer, one of my friends, FINALLY spoke up and expressed his intentions. Yes!! That was the reaction that I almost blurted out, but I instantly kept my composure and kept it to myself. The truth: I had a huge crush on him too! Who would not? He was tall, smart, and lastly, a good-looking guy. He captured my heart the first time he talked to me in class, and luckily he belonged to my circle of friends. I got used to having him around, but to be wooed by him, which made us separate from the group, was a different thing. A different yet super-kilig thing for me. Our group would have lunch in Goldilocks but the two of us were on a different table. Needless to say, as part of the ligawan thing, he became my companion going home, still with the caramel popcorn and the fluffy mamon that I also willingly shared to him.

Not long after, he heard my answer. Since then, we were inseparable. We were classmates from first to fourth year college. He was one of the many reasons I had a colorful college life. Eight more years after graduation, we finally said both our “I do’s” in front of the altar. Having him as a boyfriend for twelve long years, I thought I already saw, experience, and got the best of him. Boy, I was totally wrong! To say how great he was as a husband was beyond words. I was one lucky person to have a husband like him.

May 10, 2009, that day marked the fulfillment of my dream. We were blessed with a baby! I never dreamt of something really big in my life, for I believe riches deplete and careers take a downfall, but what I prayed for was definitely huge—to be a mother. “Mothers are God’s helpers in creating better people”, so they say. And I so wanted to take that part. So when I learned that there was a life inside me, I was more than delighted. First trimester was all about morning sickness, mood swings, and cravings. My sweet cravings could only be pacified in the form of Goldilocks sago gulaman. Yes, just like in college, this tamed my sweet cravings until I gave birth. The crushed ice, the firm sago, and the sweet syrup—still very much like in college, and still very much enjoyed by me. And oh, this I should say—after I gave birth, this little creature named Miguel Inigo competed to the attention I gave to the sweet Goldilocks drink. And Goldilocks sago gulaman had to concede, Miguel Inigo, or fondly called Migo, won my heart, wore the crown, and claimed the throne.

Migo turned one this year. I could vividly remember how the mother in me was more than excited to take charge of everything. Since I had no yaya, I was on mommy mode in daytime, and hurriedly shifted to events planner at night. From the balloons down to what the three of us wore during the party, I was in total control. My siblings and in-laws were as excited as I was and they willingly sponsored and helped make the party a success and it made the planning more enjoyable. When I was asked to decide on the cake, which had some sort of a competition between one who looked really fashionable if it was a dress and the Goldilocks cake, no doubt I chose Goldilocks. It was obvious enough that all through the significant changes in my life Goldilocks was with me. And the first birthday party of our son that marked our one year full of tiny laughs, tight embrace, and cute kisses from the adorable one, Goldilocks had to be there. The cake tasted and looked great, especially with the Mickey Mouse topper who the little man plays up to this day.

My life, like everybody else’s, faced different changes. It took turns, it shifted gears, it went up and fell, it cried and smile, it failed and won. Change, no matter how big or small, is part of me, part of us. But no matter how many changes my life has to endure, my core, my substance, and my values remain. And I believe that is the most important.

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The writer in me

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I thought, since I was spending a lot of time typing, browsing, researching, reading, and writing in the internet, why not profit from it, right? Since I have grown to love writing and my passion for it never stopped growing up to this day, I guessed writing for some bucks ain't that bad at all. So I signed-up at Freelancer.com and got noticed by employers in time.



Thanks to this blog which sometimes I submitted as my sample writing, employers gave me the chance to write for them. I had tasks as a ghost blogger, an article writer, and a reviews writer. Fortunately, my employers were not hard to deal with, gave clear instructions and gave me topics to write within the bounds of my interests. And it was a nice feeling knowing that they loved my work too, that instead of just transferring the payment to my account and bye-bye they go, they emailed me to inform that they were pleased with my work. That made my heart smile. All the unglamorous effects of writing and finishing articles on my spare time (lunch break) and wee hours (I worked after I finished all my mommy and wifey duties which was from 10:00pm to 2:00am then wake up at 6:00am, but that did not make me a sleepyhead on my daytime job) were evident on my drooping eyebags, terrible back pain, annoying breakouts, much needed mani and pedi, and long overdue hair color and treatment, but I almost did not care because it eventually paid-off, thank you very much to the heartwarming compliments from my employers.




I am crossing my fingers that this job-on-the-side of mine will be on a regular basis. I hope! I really hope! For the meantime, I am taking a one week "leave" and will beautify myself before my husband takes a close look at me, discovers the unglamorous side of me (not yet close to being a losyang, that's for sure!!), and wonders if I am the same woman he married few years back. This I have to deal with first. :)

The Monday holiday

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The Monday holiday was the aftereffect of our Tagaytay weekend. Simply put, we spent it lazily. Come afternoon, the three of us feasted on our merienda which consisted of hotdogs, peanuts, popcorn, Spanish bread, choco cupcake, orange juice, and apple juice. By the way, if you haven't noticed it yet, we were just three in the family. My big man, my little man, and me. Yes, this is how we eat. Always. And still I wonder why my waistline keeps on expanding!



The Spanish bread bought from Sonya's was the best Spanish bread I have ever tasted. The litte man, on the other hand, finished half of the choco cupcake and he loved it so much definitely because it was chocolate. We all know how kids adore chocolates in any form--drink, candy, bar, ice cream, etc. He paired it with Gerber apple juice. Yum yum!




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I love Tagaytay weekend!!

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My honey's calendar marked August 27, Friday, as day-off, and Malacanan Palace announced August 30, Monday, a holiday because it was National Heroes' Day. So imagine how happy I was when I learned that the three of us will be spending Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday lazily and stress-free!

August 27, Friday - The rain the night before would not stop and it seemed that it had no any plans of stopping, so I wondered if going out of town would be a clever idea. I had second thoughts of going, yet the wife in me told me that my husband needed to recharge his pressured mind and abused body (thank you very much to his demanding work) and the mother in me agreed also that the little man deserved to have a different place to witness and a different air to breathe. So despite the heavy rains in Manila, off we were to Tagaytay.

We arrived there just in time to stop our complaining tummy. It was past two in the afternoon when we had lunch at RSM. As usual, we ordered the sought after Bulalo which had generous serving of tender beef, vegetables, beef stock (perfect ulam as it is) and, of course, the star of the show- the bulalo, or commonly called utak. I insisted on getting fried tawilis, a bestseller also. These two viands, paired with two servings of plain rice, calamansi with red-hot siling labuyo, and ice-cold cola... with the Taal volcano as the backdrop...ahh!! Perfect late lunch!!







Since the place was not that crowded given the time and the (ordinary) day, the little man had the chance to freely roam around its grounds. He played habulan with his dad. My two men were so tired already, and so we left.



Next stop, Sonya's Garden. This place never failed to make me smile. Endless colorful flowers greeted me in every corner I went to, and unique wood, art, and antique pieces in extraordinary designs placed in different spots fascinated me as always.

We bought the ever-famous Sonya's Spanish Bread and
the bestseller Choco Cupcake.

The last time we were there, it was just the two of us. Now, the little man was with us who, like in RSM, joyfully took advantage of the wide, clean grounds of Sonia's. We just let him walk, run, sit, and pick pebbles and it was evident that he enjoyed his semi-unguarded playtime in Sonya's.




It was time for dinner when we left Sonia's. As always, our tongue craved for Italian dishes only Bon Giorno could pacify. We even brought a bottle of wine to complement what we ordered, only to be told that there would be a corkage fee, so with broken hearts, we finished our meal without it. Wine or without wine, Bon Giorno's dishes were perfect as it is. Pizzas in (not so) thin crust made crunchy in every bite plus cheese melted to perfection, it was one great pizza experience. The pasta, no matter how familiar we were with it already, still tasted soooo good, and still gave that "umph" as if it was our first time. The sauce that was pretty rich for the pasta noodles making the noodles swim a bit ( just a bit, really) was meant to be served like that for a much tastier and yummier pasta overload. We had free serving of bread with virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar as a dip. We ended the night really full and satisfied. We even considered having lunch there the next day.






August 28, Saturday- We woke up at around eight in the morning, hurriedly took a shower and went to the road at around nine. We headed to Jollibee, the little man's favorite. We ordered two breakfast meal, and the little man got a FREE yum with cheese. Yep, he got that for free!! That was his lucky day!

We then went to Caleruega after breakfast. Tagaytay trip will never be THAT complete without a visit to this wedding-famous church. The entrance of p30.00 per head was worth it. The little man again enjoyed his freedom by running here and there, round and round, until honey and I both gave up to his never ending energy. Caleruega still captured my heart through the greens that surround it and the unique pieces it had in discreet places. This place will always be a special place for me...ask the big man why ;)








That was our last stop and we bid goodbye to the city of Tagaytay with smiles in our lips. We spent just two short yet fulfilling and fun-filled days away from home and it was definitely worth it. Now I cannot wait to go out of town again! I wonder when would be the next long weekend?

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My Lasagna Roll

I was craving for lasagna so I decided to make one. Since my mother-in-law had THE BEST LASAGNA ever, and afraid that my hubby will compare mommy's version and mine, I decided to give it a twist by rolling the lasagna noodles instead of layering it so to divert his attention to the lasagna's new look instead of the taste. Turned out that he enjoyed my version too along with the new look of his lasagna.

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