30 on the 30th ( A Token of Gratitude to 30 Years of Dedicated Companionship)

Today is the 30th of July and it is my parent's 30th wedding anniversary. Let me tell you a little of their love story.

On the 22nd day of June, 1946, Vicente Yboa, Jr. was born. The 5th child in a brood of 10, Vicing, as he is fondly called, was raised in Catbalogan, Samar but eventually went to Manila to continue his college education as a Mechanical Engineering student in Mapua. He then applied and got accepted in Koppel, an airconditioning company.

Exactly 9 years after Vicing was born, Divina Tan - Baby as she is lovingly called - was born on June 22, 1955. Also, the 5th child in a brood of 10. She was raised in Pasay City and took up Accountancy in University of the East. Took internship and later got accepted as a regular employee in Koppel.

That's where it all began. Vicing took notice of the tiny girl from the Finance Dept in Koppel. He pursued her, even taking the time to go to UE where Baby was taking classes after work. She didn't feel anything towards the man nine years her senior and used to hide whenever she sees him at the gate of the university. But the man is insistent on getting her affection and eventually his hard work paid off.

July 30, 1979 - they got married at Our Lady of Sorrows Church in Pasay City and started their own family. With 6 children, life then was never easy. There were tuition fees to think of, utility bills that needed to be paid, mortgage payments got delayed. Through it all, they stood beside each other, supporting each other, praying together, never left despite the difficulties they have to face. Time came that it was really a financial crisis that even the most basic need of a human being was never met, education was put on hold, business got bankcrupt, still they remained strong -  for each other, but most importantly for their children. 

As they say, there is always a silver lining. With the love and support of every member of the family, they survived. The children finished school, Vicing retired from Koppel, Baby remained a doting mom/wife at home. Life still challenges them but their union has been tested by time and it has remained strong and it will remain strong for all the years to come.

30 long years of love, support, understanding and respect. It is with utmost pride when I say I am the daughter of Vicing and Baby. I am a witness to the long journey of their companionship, I am a living legacy of their undying love for each other and I will be eternally grateful for the way they have raised me and my siblings. I will not choose any other set of parents if I will be given the chance and for me they both truly are "The Best Parents in the World".

Happy 30th Anniversary, Mama and Papa. I love you both.

Weekenders

Tomorrow's a Friday and unlike everybody I'm not too excited about the weekend. I'll be undergoing an Endoscopy procedure on Sunday for my GERD (Gastro Esophagial Reflux Disease) and it scares me to death. I'm super afraid of injections (see Why I hate hospitals? post), what more if a tube is to be inserted into my mouth??!! 

Anyway, just to divert my mind from thinking about the procedure too much, I listed here my to-do list for tomorrow. I've got a lot to do with so little time.

1. Go to the COMELEC (Commission on Elections) office and register. I'm 29 y/o and yes, I will be a first time voter next year. Haha! I'm not too proud about it but then it's better to be late than never. For registration procedure go to the BagongBotante website.

2. Pay bills. Our electric, credit card and broadband connection bills all arrive during this time of the month but our electric bill has not been delivered yet. 

3. Have some of my mock christmas gifts printed out. =) I know it's too early for Christmas but then I don't want to rush and I wanted to give out gifts that are personalized. I tried creating some and I just want to see the print outs if they're okay to be given as gifts. If not, then I'll think of other ideas.

4. Drop by Divisoria and scout around for Christmas gift ideas. It's better to be early to avoid the holiday rush, the prices are way cheaper these days than during the Christmas season, it won't stretch the wallet as I plan to buy a few gifts this payday and then the next payday until my list is completed. I don't want to spend my 13th month pay come December as it will be allotted to my savings account. 

5. Wash and iron clothes. I won't be here in Manila this weekend because the procedure will be done in Laguna. So, my weekend chores should be done tomorrow.

I wish I could accomplish all of these and then I will worry about the Endoscopy. =)

I'm just a girl!

I just love Nine West and XOXO items. I only own 1 bag of each brand, the Nine West bag was given to me by my cousin when she went to the states and the XOXO bag I bought from my sister. I find it relaxing (all the while, drooling) whenever I browse the net for these items. I'm on the search for the cheapest supplier on multiply and ebay. Here are some finds that I'm still thinking about purchasing. (no budget yet for a couple of months) =(

Movie Theatre Pet Peeves

I really hate it when:

1. People won't turn off their phones or at least set it in silent mode when inside the theatre.

2. People won't stop explaining the movie to their seatmates. 

3. People answer calls during a movie unmindful of the others that can't quite hear the movie but can hear their conversation very clearly. People can be soo thick.

4. Kids blabbering away, throwing a tantrum with the parents not doing anything about it. I think kids shouldn't be allowed inside the theatres, unless they're 6 and above to understand the movie.

5. People putting up their feet on the seats infront of them. Hello! There are people infront of you. Manners, please!

6. People who can't hold it in and have to go to the bathroom every few minutes. Please, just find a seat closer to the exit points so you won't have to bother the people sitting next to you whenever you have to stand and go to the bathroom.

All these me and hubby had to endure during the almost three hours of watching Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince. It wouldn't have been that bad if only the movie was great. But, no. Harry Potter 6 sucks. 

Highs and Lows of Working on the Night Shift

I am one of those night owls as some of you may call it or here in the Philippines I may be tagged as "aswang" - a Filipino slang for shapeshifters or mythical, evil, vampire-like creatures that generally roam at night. I may be tagged as one not because I look or act like one but simply because I'm awake at night and asleep by day.

Working on the night shift for more than seven years exposed me to the pros and cons of the job. During these hard times, with recession ongoing in some parts of the world (Philippines included), I find it amazing that some BPOs here in Manila are still hiring for more employees. I see their ads on the net, on the newspapers, on streamers/banners and I even received one text message scheduling me for an interview eventhough I never applied for any position in that company. Hence, the inspiration for this blog. What drives young and old professionals alike to alter their body clocks and work on the night shift? And what makes those working on the night shift leave their jobs making the demand for more BPO employees rise? Let me share with you my views.

Highs:
1. Good compensation and benefits package. Most companies offer a basic compensation of 10,000 Php, with hmo coverage. As for those getting hired for the night shift (well, most BPOs really, even those with shifting scheds), basic compensation starts at 14,000 Php, with hmo coverage, transportation allowance, rice allowance, hazard pay and 20% up of night differential.

2. Assistance on tuition fees for those wanting to extend their education. I've heard of most companies offering this additional benefit to their employees especially for those working at night.

3. Some companies offer sign in bonuses.

4. Unlimited cups of coffee, chocolate drink or tea.

5. Working on the night shift gives you more time during the day to do chores, process legal documents without taking a leave from work (as government offices are open during the day shift).

6. Drive your kids to school and fetch them afterwards.
 
Lows:
1. It's hard to sleep during the day. Especially for a humid country like the Philippines, the afternoons are the worst because the temperature can get as high 42.2 °C (108 °F), well that was on April 29, 1912 in Tuguegarao according to Wikianswers.com. Nowadays, the hottest it has gone was 34°C.

2. Deep eye bags.

3. Hyperacidity (for frequenting the vendo machine for the unlimited coffee)

4. Hypotension (Low Blood Pressure) due to lack of sleep.

5. Hormonal changes.

6. Stress. Studies show that most people working on the night shift are more prone to stress than those working on the day shift. (Ref. American Journal of Epidemiology)

As we can see we are basically torn between two things when deciding if we should or should not work on the night shift: money or health. It all depends because what works for some might not work for the others.  Decide wisely.

Review on Keni Po, Tagaytay, Philippines

Keni Po is located in 110 Calamba Rd., Sungay West, Tagaytay City. It is beside Ina ng Laging Saklolo Church and on the way to Picnic Grove. It is a quaint B&B, simple amenities but great service and very affordable rates. They have single/twin rooms, family room and a villa. There is also a pool and little garden at the back. Although we weren't able to swim when we stayed there, we just took pics.

This is where hubby and I stayed during our honeymoon. I stumbled upon this place when a cousin of mine recommended it to me. I browsed through the net and came upon their website. Reading thru many of the positive feedbacks left by Keni Po's clients, I decided to book the place (well, an aunt booked it for us as a wedding gift).

Check-in time should have been 1:00pm, but we weren't able to make it since we were traveling from Manila right after our wedding reception. We arrived there at around 4 in the afternoon but the gracious front desk attendant still greeted us with a warm hello and a friendly smile. And if I may add, I even got VIP treatment because as I went down the car, a staff came up to me and held an umbrella over my head to protect me from the sun. I did not expect that from a B&B. Talk about customer service!

The rooms are a little bit small but that's expected as Keni Po is only a B&B/Lodge. The room furnishings are a twin-sized bed with huge fluffy pillows, side table and a couple of chairs. There is also a mini refrigerator loaded with mineral water, soda and beer; a cable tv and a blow dryer. The bathroom is clean with bath tub, hot water system, shower and toilet. It would have been better if the management could provide a cabinet/closet for the clothes because what they have there are only hooks and couple of hangers behind the door. 

Food service is open 24 hours. They have excellent tapa, the beef is really tender and very tasty. Their sizzling sisig is also very good. Delivery would take 10-15 minutes. Not bad. 

The staff are very courteous and always ready to smile. The VIP treatment (with the umbrella) was given to me again when we were leaving Keni Po.

If you are budget-conscious and looking for a clean, affordable place to stay in tagaytay, I would definitely recommend Keni Po. 

Website: Keni Po

Contact Number:  046-4830977

Education for the Undomesticated Me

My parents both worked when I was growing up hence the reason behind me and my siblings being raised by yayas. I was used to having my meals set already from the time I woke up until I came home after school. My clothes washed and ironed for me. Even when I left home and stayed at a dorm during college, I never washed my clothes, I would either bring home my laundry every weekends to have it washed at home or bring them to a laundry shop. Nor did I cooked my meals as me and my dorm mates would just eat out to nearby fastfood chains or canteens or if our budget won't allow it we'll just settle on the ever-reliable Century Tuna or Lucky Me Pancit Canton.

So, it is no surprise when I end up an ignorant undomesticated wife.

Cleaning is no problem for me, it's an easy task that I can perform. The hard chores for me are washing the clothes, ironing and the worst would be cooking. The first time that I washed my husband and mine's one week's load of laundry I felt really bad for myself. I felt "kawawa" because imagine the volume of clothes (shirts, jeans, jackets and even towels) and I have to do it by hand. We don't own a washing machine yet. When I was finished my back was aching, my hands looked like the hands of an old lady and I've got scratches on my wrists and fingers. It's hard but I at least did it. 

Ironing is hard as it would mean standing up for at least an hour. We even bought one of those steam irons that you can see at the Home Shopping Network. You fill the tube with water, press the button and your shirt is ironed out front and back with just a few swipes. You can even hang your clothes when you use the steam iron so you don't have to use the ironing board at all. That tool is of great help to me, it makes the job easier and faster plus it is energy saving as it does not consume electricity unless you press the button.

Now, the hardest is cooking. Sure, I can fry eggs and the like, I can cook rice, I can do the famous adobo, but the taste buds of my husband's is entirely different from mine. The first time that he asked me to cook, it was tapa with gravy sauce, more like the sizzling type. Difficulty level for this dish would only be minimal as the gravy sauce is instant, you just pour in water and mix, the tapa is only fried. I don't know what I did wrong but the end product tastes like very salty, burnt tapa. Even the gravy sauce tastes different. Haha! I was fighting back tears when me and my husband were already eating because I can see that he's just forcing himself to eat what I cooked. After we ate, I immediately went to the bathroom and cried. =) 

Well, at least my only problem would be cooking, my husband cooks well and I know that he'll do that willingly for as long as when I learned how to cook just so he won't have to endure another of my cooking disasters. Maybe I'll borrow my mom's cookbooks or maybe I'll enroll in a culinary class. Dream on... Haha!

I can't wait

I've been craving for these cupcakes since end of May but I had to wait for another month until the owner, Clarissa, is open for booking again. When I visited her website and learned that she's accepting orders for July, I immediately placed my order of her very sumptious frupcakes treats. Due to my sickness, I won't able to come with my teammates' outing today but with Clarissa's frupcakes...I sure am going to be alright.

Tomorrow is Frupcakes day!

Please visit Clarissa's site at: Frupcakes

Simple Pleasures

Movie dates are what my hubby and I enjoy the most, we usually watch the first viewing sched just as the mall opens so there won't be a lot of people in the cinemas.

This morning Deck and I went out to watch Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen. This date was long overdue, had to be postponed because I got sick the week that it was first shown. He probably noticed that I've been moping around the house for more than three weeks and I was getting pretty irritated by boredom so he treated me out today. We didn't, however, had the time to have our usual "eat-out" after the movie because he's on the night shift tonight, so we only brought in food and ate inside the cinema. We shared a tub of BBQ fries and a hotdog sandwich, I bought him a Mudslide Smoothie from Ice Monster and I had my ever-favorite Mango-Banana Fruitas Shake. Yum... The simple pleasure of movie dates, my loving husband and comfort food. 

I feel a lot better now.