You know those small siopao-like buns with BBQ pork that you can buy at 99 Ranch or when you’re having dimsum at a Chinese resto? Well, Erynne’s gone through 3 of them like they’re some kind of long-lost cousin or something. My girl can eat. And the beauty of it? She seems to have the metabolism of BIL because he can eat a cow and a half and still not gain weight. Beautiful, I tell you. I must have been a bad girl in my past life because everything I put in my mouth, I see it immediately growing somewhere inside of my skin on places I’d rather not mention here. It all turns to fat. FAT, I tell you!

I could go on and on about my fat stories but I’ll spare you. My only point was that I wanted to share how funny Erynne’s acting towards these buns (meeeoooooooooooooooooowww!). And since I did say she doesn’t get fat, then she’s spared from ever being PG like her mommy, right?

But even if she did become PG, at least I know she’s definitely my daughter.

When my cousin A was in town, we drove into San Francisco for some shopping (it was a Monday). E was at work so naturally, I had to drive. I love driving so this was no bother to me. I usually have driving directions with me but that specific Monday, I thought I’d just go and do just fine — not. It took me almost 40 minutes just to find A at Zara because I kept getting stuck with all those no left/right turn streets (drove me crazy!!!!). Naturally, after that day, I vowed to never drive around Union Square again unless I had driving directions (but then again, why would you drive around Union Square anyways?). Public Routes is a website that will not only give me driving directions, but it’s useful for people who are from out of town as well. The website will help you find flights to and from the city, car services, hotel booking, directions, maps, the weather, restaurants, etc. Just because I live around SF doesn’t mean you won’t find me using Public Routes – I refuse to get lost again!

And happily so — I seem to have a lot of hate in my life, LOL.

1. Food you hate – peanut butter (but I love kare-kare).

2. Fruits that you hate – i wouldn’t die if i ate it but i wouldn’t mind never eating grapefruit (even though it’s good when you’re dieting).

3. Veggies that you hate – GABI!

4. Celebrities or people that you hate – Liars, fakers, posers, people who have no common sense or an inkling of knowledge about anything, people as rude as me, people as sarcastic as me, pinoys in Manila who have no patience in waiting for people to get off the elevator before they come scrambling in (MAJOR HATE!), pinoys who don’t know the meaning of “wait your turn,” pinoys who try to run to their airport gates because they think the plane is going to leave when in fact, it’ll just sit there for a while, pinoys who don’t know the purpose of a line (refer to “wait your turn”) and then PRETEND they don’t hear anything when you, in fact, are talking right at them to be civilized please (at least I use the word “please”), pinoy telemarketers who don’t know the meaning of “no” and then have the audacity to tell me, “God bless,” because they think I might feel guilty for being a B*&^%…. DO YOU REALLY WANT ME TO GO ON? *LOL*

5. Event/Incident/Situation that you hate – oh sorry, I didn’t see this. I listed some above. Joy’s right, blackouts in Manila are one. I try to pretend I’m “cowboy” but as God is my witness, I am beyond uncomfortable when this happens. You can’t blame me — how would you like to feel like a roasting pig? That’s what I thought. I also hate how people function within a bank in Manila — grab a number? Even when no one’s there? And what’s up with signatures? And no, I will not come back after lunch to get my documents, thank you very much — just sign the damn thing! And one last: when I’m paying for stuff at SM department store. Have you noticed how many people are working behind the cash register?! And what is all that scribble they write on the receipts? And please, save a staple and a strip of tape — you can just put my receipt in the bag, thanks. SIMPIFY PEOPLE, SIMPLIFY! Oh, wait, just thought of another one — I hate it when filipino women stay with their cheating partners for whatever reason (be it kids, love, length of time they’ve been together, etc etc). Love yourselves ladies — a man is NOT the end of the world. Jose Rizal already died for your sufferings — one martyr is enough!

6. TV Shows or Movies that you hate – all the talk shows except Oprah. And period movies like Marie Antoinette, Pride & Prejudice, etc.

7. Type of Music that you hate – Rap. Too much t**s and @$$, and the words. I do not want to know what you do with her private parts, please.

8. Household chore that you hate – cleaning the bathroom, hands down.

9. Things you hate about the world – when babies and kids are left to starve or when they’re abandoned. I also don’t understand and like war.

10. Things that you hate about yourself – that I still haven’t gotten rid of my 50 or so postpartum pounds. That’s why hello Weight Watchers tomorrow. I can’t do this alone hahahaha. (Lack of discipline is my true answer.)

I LOVED THIS — thanks Joy . Okay, it’s time for Cheche, Van, Liv, Jean, Leah and Mia to show some hate!

My heart’s all warm and fuzzy now.

You’ll see in a little bit how much of a dork I really am (if you haven’t figured it out already). I’ve been getting a lot of auto approvals for my Payperpost (PPP) posts because I guess I’m doing a good job — or something. I guess I didn’t really make it a big deal when I first got the email about getting getting an auto approval. I thought, okay, maybe that’s just a one-time thing. So I forgot about it. And then it happened again. And again. And when I actually read down to the bottom of email, it called me (well not me, per se) “outstanding.” Now keeping in mind that a lot of other fantastic posties probably have been getting these types of approvals (read: the same email!) since way back when — still. I deserve a pat on the back because I still remember when I didn’t even know how to “blog.” So yep, that’s right — these auto approvals are (almost always) an “awwwwww” moment for me.

Let me have my dork time, will you?

Erynne has a bonnet and pull-over on in sunny California on a summer day. She just does — *defensive* it was windy the day I took these pictures! (And uh yah, that would explain why her auntie A is using shorts).

This was taken in our backyard over the weekend. You can see our grass has died (I don’t know anything about gardening or mowing or anything that has to do with dirt, sorry) and Arturo hasn’t come by in a long time (okay, I don’t know if Arturo is really the name of the guy who mows our lawn… but I promise you our front lawn isn’t dead, LOL). We’ve yet to buy a porch set for our backyard — in the meantime, Erynne has learned to appreciate chalking up the cement area.

I was just going through some old posts when I bloghopped on over to Mia’s (old) wordpress site. She had a poem there that totally reminded me of one of my roommates back in college. His name was George. Total Irish in appearance — red (RED!) hair and freckles galore. George couldn’t get a tan even if he fake baked. He dated my friend A for 6 years — it was a given that after we were done with the whole college bit, they’d finally, finally do the church thing and be married once and for all. A highlight we didn’t have to ask or wonder about because what else would they do with themselves? They were inseparable!

October 30, 2000 (or was it 2001?), I came home to find all the lights turned off. The dogs weren’t around as they were with George in the bedroom (we all lived together — A, George and myself). A was still somewhere on campus and it was nearing evening and I knew George had work (he was a railroad engineer at the time and worked the graveyard shift). I head up to my room and out he comes from the bedroom claiming he’d been in bed all day with a bad headache. Nothing unusual there — George ALWAYS had migraines. But that evening, he just didn’t look good at all, but the hardworking person he is (I still stand firm in my belief there existed no other human being as nice, good, and just as George), he went to work anyways. If my memory serves me correctly, he caught up with A before he left, kissed her goodbye and off he went.

Middle of the night came (so that would make it October 31, morning) and the dogs are barking like crazy. Hands are pounding downstairs on the front door and I. just. froze. Anyone who calls in the middle of the night, much less hearing hard pounding on the door complete with doorbell rings, that’s nothing but bad news. I immediately thought of George and I paused. Worst case scenario was he was in a bad accident. Tsk, tsk. And then I heard it.

The bloodcurdling (sp?) type of scream where all the bed bugs fear for their life and run up your neck and every hair on your body stands and you’re locked to the ground. I started crying already as I ran down the stairs. But it was too late. A had already crumbled to the floor and I was seeing blood, pissed that someone could come to us so freaking late and cause this kind of fear (pain!). It was our landlord, together with one of George’s coworkers. A couldn’t talk, she was screaming and crying at the same time and the dogs were no help at all. I looked at the landlord for some sign, clarification for all the rucus.

Then she said it. “Honey, George is gone.”

He died while at work, on the train — his heart stopped, he collapsed while playing a deck of cards with the other guys. There was no way to revive him as the train at the time was not fully equipped to give him even a few minutes. And they were 5-6 minutes away from the ambulance that was waiting for them. You can’t just stop a train in the middle of nowhere, right? George was dead on arrival.

So the landlord was there to pick us up and transport A and I to the hospital. To identify that it was in fact him. OMG. I’m just his friend and already, I need someone to hold my hand. Poor A.

Complete nightmare to the say the very least. And that someone like George was taken away — to this day, I don’t understand that part. But oh well, right? Lives were shook up but as you can see, everything always comes out okay in the end. A is happily married to T and things really did have to happen in that specific way… because well, A is just one amazing person now. NOT that she wasn’t before. But oh, how she’s blossomed. George was given to us all for a reason .

I don’t know that you could call it a happy note, but I had gifted George with a barong from one of the HIS branches in Tarlac. It was brand-new and he never had the chance to wear it — until his funeral. Sad. But again, there was a reason for that barong. And boy did he look mighty fine in it, red hair and freckles galore. Hehe.

And that poem I was talking about from Mia’s old site? A’s sister had read it to him years ago and she’d kept it tucked away all that time — for it to finally be read at his wake. Apparently, he really liked the poem. I guess everything was just building up…

He was cremated immediately after. I kept him in my care (ashes and all, yes people) for a few months, about less than a year, I think. And I never felt safer. I took him on long drives, if you could believe. He must have been laughing at me the whole time — George always got me out of ruts when it came to car problems. Haha. He grounded me like you wouldn’t believe. He used to shake his head at me everytime I’d act like a brat. I’m sure he still does. LOL.

So thanks for reading this if you got to this point. Here’s the poem:

Do not stand at my grave and weep;
I am not there, I do not sleep.
I am a thousand winds that blow.
I am the diamond glints on snow.
I am the sunlight on ripened grain.
I am the gentle autumn rain.

When you awaken in the morning’s hush
I am the swift uplifting rush
Of quiet birds in circled flight.
I am the soft stars that shine at night.
Do not stand at my grave and cry;
I am not there, I did not die.

(Mary E. Frye)

I’ve never purchased travel insurance. I don’t think even my parents have ever purchased travel insurance. I guess it’s just one of those things that we don’t think about – but should – because unfortunate things can happen to us while we’re on vacation. And it’s funny because I used to convince past clients to buy into travel insurance when I was still working in the cruise industry. Some did, some didn’t and for those who didn’t and say, they got sick and needed medical services – well, paint the picture yourselves because it’s a given they weren’t happy campers.

Cover My Travels offers different policies that you can purchase to cover you for medical expenses, loss of personal belongings, passports and cash, travel delays or missed departures, as well as personal liability and legal costs. A 24-hour medical service is also available should you need it. And the different policies they offer are Single-Trip, Annual/Multi Trip (where you may travel up to 92 days on payment of an additional premium), and Long Stay (up to 12 months cover available). There is also a Family travel insurance wherein you can avail of additional savings – they cover a maximum of two adults and four children under 18 years old.

One of the things I was asked quite a bit when I’d try to include medical travel insurance for my clients was whether the company’s travel insurance covered pre-existing medical conditions. No, I’d say. Naturally, they’d decline. Well, with Cover My Travels, so long as your pre-existing medical condition has been under control for the last 12 months, they can offer travel insurance without any additional costs. I think this is an important factor to take into consideration when dealing with travel insurance. I think Cover My Travels medical travel insurance is the real deal. Do the right thing and don’t let any unfortunate mishaps get in your way of a fantastic vacation!

Okay, so if you do read Jen Lancaster’s book (Bright Lights, Big Ass), you’ll find that she does this PS., PPS., blah blah thing (which I didn’t know until later in the book so please give me a break, I did not copy her style!). Love, love, love Jen Lancaster. You would too if you bought the book. How do you go from being VP of a company and then having to resort to eating cereal 3x a day and worshipping Target of all places? I’m halfway done, sadly. I just wish books could go on and on and on. AND ON.

I was awake reading in bed by 6:30am. And even with no energy, eye boogers still growing, I was giggling in the bed, trying not to wake Erynne. E, on the other hand, was already out the door (thank God) as he had to work at a different office somewhere in Sunnyvale — I got to enjoy my book a little longer before my day actually “starts.”

You Are 23% Vain

Okay, so you’re slightly vain from time to time, but you’re not superficial at all. You are realistic. You know that looks matter. You just try to make them matter less.
How Vain Are You?

***

I think the keywords here are “time to time.” I think this is true. Rest assured, I don’t go around looking like $%^&. Come on now, I do have an ounce of girl in me — please remember I still go seal-crazy when I see beautiful shoes and bags (only because clothes don’t fit me like before, LOL), and I am a big, BIG sucker for pretty feet and pedicures. As for makeup, BE is all I need because it’s fast, convenient and I look like I have nothing on at all. For skin, I swear (once again) by Mary Kay. You should already know I don’t comb my hair or fix it as I am literally one of those shower-and-go-type of gals. Give me 15 20 minutes and I’m ready to go (and yes, that includes my shower, my makeup and getting dressed). So even though E says I’m maarte, I like to think I’ve downgraded a few million levels because well, look at my score, for one. I could care less what people think or say in relation to how I look.

And to be funny, does it mean I’m smart just because I’m not vain? Like too nerdy to care what I look like? Now that’s a turn-on! But then you might think that we should look good for our husbands, if not for anyone else. Agree. But I’d rather have good conversations and have smart things to say at the end of the day than say, wear mascara. And if the man doesn’t like it? Trust.me — this mommy ain’t gonna be cryin!

Having one of those days. The kind where everything just irritates you and you want to damn everyone you come across. A kick-boxing class (any type of boxing, for that matter) would be perfect right now. But seeing as how I probably couldn’t even lift up a leg to kick the air, I thought picking out some easy reads might put me in a better mood. I must pace myself though, as I really want these books to last longer than a week. Only $60 or so bucks for my new friends (I used my blogging money, I feel so accomplished now, LOL) and still so much more I want to grab off the shelves. Waiting for Abby’s Love is a Mixed Tape to come out on paperback cuz I’m too kuripot to pay the hardbound price. Call me cheap, ei, I won’t disagree. I think I might grab The Best Life Diet next time — with my Borders 25% coupon. And yah, I prefer Borders over Barnes & Noble — only because I hate Starbucks (and that’s the only coffee they serve at B&N). Seattle’s Best is way yummier anyways — and well, I just love Seattle period.

Okay, I’m just rambling now. So if you don’t see me getting crazy with paid blogging, you’ll know where I’m hiding out.

PS. I’m on chapter 3 of Bright Lights, Big Ass. Love the book, though premature it may be to say so. So much attitude, sarcasm. And she’s a fat girl like me. Total hoot. Recommended already.

PPS. Promise, the book is funny. Like makes you want to LOL, that kind of funny. And so right on the money with her observations. Will you please buy it already? *cackle*