Viva Il Papa!!

Pope Francis' visit to the Philippines is truly a memorable event. I think most Catholics in this country have renewed their faith and beliefs, myself included. I did not brave the crowd. Instead, I watched the coverage of the pope's visit to the Philippines at home. That doesn't mean I did not experience the "magic" or "serenity" others felt when they saw the pope, because I did. I can't express how I felt but it was different. Somehow close to what I think I felt when Pope John Paul II was here. 

I relied on our television, social media, and online to know and listen to the pope's speech and homily. There were times when I cried (a lot) when I saw his simple gestures like embracing a little girl, kissing babies in the crowd, and waving to the rain drench people in Tacloban. 

I don't owe these pictures and I don't really know who to acknowledge but here are some of my favorites... 

Thank you Pope Francis for blessing our country and reminding us how to be a Catholic. We hope to live by Jesus' teachings like what you said. We will never forget you. You really touched our hearts. Grazie! Gracias! Thank You! Salamat! 

Gift Love On Christmas Day

Christmas is my favorite holiday aside from Mother's Day (oh yes it's a holiday.) It's because people are generally happy on this day and I feel all the positive vibe throughout the season. Also, I feel so blessed everytime my son would receive a gift. Small or big, expensive or not, I love it when he open his presents! Surprised, disappointed, and perplexed. These are his common reactions when opening gifts. He's so adorable, I love it! Now that he can express his feeling vocally, I wonder what kind of reaction he'll have? Hehehe!

 

I actually asked him what he want to get this Christmas. He answered, "Bubbles," "Drums," "Balloons," "Choo Choo Train," and "Basketball." So there you go relatives and friends, his wish list!

 

Speaking of wish list, I know most of us have exchange gifts during Christmas parties. Most of the time, we have a specific budget for it too. But don't you just hate it when you don't know what to put on your wish list? Or if your monito or monita would write something above the budget and promising to pay the excess but not really paying for it? I hate that. It's not about the money really, but the promise they make that annoys me. I end up not asking for the difference because it's embarrassing or I'll just forget.

 

To be safe, I sometimes ask for gift check because well, it's safe (but boring)! I listed some of the items I received and love to received for less than Php500.

 

• Daphne Home Scents. Php348. I've been a fan since last year and finished a number of bottles already. I like Acres of Lavender and Jasmine Infusion

picture from daphne.ph

 

• Mia Maison reed diffuser. Php475 (small refill). I love fresh bamboo and Green Tea. They're more expensive (just a tiny bit) than Daphne's so I normally get their refill since I have a few bottles od Daphne home scents   

picture from
heyladyspring.com

 

• Happy Skin Shut Up and Kiss Me. Php499. I don't have this yet but I'll sure get one before the year ends. I'm interested with "Naughty and Nice" and "Under the Sheets."

picture from happyskincosmetics.com

• Victoria Secret Fantasies body spray. Less than Php500 from online sellers. I have a lot of VS sprays and perfumes given by relatives and friends. I'm not a fan of the regular body sprays but I like Bombshell a lot.

picture from victoriasecret.com

 

• Marks and Spencer Tea. I'm not a coffee drinker so I prefer tea because of its taste, smell, and health benefit. I always get a box of tea bags for Christmas. Marks and Spencers have a variety of tea bags for everyone

picture from jenniepperson.com

 

• Planners. I like to scribble a lot so a planner is always a good choice of gift. National Bookstore carries a lot of planners for less than Php500. I personally like planners with loads of information and space like Bell de Jour but it's too girly and teenager for my taste. I'd say Starbucks' is a great alternative but I since I don't drink coffee, I wouldn't even fill up the stickers in one year. I'm planning on getting Moleskine's The Little Prince planner.
   
  

  

  picture from moleskine.com

  
  

  
  
  

Hit, Run, Karma

I was picking up my husband's costume for their "Game of Thrones" chirstmas party when I was hit by a motorcycle. It wasn't that bad really (thank God) but I sure was shaken up and pissed at the same time. 

I just got off the jeepney and was about to cross the street when this a**hole motorcycle driver hit me. I swear I didn't see him because it was only a few seconds after I stepped out of the jeep. The impact wasn't rhat hard. You could say it was "daplis lang" in Filipino but it still fell and got out of balance. Actually, "sumadsad sa kalsada" is the correct word to describe it. As I was getting up, this sorry excuse for a man even had the guts to yell at me because I was hit. I angrily got up and told him "Ikaw na nga nakasagasa ikaw pa galit! Ni sorry 'di ka man lang nagsabi!" He then sarcastically said "Sooorrry!" I then yelled all the Filipino curses I know to him and hope he'll get into accident too. I know that wasn't Christian-like and classy of me but that guy was an a**hole to the nth level! Yes, my reaction says a lot about me but I was hurt and pissed off at the same time. I didn't have time to think things through. Yes, I'm very very emotional.

I also told that driver that he should be thankful I'll not press any charges. He was starting to drive away when I told him to wait. I was thinking of going to the nearest police precint and blotter this incident but he drove away and left me with some of my scattered groceries and stuff in the street. 

A while ago, I noticed the bruises on my knees and legs.

As I think things through, I realized that the a**hole might be speeding that time. He said I wasn't looking. If that is indeed the case, he would have stopped and hit his breaks before hitting me. But he didn't because he was probably driving fast. It actually made me more upset.

Anyway, I'm still lucky I'm alive with minor bruises. I thank God for preventing any major harm to come my way. I'm still upset with the motorcycle driver and I'm just hoping karma will get him. 

Quote Memes

Patience is something I don't usually have, but this time, I'm going to hold on to this.

I'll try my very best not to get Anger the best of me.

If you want everything to be Fair, you should be ready, it will also come your way and bite you in the ass.

Don't question my Job Performance because I will definitely question yours.

Money? I do need it but not desperately like you.

#InggiteraMode #NoBonus

#SureKaFainessHanapMo?

#SoAnoScorecardMo?



#IPerformThereforeIQualify

#NakinabangKaDinSaTLDescretion

A Way To Reward Myself With Luxury

Most of the time, I consider myself a smart shopper. Since becoming a wife and a mother, I've gotten more conscious of the price for every thing we buy - food, clothes, appliances, etc. In other words, I've become a cheapskate. I have to, no, I need to be one to accommodate our budget.

Although we splurge once in a while, oftentimes we make it a point to live within our means. Good thing I'm happy with what we have right now so I'm not affected when people post vacation pictures, recent purchases, and the likes in Facebook. It's funny, but I know some who actually have to borrow money for those vacations and latest gadgets. Who are they kidding? I don't get it really.

I'm not a hypocrite. I do wish we could go out sometimes and buy the latest gadgets and stuff. I'm just saying I'm not so impressed with people pretending to be "rich" or living a glamorous life when you know that they're not. I'd rather save first before booking that dream vacation or buying the latest model of Samsung and iPhone.

http://asianamericanhistory.com

As a matter of fact, I'm actually saving for one of the things I wanted to buy before I got married. That is, my first designer bag. I could have bought myself one before but I choose to use my savings for my wedding. We have a "paluwagan" in the office wherein all of the members will get the money at the same time, in December. I'm been searching for the best first designer bag and I've shorten my list to LV or Prada.

One of my friends ask me why do I want to buy a designer bag. It seems impractical for her considering we both are moms and wives. I answered her back by comparing a designer bag with an iPhone 5s. For almost at the same price, which one has a higher reselling value? Then she laugh. I think she got me then.  

I've read somewhere that a handbag is not an investment piece if after buying one you survive on toast and water for the rest of the month. I certainly won't survive with water and toast for a day so I have to plan waaayyy a head of time before buying a designer bag. When I finally get my hands on one, I'll just consider it as a sweet reward for all the hard works I've done as a working mom.