As for the cross-stitching, it’s a hobby I picked up in high school, when we had to do a few projects for Home Economics. I’m doing a sunset pattern with a short prayer verse on the bottom left. I’ll take a picture once it’s all framed up and hung on one of our walls at home. It sounds so geeky and corny to some, but I enjoy doing it. It’s very therapeutic. And exciting to see your work come together. I’ve got an angel pattern lined up next, and looking for a high-resolution picture of the Twin Hearts. Planning to try a software that can convert pictures to cross-stitch patterns.

So that’s what’s been going on so far. More decent post(s) soon.

I remember one time when he was already in his jammies, so I just sprayed his feet and arms. And when I woke up in the middle of the night, lo and behold, a mosquito bite on his forehead! So what I do now is spray some on my hand and dab on the back of his ears, his forehead, his neck and the back of it. Seems to be working

To order, message me! Seriously. I’ve been an official retailer since mid-last year because I absolutely love their products

I’ve watched 3 seasons so far and I always find myself having a difficult time pressing the Stop button to watch another day. And since I don’t watch these shows when my son’s with me in the room, it takes quite a while for me to finish one whole season.

Jack Bauer, the lead, is a very interesting character. He is definitely an asset to the organization and to the government, but he sure does break quite a number of rules. He gets the job done. But it makes you think — when protecting your country, your government, does the means justify the end?

For those who are familiar with the series, you know the way Jack operates. He takes the lives of at least a handful people in each season, does not follow protocol half of the time, and has put his family in danger. Even his daughter, Kim, admits that he’s not the best dad, but he does what he can.

It made me think, though. Nowadays, majority are in the rat race. We work our butts off to make sure that we get something every two weeks to support ourselves and our families, in some cases. But at what price?

Don’t get me wrong. I’m not trying to be high and mighty here. I’ve been guilty of spending a lot of time in front of my laptop, even more than 8 hours a day. Good thing I work from home, so there’s no travel time and I can work in whatever I feel comfortable wearing. But there are times when I get so busy, that I can’t even play with my son while he’s walking around in the morning. And I know he  gets frustrated when that happens because he comes to me, calling me, obviously wanting me to at least play with him for a bit, and I tell him to play elsewhere because Mommy has to finish something. It breaks my heart when I have to do that.

I realize that there are times when I bite off more than I can chew. A friend told me that I’m stressing myself too much, worrying a lot more than I should. I just need to re-prioritize and drop things that may not be worth the time.

Just some random thoughts on a hot, weekday afternoon.

Join the 2nd FLOW: SurfYogaSamba Weekend this summer from April 9 to 11, 2010 at the San Juan Surf Resort in La Union.

Lifted from Monica Eleazar-Manzano’s blog post:

Get the chance to learn Vinyasa yoga, commune with nature, ride quality waves, dance to the beat of the drums and nourish yourself with wholesome food. Take a breather from your everyday lives and create a space where you can feel the benefits of living a healthy lifestyle.

The FLOW Surf.Yoga.Samba Weekend Retreat aims to unify the body mind and soul. We offer each guest an experience of a lifetime. Practicing yoga will develop focus, strength and flexibility. Surfing will develop your confidence, stamina and ocean awareness. Dancing and creating music enhances sense of well-being and build social skills. The whole retreat is complemented with healthy food to help nourish this unique journey to self-discovery.

— FLOW Surf.Yoga.Samba Weekend Retreat Package —
P7,500 per person
P6,000 early bird rate (Register and pay on or before March 9, 2010)

Package Inclusions:

• 2 Vinyasa Yoga sessions by Monica Eleazar-Manzano
• 2 Surfing lessons with Luke Landrigan of The Billabong San Juan Surf School
• 2 Samba lessons and Brazilian batuccada samba drumming lead by Toni Bernardo, drum director of Escola de Samba de Manila
• Roundtrip private van transfers from Manila-La Union, La Union-Manila
• 3 Days and 2 Nights aircon accommodation at San Juan Surf Resort
• Healthy meals and snacks
• Flow Shirts
• Tote Bag with freebies from our sponsors

Flow is presented by Belo Essentials
In partnership with Rudy Girl
Major sponsors: Havaianas, Stokedinc
Minor sponsors: Twinkle, Dharma, Brown Belly, Moringana
Media Sponsors: Sports R Us, A&F, UR105.9, Juice.ph

For more details, contact flowsurfyogasamba@gmail.com or visit http://flowsurfyogasamba.multiply.com or http://www.facebook.com/flowsurfyogasamba.

What’s been going on so far? Well, in the 3rd week of January, my dear little boy got hospitalized again. Just overnight this time, thankfully. And he wasn’t even on an IV.

Late at night in one of the isolations rooms of the ER of Asian Hospital, while waiting for his grandparents to unload his things from the car so we could go up to his room.

But then there were some new developments regarding his health so now he’s on daily maintenance medicines. He’s been scheduled and rescheduled for an MRI with two unsuccessful attempts. They haven’t been able to successfully sedate him. I need to talk with his neuro to find out what other options we have. I don’t want him to have to undergo general anesthesia. I’ll get into that later on, in another post.

Work has been good. Though I started the year a little bit shaky and unsure of myself, He has never failed to provide. Though later in the month of February, I realized that I bit off more than I can chew. I have to start the month of March by prioritizing what I should and can keep and what I have to let go. Being a work-at-home mom has its perks and disadvantages, just like how working in any environment has its own pros and cons. But this setup has definitely been a blessing in ways I never thought it would be.

Two months into the new year. A lot of things to look forward to.

Hopefully, I can blog more regularly this time. I want to make it a habit. My writing has become rusty. Even if it’s just random posts, as long as I get to write. I need to flex my mental muscles.

I hate PMS-ing. Especially when you find yourself constantly thinking about food. Just a few minutes ago, I had a couple handfuls of potato chips and a few pieces of chocolate. I had a slightly healthy lunch of rice and fish — but I paired it with a glass of softdrinks. And just a while after munching, I feel guilty. And yes, the cycle goes on and on.

It’s a very unhealthy roller coaster ride. Emotionally, too. You’ll find that women who are nearing that dreaded time of the month are more irrational than usual and get irritated quite easily. I hate it when that happens, because I know that most of the time, I don’t really mean it. Or maybe I meant what I said but I could’ve used a less aggressive or attacking tone.

And then there are times when you find yourself so emo, getting all worked up and depressed by something so small.

Sigh. Women. Such complex creatures, no?

Our barkada at our batch's graduation ball at Intercon -- (from left) Phanie, Karla, Rina, Mitch, Gina, myself, Debby, Mara

The friends I made back then, my core group, are still the girls that I hold very close to my heart up until this day. Though we don’t get to keep in touch or see each other as often as we would want, though three of us are based abroad, the bond remains the same. When I’m with these girls, I find myself somewhat transported to a decade ago, when all we were worried about were keeping our crushes secret and school requirements.

They're family to me

Just yesterday, we had our overdue Christmas lunch, together with significant others and children! I wasn’t able to bring my little boy though, but hopefully next time, we’ll be complete — with my Matty, Mara (who’s in town but unfortunately down with chickenpox at the moment) and Mitch (who’s based in the US).

Ten years and counting. I see myself growing old with these girls. And I wouldn’t have it any other way

At the end of last year, I was thinking of making a resolution that I would write more often in my blog — maybe even every day. At least thrice a week, perhaps. I had an idea for a website/blog, chronicling my son’s condition and how we soldier through  it, but even that has gone overlooked. I had plans of writing a book. Yes, a book. Though I’ve written for magazines, newspapers and websites, I still don’t consider myself a writer. I actually feel that in the past year, whatever writing skills I have has gone rusty.

So maybe I’ll start small. Baby steps go I long way, I always believe that. I’ll regularly update this personal blog, then go on with making an outline for my other blog. I’ve got the outline already for my book. It’s time to set aside time (daily, perhaps?) so I could have a first draft of my manuscript by…June of this year.

Maybe I should make a vision board already, while I’m in the process. I heard about this a couple years ago, made plans of doing one, but never got around to actually doing it. So this time, I’m giving myself a deadline. I’m going to really go out and get a board to use, set aside an afternoon of cutting and pasting, so I can have a dream board to drive me every single day.

It’s another year. It shouldn’t take a new year just for us to start anew. But heck, at least we’re given another chance, right? Another shot. Let’s live our lives with purpose.

I came across this article probably through the wonders of Facebook. Going through it is interesting, challenging myself to actually accomplish these things in another thing. But who knows? Let’s see how I fare so far:

By 30, you should have:

1. One old boyfriend you can imagine going back to and one who reminds you of how far you’ve come.
2. A decent piece of furniture not previously owned by anyone else in your family.
3. Something perfect to wear if the employer or man of your dreams wants to see you in an hour.
4. A purse, a suitcase and an umbrella you’re not ashamed to be seen carrying.
5. A youth you’re content to move beyond.
6. A past juicy enough that you’re looking forward to retelling it in your old age.
7. The realization that you are actually going to have an old age—and some money set aside to help fund it.
8. An e-mail address, a voice mailbox and a bank account—all of which nobody has access to but you. (Although I don’t have a voice mailbox since I have no use for it.)
9. A résumé that is not even the slightest bit padded.
10. One friend who always makes you laugh and one who lets you cry.
11. A set of screwdrivers, a cordless drill and a black lace bra.
12. Something ridiculously expensive that you bought for yourself, just because you deserve it.
13. The belief that you deserve it.
14. A skin-care regimen, an exercise routine and a plan for dealing with those few other facets of life that don’t get better after 30.
15. A solid start on a satisfying career, a satisfying relationship and all those other facets of life that do get better.

By 30, you should know:

1. How to fall in love without losing yourself.
2. How you feel about having kids.
3. How to quit a job, break up with a man and confront a friend without ruining the friendship.
4. When to try harder and when to walk away.
5. How to kiss in a way that communicates perfectly what you would and wouldn’t like to happen next.
6. The names of: the secretary of state, your great-grandmother and the best tailor in town.
7. How to live alone, even if you don’t like to.
8. How to take control of your own birthday.
9. That you can’t change the length of your calves, the width of your hips or the nature of your parents.
10. That your childhood may not have been perfect, but it’s over.
11. What you would and wouldn’t do for money or love.
12. That nobody gets away with smoking, drinking, doing drugs or not flossing for very long.
13. Who you can trust, who you can’t and why you shouldn’t take it personally.
14. Not to apologize for something that isn’t your fault.
15. Why they say life begins at 30.

Seems like I’ve got a long way to go. But hey, I’ve got a little over three years. Time to start planning