Friday, January 30, 2009
Crossroads
I am at the crossroads of my career and I can't decide where to go. This is a good problem, it's just hard to make a decision. Both offers are equal and that is what makes it harder. What to do? What to do?
Monday, January 26, 2009
Relaxed
So I'm back home. The trip was a grueling 26 hours via Northwest. It was relatively uneventful aside from the bad food and the two hour crying time of Rachel. When we touched down in Manila I was so grateful to be finally out of the airplane.
Rachel is a real trooper. Miraculously, she adjusted to the time change quite well. It's our second full day here and it's as if she's lived here all her life. The family as expected was all over her and she is definitely loving the attention. Strangely enough, she's taken a liking to my brother. My brother is a man of few words and when he does talk most people are at a lost as to what he is saying. Too high-fallutin. He is just too smart that the rest of us mere mortals have a hard time comprehending the words that are coming out of his mouth. No matter, it didn't stop Rachel from bringing him every little thing she can find. It was cute.
So our first full day was spent grocery shopping for some essentials like milk and junk food. In the afternoon we had a date with my brother and his wife for a spa experience.
We went to Sanctuario, their branch at the Scout area. The place was beautiful, had a relaxing atmosphere and has that yummy spa smell to it. We booked for a couples spa, their Lover's Delight Extravagant package. It includes an aromatic Floral Bath, scrub of choice & massage of choice in our couple’s room. I chose the Pulot Gata scrub and Carlos had Thalassotherapy.
We first changed clothes, then we were brought to the steam room. I realized I like using the steam room better after a good workout at the gym. Their steam room was pretty good in the sense that in a few minutes of them starting up the steam, it got pretty hot in there fast. To avoid dehydration and feeling dizzy from the heat, they supplied us with glasses of cold water (or iced tea if you prefer) and cool towels. Just a comment on the steam room, the tiles were a bit slippery of your bare foot and the ceiling had paint chipping. We guessed it was because of all that steam.
After the steam room, they showed us into the couple's room that was intimately lit (aka it was dim in there) had the mandatory massage tables, a flat screen television and a 2-person tub. We were to go into the tub first that was steaming and had red and white rose petals strewn in it. Personally, I think they should have made us take a cool shower first just to cool you down before going into a steaming hot tub, you know to avoid getting overheated. But that was not the case and into the tub we went. The room did have air-conditioning so we really didn't get too over heated.
The only discordant note in in our little cocoon of romance (remember dim lights, pleasant smells and a tub filled with rose petals) was the audio portion of it. I didn't think watching GMA's dramarama was very conducive to anything. So I had to ask our attendants or massage therapists to turn off the TV and put some relaxing music on. Once the right ambience was set, they left us for 15 minutes to soak all this in.
After the stated time, they asked us to hop out of the tub and go to the tables. The scrubbing will soon start. As we lay on our respective tables, I realized that the spa is not for everyone. You have to be (a) okay with nakedness, (b) okay that complete strangers gets a quick glimpse of your naked body (c) okay with knowing that strangers are getting a glimpse of your partners naked body, (d) you can't have sensitive skin and (e) can't be too ticklish.
As the scrubbing goes on my mind continues to relax almost to the point of sleeping. It was blissful. There was beautiful music and I was relaxed. Then all of a sudden I hear a loud and shrill voice from the other side of the wall (which is the outside) a person talking on her cell phone. One of the attendants had to go out of the room I guess to tell someone to shut up the loud person outside our little haven. And then it was relaxing again. I did get a bit chilled towards the end of the scrub since the room did have AC. I wish the attendants were just a bit more conscious of that and made sure that they covered the parts that were not being scrubbed.
After the scrubbing was done, they wrapped us a like a lumpia with the sheets we were lying on. Again, it was soothing until I realized that while we had our eyes closed and all wrapped up, they were busily draining the tub and, I could hear them splashing the sides with water. This went on for a good 2 minutes. Now, I have nothing against them multi-tasking and keeping busy but they were interrupting my relaxation mode. Finally, they stopped and I could resume with the business of relaxation.
Minutes flew by, and they were there once again to get us up and herd us towards the shower where we can wash off the scrub and get ready for the massage. The water from the shower was just tepid. I wish it was a bit hotter than that. I got out of the shower earlier than Carlos so I had the luxury of looking around the area. They had a portion there with a sink that had new toothbrushes and other toiletries. I don't know if we could have used them since no one said anything about it.
After Carlos finally finished with his shower we were once again shown the couple's room for our massage. The massage was fantastic. No major boo-boos here. I did notice the music end and no one bothered to re-start it again. It didn't matter since the complete silence was very relaxing.
We finally finished and on our way out to get dressed our attendants asked if they could hand us a gift envelope. I said yes and in return they asked if I wanted hot or cold tea while we dress.
I've had other spa treatments before particularly at Fitness First at The Fort. I would say that Fitness First had better soundproofing, were a bit more considerate on keeping you covered up and were a bit more discreet in giving the tip envelope. They left the envelope along with our end of the session tea. So, would I recommend coming to this particular spa? I still would I'd give this place 3 1/2 stars. I'll probably give them an edited version of this posting and drop it off in their comments box.
After the whole experience, I went out of that spa feeling completely relaxed. My neck and shoulders that were bothering me the past weeks felt loose and I was pain-free. It was wonderful. Aside from the minor hiccups along the way, I think I was able to achieve what I came for and that was to relax. It certainly was a great way to start a vacation.
Rachel is a real trooper. Miraculously, she adjusted to the time change quite well. It's our second full day here and it's as if she's lived here all her life. The family as expected was all over her and she is definitely loving the attention. Strangely enough, she's taken a liking to my brother. My brother is a man of few words and when he does talk most people are at a lost as to what he is saying. Too high-fallutin. He is just too smart that the rest of us mere mortals have a hard time comprehending the words that are coming out of his mouth. No matter, it didn't stop Rachel from bringing him every little thing she can find. It was cute.
So our first full day was spent grocery shopping for some essentials like milk and junk food. In the afternoon we had a date with my brother and his wife for a spa experience.
We went to Sanctuario, their branch at the Scout area. The place was beautiful, had a relaxing atmosphere and has that yummy spa smell to it. We booked for a couples spa, their Lover's Delight Extravagant package. It includes an aromatic Floral Bath, scrub of choice & massage of choice in our couple’s room. I chose the Pulot Gata scrub and Carlos had Thalassotherapy.
We first changed clothes, then we were brought to the steam room. I realized I like using the steam room better after a good workout at the gym. Their steam room was pretty good in the sense that in a few minutes of them starting up the steam, it got pretty hot in there fast. To avoid dehydration and feeling dizzy from the heat, they supplied us with glasses of cold water (or iced tea if you prefer) and cool towels. Just a comment on the steam room, the tiles were a bit slippery of your bare foot and the ceiling had paint chipping. We guessed it was because of all that steam.
After the steam room, they showed us into the couple's room that was intimately lit (aka it was dim in there) had the mandatory massage tables, a flat screen television and a 2-person tub. We were to go into the tub first that was steaming and had red and white rose petals strewn in it. Personally, I think they should have made us take a cool shower first just to cool you down before going into a steaming hot tub, you know to avoid getting overheated. But that was not the case and into the tub we went. The room did have air-conditioning so we really didn't get too over heated.
The only discordant note in in our little cocoon of romance (remember dim lights, pleasant smells and a tub filled with rose petals) was the audio portion of it. I didn't think watching GMA's dramarama was very conducive to anything. So I had to ask our attendants or massage therapists to turn off the TV and put some relaxing music on. Once the right ambience was set, they left us for 15 minutes to soak all this in.
After the stated time, they asked us to hop out of the tub and go to the tables. The scrubbing will soon start. As we lay on our respective tables, I realized that the spa is not for everyone. You have to be (a) okay with nakedness, (b) okay that complete strangers gets a quick glimpse of your naked body (c) okay with knowing that strangers are getting a glimpse of your partners naked body, (d) you can't have sensitive skin and (e) can't be too ticklish.
As the scrubbing goes on my mind continues to relax almost to the point of sleeping. It was blissful. There was beautiful music and I was relaxed. Then all of a sudden I hear a loud and shrill voice from the other side of the wall (which is the outside) a person talking on her cell phone. One of the attendants had to go out of the room I guess to tell someone to shut up the loud person outside our little haven. And then it was relaxing again. I did get a bit chilled towards the end of the scrub since the room did have AC. I wish the attendants were just a bit more conscious of that and made sure that they covered the parts that were not being scrubbed.
After the scrubbing was done, they wrapped us a like a lumpia with the sheets we were lying on. Again, it was soothing until I realized that while we had our eyes closed and all wrapped up, they were busily draining the tub and, I could hear them splashing the sides with water. This went on for a good 2 minutes. Now, I have nothing against them multi-tasking and keeping busy but they were interrupting my relaxation mode. Finally, they stopped and I could resume with the business of relaxation.
Minutes flew by, and they were there once again to get us up and herd us towards the shower where we can wash off the scrub and get ready for the massage. The water from the shower was just tepid. I wish it was a bit hotter than that. I got out of the shower earlier than Carlos so I had the luxury of looking around the area. They had a portion there with a sink that had new toothbrushes and other toiletries. I don't know if we could have used them since no one said anything about it.
After Carlos finally finished with his shower we were once again shown the couple's room for our massage. The massage was fantastic. No major boo-boos here. I did notice the music end and no one bothered to re-start it again. It didn't matter since the complete silence was very relaxing.
We finally finished and on our way out to get dressed our attendants asked if they could hand us a gift envelope. I said yes and in return they asked if I wanted hot or cold tea while we dress.
I've had other spa treatments before particularly at Fitness First at The Fort. I would say that Fitness First had better soundproofing, were a bit more considerate on keeping you covered up and were a bit more discreet in giving the tip envelope. They left the envelope along with our end of the session tea. So, would I recommend coming to this particular spa? I still would I'd give this place 3 1/2 stars. I'll probably give them an edited version of this posting and drop it off in their comments box.
After the whole experience, I went out of that spa feeling completely relaxed. My neck and shoulders that were bothering me the past weeks felt loose and I was pain-free. It was wonderful. Aside from the minor hiccups along the way, I think I was able to achieve what I came for and that was to relax. It certainly was a great way to start a vacation.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Cold Nights
Aside from the cold weather causing the above title, the past couple of nights it's been spent alone. I'm away on business for a few days and I've left hubby and baby at home.
So here I am all alone in bed. I can roll from one end of the bed to the other. I have no one stealing my blanket, no one crowding me and I have all the pillows that I want. But, despite that it's been cold all alone in bed.
A tiny head on my shoulder; small hands resting on my chest and hubby's cold feet is all it takes to keep me warm.
So here I am all alone in bed. I can roll from one end of the bed to the other. I have no one stealing my blanket, no one crowding me and I have all the pillows that I want. But, despite that it's been cold all alone in bed.
A tiny head on my shoulder; small hands resting on my chest and hubby's cold feet is all it takes to keep me warm.
Friday, January 16, 2009
Andrew Wyeth
Who is he you asked? Andrew Wyeth is an American painter realist painter who has died recently. I'm not an artsy-fartsy type of person but I find his paintings to be beautiful. It leaves me breathless. When I view his paintings, it's as if something important is about to happen. There is a sense of heightened anticipation. At least that's my take on it.
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Coming Home
The best part of the day is when I get to come home from work. Everyday it's the same routine and everyday I look forward to it. Once I get to the apartment complex, I park the car and Carlos by this time has been keeping an eye and ear for the car. So he sees me pretty much right away. He then lets Monster out, and Monster comes barreling down the stairs his little body quivering from excitement. He then pees while we are out there and then I tell him to go up. Once we get to the second floor landing of the apartment, he is still quivering with excitement running around me.
I then open the door and I hear Carlos saying "Rachel, Where's mom?" Then I hear tiny running feet (she's not really light on her feet so it really sounds more like stomping). Rachel sees me and gives out a scream (not a ladylike squeal) but a real scream at the top of her voice, runs towards me then hugs my legs. She then reaches up for my keys and my lunch sack and walks towards her daddy and gives him said items. She then comes back ready for more hugging or just wanting to get into my purse. I pick her up give her hugs and kisses until she's laughing hysterically. Mom is finally home. Ahhh...
I then open the door and I hear Carlos saying "Rachel, Where's mom?" Then I hear tiny running feet (she's not really light on her feet so it really sounds more like stomping). Rachel sees me and gives out a scream (not a ladylike squeal) but a real scream at the top of her voice, runs towards me then hugs my legs. She then reaches up for my keys and my lunch sack and walks towards her daddy and gives him said items. She then comes back ready for more hugging or just wanting to get into my purse. I pick her up give her hugs and kisses until she's laughing hysterically. Mom is finally home. Ahhh...
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
At Work
I almost never talk about work and what I do except for the occasional ranting. I just want to vent right now.
I see patients everyday with complaints of back or shoulder or knee or whatever joint pains they have. My job is to find the cause of the pain and help ease the pain down to tolerable levels so that they are able to function. Sometimes we get lucky and I actually get rid of the pain for them.
The patient population that I serve is veterans. So essentially, I work for the government. The system here in the US is different from the Philippines. Here you get compensated if you become disabled. Majority of the patients that I see are disabled from work as deemed by whatever institution is in charge of that.
My frustrations at work stems from this fact. They come into my clinic complaining of a lot of pain, I order the necessary work-ups and therapeutic interventions and they come back to my clinic for follow-up still not better. Day in and day out I hear the same thing. I find myself nowadays dragging my feet to work since I know I'll be doing the same thing without any effect.
Part of the reason that they don't get any better is they don't want to lose that precious check that comes into their mail every 1st of the month. If they get better, then they'll not be disabled anymore and would not qualify for that check.
I'm sure some really are in pain and needing assistance and some are just trying to beat the system, being lazy assess just waiting for their money in the mail.
But then in all of this, before I really start despairing, a patient would come in and say that I had made them feel better and their pain is gone or they would say thank you for listening to them and that they are finally getting the help that they need. It makes me absurdly happy and giddy that whatever negative thoughts I've been having gets erased. I then remember I love what I do. This is the whole point in doing what I do.
I see patients everyday with complaints of back or shoulder or knee or whatever joint pains they have. My job is to find the cause of the pain and help ease the pain down to tolerable levels so that they are able to function. Sometimes we get lucky and I actually get rid of the pain for them.
The patient population that I serve is veterans. So essentially, I work for the government. The system here in the US is different from the Philippines. Here you get compensated if you become disabled. Majority of the patients that I see are disabled from work as deemed by whatever institution is in charge of that.
My frustrations at work stems from this fact. They come into my clinic complaining of a lot of pain, I order the necessary work-ups and therapeutic interventions and they come back to my clinic for follow-up still not better. Day in and day out I hear the same thing. I find myself nowadays dragging my feet to work since I know I'll be doing the same thing without any effect.
Part of the reason that they don't get any better is they don't want to lose that precious check that comes into their mail every 1st of the month. If they get better, then they'll not be disabled anymore and would not qualify for that check.
I'm sure some really are in pain and needing assistance and some are just trying to beat the system, being lazy assess just waiting for their money in the mail.
But then in all of this, before I really start despairing, a patient would come in and say that I had made them feel better and their pain is gone or they would say thank you for listening to them and that they are finally getting the help that they need. It makes me absurdly happy and giddy that whatever negative thoughts I've been having gets erased. I then remember I love what I do. This is the whole point in doing what I do.
Monday, January 12, 2009
All things weddings
Looking at our wedding pictures put me in the mood to reminisce. I realized I never even finished my wedding kwento from way back when. I think I ended it with walking out of the room raring to go.
Let’s pick things up from that remote posting. We were in the hallways and I was walking a little fast. Niko (Shoe and bag designer and Veluz's assistant) reminded me to walk slowly since I have my mom's wedding train attached to the gown. No wonder the gown felt heavy. Throughout this time, the cameras were clicking away.
When we got down to the lobby we went to the pool area to have our pictures with the family taken. Those turned out great. I was surprised to see Veluz (gown designer) there since she was helping dress another bride. She did say she would try to make it the hotel once she's finished with the other bride. I was happy she was there to see all the hard work she's put. The gown was fantastic; I can't help rave about it. I did complain that the veil was too long. She asked me if I wanted it shortened and I said yes. While they were cutting the veil she was telling me that other brides wanted their veils even longer. So I told her that we can donate the cut portion of my veil to the other brides then. She then gave out a big laugh.
I told my sister to make sure Carlos follows us to the pool area so that we can have our pictures taken by the poolside. I guess my sister didn't understand since there was no Carlos there.
When we got to the lobby, I asked for Carlos. A few minutes after my asking for him, he came out of the elevators and my breath stopped. He looked handsome in his barong. He initially didn't want to wear a barong but he changed his mind. I'm glad he did. We took a few pictures in the hotel lobby. Clarice then told us that it's time to go.
Weeks before, I had asked Clarice (the wedding coordinator) to ask Mang Boy (the Dangwa florist) to have flowers ready for the car, but I guessed there was some miscommunication and there were no flowers for the car. No biggie, it wasn't a big deal, I really didn't care. Some family members thought it was a big deal though. I told them they can have my bouquet and put it in front if it makes them happy. It kept them quiet after that.
The car ride to the church was short. We were staying at the Manila Diamond hotel and the church was in Intramuros. It took us probably 15 minutes to get there with traffic.
We've planned all along to take the couples pictures before the wedding ceremony. The ceremony was at 6 pm and if we did the pictorials after that it would be too late, not enough light and people would be hungry and waiting. We took our pictorials in the garden of the San Agustin church. All that while Niko and Veluz was concerned where the photographers were making us pose since it could dirty up my dress before the wedding ceremony. I was somewhat concerned. We felt like celebrities with all those cameras clicking away. I did find that it was hard work smiling naturally. After it seems forever, the session ended and Carlos was whisked away. The wedding march would soon start.
To be continued
Let’s pick things up from that remote posting. We were in the hallways and I was walking a little fast. Niko (Shoe and bag designer and Veluz's assistant) reminded me to walk slowly since I have my mom's wedding train attached to the gown. No wonder the gown felt heavy. Throughout this time, the cameras were clicking away.
When we got down to the lobby we went to the pool area to have our pictures with the family taken. Those turned out great. I was surprised to see Veluz (gown designer) there since she was helping dress another bride. She did say she would try to make it the hotel once she's finished with the other bride. I was happy she was there to see all the hard work she's put. The gown was fantastic; I can't help rave about it. I did complain that the veil was too long. She asked me if I wanted it shortened and I said yes. While they were cutting the veil she was telling me that other brides wanted their veils even longer. So I told her that we can donate the cut portion of my veil to the other brides then. She then gave out a big laugh.
I told my sister to make sure Carlos follows us to the pool area so that we can have our pictures taken by the poolside. I guess my sister didn't understand since there was no Carlos there.
When we got to the lobby, I asked for Carlos. A few minutes after my asking for him, he came out of the elevators and my breath stopped. He looked handsome in his barong. He initially didn't want to wear a barong but he changed his mind. I'm glad he did. We took a few pictures in the hotel lobby. Clarice then told us that it's time to go.
Weeks before, I had asked Clarice (the wedding coordinator) to ask Mang Boy (the Dangwa florist) to have flowers ready for the car, but I guessed there was some miscommunication and there were no flowers for the car. No biggie, it wasn't a big deal, I really didn't care. Some family members thought it was a big deal though. I told them they can have my bouquet and put it in front if it makes them happy. It kept them quiet after that.
The car ride to the church was short. We were staying at the Manila Diamond hotel and the church was in Intramuros. It took us probably 15 minutes to get there with traffic.
We've planned all along to take the couples pictures before the wedding ceremony. The ceremony was at 6 pm and if we did the pictorials after that it would be too late, not enough light and people would be hungry and waiting. We took our pictorials in the garden of the San Agustin church. All that while Niko and Veluz was concerned where the photographers were making us pose since it could dirty up my dress before the wedding ceremony. I was somewhat concerned. We felt like celebrities with all those cameras clicking away. I did find that it was hard work smiling naturally. After it seems forever, the session ended and Carlos was whisked away. The wedding march would soon start.
To be continued
Wednesday, January 07, 2009
You are cordially invited ... again
It's our 3rd church wedding anniversary today. There's been ups and downs in our relationship but overall I would say it's been great. I'm quite happy to have chosen (and be chosen) Carlos as my partner in life. We are opposite on almost all things but somehow we make it work. I am yin and he is yang. We balance each other and complement where the other person lacks. Thanks for the years together and here's to more years of loving, disagreeing and making-up.
In the spirit of this event, I've posted a few pictures. I love every single detail about the wedding. I'll toot my own horn and say I look awesome during our wedding!
Excuse my shallowness but I think that was the most beautiful me that I can ever be. Sigh. The wedding was beautiful. My gown was rockin' (especially during the recpetion), the reception looked gorgeous and Carlos looked dashing. What more can a girl ask for.
In the spirit of this event, I've posted a few pictures. I love every single detail about the wedding. I'll toot my own horn and say I look awesome during our wedding!
Excuse my shallowness but I think that was the most beautiful me that I can ever be. Sigh. The wedding was beautiful. My gown was rockin' (especially during the recpetion), the reception looked gorgeous and Carlos looked dashing. What more can a girl ask for.
Monday, January 05, 2009
Just thinking
Christmas is past and gone and I just wondered if atheists celebrate that particular season. After all, Christmas is about the birth of Christ isn't it? So if they don't believe in God then shouldn't it follow that they don't believe in Christmas as well? Do they celebrate non-religious type of holidays only?
Friday, January 02, 2009
2008 in Review
The past year was certainly memorable. Somehow, I did not seem to have captured that in my blog. I read all of my entries this past year and realized that I did not blog enough of the many things that's happened the past year.
The thing that stood out the most is the ever many changes that has occurred to our family. Rachel has grown up so fast that truly it was a blur. Now I wish I had documented every single funny thing that she did so that someday I can read it again, remember and laugh. At times like this I wish for more time with her but work is a bitter mistress. I promise to finally do a posting on her developmental milestones. I've started it many moons ago but just never got to finish it.
The other major thing that has happened is the big MOVE. I have once again uprooted our family, that used to be two when we first arrived in the PI that quickly expanded to three with the addition of Monster and further grew when Rachel came. We moved from once country and continent to another, then from one city to the next.
One thing I learned from '08 though was that I did not like being poor. When we were in between jobs given the fact that we moved, we had to watch every single penny we spent since we had no income coming in for a few months. Towards the end we were courting financial disaster. I hated the fact that I could not just go and buy things. What's worse was relatives (not mine) treated you like you were a poor relation. It was a bitter pill to swallow. I realized I liked having money and certainly as much as I'd want to think that love makes the world go round, money certainly helps to keep that piece of machinery running smoothly.
I look back and I thank my lucky stars that I have work, a nice home, albeit temporary, have some cash in our pockets, our health and of course each other. certainly the year had more blessings than I could count and I am thankful for that.
Thank you for stopping by my blog and reading all this craziness. I know you never leave a comment but I know you're there anyways. I am hoping this coming year would be as blest as the previous one that's just passed. To everyone, I wish you all the happiness and joy in the world and that 2009 will be as exciting and interesting as you would hope it to be. Happy New Year!
The thing that stood out the most is the ever many changes that has occurred to our family. Rachel has grown up so fast that truly it was a blur. Now I wish I had documented every single funny thing that she did so that someday I can read it again, remember and laugh. At times like this I wish for more time with her but work is a bitter mistress. I promise to finally do a posting on her developmental milestones. I've started it many moons ago but just never got to finish it.
The other major thing that has happened is the big MOVE. I have once again uprooted our family, that used to be two when we first arrived in the PI that quickly expanded to three with the addition of Monster and further grew when Rachel came. We moved from once country and continent to another, then from one city to the next.
One thing I learned from '08 though was that I did not like being poor. When we were in between jobs given the fact that we moved, we had to watch every single penny we spent since we had no income coming in for a few months. Towards the end we were courting financial disaster. I hated the fact that I could not just go and buy things. What's worse was relatives (not mine) treated you like you were a poor relation. It was a bitter pill to swallow. I realized I liked having money and certainly as much as I'd want to think that love makes the world go round, money certainly helps to keep that piece of machinery running smoothly.
I look back and I thank my lucky stars that I have work, a nice home, albeit temporary, have some cash in our pockets, our health and of course each other. certainly the year had more blessings than I could count and I am thankful for that.
Thank you for stopping by my blog and reading all this craziness. I know you never leave a comment but I know you're there anyways. I am hoping this coming year would be as blest as the previous one that's just passed. To everyone, I wish you all the happiness and joy in the world and that 2009 will be as exciting and interesting as you would hope it to be. Happy New Year!
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