Hello Brother!

My latest hobby. Can you believe it?

Pray, Hope and Don’t Worry

One Sunday morning, I discovered this lovely place behind my office building.

My research about Padre Pio's life led me to his famous quote, "Pray, Hope and Don’t Worry." Now that's something to live by.

Make time to visit the Saint Pio Chapel in Libis.

Apektado

Affected ako. It happened after I logged on to my friendster account this morning.

I check out who's viewed me and I see a couple of unfamiliar names. Of course I check it out di ba?

So I clicked on Candice. Up close, I discover that the guy beside her is my ex. Ah hah! She's checking me out. I don't have a problem with that. Although it qualifies as an ah hah moment. Smirking here.

I do have a little problem with my ex removing me from his list of friends. Yup, I scan through my list of friends and discover that he is gone. I have a nagging feeling that his girlfriend complained about me and his other exes being in his list of friends. I would know. I used to be like that with one particular whore, err bitch, err girl.

Its just sad because I thought we (my ex and I) were finally on the right track. The track defined as, we acknowledge that we know each other but were not talking because were not ready to be friends yet.

It sucks but its nice to know there's someone a bit more insecure than I am.

Sunday Morning

I finally got around to using my GCs.

On Christmas, I received National Bookstore and Starbucks Gift Certificates. Since then, I’ve been excited to indulge on my favorite stuff without having to shell out any cash. Thanks to Diane for the generous amount of GCs, and to my monito for being faithful to my Kris Kringle wish list. I love GCs. I love picking out my own gifts! Haha.

After work yesterday, I headed to Starbucks and got myself an Iced Mocha. Sarap talaga pag libre. Heehee. I attended the 10:00AM mass at the Saint Pio of Pietrelcina chapel in Libis, and then went back to Cybermall to grab new books as soon as NBS opened.

The last book I got for myself was The Secret. Yesterday, I decided to get two Mitch Alboms - The Five People You Meet In Heaven and For One More Day. I loved Tuesdays With Morrie, and these two books have been on my lit wish list for some time now. I just get sidetracked very often and have difficulty sticking to my list. My NBS GCs were worth six hundred. If the amount were any bigger I would have snagged something out of my list. That's just me.

So now I have two new bathroom books. Lovely.

Thank You Ate Minya

A couple of days before Christmas, Ippo’s yaya, Niña, told me she had to go home to Dumaguete to take care of her sick grandmother for a few weeks. She was to go back to Manila to be with Ippo when school starts, or at least that was the plan. She left on December 24. I was in the office, and wasn’t able to give her my unwrapped Christmas present. When I came home on Christmas day, mama handed over a gift that Niña had left for me. I was touched.

After Christmas, Niña sent me a text message to report that her grandma had passed away, and that she would not be able to return.

Niña, who Ippo fondly calls Ate Minya, is gone and we would probably never get to see her again. That’s sad, but I pray that she will have a happy life.

Ate Minya is Ippo’s third yaya. Before her, we were with Ate Maimai, whom we are still in touch with. Maimai is now employed in SM. I was happy when I heard about her new job and hope that Niña will be as fortunate.

I am rarely able to really handle Ippo on my own. I’ve been very dependent on other people when it comes to taking care of him. Work leaves me too tired for domestic chores, and mama has always taken care of Ippo in the absence of a yaya. From time to time, my Tita Dahl also helps with my only child. I feel guilty most of the time. I work to pay our bills, to send Ippo to school and to make sure he gets all his needs, but I am not the hands on mom that I think I ought to be.

Mama was a housewife when I was growing up, but I don’t have any memories of her giving me a bath or feeding me. Other people took care of me. My Ate Lerma and my Kuya BJ were my primary care givers and I will forever love and remember them.

Last Saturday, mama left me at home with Ippo. It was just for a few hours because she had to pick a birthday gift for one of my aunts. While she was gone, I realized how short tempered I could get with kids. Ippo was being his “makulit” self and I was almost in tears. I’d like to think patience is one of my virtues, and my relatives, friends and colleagues would agree with me on that, but I just don’t have any for children, or at least with my son.

Some time that day, I left Ippo in the room so I could answer the phone, and when I returned, our bed and his toys were snowed in his own mixture of baby powder and lotion. I turn away for a minute, and he’s cut up my magazine pages to pieces. He puts out all his toys and shoes, and insists on trying every shoe with my help. Urgh. In the middle of picking up his toys and trash, he would scream for milk, and for me to make him “eklog” (scrambled eggs). While preparing our meal, he would need me in the bathroom because nature calls (perfect timing). The bathroom scene is the most tormenting. He will not stay still while I wash off his poop. He has to touch his poopy, and I would, of course, shriek in horror. And when we get through the ordeal of getting him into fresh clothes, and I’m just about ready to breathe, I discover that I have some of his poopy in my bare legs. Great.

Oh yes, this is what I’ve been missing because I am a working mom. Now I have so much respect for his yayas and everyone who has taken care of him.

I’ve heard of “terrible two.” I was surprised when Sony told me of “terror three.” What comes next?