My Vanity

I wish I could look like Angelina Jolie. Perfect hair, very good skin, great body....just perfect that it's too good to be true. Just wondering how they do it. Is it genes? Lifestyle? Science?


After two pregnancies I wasn't exactly expecting to go back to my "original" self. After Amber, I had a hard time coping with falling hair, eyebags and stretchmarks. Then came Ina and the imperfections increased ... some things were just not the same anymore. Wrinkles, varicose veins, cellulite, Jello-like tummy, more stretchmarks and the list just goes on and on.


At 34, I am becoming more conscious of the way I look. Call me vain but I like myself more when I feel good and confident about the way I look. I am a relatively low-maintenance lady but my sister and mother think otherwise. Okay, okay I do admit to being addicted to body scrubs, to waxing and to some other things but I do this instead of drowning myself with envy at all those hot mamas. I made a promise to myself to take care of myself more especially when I'm not getting any younger. I do watch what I eat. I must admit when I feel bloated, I do the after-six diet and with this I make it a point to at least hit the gym thrice a week. I also tried yoga for wellness. I wasn't exactly born with good skin so I have to at least make an effort to improve it. I don't have a perfect figure because I'm more on the skinny side so having a bulging tummy with a bony figure isn't really pleasing to the eye. If this puts me under the vain category then I'm guilty as charged.


Being a fulltime mommy is not an excuse to being a fulltime "losyang." It's not an excuse to having no time or money to take care of one's self. I do my exercising in our building's gym and if I want to hit two birds with one stone, I jog while my girls are enjoying the playground at nearby Salcedo Park. I do my own body scrubbing from a tube that I bought in a local supermarket and I get to do this anytime without even leaving the house. I must admit I plan to do something about my undereye bags but for now I just have to make do with my Avon eye cream. I do need my rebonding every six months but I'm thinking of buying a weekly hair treatment cream instead. If only there's a cheaper alternative as effective as diamond peel...hmmm.


These things take a lot of effort and patience and a little... money? My husband's not complaining so I'm happy. He is the supportive type when it comes to this...if I say something like this, " Hon, can I have a rebond next month?" The reply is always "Okay." If that is not being supportive than I don't know what is.... and then he'll say, "Let's check the budget first." Tsk,tsk. I can delay these things but I still get it anyway and again Patience pays. I may never look like Angelina but I can still try to look good and feel good at the same time. I do this for myself and not to please anyone but I also feel good when my husband looks at me admiringly and when my little Amber tells me that she likes my shirt or my hair. You can never put a price to that.

Sad Reality

Today I watched a sad video on famine posted by a friend in Facebook. It showed two Ugandan children left crawling, stricken with polio, malnourished and very hungry while their 8-year old big sister went to fetch water from a faraway place to bathe them with. She takes care of her siblings because their parents were not there anymore. They were too weak to stand up and were crying because of hunger and pain. I was near tears watching the video and I thought to myself what if they were my kids?


Seeing the kids in such a helpless situation just broke my heart. I was especially touched by the eldest's sense of responsibility at such a very young age. I only felt relieved knowing that these three kids were "rescued" and were fed and are now in good hands enjoying being kids which should be the only thing that they should be thinking about in the first place. But still, the thought of more kids suffering from hunger makes me really sad because I can only watch and can't do anything. I cannot blame the parents who can't provide for them because they too must have suffered a lot just seeing their kids suffering but cannot do anything to help them.


This is a harsh reality of extreme hunger felt by small children in Africa and even in the Philippines. It is sad to know while these kids are dying, some people governing still have the nerve to live excessively. Because of this I am even more thankful for the simple things that my family has now. It has opened my eyes to be more appreciative of whatever comes in our way. It has made me realize how lucky my kids are because we, their parents, will always make sure that they are well provided for and taken cared of even after death.

Lola for All Seasons

They call her Lola Betty. She turned 59 last September 30. A year before she finally retires from her work, I hope.


Other than the wrinkles and hearing problem, she can still run after her small apos. She's your typical Lola who spoils her apos. She has the patience that even I can't seem to have. She went all the way to Dubai when Amber was one month. She was with me when my Ina was born. She readily flies to wherever her apos are and whenever we need her. She is a one-of-a-kind lola who at her age owns a Friendster account. A cool Lola indeed. My girls are her 4th and 5th apos and I can proudly say, they are very lucky to have such a devoted and loving lola.


My Mama is someone I can talk to anytime. I may sometimes make fun of her and still she doesn't complain. I may sometimes scold her but still gets to smile at me. We may not agree with some things but this doesn't diminish my respect and love for her. She understands my moods, she knows my likes and dislikes, she knows what I need even without asking. When she's around, I feel safe and secured. She loves me, Dar and the girls unconditionally, hands up. I won't be surprised if I turn out to be like her when I grow old which I don't mind at all.


She has this magic with her apos that endears her to them. I just wish that she gets to live to see her apos grow old. I always, always pray for her good health so she gets to run after the boys that will try to run after our girls.

Amber's Milestones

Katherine Amber was born at 4:50 am at Al Wasl Hospital in Dubai. She weighed 3.11kgs and looked like me. She is our firstborn and last Oct. 3 she turned 4.


Your first is always unforgettable, as they say. As first time parents then, I can still remember how "perfectly careful" we were. Everything she used must either be sanitized, washed thoroughly, sterilized or boiled for 10 minutes. We carried her with a white bird's eye cloth draped over our shoulders. We bought everything that was what we thought was the best for our little bundle of joy: Zapp/Quinny strollers, Pegpegperego high chair, Samsonite diaper bags.


I breastfed Amber for 14 months. It wasn't exclusive because I also introduced bottle feeding when she was 6 months or so when I tried working. Her sixth month was the month of new things for her. We gave her solid foods when she was 6 months. She had Farley's rusks, Cerelac and Gerber. Upon the advice of her pediatrician at American Hospital, she was only given water when she was 6 months. This may seem odd and new to others but our daughter turned out okay and survived without it. The explanation was that breastmilk is enough as substitute for water. We only gave her eggs and tomatoes when she was 6 months because these are the foods that some babies are most allergic of.


Amber started walking when she was 11 months. At 2, she has travelled to the US with us and has seen snow. She started schooling at 3 and seems to enjoy it. She stopped using diaper without potty training. Now, we believed what her British pediatrician told us, small kids do decide when they're ready to go diaper-free. My participation on this was just to have a pep talk on the benefits of not using diaper, nothing else. If only we can convince her to just drink milk one or twice a day from the glass. That's another target for me before she reaches 5... cross fingers.


Looking at my eldest and seeing how well she's growing up, I feel proud of the way we are raising her up. She is a cute, shy, smart, healthy 20-kilo girl who is looking more like her Tatay. I may not have all the answers to her questions now but I try to answer it as best as I can...child-friendly, of course. For every milestone in her life, I'll make sure I'll be there. For me, these are the moments that are priceless.

Lessons from Andoy and Pepeng

We're home. Happy to be back to our normal life after two typhoons. It was one unforgettable week.


While my native province of Cagayan was heavily damaged by the second typhoon Pepeng. I was still thankful that our old house survived the strong winds and rain. Can't say the same with our ilang-ilang tree and the some of our fruit trees though. Typhoon Ondoy, on the hand was not that strong but it has caused me and my family to flee from our building due to the flood that it has caused our basement where the main switch was located. I was pissed off. Having no electricity is something I can somehow bear but having no water was a different story especially when you have small kids. So a decision was made later that day that we had to stay at my in-law's house somewhere in Quezon City until power is restored.


On our way to QC, I was surprised by the damages that it has caused the metro. Listening to our cab driver tell us stories and the areas flooded with water and seeing the many buses and cars at the side of the EDSA road being towed after it got flooded made me realized that we were fortunate enough to lose just electricity and water. It was also fortunate that when we arrived at my mother-in-law's empty house there was power and the only sign of the flood was the muddy floor.


The continuous rain left so many people homeless. Rich and poor, young and old had the same stories of houses covered with water, cars swept away by the water current, staying overnight on their roofs, etc. The news showed panic, chaos, loss, sadness, trauma. I felt anger at the way the government is handling the situation. I felt relieved that private companies like ABS-CBN worked so fast and orderly in helping the typhoon victims. I felt ashamed because I complained of our lack of power when a lot of people were trying to survive the flood not knowing what's instore for them after Ondoy left. A lot of emotions but one thing is for sure, I know we can survive this...again, as always.


Sept. 29's tragedy was a wake up call for every Filipino. It taught us a lesson on the effects of little things like proper garbage disposal and cutting off trees. The wrath of Mother Nature is something that must not be ignored anymore. It has opened everyone's eyes , hands and hearts. I was touched by the different stories of heroism, generosity, kindness. The spirit of "bayanihan" or helping each other was rekindled everywhere. When I watched the news, it showed a lot Filipinos still smiling inspite of. This is what makes us different from the rest of the world. This is what sets us apart from the others.


Something was learned from this. Something was gained and something was revived. We will never waver, we will never give up. We always pick up the pieces and start anew. We are Filipinos after all and I'm proud to be one.