Things I’m Rubbish At

Monday again! Okay, this is a “delayed telecast”, sorry! I am literally swimming in workloads, emails and process documents to review for the TS16949 internal audit. Anyho, head out to the List Master Stasha at The Good Life. This week’s easy list is courtesy of Jessica.

 

Things I Suck At

1. Cleaning shoes and sandals. A usual sore point between dear husband and me. I usually wait for him to be so bothered that he can’t help but clean it for me (mine and the kids’). So far, a pretty effective technique.

2. House beautification stuff. No natural inclination whatsoever. Again, I leave it to dear husband. So far, I count one instance of buying 2 sets of curtains without dear husband’s prodding and I feel pretty smug about this accomplishment. It was four years ago. 

3. Make-ups. It means, lipstick and pressed powder.

4. Playing with the 2 kiddos. Another husband forte. He loves playing with the 2 girls, I’m blessed! Typical scenario, husband + kids horsing around, me? at the corner reading a book or surfing the net.

5. Cooking. I really was very grateful for ready-to-eat meals at Daie, a store near the apartment I live, when I was at Hiroshima, Japan for 9 months. Although I have some help with my then boyfriend turned husband, he sends me very detailed funny step by step email instructions on cooking a dish, I found out that cooking is just not my thing. Give me loads of dirty dishes anytime, I’ll clean it for you in exchange of a meal. 

6. Homeworks/Crafting. Husband duty.

7. Shopping. Unless with girlfriends, I’d gladly pass.

8. Anticipating. If I have to see a movie, I have to read the summary or synopsis first. I have to know the plot, the twists. I suck at anticipating.

9. Choosing gifts. I can’t for the life of me get creative with gifts. It must be because of the “zero craftiness” abilities.

10. Eating! I eat like a bird, a small bird. Aside from cleaning my shoes/sandals, this is one thing I have to contend often with my husband. I tried multivitamins to boost my appetite, it worked only for the first few weeks. Eating at eat-all-you-can restaurants for me is always a rip-off!

Another reason to enjoy the beach, the sand and sun – Class Reunions.

Monday is here again! Head over at Stasha’s The Good Life and check out this week’s topic by Rachel,

List the top ten pros/cons of attending your class reunion.

1. You get to re-connect with your friends you haven’t seen for ages. ( yah, duh, obviously!)

2. You get to see how the years treated your classmates! (this is something to look forward to! *smirk* )

3. Reminisce. Reminiscing with the actual participants of fun high school memories are more rewarding!

4. Brag Exchange child/ren stories.

5.  Count the number of times you hear “Hey, you still look the same.”  (Well at least I hope, they meant physically.)

6.  Networking! (With all the catching-up you’d be bound to touch on who’s the best pediatrician, dentist, best schools, etc. for future reference.)

7. A good reason to dress up and look pretty!

8. Show off your handsome husband and equally cute kids. (juvenile? you betcha )

9. Another reason to enjoy the beach, the sand and sun. (I live on an archipelago with 7,107 islands, and I actually live in a smaller island called Lapu-Lapu, so invariably, the reunion is at one beach resort or another.)

10. The best reason is you get to physically hug and kiss those gems of people you have come to love and respect! Regardless of the time you’ve had no contact, the bond is still tangible and there, like it was just yesterday.

I Have 2 Live-in Nannies To Do My Chores. Thank you.

It’s been awhile since I’ve  linked up with Stasha at The Good Life for the weekly 10 Monday Listicles. The topic chosen by Wendy this week, was easy peasy, so I’m joining in. 

Although, I have to tell you, I have 2 live-in nannies and they basically do all the household chores, but still, I’m conjuring up my memories of nanny-free days for this post. And I have to add, I don’t hate cleaning our room from ceiling to floor, go through all the nooks and crannies, but cleaning the WHOLE house is an entirely different matter which I whole-heartedly entrust to my more than willing and capable husband. Thank you.

10 things I would rather be doing than cleaning the house

1. Read. Now, if only there’s a way to read not using the eyes and hands and just sit on a comfy chair. I know there are audio books, which I haven’t tried yet and I really ought to really try ASAP.

2. Sleep.

3. Blog hop/read.

4. Check Facebook.

5. Videoke. We have our own portable videoke player so I’m very much covered.

6. Watch my 2 girls play. Watch is the operative verb. Don’t hate me so much but you really need lots and lots of energy with play sessions with a 4.5 and a 2.3 boundless source of energies, and right now, I need all the R&R I could get. It’s the PMS.

7. Read recaps on my current fave Korean dramas at Dramabeans.

8. Watch Korean dramas on DVD.  I have to thank the universe because my love for Korean dramas is now rubbing off my husband. Our weekly night dates with Lee Min Ho in City Hunter is one of the best dates ever, currently, we are on episode 16 out of 20. We see as many episodes as possible, between Mikaela and Ayana Rhys’  Backyardigans and Pororo movie marathon.

9. Watch Bones Season 7 on DVD.

10. Sleep.

The Soundtrack of my Life

This week’s Monday Listicles topic is by Bruna at Bees With Honey, ”Tell you life story using songs or music videos.” 

Monday Listicles brought to you by the fab Stasha at The Good Life.

1.  Summer Where Do We Begin - This song from the Phineas and Ferb movie, really brings a smile. Every summer, while growing up, our Lola will bring us to her cousins’ hometown, Bay-bay, Leyte. Those were one of the best memories I have with my Lola/Grandma.

2.  I Renounce Myself - I studied at a Catholic high school and every month we have one mass and this communion song just moves me. The funny thing is, this is what kept me from posting my blog entry because for the life of me, I can’t remember a line and the song title!!! All I remember is our talented batch mate Jessica singing this song beautifully. I asked my two batch mates in the office, but no luck. Alvin suggested to post this in the Batch Group in FB and after a few attempts on guessing, Michelle, bless her, posted the title. Yay! My problem now is, I couldn’t find an mp3 file and the lyrics, over the net.

3.   First Love by Utada Hikaru – If I knew this song before, this would probably be my cry theme song when “the” first love found another love.

4.   Never Had A Dream Come True by S Club 7 - COLLEGE days, this is one of the songs my friends and I sing,   alongside, Brown Eyes by Destiny’s Child.

5.  So Young by the Corrs - Still during COLLEGE days. We are taking it easy, bright and breezy, yeah! To be young and free.

6.  Journey To The Past by Aaliyah – This is actually a song included on Disney’s movie Anastasia. This song is full of hope.  I grew up with my Grandma, I only got to be in touch with my biological father when I was 13. Getting to know him and his family is like coming home.

Home, Love, Family, I will never be complete until I find you.

7. I’m Like A Bird by Nelly Furtado – While cruising through the bike lanes in Hiroshima, Japan on my way to work, this is on my repeat playlist (2005). Biking in a foreign land is so freeing.

8.  Ms. Independent by Neyo – I like how empowered the woman described in this song is. If I am still single, I’d be this girl.

9.  One In A Million You by Larry Graham – Dear husband’s song for me.

10. A Child’s Prayer – I find myself singing this song when I rock Mikaela to sleep on one of her “cranky colic” days. I learned this while I was in Japan and I met amazing Mormon missionaries there, who have become good friends until now.

I Never

Since I’ve never really given so much thought on raising kids and being a mother (on second thought, who would have? right? Right.), I’m slightly changing I’LL NEVER to I NEVER, for this week’s Monday Listicle of Stasha at  Northwest Mommy, her friend Greta at Not Enough Patience thought of this interesting topic. Some things on this  list is as much a revelation to me as to you dear reader. Again, in no particular order.

1. I never thought I’d be having the hardest of times convincing my daughter to wear other kinds  of clothing aside from leggings.

How Uncool Is This Outfit?

 2. I never in my life thought I’d be shouting too, in frustration after hearing an hour straight crying and whining of two little she devils because they wanted to ride the boat at 7 in the morning when the ship is scheduled to sail at 8pm.

Excited Much

3.  I never thought I’d be waking up at 2 am to nebulize Ayana on her asthma attacks. I never thought she’d be asthmatic considering I’ve  breastfed her for two years, exclusively for 6 months. That ought to count right? Unfortunately, no.

Poor baby.

4.  I never thought I’d be so stupid to not notice how Mikaela’s teeth are already so ruined by the baby milk bottle left on her mouth overnight. This is one of the biggest regret and failure I have yet to pay and suffer.  Okay, sorry for the smile on my face, I can’t actually find a much more fitting picture to illustrate the point I’m making, and besides, I kind of like my smile here. (Yes, I can be selfish and conceited at times.)

Missing four front teeth.

5. It never crossed my mind that one day I’ll be defending myself from dear husband’s accusation that I never take interest on our two girls hair-do’s/hair arrangements and all. There is a perfectly logical explanation for this, I’ve never really ever took care of my hair aside from shampooing and conditioning it every other day, so this thing with the hair does not come naturally to me. Anyhow, I’m doing something about this already.

6. I never thought I’d be having a telephone conversation with a 4-year-old and then hanged up by a four-year old.

Me : Hello, Mikaela?

Mikaela : Ma, you have surprise? ( sometimes we bring a little something to them when we get home from work)

Me : No, what would you….??

Mikaela : *hangs up*

Me : O…k..hay..

7. I never thought I’d feel so frustrated-helpless (oftentimes) being a mom. Take your scenario picks, major meltdowns at weddings, tantrum galore at the mall, shouting matches in the grocery, etc.

Drama Princesses

8.  I never thought picking up toys can be a major source of headache. Come on, how hard could it get, right? No. Try picking toys in all sizes, stuck in a corner, flung under cabinets, in the process of being stuck in a certain 2 year-old’s nose, for 47 times in a day.

9. I never in my life thought how nauseating it is to see a movie for 1,808 times!

10. I never thought I could love my Lola (grandma, God bless her soul) and Mama more. But when I became a mother, I found out I could never love them enough.

Lola and Mikaela