Friday the 15th

At lunchtime today, while I wasn't looking, a can of coconut cream dropped from my shopping cart onto my poor, unsuspecting left big toe. Right smack on the joint.

I managed a muffled "God damn it!," winced and reached into my bag for some tissue to wipe the blood that was flowing from the gash. I tried applying pressure to stop the bleeding but the area hurt so bad, I had to remind myself I'm 35 years old and in a public place to stop myself from crying.

I stood there for a good two minutes steeling myself. I managed to put back the offending can back into the shopping cart. Limping, and with my sandal straps brushing the injury, I managed to get to the checkout counter and pay.

The area was swollen, black and blue by the time I got back to the car.

Then tonight, as I stood to fetch this laptop to type up this post, I, barefoot, stepped on one of Mika's eensy weensy hair clamps -- the ones with teeth.

I'm just up for grabs today, ain't I?

Drive

Mike: "Ang bilis mo, ah! Naka-100 ka kanina!"

Me: "Of course not! 60 lang ako! I know kasi tingin nga ako ng tingin sa speedometer dahil inip na inip ako dun sa sinusundan kong van na naka-hazard lights pa!"

Mike: "Oo nga, pero nung nalampasan mo na 'yung van, naka-100 ka na!"

Me: "Di, 'no! 80 lang ako!"

Then mom chirps in, "Eh siguro kasi si Mike 100 na di ka pa ma-overtake-an."

Me: "Di n'ya ako ma-overtake-an dahil ayaw niya akong iwanan! Binuntutan nga ako, naka-high beam pa, silaw na silaw kaya ako tuwing titingin ako sa rear view!"

I've been a licensed driver for almost a year now, the first few months of which were spent driving a manual Suzuki Alto through in-roads on the way to work and back. It was only last December that I was allowed to use the SLEX, after I was given an automatic Ford Focus.

He doesn't trust my reflexes, he said.

But there was really no turning back after my first SLEX drive. I drove myself farther, to test and hone my driving skills. First was Alabang, then to Sucat (twice), then Magallanes, then the International Airport (through a portion of EDSA), and very recently, the Chinese Embassy in Makati.

Save for the fact that I missed to take a left to Pasay/EDSA on my first drive to the airport (which meant I had to drive all the way to the U-turn slot under the Buendia bridge), all of my trips have been uneventful.

Well, that is discounting my labors at parking in SM malls... but that's another story. :)

Monster In Law in the Making

Mike and I were driving to work, when a bunch of teenagers crossed the street. The one nearest the car had tattoo on his arms, and looked like he bummed all his life. I exclaimed, "Labs, paano kung ganyan ang maging boyfriend ni Mika? Papayag ka bang mga pakalat-kalat lang sa kanto ang maging boyfriend niya? Ako hindi!"

Mike replied with an amused smile, "Ang aga mong kinukunsumi ang sarili mo."

Ha! I'm just dealing with the hypothetical, let's see him deal with the actual eventually. :)

===

On a separate occasion I was with a dear friend/ Frustrated at her zero lovelife, she blurted out:

"Hay naku, antayin ko na lang kayang lumaki si Gambel?! " (She meant she'd wait till he grows up and she'd have him for a boyfriend, or a husband.)

She was joking of course, and I said, "Naku, wag na. Masarap akong kaibigan pero hindi ako magandang biyenan! (You better think again. I may be a good friend, but I make a terrible mother in law!)"

I was kidding too, of course, but I suppose my saying it meant I kinda believed it somehow. While I don't intend to make life a hell for the people my children will eventually marry, I wish I can influence who they'd end up with. As I always want the best for them, I wish they'd up with people who would love and care for them even more than we have. Who'd respect them, support their dreams, stay committed to their marriage and the family... of course it wouldn't hurt if they're well educated, have the same background, and good looking! :)

This, when my kids are all below 12 years old! Tama si Mike, ang aga kong kunsumihin ang sarili ko! :)

The 80%

(This came in my mail today. Thanks, Beth! I think it's worth sharing. )

Do not look back and ask "Why?" rather look forward and ask, "Why not?"

In most cases, especially in relationships, you will only get 80% of what you NEED and you will hardly get the other 20% that you WANT in your relationship. There is always another person (man or woman) that you will meet and that will offer you the other 20% which is lacking in your relationship that you WANT and believe me, 20% looks really good when you are not getting it at all in your current relationship.

But the problem is that you will always be tempted to leave that good 80% that you know you have, thinking that you will get something better with the other 20% that you WANT. But as reality has proven, in most cases, you will always end up with having the 20% that you WANT and losing the 80% that you really NEED and that you already had. Be careful in deciding between what you WANT and NEED in your life.

Adultery happens when you start looking for what you don't have. "Wow, this girl in my office is a real looker. But it's not her Wynona Rider features that got me. I'm crazy about her because she's also understanding, intelligent, tender - so many things that my spouse is not." Somewhere along the way, you'll find a woman or a man who will be more charming or sensitive. More alluring. More thoughtful. Richer. Have greater sex appeal. And you will find a woman or man who will need you and pursue you and go loco over you more than your spouse ever did. Because no wife or husband is perfect. Because a spouse will only have 80% of what you're looking for. So adultery takes place when a husband or wife looks for the missing 20%.

Let's say your wife is melancholic by nature. You may find yourself drawn to the pretty clerk who has a cherry laugh no matter what she says: "I broke my arm yesterday, Hahahaha . . .."

Or because your wife is a homebody in slippers and pajamas, smelling of garlic and fish oil, you may fall for a fresh-smelling young sales representative that visits your office in a sharp black blazer, high heels, and a red pencil-cut skirt. Or because your husband is the quiet type, your heart may skip a beat when you meet an old college flame who has the makings of a talk show host.

But wait! That's only 20% of what you don't have. Don't throw away the 80% that you already have! That's not all. Add to your spouse's 80% the 100% that represents all the years that you have been with each other. The storms you have weathered together. The unforgettable moments of sadness and joy as a couple. The many adjustments you have made to love the other. The wealth of memories that you've accumulated as lovers.

Adultery happens when you start looking for what you don't have. But faithfulness happens when you start thanking God for what you already have.

But I'm not just talking about marriage. I'm talking about life! About your jobs.
About your friends. About your children. About your lifestyles. Are you like the economy airline passenger that perennially peeks through the door of the first class cabin, obsessed with what he's missing? "They have got more leg room! Oh my, their food is served in porcelain! Wow, their seats recline at an 80% angle and they've got personal videos!" I guarantee you'll be miserable for the entire trip!

Don't live your life like that... Forget about what the world says is first class.. Do you know that there are many first class passengers who are miserable in first class -- because they are not riding in a private Lear Jet?

The main message? If you start appreciating what you have right now, wherever you are, you are first class!

Breastfeeding is Best for Babies...

Mika's turning 7 months old next week. That means I've breastfed about 1,960 times, produced about 11,520 ounces (about 350 liters) of milk and flashed my breasts in public about 400 times. (See. I know that'd get your attention!)


The upside is Mika's growing to be a very healthy baby. She hasn't been sick a day in the last six months (well, except for the flu she got from me, which by the way was an epidemic at the time). From time to time she shows the beginnings of a cold, but that quickly goes away and she's her normal, bubbly self.


She's not fat but by golly, she's heavy! She weighed a little over 8 kgs last time we checked. Now she HOPS a lot (with support) and moves around in her walker.


For me, breastfeeding meant not having to get up at all to prepare her a bottle, which meant better and longer sleep at night. (Which is VERY IMPORTANT!) There are no bottles to wash and sterilize, which meant less water and electricity costs. I've also become healthier from all Vitamin A, B, C, Calcium and Iron I got from the malunggay I'm ingesting.


But my favorite bit about breastfeeding is the dramatic weight loss!

I'm back to my pre-pregnancy weight, which meant I lost about 20lbs! I now fit into my old pants! Yay! (That even if I do eat a lot!)

Jenn is right. Breastfeeding is best not only for babies but for mommies too! :)

Breaktime

Kawawa, I haven't been reading books lately. Make that for the longest time lately. Reading was the first to go after I signed up to be Mrs. Vice General Manager simultaneous with being Teacher Mom and now, add to the list, Exclusively Breastfeeding Mom.*

How do I hang on to my sanity?

I cook and blog (when I can), but usually I hie away for a good five minutes and blog hop. I found this blog which is really gooood. Dali, go see what I'm talking about.

Dear You

Yes, YOU. Kung tinamaan ka, eh di para sa 'yo. :)

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The One That Got Away
By Mark J. Macapagal
Taken from The Manila Times, 24 June 2003

In your life, you'll make note of a lot of people. Ones with whom you shared something special, ones who will always mean something. There's the one you first kissed, the one you first loved, the one you lost your virginity to, the one you put on a pedestal, the one you're with... and the one that got away.

Who is the one that got away? I guess it's that person, with who everything was great, everything was perfect, but the timing was just wrong. There was no fault in the person; there was no flaw in the chemistry, but the cards just didn't fall the right way, I suppose.

I believe in the fact that ending up with someone, finding a longtime partner that is, does not lie merely in the other person. I can actually argue that an equal part, or maybe even the greater part, has to do with the matter of timing. It has to do with you being ready to settle down and commit to someone in a way that goes beyond the little niceties of giddy romance.

How often have you gone through it without even realizing it? When you're not ready to commit in that mature manner, it doesn't matter who you're with, it just doesn't work. Small problems become big; inconsequential, become deal breakers simply because you're not ready and it shows. It's not that you and the person you're with are no good; it just that it's not yet right, and little things become the flashpoint of that fact.

Then one day you're ready. You really are. And when this happens you'll be ready to settle down with someone. He or she may not be the most perfect. They might not be the brightest star of romance to ever have burned in your life, but it'll work because you're ready. It will work because it's the right time and you'll make it work. And it'll make sense, it really will.

So that day comes when you're finally making sense of things, and you find yourself to be a different person. Things are different, your approach is different, and you finally understand who you are and what you want. And you've become ready because the time has truly arrived. And mind you, there's no telling when this day will come. Hopefully you're single but you could be in a long-term relationship, you could be married with three kids. It doesn't matter.

All you know is that you've changed, and for some reason, the one that got away is the first person you think about. You'll think about them because you'll wonder, "What if they were here today?" You'll wonder, "What if we were together now, with me as I am and not as I was?" That's what the one that got away is, the biggest "What if?" you'll have in your life.

If you're married, you'll just have to accept the fact that the one that got away, got away. Believe me, no matter how fairy tale you think your marriage is, this can happen to the best of us. But hopefully you're mature enough to realize that you're already with the one you're with and this is just another test of your commitment. One which will just strengthen your marriage when you get past it. Sure, you'll think about him/her every so often, but it's alright. It's never nice to live with a "might have been," but it happens.

Maybe the one that got away is the one who's already married. In which case it's the same thing. You just have to accept and know that your memories of that person will probably bring a nice little smile to your lips in the future when you're old and gray and reminiscing.

But if neither of that is the case, then it's different. What do you do if it's not yet too late? Simple...find him, find her. Because the very existence of a "one that got away" means that you'll always wonder what if you got that one. Ask him out to coffee; ask her out to a movie, it doesn't matter if you've dropped in from out of nowhere. You'd be surprised, you just might be "the one that got away" as well for the person who is your "the one that got away." You might drop in from out of nowhere and it won't make a difference.

If the timing is finally right, it'll all just fall into place somehow and you know. I'm thinking, it would be a great feeling in the end, to be able to say to someone, "Hey you, you're the one that almost got away."