my complicated life

1. lance - of course! my baby and my life. everyday he's growing up to be adorable and makulit. we often wondered where he got his traits become he is so malikot, makulit and funny in his own way. if i have been beaten with walis ting-ting when i was still young because of my kamalditahan, then stop wondering where lance took his personalities. =) i am so thankful i gave birth to a healthy and bright baby boy.
2. new friends - yeah, i have listed this as the 2nd because not only it is hard to find friends but it is even harder to find good friends here in the UAE. to mention, they are rolly, ely and molly... hahaha. their name rhymes! =) rolly's been helpful and i really find a "brother" in him. not an older or younger one, but someone of the same age. i could talk to him about family life, my work, my plans...minsan nga, nagi-guilty na ako because i could be consuming more of his time for his own family eh. but then again, i am very thankful for meeting him. the two new guys, sir ely and coach molly as i call them, were my other new friends. they are the most patient ones, of all my friends! hahaha. imagine, teaching a cat to swim??!!! of course, i am not a cat. but they were really supportive and patient in teaching me (and my kumareng jen) in playing tennis even if we hardly have the potential. anyhow, me and jen still scored A for Effort. =)
3. family - i am thankful for my families who has been supportive, helpful and understanding. i thank my brothers and sisters who are always there. i thank my cousins here in the UAE who always visits me and lance. them, who help me take care of lance especially ate bel.
4. work - for the financial needs i am getting out of it. yeah, yeah... even the learnings. =) i don't think i still have anything else to say about this matter as my issues were already flooding this blog. anyway, despite all the negative things i feel about it, i am still thankful i got a job. a job that helps me buy lance some milk, diapers and clothes. =)
5. sanity - hahaha. yep, i am thankful i haven't lost it yet. with all the problems that battered (and still battling) me this year, i so thankful i am still sane. i just don't understand why some people are so hard to talk to and just couldn't decide what they want to do with their lives. if only my (or lance's) future will not get affected, i wouldn't care!!! the sad part is, that is not the case. with that, i am continuously trying to figure out what's on their heads and how to make them think straight. will they have a chance? i dunno.. i guess, it's what 2008 have to offer me --- to look forward that miracle happens and it will make difficult people a little less difficult. hehehe.

Choice # 2 - without cake, but with party hat. daddy M's boots in brown color.

introducing the M&M family...

papa M, as in Marvin

a view outside the church with the godparents

the candle holders from front

candle holders pic taken from the back

behind this festive celebration, the baptism was kinda sad in a way. i remember, i was trying to hold back my tears while carrying my baby during the mass. i felt that marvin have been so cruel to stood up his own son's important event. somehow, the presence of his clan took some of the disappointments away. some... kasi up to this time, it saddens me that his family and mine weren't formally introduced. how could i? sobrang busy ako on the day! gustong-gusto ko na ngang umiyak even at the reception but doing so would all the more, spoil my son's event. pinigilan ko na lang din. sigh. ang mahalaga, kristiyano na si lance and i promise to raise him up to be a good boy. kasingbait ng mommy nya. =)

• Church - paid and reserved Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal for August 4 event. sa hinaba-haba ng prusisyon, dito rin pala ang church namin. hehe.
• Reception - paid and reserved Shanghai Garden Resort. i have visited the place with my sister and their customer service personnel, Necy' s very accommodating.
• Food - paid downpayment to Blue Petals. we shall be having our taste test this week. yummy! hehe.
• Guestlist - still waiting for RSVPs. sigh...
• Sponsor List - still waiting for Aldous and France's RSVPs.
• Cake - scrapped out of the list. =( however, red ribbon cake looks yummy. if there will be a spare money from the budget, i might get one as well. replaced the cake with chocolate fountains and cupcakes from Sweet Affairs. Van is such a darling! =) paid her downpayment already.
• Photo - called up Oliver already... ang gulo nya... ibitin nya lang ako at papatayin ko siya... hehe
• Video - no appointed videographer yet.
• Wardrobes - i was able to buy a blouse for myself for 300 bucks at 168.... hehe.
• Decor - ordered pillars and some baloon clusters from Balloon Kingdom.
• Tarpaulin - had a 2.5 ft. x 5 ft tarp made by Simple Touch in 168 mall. lance is really gwapito.
• Souvenirs/lootbag/prizes - souvenir for guests, partial lootbag contents and 3 pieces prizes were bought already. still need to personalized the souvenirs, organize the lootbags, make lootbags, and buy more prizes.

• will u be my godparent e-card - scrapped out of the plan since the ecard maker software that i was able to download was not that user-friendly, hehe.
• invitation - sent out save-the-date cards and baptism invites by email only and those that don't have email access were invited through sms. =)
• guestbook/guestsheet - no update yet
• centerpiece - will just have the flower centerpiece provided by the caterer.
• thank you card - no update
• gift tags - no update
• candle wrapper - no update
• baptismal rite - no update
• program - no update

so far, amidst my pagkainis and aside from the daily improvement of Lance weight and health, the preparation for his baptism keeps me excited and mellow. as of now, here's the update!

the important ones:

• church - shortlisted now the Our lady of the Miraculous Medal Parish (aka Posadas church), since United Paranaque church do not have a saturday ceremony, Better Living Church is not accommodating enough to non-parishioners, Simbayanan ni Maria looks degraded now...
• reception venue - the Shanghai Garden Resort (www.shanghaigardenresort.com) yipee!!! pencil booked the August 4th date already.
• food - Blue Petals, most probably since it is the only well-known caterer inside Paranaque area.
• guestlist - trimmed down to a hundred.
• sponsor list - finalized. the ninong's will be Ariel, France, Reggie and Aldous while the ninang's will be Fe, Elena, Lea and Marifer.
• cake - pencil booked with Recipe's and Magic
• photo - Marq Oliver Photography... for free!!!!!! another yippee!!! (www.marqoliver2005.multiply.com)
• video - our own miniDV cam. no appointed videographer yet.
• wardrobes - no update
• souvenir / lootbag / prizes - no update

• will u be my godparent ecard - no update
• invitation - drafted the online invite
• guestbook/guestsheet - no update
• centerpiece - no update
• thank you card - no update
• gift tags - no update
• candle wrapper - no update
• baptismal rite - no update
• program - no update

1. church: nothing final yet. still undecided and unregistered. we already have 3 choices in mind, which are United Paranaque church, Better Living Church and Posadas Church. all within taguig area.
2. reception venue : nothing final yet. still undecided and unreserved. we have 2 choices for now, the Villa Juanita in bagumbayan and the Alcatrocks inside Better Living Subd. picked due to proximity to the churches mentioned above.
3. food : nothing final yet. eyeing for Blue Petals' menu for 100 persons. might lessen the number of guests due to budget constraints.
4. guestlist : list is still on draft mode and formal invitations are not yet sent. tentatively, 100 guests. the more, the merrier. =)
5. sponsor list : still on draft mode. so far our list includes ninongs to be ariel and aldous while ninangs will be fe, elena, fer, marianne and lea. we still have to think and finalize this list and send out favor request. to note, ang hirap to get ninang/ninong in the philippines! not unlike here in the uae, ninangs/ninongs were all in a voluntary basis during conception palang! hay, how i wish ellen and jen could be in the philippines to be the ninangs para no doubt ako that baby Lance will be taken cared of when something goes wrong with me. knock on wood! hehehe.
6. cake : wishing to have a cupcake tree. shortlisted suppliers are French Kiss, Recipes and Magic, Gervy's, Sugarbox.
7. photo : shortlisted suppliers are Ging Lorenzo, Jeff & Pia and probably Oliver's photography if he gives me a friendly rate, hihi.
8. video : will probably use my miniDV cam. i just haven't nominated who among my nephews will be the official videographer of the day. =) i need to bring the tripod though kahit hassle sa luggage.
9. wardrobes : christening wardrobes for the baby, parents and grannies. i already bought Lance's party dress in Red Tag last week (my only accomplishment so far!). cute siya and formal. i'm sure, Lance will be so cute in it.
10. souvenir / lootbag / prizes: still clueless on what and where to get a useful yet cutey souvenir. i will just visit divi at the last minute for the loot bag and prizes. gawin daw bang photo-finish. =)

as for not-so-important but hoping i could get done do-it-yourself projects, the list goes as:

1. "will u be my godmother/godfather" e-card : e-card making software downloaded already. poem requested via my GT forumer and is waiting for her response. i just don't have anymore of those creativity juice flowing... =(
2. invitation : poem was written by my GT forumer, isisalexi! thanks sis! although all photos are available already, i still cannot make this as i have no church/venue details yet.
3. guestbook / guestsheet : yep, i haven't decided which of the two to make... hehe.
4. centerpiece : i have made the collage already although i am not sure if this will print out just fine. will print test it this week.
5. thank you card : i already have the text waiting to be used. hihi.
6. gift tags : for the kids' loot bag and guest souvenirs.
7. candle wrapper : of course, for the candles! hehe. like the others, pure idea palang. no realization yet.
8. baptismal rite : i have a sample already (from a forumer also) but not the one from the "supposed to be" church. technically, idea palang din ito. =)
9. program : vina agreed to be my host, had 2 games in mind but still doesn't have a final program.

• we don't have the same plans / priorities.
• he just don't see what is important to me and what would make me happy. kahit na anong gawin kong explain or mention what is important to me, nde naman niya iniintindi. ni nde nga binigyang pansin eh. =(
• nde kami ng baby ko ang first priority nya. siguro, if i had to list down yung mga taong important sa kanya, ni wala kami sa top 10 and the sad part is, he is not making an effort to make us feel otherwise.

aside from his medical check-up, his reason for going home was to unwind. according to him he is just so stressed here in the UAE. stressed in all aspects, job, surrounding, etc. perhaps even with me. imagine that... pag uwi nya from office, he doesn't even have to cook. i can claim that i am taking care of him as what a wife should supposed to do. despite of which, stressed pa rin siya!!! yung iba ngang OFW, they have to cook, wash clothes, etc. pagkagaling sa work. pero siya, no need na and yet stressed pa rin! gusto ko na ngang sabihing, he might as well stay in the philippines and not to come back anymore. hmp. sabi nya magkaiba daw kasi kami, mataas daw kasi stress level tolerance ko. i was the one who even has to make all the plans and who thinks of my baby's yaya eh. ni hindi ko nga pinapa-problema sa kanya yun or financially needs his support! =( ewan ko, i just don't see any justification sa kino-complain nya.

with that, i decided na lang to go home this july and give my baby a baptism without him or his family. what for pa? nde nga kami important sa kanya eh, what more sa family nya. tama nga ako. there's no point planning for a future with him. tatanda ako nang maaga kung palaging ganito. when baby finally comes into this world, i will just be a mommy but won't be a wife anymore.

• i woke up so late that i wasn't able to take a decent breakfast. i just snatched the choco-mocca biscuit at the cupboard and munched it when i reached the office. oh, i also brought sliced pears and 2 bananas from home. =)
• i had tons of desk work that i only had chicken soup for lunch (a soup where i couldn't find a single chicken strip...). the soup for the hungry soul and bulgy stomach..hehe.
• the recreation committee's organizing an Egypt trip slated on April 8-12 and staying at Hilton Hotel. why, oh why??!!! of all times, do they have to schedule it on days i can't possibly go?? nakakainis! i repeat, nakakainis to the max!!!!
• our PRO refused to attend to my request of visa application for my sister. he suggested i go down to the Abu Dhabi Immigration Department myself. ako pa??!! nway, straight from the office, i went to the said government agency. i got there around 4:15 PM. the guard was nice and he instructed me for the procedure and where to go to. i went first to have the application written online and printed out (this is outside the immigration building, right side) to be attached to the required documents. the documents that i brought are me and my sister's passport copies, her photo (which i just grabbed from her friendster account and printed from my office's printer, hehe) and my salary certificate written in arabic. it costs me 25AED for that application letter which was also written in arabic. then, i bought an e-card with empost (courier) entitlement that costs 117 AED in all (100 AED for the visa, 10 AED for the empost and probably 7 AED for the card?? hehe). i finished attending to with these documents at around 5 pm. i went back to the immigration building (left side), took a number slip which serves as a queue. my slip reads i'm customer #0631 and they are currently serving customer # 0540!! ohmigosh! quite a long queue and my baby's having his tantrums already because of hunger. since i am pretty sure it'll take me centuries before i can have my turn, i went out and luckily found a vendo machine and had a cup of hot choco instead. i climbed up the stairs going to the big building where there are 3 adjoining seats at each side of the stairway. i sat on one of the seats, drank my coco and ate one of the bananas i hurriedly placed in my bag this morning. i don't care whether walang ka-poise-poise yung meal ko and that i had to bite into that banana in public! gutom na si baby and i don't think i could last that long with him doing somersaults inside my tummy until i don't give in to his demands. =) after a couple of minutes of being full, my bladder felt its needs to empty out as well. i went down, checked the queue... customer #0584... still a long way to go! so, i surveyed the whole immigration department for a sight of a john, which i luckily found at the left side of the big building, ground floor. ang galing mo talaga, myleen! haha. i took a refreshing leak and went back to the visa (leftside) building afterwards and waited there for my #0631st turn. however, with angels on my side making up for my bad day, the person seated beside me seemed to have lost his/her patience that he/she left his/her slip. i dunno the pronoun to use since i wasn't able to see the person responsible. all i did noticed was that a #0621 slip was at the seat beside me ready for taking. syempre, i am just a smart human so i innocently slid my hands into it. hihi. yeepee!! customer #0621!!! around 7:00 PM, "my" new number was called and i was able to submit my sister's visa application which i will just wait after 3 days for a courier to deliver right by our doorstep. before i left the building, i gave my customer # 0631 slip to a fellow kabayan na kahit na ini-snob ako, it's my way of paying it forward to the good angels and grant to her my unused slip. at exactly, 7:15 PM, i was out of the immigration department. =)

some things to take note though...

• the immigration department do not take cash for payment. that's the use of the e-card that i bought from the typing folks outside the immigration office.
• i saved roughly 50 AED, against having this visa processsed by our PRO who charges me 220AED/visa. hmp!
• i only had a regular visa for processing which was 100 AED. an extra 100 AED is required should one wants the visa processed and claimed after an hour.