my complicated life

1. mad - i am furiously mad at my hubby's former boss. he always messed up my family's vacation plans and we always end up not spending our holidays together. i am mad that he has no word of honor and doesn't even consider my habibi's status as a family man. i am mad because he is not a good employer. i am furiously mad because he made my husband pay for his own ticket and he did not even give his gratuity. in short, Mr. M deserves all the bad luck in this world. may his company go down the drain along with him. ggggrrrrrr.....
2. disappointed - i am disappointed by our department head's way of leading. he takes issues lightly and i feel he lacks the guts to solve things fast. most of my PRs will be celebrating their 2nd birthdays and when i asked him about the status of these so that he could jump and down as well to the procurement department, he just give me the usual reply i get from a person who has no concern. it is me who sits with the students and researchers and each time the SEM monitor turns off, i just dunno how to explain to them that the matter is beyond my control. it is my performance to my role that gets affected in here and more so, it is my face the students sees. and guess what, who gets the bad impression?? i am just terribly disappointed. have i said that twice?
3. happy - despite my hubby being banned to work in the UAE for 6 months, i am happy that we now share the same plans. hehe. yep. before, i have plans and he has his own. haha. now, we plan to meet in Oz by next year and then, both of us will come back to UAE in time for his 3-month visit visa.
4. sleepy - i am back to taking our bus service and it picks me up at my stop 6:35AM. kumusta naman yun?! i used to wake up at this time before. hay... goodluck na lang that i'll be able to keep my eyes open during the day. coffee to the rescue???

1. theme : jungle safari
2. venue : at the park or home
3. decorations : green, brown and yellow inspired, animal standees, luminaries (if venue's in a park)
   
4. food : BBQ, hotdog on stick, spicy chicken, lasagna
   
5. desserts : choco-covered mallows, chocolate cake, Jelly-O's, buko pandan
   
6. give-aways : mugs (adults) and lunch boxes (kids) - haha. yep, i already bought these!
7. attire : request the kids to wear white shirt and khaki shorts/pants
8. games :

• kiddie games -
• adult games -

1. i need to find a perfectly moist chocolate cake recipe.
2. i need to learn how to cook lasagna.

1. we had our vacation last june to august in Manila. it was just me, lance and ate bel. it wasn't a vacation for me and lance actually because lance got sick most of the time. me on the other hand, was so dead tired. =( good thing i had a chance to have a good laugh with old friends from HS before we leave for UAE. i never laughed that hard for such a long while. God, i missed being carefree. :D
2. i'm still working with the same company. no change in work status or bonus or whatsoever. it's been a long time, really! no good thing is coming my way. =(
3. already lodged our visa application. somehow, i want to start a new life. yeah, yeah. i don't think i need to explain further. let's just say, things 'round here is still the same. i just wish that life will be kinder to us when we transfer. i hope and pray that i may be able to find a new job right away. sana, so the moving on will be easier.
4. i am having financial difficulty nowadays. it was because of the expenses we have incurred with the vacation, the house repair (see below), an investment and the increased cost of living in the UAE combined. however, i am not that sad about this because i know for a fact that i am far more blessed than most people. budgetting lang talaga ang katapat nito and i have been lousy with that. i'll make this my new year's resolution. oopps..! na naman????!!! hahaha.

1. things about my migration plans are falling into places. just having a long wait for the final verdict. hopefully, i do succeed on this. if not, will opt for plan B. at ano naman yun??!! eh di ang magpaka-suicidal dito sa UAE. hehe.
2. lance is growing up to be such a smart boy. may pinagmanahan talaga!!! haha. at less than 2.5 year old, he already memorized the alphabet, knows the days of the week and the months in a year. you can refer to my multiply site for the video showcasing his prowess. (http://myl33n.multiply.com)
3. i was able to have my Cabuyao mini-house renovated. yun nga lang, nabaha naman with the Ondoy Typhoon. hay, ang malas talaga. anyway, the damage is still not as grabe as the ones in Manila. but just the same, it spoiled my newly repaired little house. =(
4. busy with a new hobby. photography!! hehe. i'm attending a basic photography course nowadays. at least, such an activity keeps my sanity.
5. i am healthy despite occasional backpains, headaches and dizziness. i know, i lack sleep. i just don't sleep peacefully these days. maybe i am bothered, stressed, drained?? i need a vacation really. pano naman yun eh kailangan ko ngang mag-budget. hayzzzzzzzz.....

1. i just lodged our immigrant visa application today. =) however, i still have to upload supporting documents. the good news is that i was able to lodge before my 35th birthday and the bad news is, i have a new debt. i paid my credit card dues yesterday and now i have a new one! haha. wala pang 24 hours may bago na namang utang. ngahaha.
2. a professor offered me a training slot. he said he'll ask my boss's approval which i am very hopeful he'll give. it'll be in Germany for five days. great opportunity noh?! hay, sana nga ay matuloy.
3. halos malunod na ako sa labworks. professors and students are behind my back, not to mention some special requests from other agencies. time to yell.... DARNA!!!

1. 3rd to 4th wk of April - research, research, research
2. end of April - submit state sponsorship and DIAC applications.
3. 1st to 2nd wk of May - make philippine vacation itinerary and plans.
4. 3rd to 4th wk of May - planning for Angels@Work activity.
5. 1st to 2nd wk of June - vacation preps

hindrances and solutions:

1. slow internet browsing - i need a new laptop!!!
2. lost calls (ahihi) - i need a new mobile phone. =( a 100-dirham worth is fine with me. i just need something to make and take calls without automatic hanging-up. a donor will be appreciated. :D
3. insufficient hours in a day - drink more coffee. make-believe that a day is actually 48 hours, so today is still yesterday and tomorrow's still today.
4. lack of money - this is indirectly a hindrance. hihi. having more will surely help smoothen out executions of plan nos. 1 to 5.

quincy, annie, june, leo, rocket and lance!

2. tarp-kuno. hehe. i designed it using Photoshop (am loving it already!) and originally planned to have it printed from a shop. however, kuya ely printed it in A1-size. super-tipid! hehe. what's so nice about it eh, siya ang nag-offer na mag-print. he asked me to send him some of Lance's photo to be put up during the event. being a girl scout that i am, syempre yung tarp design na ginawa ko ang ni-send ko. may bonus pa, he also printed out a nice big photo of lance. i really appreciate unsolicited help more than anything else. thanks again! as per jihan's words, dahil dyan may check ka! =)

3. CD give-away. i made all the designs for the inside and outside cover with PS also. a GT sis, gave me the link for the outside CD cover. then for the CD sticker, i used a PS template that i downloaded a month back, na kapag dun mo gagawin yung PS design mo, may guide na for you to cut. panalo yung template na yun! it made my life easier. hihi.

4. cupcakes. i made cheese and banana-flavored cupcakes, topped it with cream cheese frosting and decorated with themed-toothpick topper that i also made myself. yung cake/cupcake tree ay pinagawa ko (Jihan's friend). lumulundo nga eh, kasi lawanit lang yun. pero nilagyan ko na lang ng blocks na laruan ni lance sa ilalim para makaya nya yung weight ng lahat. hehe. i also covered and decorated it to make it more presentable.

6. decor. hindi na-picture-an yung decor that much because hubby's in-charge of that. and what happens when i assign something at him? hay. anyway, i placed banderitas along the entrance / hallway, then i used the shoe cabinet to hold the give-aways. i also have posted cut-out letters on the wall saying, they need to pick one toy before they go. then, as guests enter the living room, balloons can be seen lined up with the number "2" printed on it and some more balloons were placed here and there. a happy birthday banner hung in one side of the room, too. ni-career ko talaga the night before ang pagpe-prep up ng place. sarap mag-decorate! at least, eventhough the celebration's "quiet" for a party, the decoration made it a less gloomy occassion.

7. give-aways. i bought the give-aways from various gift shops here in the UAE. aliw nga ako because i was still able to keep up with the theme despite having no DIVIlandia here. i bought musical istrument toys, some things that are educational, rocket-shaped toys.. all according to the theme. sobrang aliw ako sa pen that is shaped like a microphone, the harmonica, photo stand na merong rocket at trumpet design around. quincy na quincy talaga ang dating. hihi.

8. food. mostly, i ordered. except for the spaghetti, hotdog sticks and the chicken shanghai. we also have fried chicken, fresh lumpia, relleno, beef and fruit platter. we're supposed to have a chocolate fountain but something went wrong with the chocolate. sayang nga eh, ang sarap pa naman nung chocolate. the consistency of the chocolate failed me. anyway, i just had a bowl to put the chocolate there to have a fondue instead.

8. cake. nope, hindi ako nag-bake nito. but i made the design kaya nilagay ko sa list ng DIY. it's an edible print-out of the design i drew. i actually have another cake design but i was not able to have it made because the bakeshop is charging me 600aed for that! okay lang siya??!!! anyway, with a less expensive cake parang nanghihinayang pa rin akong i-cut. hehe. the taste was so-so. feeling ko nga, mas masarap pa kung ako ang nag-bake nito. harharhar. feeling-yera!

1. you work your butt off, but is still justly compensated and you don't have to share your salary with the BIR.
2. you get to work or go home in 30 minutes or less (for most workers).
3. there's independence! you get to do what you wanted to do as long as it's not against their law. =)
4. you will learn to be responsible as you decide on your own and suffer the consequences all by yourself, too.
5. you have access to different types of food and brands (haha, at gawin bang panglima yung pagkain talaga). not only that, you can actually buy it if you want to. for some that are really costly, you can buy it by saving from a few months salary instead of saving for a year or two.
6. you live in a building and your house/flat have less dust to clean up. hihi.
7. you don't complain of how expensive an LPG or gasoline is.
8. you have a water heater! nice ito, especially for someone like me who can't bathe with cold tap water. =)
9. just by seeing the number and the quality of cars on the street, feeling mo, mayaman ka na rin. hehe.
10. you are spared from mga nakakainis na relatives, inlaws or neighbors. =)
11. you can talk to your kid in english without your neighbor thinking na ang yabang-yabang mo. yun nga lang, nosebleed ka talaga kung ipagpapatuloy mo yun. hehe.
12. aminin... hindi ganun kabigat ang trabaho sa office saka parang ang tali-talino mo dito. hihi.
13. you can save for your next trip and you can get visa approval easier.
14. you can send money back home instead of borrowing from your parents or siblings. may bonus pa, you can send christmas gifts in big balikbayan boxes. isn't it something to look forward to? enjoy kaya mag-ipon ng kung anong anik-anik to toss into that brown box.
15. lagi kang naka-aircon. you don't get that sweaty feeling na parang mamasa-masang pandesal (i miss pandesal, though).
16. walang baha. sunshiney 350 days of the year!!! 5 days for occasional rainshowers and 10 days of sandstorms.
17. your pasttime as a single person may include malling, bowling or clubbing. as a yummy mummy/daddy, you may be busy shopping, baking or perfecting a dish at home, go to gym, engage in a hobby, etc.
18. you have officemates of different nationalities that no matter how weird they are, at least may excuse sila.
19. you can sleep late at night and still catch your bus or taxi early in the morning. okay lang, because you can still take your breakfast in the office while infront of a computer. makakapag-blog ka pa nga eh. minsan nga, may bonus ka ring kotse thay you pay in installments or if you can any luckier, a car issued by your company. kung hindi ka naman talaga sinuswerte!
20. you can stretch your 24 hours. hindi ka umuuwi ng bahay na parang basang-sisiw. you can go to work and can still have time to go to the grocery, cook, watch teleseryes, mess around with your kid, chat...etc. all in one day.
21. hindi ka paranoid to have your celfone snatched, be kidnapped, have your throat slashed, be mugged.. while you walk the streets daytime or nighttime.
22. you can have leisure walks along the beach everyday, if you want to.
23. you don't need to present many documents when you want to apply for a credit card. credit card companies actually looks for you.
24. girls or ladies get separate queues or seats in public transports.
25. less pasyalan, less gastos. hehe.
26. no dogs to be afraid of on the streets.
27. hardly any flies, ants, cockroaches or rats at home or in the vicinity. except yung mga tao that resembles like them. peace!!
28. no need to worry of stray bullets during New Year's Day or any police rub out on ordinary days.
29. you get to eat chicken almost everyday, as in, malapit ka na ngang tubuan ng pakpak eh. uy! free ride home na yun eventually! ngehehe.
30. you get to use your passport bago pa ito mag-expire. =)

this list may seem "mababaw" but these are the positive things that can help one to see the brighter side of things. let us enjoy our stay here as long as we can. hindi naman tayo welcome dito for long eh. we will eventually go home where our hearts truly belong. kaya love the place, love the situation while it is still loving us back.

1. Invitation, Lootbag & Tarp - i have drafted the invites already but i wasn't able to print it out yet. hindi ako maka-timing sa office. hihi. i also have to scout for lootbags. i was thinking of having a plastic colored bag and just print a sticker outside. yun nga lang, wala talaga akong makita nito dito. waaah. another bad news is, i don't have a tarp design yet. waaah ulet... cramming na ito talaga!!!
2. Food - i have a menu list in mind already, which is a typical birthday party food. wala pa nga lang akong nakakausap who will cook it. however, i plan to cook the children's food myself and bake the cupcakes. as for the cuppies, i have already printed the toppers. =) hindi ko palang nala-laminate. i still need to bake and perfect the chocolate and cheese-flavored cupcakes pa. haha, under experimentation pa pala! then, i'm still on a lookout for a cake supplier. i plan to buy a small one lang naman just to have something na pang-cake blowing. parang ayaw ko na kasi bumili sa La Baguette. we went there this afternoon and the saleslady wasn't that helpful in my inqueries. she made me feel na parang hindi ko afford yung cake nila. hmp. badtrip siya talaga.
3. Decor - i plan to make balloonderitas, balloon pillars, building blocks and swags. i still need to buy balloon pieces and chinese paper for the swags. as for the blocks, dalawa pa lang ang nauuwi kong box galing sa opisina kaya hindi ko pa maumpisahan yung pagdi-DIY. hehe. pero nakabili na ako ng balloon sticks. yippee. 10 lang kasi hindi naman lahat ng bata ay mag-uuwi ng balloons eh.
4. Entertainment - i plan to show Little Einstein movie on the background. i might also show an AVP, if time permits me to make one on time. if not, i might just have a creative area for the kids then some games. now, who will be our Emcee??? ewan ko lang kung may helping hand na mag-volunteer. hihi.
5. Prizes & Give-away - of all these backlogs, dito lang ako happy. just today, i was able to discover a mala-divi store here in abu dhabi. yiipppee... a binocular toy, some rocket pocket gaming device, microphone pen, rubik's cube, a calculator, a study set, a musical set, and a twisted pencil set. ito ang mga happy finds ko today. hehe. i am still undecided if these will be direct-to-kids-type of prizes or if i will set up a mini-tiangge store. just like what my fellow GT sisses have done with their kiddos parties. bahala na si batman. =) as for the give-aways... i have drafted the CD cover already. CD and cover are still for printing though. i will give this to kids 3 y/o and below. kids 3 y/o and up will either have lootbags or take-home prizes. whatever.

these things are keeping me uber busy these days. aside from feeling physically, emotionally, financially and mentally drained, having this creative things to do somehow lighten things up. sana lang talaga ay matapos ko siya on time. *hopeful*

ooopss.. not to mention i have one on-going student research assistance, piles and piles of work backlogs, immigration research to do (and should be done before the month ends!), help marvin with his english exam review, outreach coordination with Phil-based friends and who knows what else will turn up one of these days???!!!!!!!! daig ko pa ang juggler. no, i am not complaining, i am just overwhelmingly pre-occupied.

1. On the first day of the Mango sale, the sister of myfriend was looking around and picked up a dress when a woman at the counter started screaming,"Put that down,that's mine!" The sister of my friend looked up, looked at the woman up and down, raised an eyebrow, and replied, "Excuse me. You are NOT small'".
2. A supervisor once told a worker who has difficulty in understanding instructions, "Ang ulo, hindi lang yan pinapatong sa leeg, ginagamit din yan sa pag-iisip."
3. A friend told another friend, "Naku, magme-make-up muna ako, baka magmukha akong yaya mo." The other friend replied, "Wag na, magmumukha ka lang yaya ko na naka-makeup. "
4. I told my then boyfriend during a fight, "Even onyour smartest day, you're not half as smart as I am on my dumbest!"
5. "Ako, I was born beautiful. Ikaw, you were justborn."
6. A letter posted on a car windshield in UP:"Sir/madam, the parking space that we have reserved isfor the College Secretary, not for you. Guard."
7. When I saw friend I haven't seen in a long time, she told me, "Grabe, lalo ka pang tumaba!". So I told her, "Ikaw din, lalo ka pang pumangit!"
8. Pag sinisingitan ako sa pila, nagpaparinig ako. I say,"Ang pilang ito, according to beauty. Mga panget muna."
9. From the movie She's The Man: "Girls with an ass like mine don't go out with boys with a face like yours."
10. "Maliban sa mukha mo, ano pang problema mo?"
11. I once told an officemate who kept on bragging about her new shoes, " Sale, right?"
12. I pointed a "7 items or less" sign to a clueless pasosyal at the supermarket. She bitchily answered,"I can read!" Sabay irap. So I shot back with,"I know, but can you count?"
13. "Tuwing nakikita kita, gusto ko mag-sorry sa eyes ko."
14. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be bitchy. It's an involuntary reaction whenever I encounter ugly people."
15. Man: "Hey baby, what's your sign?"Woman: "Do not enter."
16. Man: "how do you like your eggs in the morning?"Woman: "Unfertilized. "
17. After receiving her pay slip and realizing how muchshe's paying for tax, a sosyal officemate exclaimed,"Ang mga poor ba nagbabayad din ng tax?"
18. During a hike at Mt. Mayon , we had a maarte companion. When we ran out of water, our guide got us some from antural spring. The maarte girl said, "Dini-drink bayan?" I told her, "Bakit, sa inyo ba ang waterchinu-chew?"
19. Overheard from 2 kids talking. Kid 1: "Lahat tayo galing kay Adam and Eve." Kid 2: "Hindi yan totoo. Sabi ng papa ko, galing tayo sa unggoy."Kid 1: "Hindi natin pinag-uusapan ang pamilya mo, kaya wag kang magulo!"
20. A friend told his officemate: "I'm impressed. I've never encountered such a small mind inside such abig head before."
21. Bading: (envying a girl na crush ng crush nya)"Isang butas lang ang lamang mo sa kin!"
22. I was staring at an ugly bystander in their street. The ugly guy snapped, "Bakit ang sama mo makatingin?"I snapped back, "Eh bakit ang sama mo tignan?"
23. A friend once told me, "Ang ganda mo!" I answered: "Thank you, sana ikaw rin."
24. I told this to an ex: "I must admit you brought religion to my life. I never believed in hell till I met you."
25. "When a cashier tells me she doesn't have change, I say: "At kaninong problema yun?"
26. "Kung lahat ng tao galing sa unggoy, bakit ikaw, mukha kang kabayo?"