All posts tagged: iPhone

Warming up (again)

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I’m not so sure what I want to write (about). Frankly. For a while there, I started doubting myself, that is, if I could still really write… I just realized that it’s been MONTHS since I had actually sat down in front of my computer and started typing away, like what I am actually doing now. I always seem to find chores to do, things that must be dealt with first, before I ever sit down and write. I keep receiving updates from my subscriptions to various writing groups, urging me to write, write, write. (I also get writing job offers!) And now I think I should have followed their advice long ago, especially that ideas on what to write about keep popping in my mind almost everyday. This is my therapy. Writing. How could I have simply put it in the back seat? I feel like I am actually going nowhere without this secret hobby that I so love to do all the time, next to reading, but had started to ditch. Yes, I think …

My first 15 days of the year

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“2013 is definitely my year!” It seems like most people I know are saying this, and I am the only one who has not declared it loud and clear yet. We’re just half-way through the first month of the year and I feel like I have not taken a rest yet that I would like to scream! House chores are overtaking me once more and I still need to do some massive re-organizing if I were to be sane for the rest of the year. I have so many records to file and update, people to call and meet… the list is endless that I sometimes no longer want to see my beautiful hard-bound silver organizer – a gift from my sweet husband – as I could easily fill out a week with appointments and things to do in one sitting. Not to mention looking at my lists tends to overwhelm me. Despite the busyness of my days, I feel like I’m not really accomplishing anything. Planting season is such a long time for me, …

Give me my space, please!

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God has a funny way of rebuking me each time I harbor negative feelings, particularly anger. I have realized that each time I’m cheesed off with someone or something, I start to feel the symptoms of peripheral neuropathy all over again. The tingling sensations on my scalp, arms, and legs would return. It’s like I’m being told quietly but firmly: “Face the fact that you are upset, then deal with the person or situation maturely, rationally, with wisdom. If you have something to do with it, admit it and chastise yourself as well.” Lately, I seem to be always catching myself resisting the urge to bite off the head of heavyset individuals that would happen to sit next to me in a public transportation. You see, I am that kind of person who values her space so much and is also careful not to invade one’s personal space. Hence, as I take my seat in a public vehicle, the first thing I would do is calculate how much space my fellow passengers and I are …

A week with no TV

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It’s summer vacation (at least here in the Philippines), but my little girls are not watching TV, ironically. I had to impose the rule of no TV for a week after I have noticed that they seem to have gotten addicted to some programs that they usually watch, to the point that it would take them about an hour to finish a meal and we’re usually late for appointments because they’re glued to the screen. Last Easter Sunday was the last straw, when we came to church late (again) for the nth time. At first, I thought the rule would be very difficult to impose for in the past they used to sneak while I would be asleep or reading in the bedroom. I was actually pleasantly surprised that they have been very cooperative. They did not plead to have the sanction lifted, although they would assure me that they would not interfere if I watched TV. Once or twice, however, they asked me if their late grandmother had banned me from watching TV when I was …

Being a mom and playing mom

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The past two to three months had been the busiest months for me although not necessarily the most productive. I started working from home on a full-time basis and even received an income that was higher than I used to have when I was working outside of home. I loved my job, but as much as I hate to admit it,  that same job had cost me a lot. Way too much, in fact. I had less (quality) time with my children, I had to drop one of my graduate courses, I was always late in my submission of requirements in my remaining class, even my daughter’s grades were affected, and my children and I had become sickly. I am first and foremost a m-o-t-h-e-r. I always try to remind myself of this when I start to get busy, when I start to work only for money. Indeed, as much as my family needed the extra income, I should never forget my duties to my family, especially to my children whose father is away. With my …

Balancing act

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(Image copied from http://www.211sacramento.org/flyer.pdf) I’ve been scouring various websites for more than a year now in search of a decent-paying home-based job that would suit my talents and interests. Finally, I got one recently. It is ironic though that it’s making me lose sight of my priorities, with my children on top. I have to keep reminding myself that I am first and foremost a m-o-t-h-e-r. Honestly, I’m no longer sure at times what it means to be one. It’s like all my dreams of having a small happy family and being the best mom (and wife) in the world had gone out of the windows. All I could think of before I go to sleep, in the middle of my sleep, and right upon waking up is DEADLINE(s). Its red, big, bold letters are always screaming in my head! And to think that I’m the type of person who hates being rushed and/or forced to conform to another person’s schedule or whims, this word could conjure gruesome images before me, especially when I am given …

New Year shopping woes

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Today is the last day of year 2010, and I spent half of the morning in the markets. Not because I was doing some last minute holiday feast shopping, but because I realized that we still have to eat for a few days or so after the new year celebration and before my much-awaited moolah arrives. The cupboards are well-stocked for the holidays, but most of their contents will be used up tonight. I started hoarding goods as early as  November, but since I couldn’t keep meat and veggies for long, I have to go out from time to time to get fresh supplies. Too bad though that one of those times happened to be to-day! My first stop was the wet market near us to buy some rice and eggs. This particular market is usually empty since the goods sold there are usually higher than the market 30 minutes farther, but it was very crowded this morning. After getting what I needed, I transferred to the biggest supermarket in the village. It’s near the …