Free Boracay Trip!

I think my husband and I are the only two people left in Manila who have not been to Boracay.

Actually, I've been there before but that was way back in 1991. Based on what I've been told, it's definitely different now compared to what we've seen almost 20 years ago.

There's an ongoing contest now which I hope we'd win. It'll be great to go back and see what has changed.

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Win a Free Boracay Vacation Package by WOW Philippines Travel Agency

WOW Philippines Travel Agency, Inc. is celebrating it's 5th year in business during July of 2010, and we would like you to have a chance to celebrate with us, so we have decided to give-away a FREE Boracay Package complete with 5 Star accommodations at the luxurious Le Soleil de Boracay Hotel on Boracay Island. The lucky winner will win the following Boracay vacation package.

Vacation Package Inclusions:
- 5 Days / 4 Nights Luxury 5 Star Accommodations at the Le Soleil de Boracay Hotel
- Flights to Boracay from Manila to Caticlan Airport on Philippine Airlines
- Island Transfers - Door-to-Door from Manila to the resort and back to Manila
- Three (3) Meals each day, Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
- Boracay Activities - Horseback Riding, Island Hopping, Glass Bottom Boat
- PLUS - 5,000 peso Spending Cash

Read More Information: http://www.boracay-packages.com

Second Overseas Vacation - Malaysia

I can't remember how we ended up with Malaysia as our foreign trip for this year and well, I can't help but compare the country with Bangkok and Singapore.

Though the guidebook indicates a lot of stuff to do in Malaysia, Leo and I were just in the capital which is Kuala Lumpur or KL. As Leo refused to go anywhere else outside of the capital, we opted to just explore the city instead. And what would you expect in a cosmopolitan city but malls--and lots of it.

Most of the malls that we visited are very high-end. First time that I saw an LV shop in each mall (well, except for Bangkok where the brand is also common). Price-wise though, Bangkok is definitely better. I can't help but convert to peso every purchase that we would make and though some of them are same if converted to peso, Bangkok is definitely cheaper. I can't wait to return there someday.

My feet also hurt from all the walking that we did. As we did not book a tour, we were pretty much left to our own devices. I don't know if that was better as we had to walk A LOT, but it made our time more flexible. I don't know though if I would want to do it again.

The hotel that we stayed, Hotel Maya, was also very impressive. It's known to be a boutique hotel meaning its furnishings are not what you would expect from a hotel. You would say that it was the highlight of our trip and I don't mind paying their rather pricey fee (it's a five-star hotel, I think).

I was taken aback though by some of its people. I bought a twister meal at a KFC at the Suria Mall and the cashier was almost rude. He was not smiling and spoke in an abrupt manner which totally turned me off. At the hotel, the person who checked us in was not very friendly. There was also no bell-boy present to help us with our baggage and show us our room. Heck, it took us a day before we found the mini-bar in our room (it was well-hidden and if my husband was not poking around, we would not have found it).

At least, we were able to experience Malaysia. For a country though that's encouraging tourists to visit their country, I can't find any reason to return.

Resolutions

Maybe my one resolution which I should've included in my personal projects for 2010 is to write more often.

2009 was pretty dismal in terms of uploaded blogposts. Not surprising as I was busy more with my baby and Facebook (I'm ashamed to admit that sometimes it's not necessarily in that order).

However, in terms of accomplished personal projects, it was the best year ever. I'm very proud of my achievements and I hope to continue them this year.

Life though is still not perfect and I don't intend it to be perfect. I'm content with the imperfections. These imperfections are what makes life worth living. What would life be if it was perfect? It would be definitely boring.

2010 Personal Projects

Out of the 10 items in my 2009 Personal Projects, I'm happy to say that I was able to cross off almost all items except for45 #1 and #8. Not bad, not bad at all.

2009 Personal Projects
# 1. Eat healthier
# 2. Practice driving
# 3. Go back to school
# 4. Decide on my career
# 5. See old friends more often
# 6. Visit another place out of the country
# 7. Visit another place in the country
# 8. Finish our photo albums and scrapbooks
# 9. Give birth to a healthy baby
# 10. Celebrate our second year wedding anniversary

For 2010, the following our my Personal Projects:
# 1. Lose 20 lbs
# 2. Try to commute more to save on expenses
# 3. Cook more often
# 4. Successfully defend my OCE and get my MBA degree
# 5. Take up another language after my graduation
# 6. Visit another place out of the country that we haven't visited before (Hongkong or Cambodia)
# 7. Visit another place in the country that we haven't visited before (Cebu or Davao)
# 8. Take up a new hobby
# 9. Celebrate Basti's first year birthday party
#10. Celebrate our third year wedding anniversary

2009, My Year

My 2009 has really been an extraordinary year. One of the years that I will definitely remember throughout the rest of my life. This was my year in a glance.

January
I started the year with a bang by giving birth to my son on January 26. It was a life changing moment for me as I finally saw this human being that has been growing in my tummy for 9 months. I didn't really cry when I saw him but I was filled with awe that someone so beautiful can grow in me.


February
I finally learned how to drive this month. As I took driving lessons before I got pregnant, its just the matter of practicing what I learned. With Papa's permission, I took the Civic to church to fix Basti's baptismal requirements.

March

We had Basti's baptism on March 15. We only had two sets of godparents: my sister, Cheryll; Leo's brother-in-law, Chris; my good friends Cessna and Allan.




April
I decided to go back to school to finish my MBA. I drove to La Salle using my newly acquired driving skills and enrolled for the next school year.

May

Watched the David Cook and David Archuleta concert at MOA. It was one of the best highlights of the year. I've always been a fan of both Davids, especially Cook, and was an ardent watcher of Season's 7 AI.







June

Filed my resignation from SCB. I couldn't sleep the night before I spoke with my boss but I felt very relieved when I gave my resignation and he reluctantly accepted.





July

Started my new job at BDO. Had a two day orientation at Ortigas and I reported to work on July 20. I was an hour late on my first day. That was quite embarassing.






August

We celebrated our 2nd year anniversary two weeks earlier by going to Bohol. We stayed at Alona Beach Resort.Bohol met and exceeded my expectationS. It was too bad that I got sick before we went home and I had to fly with a horrible cold.


September
I finally started my STRAMA subject which is an MBA integrating course. The last subject before I defend my paper OCE and hopefully will lead to my graduation. I've already let this draw out for so long that I just want this to get over with.
This was also the month that I experienced being stuck in in SLEX for four hours due to typhoon Ondoy.

The rest of the year was a blur. Second year anniversary on September and preparing for our first Christmas with Basti and doing my Strama paper for the rest of the year.

Other than the first Christmas with Basti, Leo and I went to Malaysia after Christmas. It was our first time there and I crossed off another item from my 2009 To-Do List.

Christmas 2009 Wishlist

With Christmas two weeks away, people have been bugging me what I want for Christmas. Some people have even remarked that I'm a difficult person to give Christmas gifts to. So, to make gift-giving easier (and as per my tradition), I'm posting my Christmas 2010 Wishlist:

1. Alarm Clock
Every year, somebody gives me a clock but somehow, I still haven't found one that I really like. I want an alarm clock that I can easily turn off when it buzzes so it doesn't wake up Leo. Digital or glow-in-the-dark numbers would be great so I can see in the dark.

2. Desk Organizer
My desk at home is a mess. I need to fix it especially when we're also reorganizing our room.  

3. Statio
I love stationeries. I correspond with a friend writing in longhand and the statios would come in handy there. Or when I need to write a note to people.

4. Picture Frames
There was a time when I would receive a lot of picture frames, but after awhile, I don't get them as gifts anymore. I would appreciate them now so I can display Basti's pictures.

5. Twilight stuff--especially a Twilight Desk calendar
Yes, I'm a Twilight fan. I have the Twilight shirt...any other novelty item with anything Twilight on it would be nice :)

6. Desk Calendar
There are several desk calendars at Powerbooks. I'm still searching for that elusive Twilight desk calendar but if there's none to be found, any of them would be nice (Dilbert, Simpsons, Baby Blues)

7. Handbag
Mind you, not just any handbag. It should be able to stand on its own when placed on the desk and should not be slouchy.

8. Checkbook wallet
My checkbook has it's own plastic case courtesy of my bank but I don't like the look of it. I saw leather ones before but I can't remember where I saw it.

9. Wallet
My wallet can hold 7 plastic cards and has space where I can place more. It also holds money and other IDs which I carry. Unfortunately, I can't find this type of wallet anymore and it's going to give up on me anytime soon. I wish I can find a replacement. It is 2" thick, almost 8" long and has a width of 4". If somebody can find a wallet for me with that specification, it'll be the best gift I'll receive this Christmas.

10. Vanity Kit bag
I have a separate make-up bag and toiletries bag in the office. Though I know it's not possible to combine the two due to the amount of make-up that I have, a vanity bag would be nice (for my toiletries) as my current bag does not close.

Goodbye, Yaya

I cannot recall crying over any household help that left us. Some of them, I would not even bother saying goodbye as they were quite a nuisance while there are some who are extraordinarily good of taking care of us but it was only fondness when we bad her goodbye.

At this instance, Yaya will be leaving in a few hours and I'm already crying as it is.

Amy has been with us for barely a year. We got her as Basti's yaya and she came to us January 10, 2009, a day after I learned I was 2cm dilated. When Basti came out, she was Basti's caregiver in the morning while Leo and I were left with taking care of Basti in the evenings. Eventually, we both gave up and called Amy for help as the 2-3 hours sleep were getting to us. She slept in the other room with a baby monitor by her side and she will just attend to Basti when he wakes up in the middle of the night.

Basti is now 10 months and she has taken care of him very well. Basti never got sick and is growing up rather well. He was not prescribed any vitamins as he's growing at the right rate and his appetite is healthy. Leo and I have come to depend on her and I've learned so much from her as well.

On my birthday, Leo called me up saying that Amy needs to leave as her middle child left home. Understanding that her family is her priority, we sadly let her go and she agreed to stay until today. Fortunately, her replacement also arrived this morning.

I know that this is a reality for working parents with kids--yayas coming and going--but I guess I never prepared myself for it. We treated Amy like family and with her leaving, I felt like I lost a member of our family as well.

We were lucky to have Amy when we needed someone to help us raise our child. Someone who will love our child as much as we love him and God sent her to us.

I wish her luck with her family and I hope that next time I get pregnant, she'll be available to work for us again.