Life Stories | Be Rich

Swells

I am not.

I mean I cook and bake sparingly, sweep the floor occasionally, arrange the closet (that I have ransacked for something to donate, or wear or throw away) some of the time. But, I will admit this, I do not know how to clean the bathroom, have never done the laundry (do not even know how to operate our washing machine), and have never prepared my daughter’s school lunch (a horrible realization). But you see, that’s how efficient my staff at home was.

Okay, I know what you are thinking. But please hear me out.

My justification (mostly to myself) is that I work. And when I am home, I take care of/talk to/ play with – the kids (yes, this includes the husband) that I have no time or energy to deal with housework. And, well, yeah, I had helpers.

That was until some 10 months ago, when my maid of 5 years left me. (sources said she fell in love, got married, got pregnant, worked somewhere else, went back to her province – there were so many versions and I do not even know the real story.)

If It Does Not Make You Money, Cut the Time You Spend Doing It In Half

Cut It

Or obliterate it altogether.

But boys will be boys. Will be boys.

And my husband, is a boy. (still a boy)

He always has gadget fads that he swears will not last. But they keep morphing into some other fad, that I want to scream to him: Yes honey, they do not last but they always, always get replaced with something else that take your time away from us!

Like now, it is his PSP and his Tekken game. He plays it every chance he gets – when waiting for an appointment or before the start of a meeting, in the bathroom, in his office (I bet – but he owns it so I think it is okay), in my hospital bed (when I was recently hospitalized), downstairs in our house when my children and I are having playtime and how-are-you-time upstairs, in our bedroom when the lights have been dimmed and my baby boy who is trying to sleep could not sleep because he is distracted by the eerie disco lights and slightly muted sounds from the PSP game.

I could go on.

Please allow me.

How We Prepared for Baby

Art by Chiarra Briones

Crosspost from the MoneyDoctors Blog.

With every kick at my gut, I was reminded that I was not alone. With every fluttering in my stomach, I knew he was there, his father’s son, and he was coming very soon.

He came and I did not have any idea what I had to do.

How does one prepare for baby?

Read More →

Looking Back (and Giving Back)

Service

I met my godchild, by phone, for the first time. She is the daughter of my nanny. She is now 20 years old.

And she wanted money from me.

She told me in not very many words. Ninang pautang. Godmother, can I borrow money? It was masked as a loan, although the message, I think, is clear.

Why You Should Not Play Plants vs. Zombies

Play

You look at the clock. It screamed 3 a.m. at you. You screamed a silent scream – one of realization. Also of disgust. And elation. The kind that you get when you are not being you, and it is liberating.

You have become a Plants vs. Zombies addict.

And you have a headache.

You do not know when or how it happened. You just looked at your iPhone one day and tinkered with the downloading function and bought Plants vs. Zombies for $2.99 along with other games and applications. You are not a game person yourself. You use your time wisely. You know that these kind of games will not do anything for you – will not add a skill, will not improve any of your relationships, will not make you rich.

Sunday Buffets and A Birthday Celebration at Dusit Thani

Sunday Buffet: A Comparison

We broke the bank.

Of course we did not. But, well, the day was certainly not one of our frugal days. (we try to be frugal some of the time and fail some of the time)

It was my birthday and usually, we go overseas. But, as they say, a baby changes everything (everything) so this year, we had to stay put. I am not complaining, though. I am so in love with baby. With him and our daughter in tow, we headed straight for Hotel Dusit Thani for their Sunday Crossover Brunch.

We love buffets and are partial to Sofitel’s Spirals. But we were ready for a change. There were rave reviews about Hotel Dusit’s brunch. It was a restaurant tour concept and there were four cuisines we can feast on – Thai, Japanese, Italian and an-around-the-world offering. It all sounded very appealing.

If the Only Prayer You Said Was “Thank You”

He Made it and It Was Beautiful

I read it from The Secret but it was Johannes “Meister” Eckhart who allegedly originally said this.

If the only prayer you said in your whole life was thank you…

I do not know who Eckhart is, except that he was a German theologian, philosopher and mystic born during the 12^th century who wrote such controversial articles that he was tried as a heretic by the then-pope.

But this is not about Meister Eckhart or the Secret. This article is about certain prayers, and thank you.

Why I (Always) Want to Bring the Children

When the Sky Cries

It was midnight and my son started screaming like a banshee.

I mean, all of his 16 pounds-almost-five-month-old-body was tense, as he was screaming at the top of his lungs. Wanting my attention.

I read today that I should expect screaming from my 4-month old baby and that I should not worry – it is normal. That actually, screaming is harder for parents than it is for the babies. Theirs is just an outcry, no matter how desperate and agonizing-sounding it is. Their hearts are not broken. They are just manifesting the need to be held.

Wanting attention. Mine.

Because we were apart for almost 14 hours yesterday, courtesy of a Christmas party that I thought I needed to attend because I wanted to network and socialize.

My reaction to that cry was pain in my gut and unbearable guilt.

Because in the past, when he was just forming the first of his memories, he only needed to reach out his hand to me, or whimper, and I was there.

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Category Archives: Life Stories

Domestic Diva

I am not.

If It Does Not Make You Money, Cut the Time You Spend Doing It In Half

Or obliterate it altogether.

How We Prepared for Baby

Looking Back (and Giving Back)

I met my godchild, by phone, for the first time. She is the daughter of my nanny. She is now 20 years old.

Why You Should Not Play Plants vs. Zombies

You look at the clock. It screamed 3 a.m. at you. You screamed a silent scream – one of realization. Also of disgust. And elation. The kind that you get when you are not being you, and it is liberating.

Sunday Buffets and A Birthday Celebration at Dusit Thani

We broke the bank.

If the Only Prayer You Said Was “Thank You”

I read it from The Secret but it was Johannes “Meister” Eckhart who allegedly originally said this.

Why I (Always) Want to Bring the Children

It was midnight and my son started screaming like a banshee.

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