a pocketful of happiness

Off to Shop

2008-07-03T21:01:00.000-07:00

We're off to the mall this afternoon. Having been confined in a gloomy apartment for one whole week, I actually look forward to going out even in the middle of the summer heat. We're visiting a furniture store to have a look at their items on sale and perhaps start buying a few that we'll need when we transfer. I've got a few items to buy in the mall as well like a few casual shirts and pants for myself (I'm running out of clothes!), pyjamas for Miguel and polo for Nico. Since most of the stores here are having a sale now as part of the Dubai Summer Surprises promo, I'd probably start buying gifts to give out when we go for vacation in the Philippines. I'll probably visit even the plus size clothing store.

Budget Challenge

2008-07-03T20:50:00.000-07:00

This ordeal called house hunting is really taking its toll on us especially on Nico. On weekends we'd normally schedule a visit to different properties and Nico would meet property agents after office during weekdays. Add to that the fact that we need to compute and recompute our budget to check if we can afford the rent. As I have mentioned so many times before, we need to make do with our limited housing allowance. Last night as I was reviewing our budget again, it seems a bit stretched already. I have listed the basic expenses like groceries, utilities, transportation, credit card payments and the like. We need to make do with our current income and perhaps I can pursue a part-time, home-based job eventually so we can afford a bit of luxury like shopping and probably Las Vegas vacations. Oh, how I look forward to that day! :)

Still Searching

2008-07-03T20:43:00.000-07:00

I realized now that I underestimated the cost of renting a flat in Dubai when I talked about it in my previous post. After two weeks of scanning the daily paper, specifically the properties section which has about one hundred and twenty something pages (of for lease and for sale properties, imagine!), we still haven’t found the right place that fits our needs and our budget, sigh…

Our requirement is simple—we just want an apartment within a community, where there’s a place outdoor where Miguel can stroll in the morning and play in the afternoon. And it must be within our (meager) budget. Apparently, and to my great disappointment, Dubai remains to be a huge plot of dessert land where property developers find pleasure (and profit, of course!) in putting up fancy buildings, forgetting in the process that this part of the world would be a lot, lot nicer with some trees and grass here and there. The typical look of a residential area in the center of this city is clusters of buildings divided by parking lots. So it isn’t surprising to see children playing between parked cars.

There is one development that we found last week to be almost meeting our criteria. It’s a bit far from the center of the city, though, where Nico is working. We’d love to get a one-bedroom apartment here but we just can’t afford it. We’re considering the studio type since it’s what our budget can afford, though it’s still pricey by our standards. It’s a bit small considering we have a little boy who might just bump into every corner of the room but the layout is pretty great. The kitchen has a provision even for a washing machine where both the water inlet and outlet are properly fixed such that I won’t need to get water form a separate faucet. The bathroom is tiled nicely, with a sink that looks like the one normally found in hotels. There are plenty of closets, too. And best of all, there are facilities available to tenants like a pool, and a children’s play area.

I am really hoping we could get this one. The only other remaining consideration is that we heard news that Nico’s office might be transferred to the other end of the city by October, in which case, the location of this apartment won’t be ideal. Help us pray.

Bridesmaid Gifts

2008-06-26T21:23:00.000-07:00

I realized I haven't been able to explore Dubai the last time we were here. I wasn't able to visit the biggest mall as it's a bit far from where we stayed. This time, though, I'm determined to enjoy our stay. I even planned on getting a driving license in time. Anyway, a friend whom I met when I was here is getting married soon and she needs to find bridesmaid gifts. She's asking my help in this respect as she's already searched most of the wedding shops here and found none that suit her taste. Since I don't have time yet to go shopping and I'm not even familiar with the malls in Dubai, I think I would suggest that she consider ordering online. I hope she's open to the idea. Or does anyone of you know where we could find a nice wedding shop in town?

Sneaking A Post

2008-06-26T21:04:00.000-07:00

Hello peeps, this is just to let you know that we've safely arrived! Miguel was an easy travel companion; he slept just before we took off from Manila and woke up minutes before landing. On our way to Dubai, he was mostly awake during the flight but was busy playing. We landed on time, unfortunately it was too hazy outside that we hurried to the apartment. Anyway, I have lots of stories to tell soon.

We are still in the process of searching for a house so this blog won't still be regularly updated till then. Anyway, I'm posting here some photos of our visit to Singapore for the benefit of lea and the others. Promise to post more photos and videos soon. :)

Bye For Now

2008-06-15T07:09:00.000-07:00

We're finally done packing! After so many attempts at cramming everything in three luggages, we've finally succeeded. We've maximized our baggage allowance, both for check-in and handcarry luggages, and I think we even went a few kilos more. I hope the airport personnel wouldn't mind. We had to make do with our luggage allowance as we've decided not to ship the other stuff anymore.

After careful consideration of the value of the items that we will ship versus the amount we will pay the shipper, we find it more practical to just leave most of the items behind and use the money to buy new ones when we get to Dubai. Of course, we can't let go of some items--those with sentimental value, so we opted to avail of DHL's promo box. It's smaller but way cheaper than shipping a regular box. However, this means we will not send any home furniture anymore. Good thing there's a variety of furniture stores in Dubai.

Anyway, I think this will be my last post for quite a while. Our new journey will start the day after tomorrow. I pray we'll have a pleasant one, and that in this new endeavour we'll find more happiness to fill our pockets.

I'll be off for a few weeks but please continue to visit my site and I promise to be back with more stories from the other side of the world. Till then...

This Baby is Gone

2008-06-13T01:24:00.000-07:00

Waaaaa :( ang lungkot ko talaga. Early today I met up with the buyer. While I was hoping we could sell the car, parang ayoko din sya i-let go. May sentimental value kasi to e. I've come to associate this with Miguel. His one and only car. It had seen us through the good and the bad. From trips to the malls and the zoo, to trips to the ER. And now it's gone, huhuhu. Bye vios. :(

Dubai Rent is Outrageous

2008-06-13T00:53:00.000-07:00

If you've seen Aga and Claudine's Dubai movie (I haven't, lol :)), you must have an idea how expensive it is to rent a flat in Dubai. I was told that the movie even shows a situation where several people live in one small studio type flat that's been divided either by curtains or cupboards to make separate rooms. And I think that is not an exaggeration.

I've just checked the net if we can afford to get a one-bedroom flat at least and I was stunned at the rental rates. It starts at around 65k a month, converted--and that is a very modest flat, and goes up to 150k if you prefer something more fancy! Imagine spending that much money for something that wouldn't ever be yours. Of course, I really cannot compare it with the Philippine market but I just can't help but think that in the Philippines, if we can afford to allocate the same amount of money monthly, we can get a house and lot in no time and in a nice location with the help of mortgage lenders. And then I realized that if our jobs here can afford us a house and lot, we wouldn't be going to Dubai, would we? :)

Tamed At Last

2008-06-13T00:24:00.000-07:00

I'm talking about my hair. If you've seen my posts here and here a few months back, you'd understand that I've been struggling with my uber-frizzy and rebellious hair for so long. I didn't want another rebonding session as it always turns out that my hair is super straight for a few months and then when curls start to appear, I look weird--unat na unat ang aking buhok pero may curls dun sa roots! hehehe :) I even considered getting a perm when I thought it would solve my problem. Kulutin na ng totoo tutal kulot naman talaga, lol :) Pero hindi natuloy dahil dito.

Since we'll be leaving by next week, and knowing that in Dubai going to the salon is such a luxury, I decided to get a relax treatment yesterday. I cannot possibly endure another year of frizz. One thing I hated about rebonding is sitting on a stool for hours and hours while three pairs of hands fuss over my hair, tugging it left, right, front and back. And that's another reason I opted for relax treatment. I didn't know it was almost the same ordeal, though.

Imagine the session started at 230pm and lasted until 8! Ganun kakulit ang buhok ko! And yes, there were three persons who attended to me. Ang tagaaal, grabe. I initially planned on getting a haircut but decided against it since super late na. Anyway, my hair is tamed at last. At least no more frizz and the curls are indeed "relaxed". I hope it will see me through till I can save up for another treatment.

In Haste

2008-06-12T20:18:00.000-07:00

I'm in cramming mode today. There are tons of tasks I need to do before we leave that's why I need to multitask. I have just been to the bank to settle some obligations and had to hurry home to Miguel. He'll wake up in a bit. But while he's sleeping, I need to start working on cleaning up my computer memory. I've been delaying this task for so long, but now it's inevitable. And I need to transfer files from my hard drive to portable discs and do some research on the net. I need to do this at once since my internet access will be deactivated soon. Thing is, while I'm ready to work really fast, my laptop won't cooperate. This pop-up box on the bottom right keeps telling me I'm low on memory. I definitely need a computer memory upgrade.

Off For A While

2008-06-10T20:04:00.000-07:00

I'll be off by the end of this week. Perhaps, I can sneak a post or two by Monday, and then I'll be in hiatus until we can get a house and an internet connection. I think it'll be long before I'm back to regular blogging.

But please, please do visit from time to time. I'll be back as soon as I can.

Countdown

2008-06-10T19:52:00.000-07:00

I've just been to Lizzz' site and I read there some posts about birthday and moving to Dubai. And then I realized, we have exactly one week to go before we leave...and nine days before my birthday!

Now that I've thought about it, I realized I'll be spending the longest birthday of my life this year. We're leaving Singapore at 3pm on the 19th (my birthday) and we'll be arriving in Dubai at 6pm on the same day. And it's a 7hour flight. So that means I'll have 28 hours of birthday fun, if it's going to be any fun at all! lol :)

Ahhh, the complexities of time zone.

Daddy's Corner

2008-06-10T18:51:00.000-07:00

Thanks to dear May for this tag. I assume this serves as a treat to our hubbies this father's day. And since late ako sa mother's day post, let me do this early this time. :)

Let me brag a little about Nico...

1. He's the kindest person in the world. Even our officemates (yep, we were officemates before) would tell you that. And to this day, whenever we meet people who know him, they'd say "mabait yan no?"... swerte ko ba? hehehe :)

2. He's responsible; a good provider.

3. Matalino 'to, tsaka masipag. Swerte employer nya.

4. He's humble and he practices his faith. I'm happy that we have the same faith and that we can help each other grow spiritually. He's my "soul-mate".

5. He has the longest patience....ever! :)

Started by Mitchteryosa

Rules:1) Copy from {Start Copy Here} to {End Copy Here}.

2) Blog ‘Brag’ about your husband - yes, the father of your child/ren. As I’ve said singles may also join by bragging about their own fathers, or even grandfathers. It doesn’t matter! Of course, Daddy bloggers themselves may also join, but you have to blog about your fathers and not about yourselves, deal? Okay. Good.

3) Add your blog in the master list below linking to the post that you just made. Or if you wish, do it as how I’ve done it in my other blog by adding a new page.

4) Leave your comment here and don’t forget to leave your link so you can be added on the masterlist. Yup. Here. Thanks!

5) Let’s not forget Peppermint Creative for the corner border I used for the badge.

Masterlist.

1. When Silence Speaks 2. Everything About Deye 3. Etc Atbp4. Pinay Mommy Online5. Coffee Cup Princess 6. Garden of Moments 7. Aeirin’s Collection 8. Never Dainty 9. The Long Journey Of My Life 10. A Mother Of Yesterday, Today And Tomorrow 11. Everything That Has Breathe Praise The Lord 12. Can Of Thoughts 13. Anything And Everything In Between 14. No Place Like Home 15. Pinay WAHM16. Only In Silence 17. Bisdak Footprints18. Simply Me, Simple Life 19. Fun Fierce Fab 20. Confessions Of A Supermodel Wannabe 21. Embracing Health For Life 22. Jona Thinks23. Whatever Comers To Mind 24. BOTH SIDES NOW25. Why Babie?26. My Virtual Closet 27. My Views On My So Called Life 28. Sexy Momma29. Memoirs of May-san 30. A Pocketful of Happiness

{End Copy Here}

tagging jacque, points of view, rhea, lizz and nice.

Future Heartthrob

2008-06-10T06:05:00.000-07:00

Can you not admire this hunk? :)

photo taken by ate Ghie right after his morning bath, and just before I was able to tidy up his hair :)

Ang Drama Ko

2008-06-10T00:53:00.000-07:00

I hate it when my family becomes too emotional about our decision to move to Dubai! I hate it because it reminds me how much they will miss Miguel and how much Miguel will miss them...waaaa :( I can't bear the thought of Miguel feeling lonely, missing nanay, oyo, kuya pei and the rest. Why can't they just pretend that they're okay? that it's no big deal? I think it would be easier for me to forget that this is an emotional moment if they could at least pretend to be excited about our new life.

Ayokong mag-emote e. Ayokong umiyak. Itong si leah kakainis ang mga reactions! Parang affected talaga! :(

Then I heard oyo (short for lolo, my tatay) said pagalis ni miguel hindi na daw sya lalabas sa garahe kasi maaalala lang nya si miguel....waaaaaaa! kainis! Playground kasi yun ni miguel e. He plays outside pag early morning and late afternoons. Sikat din sya sa mga kapitbahay kasi lagi syang nang-gi-greet. I know even our neighbors will miss him.

And that is why I'm being too emotional about this move.

enjoying dirty ice cream with oyo and kuya pei

Moving Day

2008-06-10T00:24:00.000-07:00

Kudos to Nico for being able to pack one balikbayan box-full of personal stuff yesterday (holiday). I just got a reply from one forwarding company and they quoted 15k for 2 boxes door-to-port and around 20k door-to-door! Susme, mas mahal pa yata shipping cost kesa sa value ng boxes namen. Pano na ito?!

*allow me to post these photos, minsan lang mkatyempo na parang nagpose talaga ang anak ko...usually, para syang tornado, by the time ma-click ko ang shutter, pwet na lang ang na-capture :)

So far there are 3 luggages awaiting my attention. Hindi ko pa maisara cause there are stuff we're currently using that need to be included. Tapos hihiram pa ko ng weighing scale. Ayokong mag-excess at mapilitan magbukas at maglipat-lipat sa airport.

Di ko pa madecide kung magdadala ko ng duyan. It won't fit in the luggage. I'm thinking itali sya sa luggage. Pgdating sa Singapore and Dubai airports, parang na-announce sa mundo na pinoy ang mayari ng luggage na ito! hahaha! Pakelam ba nila...kawawa ang anak ko dahil nasanay sa duyan. Laking adjustment na nga nya when he wakes up one morning in a totally new environment, seeing totally unfamiliar people, tapos wala pang duyan! I think we'll bring one. Problema lang, pano ko isasabit yun sa hotel? hehehe :)

Nanay's Birthday

2008-06-10T00:05:00.001-07:00

Nanay's birthday celeb last Sunday was a huge success. We had nachos & salsa, salad, paella, 2 kinds of Itallianis pasta, lechon de leche, barbeque, conti's choco overload cake, coke and magic sing! It was an informal gathering of family and some friends. Si leah nagwala sa magic sing, sumakit ulo ni miguel, hehehe. :) Kaya lang it was my sis who took photos with her camera (cause I was busy packing our things) so I couldn't yet post the pictures.

Parang despedida na din. I think we won't have another chance to get together before we leave.

Our Health Issue

2008-06-08T17:58:00.000-07:00

I was finally able to visit the OB yesterday, so that's one item checked in my task list. Great. It was my first OB check up since I gave birth and she wasn't the OB I went to for prenatal checks so I was interviewed. However I still had my period yesterday so I was re-scheduled for pap smear. She also discussed some family planning methods and apparently since I have a history of breast mass operation, she said I'm not a good candidate for oral pills. And since we're still planning to get pregnant, she also would not recommend injectables. Although even if she recommended it, I don't think I'd go for the injectables. I've read about a complication caused by this method that relates to blood clot in the brain, thus causing death, and I just don't think I could risk it. So we're left with just the natural birth control methods.

Anyway, the doctor also noticed how slim I am and she recommended that I take calcium in addition to the multivitmins I'm taking. This pushes me to pursue my long ago plan to gain some weight. On the other hand, she commented on Nico being a bit too fat. And I could only give him a look that says "I told you so" with a suppressed laugh, lol :) When we went out of the doc's clinic, I told Nico that my constant nagging about his weight is justified. And that he should really start working out or start taking a diet pill that works.

That Thing Called Packing

2008-06-08T17:20:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we started packing. I had not realized till then that it could be such an ordeal! As expected, our room was in chaos. Clothes and shoes and all other personal effects were strewn everywhere, there was no space to move. I left the sorting for later as I thought it was just easy. Boy how wrong am I! I couldn't quite figure out the best strategy to pack our things considering we will be dropping by Singapore for two days and then we will be staying in a hotel in Dubai for at least two weeks or until we can find a house. This means I need to sort even the clothes that are frequently used and pack them in one luggage so we don't need to unpack all three luggages (and about three handcarry bags!) while in the hotel!

And then we just found out how expensive it is to ship the other items! Imagine one utility box of personal effects shipped from Manila to Dubai would cost us around 10k?! Airfreight is out of the question since it's definitely even more costly. How then can we afford to send all the small appliances and home furnishings that we have here? Add to that the piles of books that Nico needs for his work and some of mine. I have a few favorites that I'd like to read time and again and I couldn't afford to leave them.

As of today, I'm done filling one luggage-full of rarely used clothes. Next would be to pack the frequently used ones as well as my shoes and bags and Miguel's medicines (I bought stocks good until he turns 2!), food, and other personal hygiene products. Oh dear, the list is endless. I hope we'll be done by Wednesday.

Happy Kind of Sad

2008-06-05T18:03:00.000-07:00

It's official. We're leaving on the 17th. We'll be visiting my nephews in Singapore for two days before we head off to Dubai. I'm having mixed emotions. At times I feel eager and looking forward, and then I'd feel anxious. I'm happy that finally we'll be independent and at the same time sad at the thought of the family that we'll leave behind.

Hay, buhay. I'm having guilty feelings about Miguel missing everyone here at home. The only good thing is that he still cannot verbalize his feelings. Torture sakin yun to hear that he misses them and wants to go back home. Oh well, we've thought and prayed about this a hundred times. I guess no matter what I tell myself, I still won't be comforted by anything until we're settled and adjusted. I hope it will be soon.

Mom is 62

2008-06-04T18:53:00.000-07:00

While I'm always thrilled at the prospect of gift-giving, it's also been a challenge to think of unique gift ideas that I know will be appreciated. My mom is celebrating her birthday on Sunday, and as always, we sisters are preparing a little something to celebrate. In the past, we would usually go out to have family dinner. It was lea's idea to hold it at home this time, and it's only practical that way since the prices of gasoline are soaring, not a good time to drive up to Tagaytay.

It took us only a short time to decide the menu, each one will bring a dish. I volunteered to handle the dessert, the easiest and safest, lol :) I know the sisters are thinking what gift to give her. Clothes, shoes, bags, perfume have always been a favorite and she has a lot of those already. I'd probably suggest that we give her one of these medical alert bracelets, since, unfortunately she has high cholesterol and is on maintenance medicine. And she travels out of the country quite often this year so it would be good to keep her medical condition close by.

This one is nice. I hope the sisters would find this a good idea as I can't afford to give her one myself. I'm broke, remember? (must I remind myself of that everytime?!) lol. :) Anyway, I'm sure it's gonna be a fabulous family get together on Sunday. Will post pictures soon.

My So-Called Break

2008-06-03T23:36:00.000-07:00

Yesterday's trip to the mall was anything but what I hoped it to be. It was supposed to be a time to relax and to break the monotony of my days. I didn't even plan on attempting to complete my "to buy" list as I'd like to be able to just hang around instead of running from shop to shop.

The only must-do item in my itinerary was to get BPA-free bottles for Miguel, and I got so frustrated to discover Rustans doesn't have the brands I've researched and listed except for the Bfree brand which is too complicated for me because of so many parts that need to be cleaned and assembled everytime.

So instead of hangin' around and relaxing at Shang, I transferred to Megamall after almost two hours. Luckily, parking was not a problem at the time. But unfortunately, even SM doesn't carry BPA-free bottles, hay! How come after so much talk about the possible dangers of BPA in plastic feeding bottles, the major establishments haven't gotten around to giving options to consumers?! Ang nakakaloka pa, when you ask the salespeople if they have bpa-free bottles, they would offer you the same old brands and would say "safe naman po yan." To which, I'd want to answer "e di hindi ko na papalitan yung bottles ko kung ganon" (pero syempre I didn't give this bitchy answer.)

Anyway, so the main purpose of my so-called break wasn't realized and I went home with nothing but a few scrapbooking materials and a gift for doc. At least now I can start scrapbooking.

Blog Readability Test

2008-06-03T07:31:00.000-07:00

Thanks Vien for this tag.

This is the level of education required to understand my blog:

Here are the rules:

1. Check out your Blog Readability Test here then post it.

2. (OPTIONAL) Stop asking yourself regarding the results of the test (LOL!)...I seriously doubt the credibility of this test, hahaha :)

3. Add your blog from the list together with the results.

4. Tag as many friends you like.

1. Big Eyed Gal - High School 2. The Chronic Shopper - Elementary 3. Vital Sighs - Genius 4. Princess Vien - High School 7. A Pocketful of Happiness - College (Postgrad) 6. YOUR LINK HERE

Tagging pat, sheryll, vannie, joy, sujee, lizz and hideout.

Panic panic panic

2008-06-02T18:39:00.001-07:00

Our visas are finally in!
Now we're arranging our itinerary and flight details.
Goodness, totoo nato!
Ang task list ko, andami pang unchecked!!
Panic!

Break

2008-06-02T00:57:00.000-07:00

I'm off to the mall tomorrow....ALONE!
The very first time in monthssss... yoohoo!
Wala naman ako masyadong ish-shop. I'm broke, remember?
Hahaha, excited lang. Peaceful, blissful moment...without the toddler tornado! :)