In search of a bookcase

Even though we were kinda exhausted from all the activities yesterday, we still managed to go to Cubao in the afternoon to look for my bookcase replacement. We went directly to the Sogo Home and Office store in Ali Mall because they have a good selection of furniture. Ali Mall was undergoing renovations which was good. :) It was part of the redevelopment of the Araneta Center. It will even be connected to SM Cubao via a bridge walkway, aint that cool!

We also found out that the former Rustan's right across it is now a Blims Superstore. It's a huge 2-storey building full of furniture for both home and office so that's where we went next. It was so much fun browsing through those lovely (expensive!) furniture LOL Dana even saw a Lightning McQueen bed!! Too bad it costs P10K hahahha

From there, we went to Shopwise which we know has a number of bargains every week. We didn't find a bookcase on sale so we decided to return to Sogo because they had a bookcase on sale for P2000. We just had it delivered so that a guy can come and assemble it right in the house. We didn't want to try it ourselves because there were some glass parts. We also bought a new electric fan.



We had dinner at the Old Spaghetti House. It was our first time to eat there and we weren't sorry :) Dana even liked the ambience hahaha because it was quaint and cozy :) They both ate their pasta meals.. Dana had lasagna, Patrick had the spaghetti and meatballs and I had the baked zitti.. It was pretty good and really affordable. We just brought some home for Den.

Tadeo Triple Birthday Celebration

So Saturday finally came. The kids were both excited because they knew that they'll get to play with their cousins Lance and Rhys and Baby Hannah when we go to Marikina for a Tadeo Triple Birthday Celebration!!

Since Dimples, Patrick and their mom shared February as their birth month, we thought it would be best if we just celebrated it together. The plan was to go directly to Loyola Memorial Park to visit their Mom and then on to Stevie's house for food and fun :)

Everything became hectic because Patrick also attended a Press Event for Top Gear Philippines (Digital) in UP. When we were getting ready to leave, the balikbayan boxes that Tita Flor sent arrived LOL Then we called Dimples if she can just come by and pick up some of the stuff that she likes so that we won't have to ask her to come back, saves her on a trip :) Since most of the stuff were their Dad's, it was a poignant feeling to go through them. Especially when we came across the shirt that he wore when he went to the airport. It was the last time they saw him, alive and well.

Then we decided that it would also be best if we took some of the stuff to Stevie's house so that he can go through them and maybe find something for himself as well. There were some shoes that haven't been worn so he might want some of them. Good thing that Jericho was driving the Innova van so we can fit in it LOL

On the way, we also decided to pass by Stevie's house first so that we can drop the stuff there and then pick them up in the process so we can go to Loyola together. Good idea right? LOL On the way, we stopped at a 7-11 because none of us has had a bite to eat and we were getting famished because it was already 3pm LOL

Finally, got to Stevie's house, then on to Loyola.. The kids immediately ran around the place.. It was so much fun to watch :) The fun went on when we arrived at Stevie's house. Patrick and I left the kids in their care so that we can buy some more food from the mall across their place. When we got there, we all ate together :) It was a happy time..

Good News and Bad News

So now that we no longer have a nanny, I am forced to bring the kids with me to do the errands :) Mind you, it's not so bad.. I love it in fact and they love getting out of the house too :) I'm just glad that they're really well-behaved kids who don't throw temper tantrums when they don't get what they want :)

Anyway, Monday (16th) Den and I got our eyes checked at the mall optical shop. We've been meaning to get eyeglasses for a long time but have never really gotten to it. So here she is with her new eyeglasses :) The deal was she'll take care of it and wear it constantly. We had her fitted with eyeglasses before because she was suffering from astigmatism (which I think runs in the family as I have it too) and she only wore the darned things for a week.. and then she couldn't remember where she put them LOL

On the 17th, my dad, the kids and I went to GSIS to ask about the processing of my mom's pension. We still needed additional documents before they can act on it. The kids enjoyed that day with Lolo Ben :)

Wednesday was a good day. Patrick went to pick up my payment from the Big C Magazine (yes, I published another article!). They were great because they also included a 2009 planner as a Christmas giveaway so Thanks Big C :)

We also visited the mall again and enjoyed our day out as you can see from the pictures :)

Oh and finally while I was cleaning the house, my 10+ year old bookcase finally gave way. It couldn't handle the tons of books I have on it LOL Now I can't wait to find a new bookcase to replace it hahahaha

Bing has left the building!

Wow.. this week has been tough. I've been battling the cold and cough yet again and it sucks! It's like Murphy's law that when something can go wrong, it will. Not only was I sick but Bing, the nanny, was also sick. So who's left to take care of the kids, me of course! Imagine having to take care of the kids, plus the nanny and yourself. Man, that was tough!

On the 12th, Bing left for her aunt's house. She wanted me to take her to them the night before but how could I? I have the kids to take care of and I was also sick, so I told her to just call her aunts and have them take her if they can. Unfortunately, they couldn't. I did give her medicine for her fever because that's all she had. Anyway, the next day, she communicated with her aunts (through my phone no less) until later in the afternoon, they made her take a cab to them. And that was the last I saw of her. She didn't even have the courtesy to answer my calls and text messages. In the end, I spoke with the aunt that I knew she was staying with. Turns out she wasn't there but with another aunt somewhere in Rizal. To cut the drama short, now, no more nanny.

We never even got to celebrate Patrick's birthday that Friday. I was in too bad a mood. We even had to postpone his and Dimples' celebration of their birthdays which was supposed to happen that Saturday.

That was a bad week..

A Day of Remembering

Honestly, I don't really have any real experience with death. And what I mean is, I rarely attend funerals and wakes, much less have an idea what goes on after the body is buried. Yes, I knew some people who died but not enough for me to really pay attention to what's going on.

My mom was my first. Talk about irony, huh? And even more of an irony, since she didn't die here, I didn't have anything to do with all the preparations as well. Those responsibilities fell on my brother Allan's shoulders. He thought of it as his rite of passage into adulthood.

Now, I sometimes hear of 9-days and 40 days in connection with some ritual after death. Honestly, I have no idea what to do during those days. I don't even know the significance of those numbers. The "40" I think is in relation to the number of days it took for Christ's resurrection. The "9" I'm not sure.. so if you have any idea, please enlighten me.

Now, it's my mom's 1st year death anniversary. And people have told me there should be a "padasal" or some prayer ritual for her and I have to cook or at least prepare food to be shared with others.

That got me thinking. Originally, I was planning on dedicating a mass for her and that was it. I didn't want to prepare food because to me, it seemed like a celebration of my mom's death so that was weird. And besides, I didn't want to feed people that have no remorse over my mom's death. If ever I would serve anything it would be to those whose Mom's death mattered greatly. And who have shown me that Mom's death has struck a chord in their hearts.

Anyway, my sister said that she's going to have a "padasal" at their house since she knew people who performed that kind of service. So I said, okay, we'll just visit you and hold it there. If you're going to serve food (at least for those who prayed) I'll contribute.

The deal was, my father will fetch us from the house and together we'll go to my sister's house. It didn't push through. In the end, my sister's husband had to fetch us. It was already late. Along the way, we stopped to buy flowers for my mom to put near her picture. (Allan, please send me Mom's picture - the one at the funeral, ok?) After that, we were really moving along until we got to a busy intersection. That's where a taxi accidentally bumped us while trying to maneuver itself. And about the same time when the car we were riding started smelling like burned rubber. At first Jowell didn't want to take notice of it, but really it was hard to ignore as smoke was coming out of the hood! That got me and the kids scared. And then there was a pop and the engine died and we had to push the car to the side. Turned out we busted the radiator and the clutch or something!!

We then called my dad who wanted us to take a cab to where he was. It was a miracle when we did find a cab and he allowed us to ride him. Imagine at the back, there we were: Patrick, me, Den, Bing and the 2 kids and in front were Jowell and his cousin Michael. We then decided to just go straight to the house because it was closer. Going around the street we ended up the same place where our car died and guess what?! The taxi's engine died too at the same exact spot!! Was Mom trying to tell us something ?? Jowell and Michael had to get out and push the taxi until the engine started again and we were able to get to my sister's house without another hitch.

When we got there though, we found out that the food she prepared was not enough. She thought that when she asked someone to buy food, the money she gave was supposed to feed 10-15 people. Well, what happened was it was only good for 5-7!! But no matter, the important thing was that we were there to pray for Mom and that was all. Dad came by too.

It was a good family moment and I think if Mom could see us she would be surprised.

In Memoriam - Carmen Paypon, 02/07/2008

I just decided to post my mom's eulogy which I wrote when she died a year ago. My best friend Kat read it at the funeral service but I wondered if people listened. So for you guys who weren't able to attend the service before, I give you this:

When my Mom died, it was a shock and that’s an understatement if I ever heard one. It’s not even something that you’d wish on your worst enemy. But it happened and it’s REAL. It’s even more devastating for Sharon and I because we’re in Manila, so far away from her and we can’t even comfort our own brother. But we know what Mom wanted and it was to be buried beside Lolo. Who are we to ignore her last request when all her life she has done everything to give us what we wanted?

We tried our best to be with her but it wasn’t meant to be. Now, I thought, “Is this it? Is this all that I can do?” It only occurred to me to write this when Ate Marivic broached the subject of a eulogy in an email. And I thought who better to talk about my Mom than her very own children. I’m sure you all have stories to share and tales to tell about her - as a daughter, a sister, a relative, a friend and a co-worker. But for most of her life, she was a Mother. MY Mother, and I owe it to her to tell you how I’m proud of her, of how strong she was especially considering all the adversities in life that she’s been through.

I’m the eldest child, and as such, have the privilege of experiencing the happier moments in her marriage to Ben, my Dad. I know we took regular trips to the zoo and the parks. I remember the pictures and always marvel at how my Mom can wear such short skirts! My gosh!

But as you all know, their marriage was not the happily-ever-after kind. She suffered through it for a long time until the day my brother was born. I think it was the last straw when my dad wanted to name my brother after himself. So, Allan, be thankful Mom stood her ground otherwise you’d have been Ben Jr.

We all felt the aftermath of the separation but Mom bore the brunt of it. The period after the separation was the darkest years of her life. She’s separated from her parents, she’s out of touch with her brothers, and she’s alienated from her relatives who believe they’ve lost their “padrino” in government agencies. On top of that, she’s dealing with a son who was born with a weak heart and a middle child whose rebellious streak has reared its ugly head. Her battles with Sharon resulted in heart attacks on a daily basis it’s a miracle she didn’t die from those. Her health also became compromised – she was diagnosed with hypothyroidism and underwent radiation therapy. Not many people know about this because she refused to be pitied. If any other person had to deal with all this, they’d probably break from the stress and pressure.

But not my Mom. She persevered, as was her nature. She believed that God did not give you trials you’re not capable of overcoming. By her strong will, she put us through school, at the cost of bringing Allan to school because there’s no money left for a babysitter. By her indomitable spirit, she couldn’t be dragged down by people who didn’t believe in her. And by her love for her children, she ENDURED. She SURVIVED. She LIVED.

She even took in Sharon’s daughter to raise. Can you imagine my Mom teaching in class with a baby sleeping on the teacher’s desk? She brought Den to school with her everyday. Den was the one that brought life back into her. She was happy.

She even continued with her studies and was two units shy of completing her Master’s degree. That’s how intelligent she was. Sometimes, I guess this is what scares people off because on first impression, she can be aloof and may come off as uptight or a snob.

But really, Mom is a very simple person. Mababaw ang kaligayahan niyan. I remember when Patrick did an imitation of the Power Rangers in the living room at home, he ended up tumbling across the floor and bumping into the cabinet. Mom was crying so hard from laughing that she couldn’t even breathe. When a cockroach dares invade her personal space, she’ll scream her head off, run the other way and beg us to kill it. She liked the color lavender. She once joked about wanting to paint the exterior of the house violet and the interior lavender and pink. She loved to read! She inspired her students to read as well. One time, she even brought our own VCR to school so that her students can watch The Lord of the Rings. She’s very thoughtful – she always remembered to buy Patrick anything Star Wars-related when at the mall. She’s a handyman at home, a trait she probably inherited from Lolo. She loved pizza from Sbarro and Pizza Hut. She loved Tony Hadley from Spandau Ballet and would often tell Allan that that’s where he got his cleft chin from. She always received the most number of bouquets during Teachers’ Day. She loved Chuck Norris, Charles Bronson and Steven Seagal. She loved Tiger Prawns.

But she also didn’t like a lot of things. First, she hated James Taylor! When she was pregnant with me, hearing James Taylor’s songs incited bouts of nausea in her. That feeling never passed. She didn’t like incompetent people. She hated having to repeat tasks that should have been idiot-proof. But above all, she didn’t like having to ask people for help – her independent streak at work. She hated to inconvenience others. She didn’t want to be a burden to others.

But basically, what stands out is that the innate goodness in her radiates within and among her family and friends. That is why she found love again in Bruce. That is why she has gone to the States even though she didn’t want to, if only because she wanted us to have a good life. That is why she didn’t want to spend any of her money on herself, she’d rather use it on us, her grandkids and her extended family in Manila. That is why a lot of people feel great sadness in her passing.

In accepting her death, I keep this in mind. My Mom will forever live in me and in my kids. Her heart will be mine. Her smile will shine through my kids. She brought me up to be independent and strong and that’s how my kids will be. I regret that she wasn’t able to see them, to hold them, to hug them. But I knew she loved them. It is some relief that she passed knowing that we are all doing a little better – Allan with his work, school and the car he’s so proud of, Sharon getting married to Jowell, their kids and their Internet business, and myself with my beautiful kids and Patrick who works and still manages to help with the chores. It will be a tribute to my Mom to keep her alive in our memories and in the way we live our lives.

Thank you for reading.

Mom's 1st death anniversary

It's hard to believe but it's already been one year since my mother's accident, since she died. I can't believe that time went by so fast. For every day that passed over this year, I never failed to talk to her in my head. There are a lot of moments when I remember her and I just end up weeping and crying like silly. Honestly, as I write this, tears are already pooling in my eyes.

I try and keep her memory alive. It's unfortunate that she left this plane without ever having hugged or kissed Dana and Dylan. That's what I regret the most. That my kids didn't have enough time to bond with her. That's why I keep telling stories about her to my kids so that they'll know her even though she's gone.

I miss having her around to chat with about everything under the sun. She's such an intelligent person but she's also very silly. Now that some parts of the house are being renovated, I talk to her like she's here watching everything that's happening :) This was one of her dreams - to have the house renovated, to correct for past mistakes. It's ironic that the money being used for the renovations came from her death.

When I asked God for money for these renovations, I didn't ask that He take my mother's life in exchange. If I knew that this was how my prayers will be answered, then I wouldn't have asked for it. I'd have preferred to have my mother alive and us penniless. It's not worth it.

Moving on, I just live by what she taught me from her speech to her actions and hope that when we meet someday she'll be proud of me.

More House renovation stories :)

Okay so obviously, I owe you my dear friends, family and readers the continuation of the house renovation epic that we're currently undergoing :)So in my last post, we were already able to buy the curtain rods and curtains in Divisoria. Well this is what they look like once we've installed them.



After installing these curtains, we went to Cubao for some downtime :) We ended up going to Shopwise to do some grocery shopping. While there, we chanced upon a "buy 1 take 1" deal. There were 334x290x800 mm shelves in light blue color for P1000. So it's like P500 each which was a steal!! We also bought Dana her Lightning McQueen bike while we were there :)



As soon as we got home, we assembled the shelves that we got. We liked them so much that we decided to go back and buy 2 more sets, for the kids and for extra shelves. While there, we chanced upon another bargain. We bought this entertainment cabinet in Shopwise Cubao for P2K less than the original price. Add to that, they just released a new color so instead of the light-colored wood that they had on display, we chose this darker one because we were thinking of painting the living room too. But since this whole set couldn't fit through the doorway if delivered as is, we ended up in negotiations with the guy who assembles them :) He came home with us and assembled it right in the living room and we just paid him extra for his service :)

Here's a picture of what the kids' toy shelf look like :) The kids' now have a kind of display shelf for their toys and they're so good at keeping them in their proper place too :) While I was assembling the shelf cabinet, I was so excited because I had the idea in mind how the toys will look like :) I'm glad the kids liked it. I live for this stuff ! LOL