tin2joy

We experienced one of the strongest typhoons yesterday.  Heavy rains coupled with howling winds drove us out of the house at around 11 am.  The rains started the night before and did not stop at all.  I was getting worried when I saw that the water almost reached our gate and the fish pond fronting the house was nearly overflowing.  When I found out that high tide would be at 12 noon, I made the decision to bring Nanay and the kids to my tito’s house, which is in the upper part of Bacolod. 

Maybe I was a bit paranoid, but I could still clearly see in my mind the flood waters which came into our living room last December 2006.  My first thought was of Nanay.  If the waters came into the house and we had to evacuate, how would we move her?  So then I decided that I’d rather be safe than sorry.  We spent the day at my tito’s house and although the waters did not go into the house, I still think it was a right decision because I was able to relax, knowing that Nanay and the kids were safe.

Got this meme from Toni.  Here’s 26 things you probably didn’t know about me.

Accent:   Ilonggo gid ko ya!

Breakfast or no breakfast: Breakfast is the most important meal of the day.

Chore I don’t care for: Sweeping the floor!  My nose hates the dust.

Dog or Cat: Dog na lang

Essential Electronics: My laptop!

Favorite Cologne: Denenes

Gold or Silver: Silver is the new Gold!

Handbag I carry most often: Canvas Girbaud

Insomnia: Nope!  I’m off to dreamland once my head hit the pillow.

Job Title: Asst. Professor  (Yikes!)

Kids: Enzo, nearly 5; and Evie, 2 and a half

Living Arrangements: Living with my parents, Single parent during the weekdays, Happy housewife on weekends

Most Admirable Trait: You can count on me to get the job done.

Naughtiest Childhood Behavior: Very talkative in the classroom

Overnight hospital stays: When I gave birth to Evie.  Was admitted at 4am, gave birth at 930am, went home 12nn the next day.

Phobias: Slimy frogs…yuck!

Quote: “Anything that is worth doing is worth doing well…or not at all.”

Reason to smile: Enzo and Evie

Siblings: Ray Gerard and Karol Mae

Time I wake up: Usually 6:30 AM

Unusual Talent or Skill: I know what statistical tool to use by just reading the statement of the problem of a thesis or dissertation.  Can you count that as a skill?

Vegetable I Refuse to Eat: Radish… I just don’t like the smell.

Worst Habit: Procrastination!

X-rays: Essentially normal chest findings.

Yummy Stuff: UP Diliman Isaw, Cakes of Calea, Pistachio gelato

Zoo Animal I Like Most: White Peacock of Avilon Zoo

According to babycenter.com, the American Pediatric Association recommends that children under 2 years of age should not be watching ANY television, while children two years and older should watch no more than two hours of TV per day.

I hate to admit it, but my kids watch way too much TV, especially when I’m at work. I really feel guilty about this. When Enzo was still a baby, I told myself that I wouldn’t use the TV as a babysitter. Unfortunately, it’s easier said than done. I resort to TV whenever I have tasks to do that I need to concentrate on and I can’t have the kids interrupting me every minute or so. There are also a lot of times when I watch my favorite parental guidance shows (e.g. CSI, House, Heores) even with the kids around. I know, I know… I should be more responsible as a parent. And of course, hubby is not helping. After all, he’s the TV addict, not me!

I know my kids have been watching too much Disney channel because:

• They say “Aww, men!” when something goes wrong.
• They call the mice in your house “Mickey.”
• Whenever they see three interlocking circles, they shout out, “Hidden Mickey!”
• Their favorite song is “You are the Music in Me!”
• They think the world of Mr. Bean.
• Their magic word is not “please,” but “Miska, Muska, Mickey Mouse!”

It scares me that I’ve been too lax with them when it comes to watching TV. I’m thinking of removing the TV from the bedroom or even unsubscribing to cable altogether. But can we (hubby and I) deal with that???

As early as February, hubby and I had been planning to bring the kids to Boracay this summer. We scheduled the trip for May 15 because Dean had many activities before that (the trip to Manila, monthly meetings in Cebu, visits to his area by Kraft’s head honchos, cut-off dates, etc.). Unfortunately, rainy season came early to the Philippines and we had to forego the trip to Bora.

But since we promised the kids a trip to the beach, we opted for Guimaras instead. So on Friday, May 16, while a typhoon was raging somewhere else in the country, we packed our bags for Raymen Beach in Nueva Valencia, Guimaras. Despite the dark clouds and moderate winds, the 15-minute pumpboat ride to Jordan, Guimaras was not as bad as I expected. The kids would say UP, DOWN every time the boat would rock to the movement of the waves.

After a 40-minute drive, we go to Raymen Beach safely and immediately hit the beach. The waves were quite big, but we enjoyed the dip. We stayed by the shoreline since the waves were quite strong and the beach wasn’t that flat (kantilado in Ilonngo). Enzo enjoyed playing with the sand but he was scared to venture into the water. Evie, on the other hand, liked the water so much she wasn’t even scared when the big waves came.

The next morning, we were able to buy fresh crabs and fish from the local fishermen who just pulled in from the sea. We had seafoods for breakfast! We didn’t stay too long, though, since we had to hurry back to Iloilo to attend a baptism the next morning. Raymen wasn’t Boracay, but for me, it was good enough. I’m just glad that we were able to relax and have fun with the kids.

My brother signed me up for Bo Sanchez’ weekly articles and this week he writes about difficult people in our lives.  He says God allows these people to come into our lives for a reason, that is, to give us very special gifts.  But instead of telling his readers what these gifts are, he asks us to write down what WE think these gifts are.

Well, I think that God allows difficult people in my life because He wants to give me the gift of patience.  This has never been my strong suit.  I hate waiting on people, I hate it when people don’t deliver as expected, and I hate it when people don’t use their common sense.  I easily lose my temper with people who just don’t think.  I know this is really something  I have to work on.

But then again, the more I pray for patience, the more God sends me difficult people to practice being patient on!  I know He didn’t promise that He would just change me at the snap of his fingers.  I guess when I stop seeing people as being difficult, then I will know that God has finally given me His gift of patience.

I can’t believe I’m saying this: I don’t want to go home to Bacolod! I want to stay here in Iloilo, not because I like it here more than Bacolod, but because I just want to be with Dean everyday. Having spent most of the summer here with him, I really feel that we’re a family and I want my kids to see their dad everyday. I wish I could just pack up and leave Bacolod for good so that I could be with my hubby.

But, I know I just can’t leave behind my parents in Bacolod. I know I’m being selfish if I bring the kids here for good. Nanay will probably just deteriorate, not having the kids at home. And I know Tatay will most likely get sick if I take away his beloved little engineer Enzo from him. I feel sad about not being able to spend time with Dean each day because his assignment is here in Iloilo. I don’t know how long this arrangement of ours is going to last. I don’t see a transfer to Bacolod in his current job. He has to find a different job if we would insist that he move back to Bacolod.

A few years ago, when Dean and I were just starting our married life, Nanay told me that I shouldn’t move with him because he was assigned in Roxas at that time. She said his job called for him to transfer from one place to another and it would be difficult for me to do the same. She told me that I should stay put in Bacolod and we should just find a way for him to come home as often as he could. I know that there was wisdom in what my mother told me, and much as I would want to be with Dean everyday, I know that Nanay was, and is still is, right. With two kids in tow, it would be much harder for us to keep on moving every time he gets a new assignment.

I think another reason why I really want to stay with Dean (wherever that is) is because with him around I don’t have to be the sole decision maker. I have a shock absorber, I have a ready helpmate in everything. When I get back to Bacolod, I will have to face my realities again - that my mom is still sick, that I have two kids to rear, that I have a household to manage, and that I have a career to build.  And all of these I will have to manage all at the same time.

I was really struck by today’s First Reading from James 3:13-18, which follows:

Beloved:
Who among you is wise and understanding?
Let him show his works by a good life
in the humility that comes from wisdom.
But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish
ambition in your hearts,
do not boast and be false to the truth.
Wisdom of this kind does not come down from above
but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic.
For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist,
there is disorder and every foul practice.
But the wisdom from above is first of all pure,
then peaceable, gentle, compliant,
full of mercy and good fruits,
without inconstancy or insincerity.
And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace
for those who cultivate peace.

The world’s definition of wisdom is very much different from the Bible’s definition.  We consider someone “wise” if he manages to make a lot of money without having to exert so much effort or doing something illegal without getting caught.

But in today’s reading, we are taught that the wisdom that comes from above is pure, peaceful, gentle, merciful, and full of good fruits.  It is so different from the wisdom of the world which is often abrasive, loud, arrogant, and self-righteous.

This reading is a gentle reminder to me of the wisdom that I should be aiming for… and one that I can only achieve through prayer and submission to the Spirit.

I’ve been listening to Robert Kiyosaki’s Rich Dad, Poor Dad (audio version) over the past few days. One of the things which struck me was his question, “What’s your business?” When he asked someone this, the guy said he was a banker. So he asked the guy if he owned the bank, and the guy said no, he was just an employee at the bank. The guy confused his profession with his business. Kiyosaki said that if one wants to be financially secure, he should start with minding his own business. But one has to be clear about his business in the first place. So now I’m asking myself, “What’s my business?”

I’m a teacher by profession, but a statistician by training. Aside from teaching, I accept statistical consultation and data analysis projects. So I guess I could say my business is statistical consulting.

My clients are mostly graduate students or doctors in their residency program who need my help with their statistical analysis. But I’m hoping to extend that network to people outside of Bacolod, maybe even outside the country. I’ve been trying to build a website on google pages, but I haven’t thought of a catchy title/name yet.

Anyway, to anyone reading this, maybe you know of someone who is working on a thesis/dissertation or on a research project and needs help with their statistics, I would appreciate a referral.

*This article is crossposted on my friendster blog.

Dean and I decided that this summer I wasn’t going to teach and we would be spending the summer vacation in Iloilo with him.  I’ve been working so hard over the last two semesters that I hardly spent time with the kids.  When I got home from work, I had more take-home work to do.  I was really burned out over the past five months, and I knew I just had to take a break.

Although I won’t be earning any income (from teaching, that is) this summer, at least I get to spend some time with the kids.  Right now, we are in Dean’s parents’ house and the kids are having fun playing around the house.  It’s a new environment for them, and being away from home is always an adventure.  Yesterday, we went to Sports Complex to jog around the track.  The kids had a great time running and playing on the football field. 

I’ve also been trying to look for tv-free activities online.  I know I’ve used the tv as a babysitter back home in Bacolod, and I don’t want to do that here.  We bought an origami book for Enzo and other activity books.  I’m also planning to bring them to the museum here and maybe take a day trip to visit old churches here in Iloilo. 

I guess I’m beginning to get the hang of being a stay-at-home mom.  I also brought some researches to do, so I would still be able to earn something while being on vacation.  I just hope that after this much-needed break I’ll be able to go back to work refreshed and ready to take on any challenge.

My family and I got back from Manila yesterday evening.  It was a tiring, but fun-filled trip.  I thought I was going to have a difficult time with the kids considering that we took the plane by ourselves since Dean was already in Manila.  But surprisingly, the kids were quite well-behaved.  I brought along their favorite toys (truck for Enzo and Mickey Mouse stuffed toy for Evie) and books (Green Eggs and Ham for Enzo and Mickey Mouse book for Evie), and some scratch papers, pencils and crayons for the plane ride. 

We arrived in Manila quite late na, around 8pm and we were picked up by my siblings who brought us to our hotel in Makati.  After moving around in circles three times, we were finally able to find our hotel where Dean was already waiting for us. 

The next day, we went to Molino, Bacoor, Cavite to visit Dean’s maternal grandmother.  For a lady who has stage four cancer she seemed pretty okay, although according to Dean’s uncle she still doesn’t know that she’s sick.  Maybe that’s why she had a happy disposition.  It was the first time for her to see Evie and I could see that she was really happy to see the kids, even for just a day.  That was really a tiring day for us, though, because we commuted all the way to Bacoor and back to Makati.  Nonetheless, I’m happy that we were able to visit her and Dean’s other relatives.  Maybe it would take another five years or so for us to visit again.

The highlight of our trip was a visit to Avilon Zoo in Montalban, Rizal.  We really had a fun time with the kids.  Here are some of our pics.

I’m really just grateful to have had 4 days of fun with my hubby, kids, siblings, sis-in-law, and niece. :)  It WAS a great vacation.