WAHM-hood 101: 3 Reasons Why You Should Be Choosy

photo from: pushupsandcarrots.wordpress.com

Being a newbie freelancer is quite a challenge. There's the matter of getting used to the payment scheme, the flexible hours, the lack of the usual corporate benefits, the competitiveness - and then there's the job-hunting part, which, by far is one of the first and biggest hurls you must overcome.

So why then do I say that you SHOULD be choosy when it comes to applying for jobs online? Well for a number of justifiable reasons! Here are some of them:

Daughter Diaries 2014, January: K, The Thrifty Little Shopper

We mommies know how grandparents are with their apos (grandkids) - they are the ones who give in to their little whims while we have to do the holding back. My parents are no different, although they are (thankfully) not the all-out kind. We were raised with 'just enough' toys to enjoy, but we didn't really have all the uso stuff back then. In short 'sakto lang'. And that's how they are with my little one too, though with her, they are willing to spend more. Hehe.

To 2014 --- and Beyoooond!

Well, well, well, look at that. It felt just like yesterday when I blogged about celebrating Christmas, and what do you know... it's all part of 2013 history now! It's quite overwhelming really, to note how fast time passes - it's as if I haven't even caught up with things yet, and here comes another year. More coping and challenge-overcoming to do.

Here are the milestones and challenges of the past year, and how I plan to move forward with them this 2014:

Dekada: A Family Destination for Great Food in Glorietta

When we celebrated our 6th wedding anniversary this year, we decided to treat my parents for lunch. The week before was also grandparents' day, so we brought our little princess with us to enjoy some bonding time with her lolo and lola.

When we got to Glorietta, I had no idea yet where to have lunch, and the first restaurant that we chanced upon after leaving the wonderland that is Landmark Makati was Dekada, which now occupies the space that was once held by a boutique in the corner of Glorietta right by the exit/entrance to Landmark.

It looked quaint and welcoming, painted in blue and white, with interesting knick-knacks on shelves. We skimmed the menu outside and saw they had rice and lots of Filipino viands. And at that time, around 11:00 am, it wasn't crowded or chaotic, and since we were all pretty famished already, we decided to go ahead and 'take the risk' with this new place.

Dekada offers 'historic Filipino cuisine' - in short, your traditional favorites. :)

Hello Christmas Season!

Our Dream Parol, finally ready to be hung on our terrace

Christmas is my favorite holiday. Not because it's shopping or party season, but mostly because people seem to be happier when December rolls in.

Might be the cool breeze, or the 50-70% off sales in malls, or simply the idea of fun things to come - but really, people seem to have an aura of positivity in December.

And I am a sucker for positive energy.

I love being with people who are genuine, laugh a lot, and simply enjoys life. Bawal ang nega sa buhay ko. So bawal din ang nega na tao siyempre. :)

Christmas is a lot about smiles for me, and they don't always have to be mine. Natutuwa ako pag nakikita kong masaya yung mga nareregaluhan ko, lalo na yung mga bata. You can give them anything wrapped, and they'd give each present that same priceless gleeful expression like you gave them the best thing on Earth. Such a pleasure to see that. Last weekend, December 1st, hubby and I set out early, as in kakabukas-lang-ng-mall kind of early, to do our Christmas shopping. We started at 10am, and paid for our purchases at the counter by 12pm. We bought gifts for about a dozen inaanaks. Granted kulang pa din, we still have about 4-5 people on our list to buy gifts for. Pero it was our fastest Christmas shopping spree ever!

What did we do?

When There Is Nothing Left, There Is Always Hope.

Image from: www.raisinggenerationstoday.com

It has been almost three weeks since Typhoon Yolanda/Haiyan ravaged Central Philippines.

Ravage is the closest word. Destroyed doesn't even cut it. The damage wrought by the Super Typhoon is truly unimaginable - and it is! Its strength was unseen by people who had lived for the past few decades - all over the world.

Three weeks since, it has been discovered that thousands have been killed by it, and every day turns up with more. There is a lack of food, water, shelter - all the basic needs of man - lacking in so many ways.

But if there is one thing that is always abundant in the Filipino heart, that is HOPE.

I Was A Call Center Girl - And I'm Proud of It!

I've been wanting to do a blog post about this for so long, pero laging napo-postpone kasi ang dami kong gustong sabihin, pero yung kamay ko ayaw na mag-type. So when I was taking a break from work earlier, browse browse ako ng forums and shared stuff on my newsfeed. Naalala ko yung isang blog post about the call center industry being belittled - and naalala ko na naman din ang feelings ko towards this.

Sa totoo lang, I take offense when people always attach the word 'LANG' sa call center industry or sa call center agents.  As in emosyonal talaga ako pag nakakarinig or nakakabasa ako ng not-so-nice comments about the work I used to do, or the industry that I used to be part of.