on eye treatment

Hubby's eyeglasses were broken yesterday. well, it was slightly cracked anyways. and hubby was still thinking if he's gonna buy already, and I asked him to avail of his optical benefit in the office. Why not? Actually, if they offered lasik treatment for free from his health benefits I would tell him to use that instead. I know lasik has a lot of good benefits and the treatment is for the longer term. Its like getting brand new eyes. worth the expense if you have the money, actually. I actually know of somebody whose kids just recently underwent the lasik treatment, and the feedback was actually great.
Maybe in time I could ask hubby to undergo the treatment. Hopefully, before he turns 40 at least.

The Future of Stapling is here

It's based on the Swingline model 444, or "The Triple-Four," as we say in the business.

Diving Bird, Glass Dude

Lindz caught this shot of a Puffin at feeding time at the Seattle Aquarium:

And I shot this in the Hot Shop of the Museum of Glass in Tacoma:

2010 Recap

The past year has been so memorable (in both good and bad ways) that it deserves a recap.  I feel I should keep this in mind because someday when I look back, 2010 will be the year with the most challenges for me and for our family.
We started the year with me jobless (by choice, and hoping for a good year ahead with the bazaar business.  At some point I know I will have to look for a job back at corporate because it was hard for us to save with me just into business.  All of hubby's salary was going to daily expenses.  I had a bazaar coming up but that didn't turn out well.  In the end it was a frantic search for THE next job. Unfortunately the next 2 job offers that came were not to my liking, not even close to what I had with the Selecta job.  And hubby patiently told me to hold off until I find what is worth me.
So careerwise, things started getting better when I got this interview with a food manufacturing company whose office is just outside our village. It was a pleasant surprise that it was so near, and the position they were offering was really something I liked.  It took a good month and a half before I got the offer and it was really a dream come true.  A good career position, directly under the General Manager's supervision, with great benefits and competitive salary.  I had under me 5 staff to supervise, and the real plus part is that the office is just outside our village.  It is truly a dream.  Of course, dreams don't last forever and now that I have it, its no bed of roses, but I'm learning and its a matter of time before I can excel in what I do, just as I always do.
Homewise.... we started the year without a helper/yaya after I fired the previous one (for abuse of authority --- aka shouting and harassing my little girl). I was a full time homemaker for a total of 3 months.  No regrets though, being able to take care of my girl, no matter how difficult, is really something to be proud of, in a modern world like ours, not all careerwomen get the opportunity to stay home full time to take care of their kids and watch them grow up.  In February we finally had a new helper/yaya, and she is heaven-sent!  I can't begin to say how she has become family to us and I do hope she stays with us for a long time.
And then I thought we were going to have someone new in the family.  Found out I was pregnant sometime in October, but that ended soon with a blighted ovum.  It was a sad and trying time, having had an easy pregnancy with Jessica, this came as a surprise.  But then I had to be strong and we just decided to try again. After the miscarriage we hoped we could have it easy and and fortunately it paid off.  I haven't gone to the OB yet but the last 2 home pregnancy tests came positive so I am hoping this one will take off, and smoothly too.
Since June, things have started to get better for us, a new job, great career ahead, financial stability.  Finally we have enough to live a more comfortable life.  Hopefully in 2011 we will have an additional member of the family too.
So I hope things will go well for you too.  :-)

Here are a few of my newest LO of the little girl. Happy to be digiscrapping again. Its so fascinating that Jessica has grown up so much since she was a tiny, tiny infant. To see her grow up everyday is a blessing, and me stopping work and seeing her in this period of her life is really something I will never, ever regret.

The Crocs Megasale - mega-tiring!!!

Tired is an understatement. I feel sooo exhausted after today. Never realized how tiring it was, really. Here's a short rundown of the day that was.

The announcement for the sale was 10-8pm. Naturally I was not in such a big hurry to get to the sale in meralco avenue, ortigas. It came as a shock that there was a huge traffic jam around the place and everybody seemed to be on their way to the sale. Good thing I saw someone I knew there (Thanks stips!) so I saved some 30minutes of queueng time to get inside. Once inside the area, there was a huge commotion there and there were so many people there already. The stocks were all over the place and the queue to pay at the cashier was also just as long it was shocking. It took me around 2 hours (12-2) to get the stuff I wanted and another 3 hours to just finish lining up to pay. So I ended up using the whole day just to stay at the sale. It was not a loss though, I was able to get really nice crocs and the prices were hugely discounted too. But just to give you an idea, here's a shot of the place inside.

That from the point where I stood in line. and at the end of the tent, that's where the cashiers were.
Stocks were all over the place. People go around to get the stuff they need, it seemed the best and fastest way.

And here are the stuff I got from the sale:

Pelican Winnie - From 1850 down to 740 (6o% off)

Minnie Janes - From 1850 down to 740 (60% off)

Kids Cayman - From 1475 down to 590 (60% off)

Women's Juneau - From 2350 down to 1410 (40% off)

Alice - from 2350 down to 1175 (50% off)

Sobek black - From 2500 to 1000 (60%)

Venture Canvass - From 3700 to 740 (80% off)

Tikali black - from 3500 to 1400 (60% 0ff)

Good buys huh? Of course it was shocking to see the people in front of me spending like 10-12k in their buys. whew. happy.... but tired. If you're eyeing just one or two pairs, I don't think it will be worth it.

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Two Good Things

Prosciutto-wrapped tilapia and grilled balsamic & maple glazed asparagus. We accompanied it with the velvety, slightly smoky Yellowtail Reserve Pinot Noir that set me back $9. I was rather pleased with myself.


This is a red stapler. A nice, substantial, metal one. I rule. Too bad I work in a place that makes Office Space look like the Travel Channel.

My newfound friends

Last Friday, June 26, was my last day at Selecta. My officemates gave me a goodbye dinner at Eastwood (the first time I went back there since my Baby shower, which, if you can imagine, was in April 2007!). It was a really nice dinner, the first time I really went out since I quit Nestle, and I could really say I had fun chatting with them (despite the fact that most of them were fresh-grad-young, if you know what I mean. After dinner, they gave me a farewell gift, which was a scrapbook signed by them and several of the people I had interacted with over the past 3 months. Awwww....
It was really touching hearing what they had to say, how they had thought I looked tough the first day, but over time they thought I was a cool boss and really nice to be with. ahhheeem. lol. Seriously, it makes me feel good that at least in the short time that I led them (sort of...) they felt I did well. Even my ex-boss felt I was bright... :-p
On one side, I really felt sad for having to leave such nice colleagues behind. The people I've worked with (Production, RND, QA) have all been pleasant and gentle, seeing that I was not entirely from the Operations point of view, but they understood. The PPIC pics have all been supportive and loving, and I will keep a lot of happy memories of my stay there. Its sad I couldn't prolong the stay because I also have my own plans. But they will forever play a big part of my life.
I'm thankful for having been a part of this team.

Thanks Guys! I'll cherish the happy times we had, however short it was. :-) Good luck to all of you in your careers! See you soon, I hope!

PS. Pic background shows a replica of Optimus Price. So cool! I hope they can do a cute (and cheap) model toy of the transformers, even the car version of Optimus would be ok for me.

More Preparations for Bathroom Renovation Fun

It's called Orizzonti Dawn.
To put a perfectly clear, specific idea in your heads as to what it looks like, it's sort of, uh, beige.

I'll tell you this: the shit is heavy.

Cosmic Dragon Devours Sun

Get your affairs in order, the world is ending. Or at least get some wine and get buzzed before you go to work.

Roast Beef Nigiri

It's more or less impossible to find raw fish that's suitable for this around here, so I made landlocked nigiri sushi. Sometimes I've seen "sashimi grade tuna," but I'm not so sure I trust that.
My immature rice technique contributed to these beasties being quite delicate and difficult to eat, but they tasted very good. The flavors of roast beef and soy sauce combine beautifully - it's an umami smackdown. I think next time I'll have some nori on hand to tie a band around the nigiri to hold it together, like they do with unagi sushi:

Perhaps a small roll with roast beef and scallions inside would be good, and easier to eat. I love the combination of beef and scallions.

Where did the time go?

Lindz and I went up to Michigan, and I can't believe how fast the time went. I also can't believe we came away with a near-total lack of good photos. Everyone else took pictures, but I was too lazy. Anyway, we stayed at the famed Moosewood Suite and enjoyed the hospitality of my sister and brother in law. We ate and drank very well. One item that sticks out in my memory is the huge pan of orange rolls that my sister made. Think cinnamon rolls, except, instead of cinnamon, you have tart, bright orange zest. The icing was supercharged with citric acid, and the dough was soft and yielding as we tore them apart. It was like being stunned with a Taser of Orange Goodness. Kathy took pictures of them. They were beautiful. *sniff*
We hung out with the family and beheld the two-month time warp which is the difference in foliage between NC and MI. A First Communion and numerous birthdays were observed. I got a huge block of Mild Pinconning to bring back in my luggage. We went to Mecca (Bell's Eccentric Cafe ). However, it was all over too fast.

The night we got home, Lindz made spring rolls (we didn't fry them; are they still called spring rolls?)
And, during the trip to Michigan, I found a couple of Wusthof knives, tip-down in a utensil crock, in a resale shop. They were $2 each; I couldn't believe my luck. I rescued these strays and resharpened them. Here, sitting on top of lamb shoulder chops, is my current favorite knife:

And here is a roasted beet:
How many people can say they live near a pork outlet? This is a rack of country hams at the Nahunta Pork Outlet at the Raleigh Farmers' Market:
I wanted one, but Lindz wasn't entirely sure she wanted a cured pig's leg hanging in the pantry for the six months it would probably take us to eat it. There must be a way! They're a tremendous status symbol.

Arrival in Jamaica

Lindz and I just went to Jamaica to attend the wedding of a friend of hers. We sort of declared it our own honeymoon as well. Here's a few tidbits from Day 1.

That's Cuba down there, as seen from a comfortable, first-class seat on an Airbus A320 EOW. The nice flight attendant gave me Scotch on the rocks and little shortbread cookies. A wise man once said, "It is better to go first class than to arrive." Lindz's folks helped us out with the plane tickets (they have enough miles saved up to go to Pluto).

After braving the skies above the menacing Tropical Island of Communists, we landed in Jamaica and spent an hour or so in the customs line with legions of fat, ugly Americans. I don't include my wife and myself with the fat, ugly Americans because she is slender and good-looking. I am married to her, therefore I am svelte-in-law. We finally made it to our tour company and headed for the resort.
Here we are, crawling through Montego Bay traffic with our driver, Hennis, at the wheel of the Toyota HiAce van:

Although it's difficult to make out, I zoomed in on Hennis's false teeth. Had he put them in his mouth instead of the dashboard, I might have understood his heavily accented descriptions of towns and natural features:

Jamaica is a lush, beautiful place. We drove for about an hour and a half from Montego Bay to Negril on a road that followed the coast.

We arrived at the resort and inhaled some tasty coconut shrimp and conch fritters. The first item on our agenda was a "Welcome Cruise." After some logistics, waiting, sweating, bus riding, waiting, sweating and paying, we got on the boat and started drinking. It rained at first, but a gloriously clear evening ensued.
Here are some locals in a boat. I believe they were trying to sell something to the folks on a nearby catamaran.

A woman who resembled Brigitte Nielsen was quite naked on said catamaran:
  
After everyone on our boat was suitably full of rum punch and beer, the captain and crew pulled up close to shore and offered everyone the opportunity to swim to shore and jump 40 feet or so into this cove:
   I did not partake, but I was told that if one jumped inexpertly, one would undergo a thrillingly painful seawater enema.
This is the sunset that we enjoyed near the end of the booze cruise. By this time, I had already endeared myself to the company that brews Red Stripe.

Lindz and I got off the bus at our resort, had a tasty dinner at the restaurant, and went to bed. A day of uninterrupted travel, drinking and swimming really takes it out of you.