Culture-shock

So, nabangga nga yung kotse ni hubby last week. Dahil nasa pagawaan pa, kumuha kami ng rental sa insurance company. Nung kinumusta ko kung ok naman yung binigay na rental car, ang reklamo, "Hindi. Walang power steering, walang power locks, walang power windows." Spoiled.

Kanina, sabay na sila pumasok ni D. Pagkasundo ko, sabi ni D sa akin:

D: Ma, nakita mo na ba yung loob ng car ni Daddy? Aaang gandaaaaa!

Me: Talaga? Bakit?

D: Yung bintana, para mabuksan, meron kang iikutin.

Nyehehehe.

Jologs

My first class officially started today, although I've had access to the course requirements and exercises since the weekend. So far, everything looks good.....SO FAR. Ewan ko lang when the requirements get more intense. It's new to me, so everything requires a little getting used to, but as far as things have gone, I like the learning environment. And yeah, there is still a learning environment even if it's an online course and I still get to interact with my classmates in a forum-type of classroom. There are exercises and readings to be done, and aside from that, I still have to participate with class discussions, albeit, at my own availability.

Aaaaanyway.......last night, the kids and the hubby were playing around on the computer. We (the kids and I) actually did previous "recording sessions" but hubby wanted to "direct" another one, his choice of song, of course. And what they came up was, well, interesting.

(No, I did not have anything to do with the choreography. And yes, the little one does have an Apple shirt on. hehe.)

School

I am officially going back to school. If I had balls, it's probably way up in my throat right now. The little one is almost ready to start attending D's school in September, and I had better start getting ready to be in the work force once A is in school almost the whole day. I know it's a while still, but time isn't slowing down for me. I decided it's better for me to switch professions since it would take longer to try earning my professional license here, not to mention, I would need to study again, anyway. (And, yeah, I don't feel like my heart is in it anymore.)

Since A is in school only a couple of hours everyday now, and I can't submit myself to the rigid schedules of attending school full-time, I explored the possibility of taking a course online. The plan was that I would work towards earning a bachelor's degree. So, I called up the school and inquired about their degree programs. They asked some questions pertaining to my legal status and previous education. Apparently, the undergraduate degree programs they offer exclude the "basic" credits (similar to the GE subjects in college), and I would have to earn 120 credits elsewhere to complete a bachelor's degree. So I asked about having my previous credits (from my degree) transferred, and they told me, if I have actually already earned a degree, they can review and assess my transcript and I might be qualified to apply into their graduate program. So now, I'm signed up for their MBA program and I am starting to seriously, seriously doubt if I am in the right mind for all these things I'm getting myself into.

Tetris

Late last night, just as we were waiting for sleep to come in, we randomly tuned-in to VH1. Web Junk: The Best of the New Crap came on, and we got a bit curious. Some of the videos they showed were funny, but we thought this was just hilarious. (This link is a clip of the Web Junk show, with comments, featuring the same video as below.)





P.S.

The Thriller video made it to the list. And you should see the Chipmunk.


Update (1/24 5:10PM): Ha! Found this on YouTube. It's even more hilarious! Make sure you watch till the end.

Darn!

This morning, I saw this on one of the blogs that I frequent:

It's miserable Monday: How to think positive on the bleakest day of the year
By BECKY BARROW - Last updated at 10:01am on 21st January 2008

The weather is appalling, the Christmas credit card bills are landing on the doorstep . . . and you've already broken your New Year's resolutions.

But don't worry, if you can just get through today, things will start to look up.

Monday, January 21, you see, has been officially declared the gloomiest day of the year.

Psychologist Cliff Arnall, an expert in depression, has used a mathematical formula to pinpoint today as Blue Monday.

He says it is the day when six factors come together to leave us at our most miserable.

They are: the dank and gloomy weather; Christmas debt; a feeling of monotony after the Christmas cheer has faded; broken New Year's resolutions; low levels of motivation; and a desperate feeling that you need to take action to improve your drab existence.

Millions are also still struggling to get back into the routine of working after a long Christmas break - and many will not have their next holiday until August.

Blue Monday may be compounded by the fact that, according to other research, many people get their worst night's sleep on Sunday because they dread the prospect of going back to work the following day.

Mr Arnall, a former academic at Cardiff University, whose research was commissioned by personal development company Advance Performance, said one of the best ways to beat the blues was simply to stop moaning.

"If you are a regular whinger or moaner about the weather or minor ailments, stop," he said. "It is boring and you are boring.

"Focus on the good things you do have in your life. If one of your limbs does not work, focus on the three that do."

Other tips include: stop seeing those you do not like; start saying "no" to unreasonable requests; and help others by doing voluntary work.

Researchers say many workers lose up to one hour's sleep on Sunday night because they hate the idea of returning to work on Monday morning.

Difficult bosses, looming deadlines and important presentations can all keep workers awake on a Sunday night.

The best night is Friday, when the working week is over and many are looking forward to the prospect of a relaxing weekend.

Leigh McCarron, of hotel chain Travelodge, which commissioned the research, said: "Millions of workers are starting the week tired and unmotivated.

"One in ten say their sleeping patterns are at their worst in January as they return to work after Christmas and feel unable to cope with increased workloads."

So, yeah. Tell me about it. It started for me yesterday. With the bills to pay, the stuff I still need to do, the big expenses we are expecting -- I really didn't have much energy left to deal with a hit and run. Yep. That's right. HIT AND RUN.

Our car was parked outside the house and somebody hit it from behind, then drove off without leaving any information how we can contact them and hold them responsible for the damage. How inconsiderate. Now, it's going to set us back some to have it repaired. The insurance definitely covers it, but we still need to pay our part. And since there isn't a liable party, we probably wouldn't be able to get our money back. The last time hubby got in an accident, the insurance company reimbursed our participation fee after the liable party's insurance paid up. So right now, that sucks. Of course, it was extremely lucky that we weren't in the car because it looks like it was hit pretty hard -- the taillight was shattered, and the left corner of the bumper was completely smashed in. From the looks of it, it wasn't a slow impact. The bumper didn't just bend, it tore. And even if it was only the left corner that received the impact, we might need to completely replace the whole thing.

I just hope that @$$hole gets caught, and I hope they make him pay big. I have yet to get a copy of the police report, but I need to get my hands on that and report everything to the Department of Motor Vehicles, too.

Leash

I have seen parents with kids on leashes. Literally. And although it gives the kids some freedom to run about, I have always thought it was wrong. It felt, at least to me, that the kids are no different from pets. We always go out with the girls and I have never had a problem of losing them. I mean, they are thinking individuals and even at a young age, and all I had to do was tell them they shouldn't stroll far because they can get lost, and they understood. No need for leashes.

A couple of days ago, as I was picking D from school, there was a mom with a toddler. The toddler kept running around and the mom didn't look like she was trying her best to restrain her child. Sure, she'd pull the child to safety every once in a while, but it didn't look to me like she'd point out to her child that they were, in fact, in the freakin' driveway of the freakin' parking lot of the school. Cars were coming and going and it became annoying when every once in a while, a car would suddenly screech to a stop because the kid was running across the driveway or towards the car. It's a must to yield to pedestrians, but in a situation like that, it is just downright dangerous. Sudden stops can easily cause accidents, and in the exit driveway, where everyone is just anxious to get out of the parking lot queue....oh, I couldn't imagine if an accident should happen there. But then again, it's not an option to just go on and not watch the child. If that happens, it's a bigger offense to have hit the child than to get your car hit by another car. So, anyway, I thought, if there is anybody who most needs a leash, it's probably that mother with a child that unruly. But then again, that's a child, it's the parents' responsibility to set the child right. So maybe, the parents need disciplinary action? Jeez.

On another note on annoying traffic hazards, I remember one time when I let a mother with her kid cross the street as I was about to make a left-turn into the school parking lot. I thought since I yielded to them, and of course, held the traffic back behind me, they would rush across and walk on the sidewalk to their car. Imagine how bad I wanted to run them over when they inconsiderately walked on my lane of the street, all the way to their car about a few feet away still. So, yeah, I couldn't really move forward, and I couldn't drive around them, so all I was able to do was drive really, really slow behind them at their pace -- and they weren't in a hurry! It would have been ok if it was in the parking lot, but it was on the street. Oh, boy.....these parents!

Scents

I love the smell of sandalwood. It brings me memories of when we'd go visit my grandmother in her house when we were young. She always had some incense burning, smelling of -- you guessed it -- sandalwood. She had a big house, and the bedrooms were just humongous. But I remember thinking it was odd. Inspite of the big bedrooms, they were almost practically bare except for the bed, a small table and chair, and a cabinet. And they were always, always clean. The floors were always spotless and shiny. And my grandmother didn't have a helper to stay with her. For a time, I think one of my uncles (with his family) lived with her, but after they moved out, she was alone. So we'd always come see her in the weekends, and we'd play in her huge bedroom. Aaaaah......The time when life was much simpler.

It is wonderful how scents evoke memories. I guess I've always kind of known that but yesterday brought me a realization of how my kids are making their own memories -- and it puts me in the place where I want to impress on them simple things that, I hope, will be associated with good memories.

When I was in college, I always had with me a small bottle of white flower. You know, that menthol-smelling, clear fluid in the small, clear bottle? I always had migraines back then, and somehow, I only find relief from white flower dotted on my forehead and temples. Because I've always had it with me, it became sort of a cure-all for me. Kinda like how Vicks Vaporrub was with our parents. (Vicks could have worked, too, but I find it too mild. And speaking of Vicks, I see in my head, my dad spreading Vicks over his eyelids and sitting back to rest after working on his metal welding.) It was good for insect bites, muscles aches, crampy periods, stuffy noses and even when I get tummy aches on cold days. (Maybe it's just me, I don't know -- but if my tummy gets exposed to the cold on cold mornings, I get tummy aches. O, diba? Parang baby? Haha!) So when D was a baby, I used it on her whenever she'd have insect bites. When she was a toddler, I used it on her when she'd have tummy aches, too.

When we moved out of the country, I brought with me a couple of the bigger bottles of white flower. But since I didn't get to use it as much anymore, it was just in storage. Until yesterday.

A couple of days ago, A was complaining that her tummy hurt. When I touched her tummy, it was cold. Since I didn't have the time right then to look for my stash, we remedied her pain with a warm compress. And then I set forth to look for where I hid the white flower. Yesterday, after A complained again, I was ready. I put a few drops and rubbed it all over her tummy. She said it felt good. Nighttime came, and D walked over to me. She said they were playing and she noticed something on A's tummy. I didn't quite understand right away. I thought she found a smear of something or maybe the gel of the warm compress that A was playing with before I put white flower on her. She said no -- it was the smell of something, "I know that smell, but I don't know what it's called." And she liked it.

I have yet to quiz her what she remembers. I hope it's good.

Sneaky

Last week, I bought this nifty device for the DS where you can just load games backed up or downloaded online. After finding several games for young children, I let the girls test the games. Most of them were just entertaining, but there were more than a couple that I would actually put in the educational category.

Anyway, on one of the weekend nights, we were just in bed watching TV and I told A she should go to bed already. Without any delaying tactics, no negotiations, no anything, she got up and moved to her bed in her bedroom. I thought that was curious. Sending her off to bed usually ends in her whining her legs are already asleep and she couldn't walk anymore or she's already too sleepy she wouldn't be able to make it to her bed. So, yeah. That definitely wasn't the normal situation with her saying goodnight right away and skipping to her bedroom.

After a couple of minutes, I decided to check on the girls. D was sleeping soundly in her bunk. And guess what I found? A was on her stomach, playing her DS on her bed. She's just 4! How in the world did she think of that?! So now, I make sure the DS is in our bedroom whenever they shouldn't be playing.

**************

Since getting the new computer last month, I made a profile for each of us. D has her own profile, complete with a working copy of the email client that came with the OS, so I got her a Gmail account and set it up for POP download so checking mails would be as easy as just firing up the email client. So last night, she was supposed to be online looking for some stuff for school. Then A came running to me, telling me D has something for me. I asked her to just tell me what it was and the reply that came back was, "Just wait and check your email."

So, I do after dinner and this was what I found sitting in my inbox:


Wow.

Tagged: 5

This one came from Arlene:

1. Name one thing you do everyday.
- eat

2. Name two things you wish you could learn.
- longer patience
- love the unlovable

3. Name three things that remind you of your childhood.
- sinigang
- scent of soil after the rain
- The Sound of Music

4. Name four things you love to eat but rarely do.
- none. I usually can't ignore what I crave for.

5. Name five things that make you feel good.
- sleep
- laughter
- feel-good movies
- long drives
- a long bath on a warm day

Feelings

A couple of years ago, I was tinkering around with the computer and thought of making a video slideshow. It was close to the end of the season of American Idol when the goodbye song was Bad Day by Daniel Powter, and somehow, tuning in to the show every week had A familiarized with the song. It eventually became her "favorite" song.

Around that time, I was organizing the pictures on the computer, and it occurred to me how many pictures she has that's crying or pouting or sad or mad. See, when D was much younger, we'd aim the camera at her whenever she's crying and that usually ends it. She'd be smiling for the camera right away. A was different. Point the camera at her while she's mad and her anger intensifies. If she's crying, she'd usually just cry harder. And then it's funny to just take pictures of her with that disposition.

So, anyway......I thought that was appropriate. Sure, she had a bad day. And the video was made.

Last night, the hubby was working on his user profile and somehow came across the old video slideshows that we made before. Of course, he found the Bad Day video, too. He played it and while we were amused, I noticed A's expression getting sullen. She almost looked like one of her pictures in that slideshow. Towards the end, she started crying. I told her she shouldn't feel bad; it's funny because she's always crying like she had a bad day. And that she's really always crying for no reason at all. Then she started bawling like something was really paining her. What she said next caught me off-guard: "But you're laughing at me. It hurts my feelings!" Awwww......my baby's growing older, and there's nothing I can do to stop it.

Happy New Year!

We welcomed the holidays catching up on sleep. Yep. Spent almost everyday between Christmas and New Year sleeping! Ha!

Christmas celebrations were good, of course. We didn't have to prepare anything as we just joined the S-D's in SF. The girls were very happy with their presents. They opened the gifts right after we got home from SF at around 2 in the morning. We were teasing we should wait until the morning, but they were so excited, they probably wouldn't be able to get some sleep, anyway.

We welcomed the New Year, still in SF. After the New Year came in, we headed back home. Oh.....this was really funny. The kids were able to bring home New Year's party hats that they used in SF. I was doing something when D came to me looking annoyed. She said A put names on their party hats and she didn't like that. I told her there shouldn't be any problem with that. Then she showed me. There it was on the very top -- her name written in bold letters! In fairness, A did a good job with D's name. But she didn't stop there. We found out later she had her hat labeled with her name, too.

Anyway, I have to get back to my chores now. All the sleeping in has left me with tons to do around the house. Hopefully, the house would be straightened up by the weekend -- HOPEFULLY.