The Story of my Life

"If I could wish for my life to be perfect,
it would be tempting, but I would have to decline,
for life would no longer teach me anything..."

4:59 PM

On Early Retirement

Posted by Claire | Labels: ,

The other night I dreamt about losing my current job and it scared me as hell. In my dream, I was struggling to wake up to end the nightmare that is losing my bread and butter. I never felt so thankful for waking up early. Wew!

The dream rang in my head several times that day and even until today. Can I afford to lose my job? What will I do if I lose my job? The thought of it scared me.

There are times I would tease the Husbo that I plan on retiring at the age of 35. He would say that if I want to I can resign right now. I don’t know if he was kidding. I do not doubt the husbo’s capacity to support us. I just think that there are so many things one has to consider before making that big leap.

For one, I don’t want to be totally dependent on the husbo. As you know, I want so many things. I shop and go out a lot. And when I don’t have work, that means I’d have to ask husbo to provide for those. And I don’t want that!

Secondly, as I said I do not doubt the husbo’s capacity to provide for me and our future children. But I strongly believe that if there are two people working in the family, life will be a lot more comfortable for them, the children most especially. Not that I’m earning so much, but I think somehow my salary can help cover some of the household expenses.

Thirdly, the benefits I get from this company are a lot of help to us. I don’t ever have to worry about getting sick because the company will pay for the expenses. Loan benefits with very minimal interest rate is also a big help.

Lastly and God forbid, but what if something happens to the husbo? I don’t want to be helpless because I’m jobless.

So, husbo, if you’re reading this. Know that I’m not seriously considering going on early retirement. Maybe I will if I know that we’ve set up trust funds amounting to millions under the name of our children. Or maybe I will if I know I have my own business fully operational and self-sustaining. Or maybe when you give me a monthly allowance equal to or more than my current salary. hehehe

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1:45 PM

The Husbo's New Toy

Posted by Claire | Labels: ,


This lovely notebook is Husbo’s. We got it the night Basyang was wrecking havoc in the Metropolis. This one will replace the Husbo’s 4-year-old notebook whose screen suddenly turned black while the Husbo was working. RIP Acer.


This new notebook is a true beauty. I love its aluminum body. I love how Mac’s logo is placed at the center making it look so simple yet very elegant. I love that it’s slim and light. I also love that the Husbo is using Dei instead of this one because it means I get to use it often.

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1:20 PM

Learning from a 5-year-old

Posted by Claire | Labels: ,

I called my in-laws' house yesterday (looking for my brother-in-law) and I got the chance to talk to my niece, Charlotte. This is how our conversation went:

Me: Hi baby, how are you?

Charlotte: Ok. (in her monotone voice)

Me: What are you doing?

Charlotte: I’m eating.

Me: What are you eating?

Charlotte: Sabaw. (When she moved here she had an accent that we sometimes find hard to understand. But now, she can speak straight Filipino.)

Me: Wow! What time are you going to school?

Charlotte: I said I’m eating. Call me again later.

*Pause*

Me: (Not knowing how to react) Oh, okay. I’m sorry.

Charlotte: Call me again later. Around 5:00 okay? Cause I’m going to school. I’ll be home by 5:00pm.

Me: Okay. Bye baby.

Charlotte: Bye.

Now I know better. Never never interrupt a child in the middle of her meal if you don’t want to be scolded.

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11:34 AM

Things I love: Cooking

Posted by Claire | Labels: ,

Things-I-Love posts will be a series of posts about the things that make me happy. Got this idea from a blogger friend. Thanks mucho!


Perhaps I got my love for cooking from my parents. When I was young, my parents alternate in cooking our weekend lunch food. On holidays, I would assist my mom in cooking our Noche Buena and Media Noche. When I was old enough she passed on to me the tricks of cooking our favorite holiday dishes – spaghetti and potato salad. So by the time she passed away I was ready to take on the responsibility as "Holiday Chef". When Dad was diagnosed with a kidney problem he was forbidden from eating red meat, so I started experimenting different seafood recipes. And my love for cooking started growing since then.

Now that I'm married, I get to cook as much as I want (due to the absence of a house help). And being married to a man with an imaginative palate drives me to learn new dishes to satisfy him. It also helps that when I cook, he appreciates whatever is served on the table, whether it be misua and sardines or smoked fish. Cooking, as a major production number is very tiring, you’re standing up the whole time and the oven’s heat make you sweat like a pig, but seeing the husbo gobble up all that food makes all the pagod disappear.

Don’t get me wrong, though, I’m no Chef. Not even close. I’m still learning. I still get the taste wrong and I still refer to recipes when cooking. I guess I have to practice more or maybe enroll in a cooking class one of these days to improve my skill and acquire more cooking tips. It’s in the pipeline, actually, just haven’t decided which cuisine to prioritize.


This is me in action in our mini-kitchen taken by Mawee.

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1:54 PM

To Write is to Forget

Posted by Claire | Labels: ,

I want a new bag. I said it hoping that the feeling will go away as the words escape my lips.

The idea came out when I realized that I’ve been using the Louis Vuitton bag everyday since husbo gave it to me last year. Out of 365 days, I could count with my fingers the number of times I let it rest.

I know I can’t spend much these days because we’re saving up on a major trip next year. And if I don’t save up, I’ll be left behind which is unacceptable. So for now, I’ll just be contented with having them in my blog.

I vividly remember saying I don’t get this bag. I’ve seen so many of these lately and I really don’t get why it cost so much given its look and design. But today and yesterday, it’s what I’ve been eyeing for. So weird me!



Next is this bag. I like it. I like their shoes too. But the price of the shoes I like is almost the same as the price of this bag. It’s smarter to get a bag than a pair of shoes for the same price, don’t you think?



I hope tomorrow I'll forget about these bags. I hope our bills come tomorrow and then I'll realize I need to save. Oh wait, I need to get a new battery for my car. There, enough motivation to not spend.

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4:49 PM

Facelift

Posted by Claire | Labels: ,

So what do you think? Of my blog’s new look that is. Have been wanting to give my blog a facelift but for lack of technical knowledge, I settled with my previous template. Then a kind soul taught me the tricks, and here you have it folks, a fabulous new look.

I chose this template because of my fascination for the color red. I’m getting and liking things in the shade of red. Red lipstick, red shoes, red bag, red clothes, and red furniture. Yes, red furniture. Husbo and I are thinking of getting an accent chair to match our home's black and gray motif, and the one we’re eyeing is a red coconut chair. Thus the couch up there (if couch is what you would call it).

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1:42 PM

The F21 Fever

Posted by Claire | Labels: ,


With all that hype regarding the opening of Forever 21 in the Philippines, you cannot help but be curious about what F21 is all about. Their marketing campaign was indeed a success because at 9:00 am on Friday, 2 July, people flocked the SM gates so they can be one of the first to enter the store.

At 12:00noon, as my friends and I were on to lunch, we passed by the store and was stunned to see that there was a long line of customers waiting for their turn to enter the store. Good thing there was a system like this otherwise there would’ve been a stampede. I have seen people lining up for a movie premiere, or an album launch of local or foreign artists, but not for a store of clothes!!

I went there Friday night to check out their items and it was true, the items were cheap. And there were tons to choose from. A shopper’s haven, indeed. But because there were lines everywhere - at the entrance, fitting rooms and cashier - I simply admired the clothes and promised to be back the next day.

I was back early the next day. The line at the entrance was shorter but not the fitting rooms and cashiers. I endured the waiting time since Husbo was out playing tennis anyway. Ergo, I got myself the following:

1. Two office dresses with matching belts - I have a thing about dresses and skirts these days as I feel more comfortable wearing them to work. For this year I think I had previously bought 9 dresses and 1 skirt.


2. A black skirt - the fabric is just too soft to pass up. And since it’s black, I have already created a list of tops I can match with it. It can also double as party/office skirt.


3. A white pair of shorts – my reliable white shorts, which I bought from F&H some 3 years ago, just decided to quit on me and since then I’ve been on the look out for a replacement – perfect fit and length. So when I saw this last piece of shorts on the rack, I grabbed it and decided 101% that I was getting it.

I wanted to shop some more but I was running out of moolah so I stopped before I go negative. But I promised myself I’ll be back…for accessories next time.

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