Yesterday, we spent a whole day in Tagaytay with my High School batchmates. I was very fascinated with  fruits that  are in abundance in that hilly city.  The air is fresh and cool and the soil is rich so produce is bountiful.  They are prominently displayed just along side the road sold in little huts where travellers can just park their vehicles in front.  Believe me, they are doing brisk business over there because the fruits are really so tempting and inviting.  How can you not resist buying the pineapples after you had tasted their free sample?   Instead of buying only few pieces, you will be going home with dozen s of them or a trunk full of not only pineapples but bananas called  senyoritas, avocados, jackfruits, mangoesor mangosteens.

You will never go wrong!  Fruits are best for us!

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Only  few days left and I will be back to work in Saudi Arabia.  Time to do much needed pampering after 44 days of unending activities; meeting old friends, shopping, out of towns, clean fun night out with my batchmates.    I need to look fresh and relaxed.  My self pampering plan is to have a hair trim, color, hair spa, manicure and pedicure, facial, foot spa, body scrub .  With that line up, I guess I will be spending a whole day in the salon!   Actually, I can do all that in Riyadh, but that would be costly!  Here, you will be not be spending  more than half of the cost of all those services offered abroad.  So, got to do what I jokingly called “major overhaul”.

Which is the best salon who can transform me to a new me?  Well, let me find it out first!

Condominiums are sprouting like mushrooms everywhere.  Construction is left and right especially within the vicinities of big universities, colleges, business and office districts.  This is another best choice for those who wanted to have a unit of their own.  Although this is a high end alternative but if you really desires to have a state of the art, class A type of living- then go for it!   Besides you will just shell out your first 20% downpayment. Not only that,  make sure you have a steady income to support the monthly rental.

It took me days before I finally settled to get a condo dorm we found at the back of Mapua.  I believe,I have visited most of the dormitories within the vicinity and most did not pass my standard.  First and foremost, safety and security!  There are dorms that looked okey but  lack fire exit.  I don’t want to compromise the safety of my children to a fire trap like that.    There are some which are new but housed the no. 1 distraction of students – the pool or billiard hall and the computer gaming shop.   There are dormitories that still operates despite their poor, shabby conditions.  I wonder if they can still withstand another Ondoy storm.  They are already rotten old but wise  landlords still open them for rent.

I wanted my children to live comfortably so we decided to get a condo dorm (as they call it), it is a 4 story building quite new, clean and maintained.  We just furnished it according to our taste.  Although, the rent is a bit higher but I think this is much better.

My children were born, raised and studied in Saudi Arabia.   Their  school orientation is different compared in Manila so when it was their turn to go home to move to the next level of studies; college life -my husband and I had some worries on how they will be able to cope up.   We were  particularly worried how they will board a public  jeepney or even cross the street, since they were very much sheltered and assisted when they were with us.   But believe me, I can see that they are street smart now.   They had learned the past paced Manila life faster than I thought they would.

My son Kevin is now a first year college student in Mapua Techonology in Intramuros, Manila.  I can see his excitement and eagerness on his first day in school.   I hope and pray that he will sustain his eagerness to study and will be more challenged.  He barely finished a week after the orientation and he is already busy with assignments.  I overheard him asking help from his older brother about his Mathematics homework the likes of interpolation and linear equation.

Sorry son… Mathematics is not my line… it is my husband’s favorite subject.

OMG!  I was surprised that my youngest son dyed his hair to keep up with youth fashion.  Not bad actually but of course, I am not used to see his hair color like that.  He is keeping up with the time!  Well, youth nowadays has special way of expressing themselves.  As a mom, I will support them as long as it will not go beyond the boundaries.

I’ve been to that phase of teen-age life who wanted to express myself freely.  Well, I understand the feeling.  But still, youths need proper guidance and inspiration so that they will not not go overboard.  Freedom and leniency has it’s advantages and disadvantages.

I hope that my son will not change his current color to rainbow shades… Hello!   That’s the time I will immediately step in!

I’m into NO RICE diet since January 2010!   This veered away from the typical Filipino meal where rice is the staple food. Initially, starting out was a struggle but I got used to eating viands without rice.  I am quite satisfied with the outcome.  I lost 3 kilos by not eating rice.  I wonder if I only have taken it seriously like combining it with exercise or any sports , I guess, I would have been slimmer by this time.  However, for now, since this diet works for me,  I will stick to it !  I will start my exercise program very soon and promise, once I have achieved my desired weight, I will post my BEFORE and AFTER pictures.  Hmmm.. I wonder when???

We can still call it luck although not very lucky!  Why?  Remember,  I wrote that my in-laws from Canada  also came home for my mother in law’s burial?  They were picked up from the airport and are supposed to use the van of an aunt who will accompany them all the way to the province.  But due to mechanical failure on the way,  they had no choice but to take a public bus instead to avoid further delay.  But for heaven’s sake!  After almost 4 hours of travel and halfway to their destination, a bus drama unfold.  Group of 4 young men announced a bus hold up that send some passengers stunned and in panic.  Luckily, my in laws who were seated at the middle section of the bus, still had the chance to discreetly hide some of their valuables while those armed men were busy divesting other passengers of their belongings who mostly are balikbayans. Quite lucky, only a wallet and cellphone were taken from them unlike others in the front row who was caught by surprise  gave away their bags with their hard earned money.

Speculations went around that somebody might have tipped those men that a particular bus is loaded with balikbayans. It is not a far fetched idea.  On lookers or spotters are roaming in bus stations identifying people whom they believe to be a good catch and all they have to do is call or text the bus name and number and the cohorts will wait for their would be victims.  Scary! Times are hard so beware and take extra care.   Especially if you just came from abroad and will travel by bus to the province.  Those luggage alone will send off clear signal that you are indeed with money.   Most of the time, it paid off to be simple and discreet.

Sad, very sad!