Last night, much that I wanted to hit the comforts of my bed earlier, but a call from a friend Jessa made me stayed up late because of her endless stories of a not so close friend of ours named Sheryl.     Yay.. again?  It  was one of those girls chit-chats and Jessa pointed out how Sheryl irked her no end.  I really don’t want to get involved with these kinds of petty issues because it only drive us to sin against her.  We can’t help but talk about Sheryl and her Louis Vuitton bag!   Apparently, based on stories, she is all over the place prominently displaying her LV bag and all of her pics in Facebook showed her carrying her “one and only” bag.   It was noticed that she seemed not to own another bag and that is the same bag she repeatedly carries with her in all occasions,  meaning, be in the mall, partying, at the beach, in a local shop, out of town trips, everywhere….  The ladies tongues keep wagging asking that “Isn’t it that there should be a bag for a particular place like at the beach.. a straw bag or trendy plastic carry bags would be best and for out of towns, colorful bags hand carried or back packs?”

Jessa would not stop blabbering… that Sheryl’s LV is not the “real thing”.. not authentic…and yet she displays it as if it is or maybe she is not aware that it is only a cheap imitation.  Apparently she bought it from her Hong Kong trip last month and the other fashion conscious ladies in our circle would swear that her LV is fake and that genuine bags cost thousand of dollars.

Lol.. the ladies would say that maybe Sheryl thought that they will drool with envy  but doesn’t she knows that they can’t be deceived even there is LV monogram…just because it has an LV monogram doesn’t mean that it is..  They don’t like Sheryl.. obviously!

Of course, I can’t relate because I don’t have any plan or means to buy one so I don’t bother to

found this pic on the web showing the difference of both bags

browse on how on to spot a fake LV.   However, on second thought, best to have hints or tips  so that if someone would be parading before me with an LV and would try to belittle my bag, I can just raise my eyebrows.  Oh dear, I think I have unconsciously learned that from the ladies…

BTW… my bag is also LV…. Local Vag…. yay!

Mom warned us not to swim last night…. And why?  It was raining hard and she said we might get wet in the rain if we go ahead with our planned swimming.   But of course, it is  one of those running joke and so still our hard headedness prevailed and we swam anyway only to find out that we were only the lone souls braved enough to swim that night amidst the heavy downpour. But who cares?   We were prepared for that.. so we thought but admittedly it was really cold though we submerged ourselves in the pool up to our neck line and only our heads showing so as we won’t be able to feel the extremely cold weather .. harsh wind blowing and intermittent rainfall…

enjoying the rainy swimming night?

took us about 45 minutes stay in the pool because it was getting really chilly and we’ve noticed that one by one, our companion headed to the shower room to rinse.   Alright.. since we had satisfied our swimming mode, we had to follow others who were dashing out of the changing room to the condo unit.

got you guys on cam.. those who dashed out of the pool

The swimming mode turned into eating mood because we felt we were very hungry after getting out of the pool.  At least we had experienced how it was to be getting wet in the rain while swimming.. (*wink)

It was one rainy swimming night to remember… Promise..

I wasn’t surprised at all when our colleague was promoted 2 level higher than most of us who were about 5-6 years senior in service than her.  She was a budding junior IT specialist , new university graduate  but armed not only with charm but considerable stock knowledge and fresh ideas.  Undoubtedly, she is bright, very much opinionated and ambitious that somehow, some senior ladies in the department oftentimes resent her presence and brushed aside her inputs.  For some reason, one officemate would always consider her a “threat” and labeling her as someone who is  ”pulling too many strings”and using good connections to facilitate her early rise to Supervisory position.

While it is true that this very ambitious stance of her is getting the ire of some, but my personal views changed after a chanced one to one talk with her.  Aside from her family life, she also recounted how she struggled past through her university studies and how she strives hard  to get Online Courses and pursue her long dream of becoming a good web page designer.  She persevered studying while working because she has a goal…. She bravely admitted that her projected toughness was due to  the hardships she had in life and this inspired her no end to work her way up.  She also recounted that upon learning of a supervisory position in our IT department would be vacated soon,  she divulged that she started mapping up her career path by taking online degree program in web designs to elevate her level of educational attainment.   And true enough, she best qualified and was hired for the position not long after she finished her program.

I felt the sincerity in her voice when she said she felt sorry for her colleagues for thinking otherwise because of her recent promotion.  She would like to reach out to those colleagues who alienated from her to also go for their dreams of promotion ( if they have any).  Well, she added that should they want to further their  studies, it is always possible with on line degree programs offering various courses of choice and like her, she availed the assistance of Federal Student Aid College Finder http://studentaid2.ed.gov/gotocollege/collegefinder/advanced_find.asp.

Her parting word was… “once they have finished the program, it might work wonders for them too!”    Whoa!  That was quite an intriguing one!

There goes my highly opinionated friend..err supervisor!

The post is inviting…  who wouldn’t want to leisurely spend their vacation in an island paradise… away from the polluted air of the city, the hustle and bustle of the ever busy streets.   A week end get away is the perfect answer.

I momentarily closed my eyes and think of a refreshing place where I want to spend my 45 days holidays andthe picture of what I had in mind immediately shifted when I saw the post of a friend.   Undoubtedly, since he is working in a travel agency and maybe he have heard that we are coming for a vacation, he made an interesting post that really caught my attention.

promo vacation package….

Ah… such a relaxing place… and I want to spend dreaming on the hammock… fresh air… calm sea and serene place.    I phoned my friend June to book us for 3D2N on that island and I even asked for some discounts too because I know that we will definitely extend our stay there.

W

My daughter in her late teens can’t contained her excitement upon  knowing from a press release of the group 2NE1 that they will stage a concert performance in Manila.  It was  months back after the news of the concert came out she and there she goes, noticeably goody goody girl and “Ms. Nice girl so to speak”.  Obviously… and we know that there is a hidden motive behind that for everytime she writes to us, she never fails to mention about the concert and would always speak about her wish to watch the live performance of the Korean hip hop girl group called 2NE1.

We challenged her that if she will do good with her studies this current term (which she always does), her Papa and me will be willing to send her money to buy ticket….Actually, rarely that we allow her to go and see concerts because we were always worried for her safety… fear about stampedes, long lines, pick pockets and all forms of cheating.  Actually, it was no surprise at all when she got good grades and a promise is a promise.. so she received money for VIP ticket purchase.  She was really estastic and surprised that she will be on the front seat and will be seeing the performance up close.  We received a million thank you’s (exaggerated huh !) Though the ticket is pricey , we really don’t mind at all as long as she will not wait on long queues, braved the summer heat and inch her way with thousand of screaming and enthusiastic fans who too were eagerly waiting to reach the entrance gate.

She is really a fan and kept mentioning about the group and sometimes, I would tactlessly asked her what good she can get from those Korean girls… But well, I should have not asked at all because she wouldn’t listen.   So, I just did my little research to get ideas about the group and how it had even influenced the manner and style of dressing of my daughter.

So this is the group 2NE1….(have you heard about them?)

taken during the concert…

Korean hip hop girl… what’s in them ???

enthusiastic fans and my daughter was  one of them…

Since she was seated in the VIP row, she had a vantage point.. close to the stage but arms and hands with cameras somehow blocked her view.   No doubt, she too was among those who clicked her camera endlessly.  

Soon after the concert and on her way home, she called and recounted that she really enjoyed it and again reiterated that it was  dream come true for her..  

Oh well, I believe you… you are a great fan!

OMG.. I can’t believe it … the stark truth that those laugh lines, brow lines are getting to be too prominent on my face.. so it is confirmed that my youthfulness is lost forever.  But who wouldn’t be.. at the age of 51 what else can I expect to happen on my face.. forever young???   I guess, I should start to psyche myself that it is perfectly alright and that I can still be beautiful with lines everywhere.   I should also learn to face the realities that there is no stopping now of getting older each day.  No amount of creams, make up can camouflage the signs.. yes, signs of aging…  Invasive procedures promises temporary solution …Yah.. botox as whispered to me by a cousin will be of help but it would mean regular injection … like every 6 months of injection… I did not not pay much attention before because I was confident before that I won’t be needing it, but now, I might consider it ,if I have already conquered my fear of  injection.  The thought made me cringed….

oh me.. oh my lines….

Well, there is really no use of sulking and wishing for the impossible… the best thing to do now is to help oneself to grow old gracefully.  How?  They say that diet and exercise can somehow delay the aging process….enough sleep and rest and the much sought stress- free life  is of help.

There should be acceptance….everybody will pass this phase of life, it just happened that I was born earlier and have to face the truth ahead of time. But, I am thankful that I was able to reach this age.. for there were some did not even manage to celebrate their golden years.

Indeed.. life is good!  Even if my mirror is really telling the truth….

Yeh… I wanted so much to have our bathroom renovated soon….I want something new… something different.   I did only some touch ups by buying colorful shower curtains to add new look to a place where we go in first thing in the morning and the last room we visit before retiring to bed.  I yearned to have a complete make-over and I’ve got some good inspiration of what exactly my dream bathroom when I visited Jason’s home.

Since the budget will be too tight if I will make a complete make-over, I will leave the bath tub and fixtures as it is…but the bathroom walls and floor tiles, I will surely bid good bye … Even the plumbing will be replaced since some portion especially the one connected to the sink is already a bit rusty….new electrical fixtures will be installed to give bright lighting to the room.   I will particularly take special attention to details with the ceramic tiles on the wall and on the floors.. something bright and stylish and yes affordable.

And yes, sunshiny plastic shower curtains to complete the make-over.  That would be good enough for me (for now).   Hopefully, the project will start very soon and I can’t wait for the day!  I know it would mean inconvenience on our part as the work progresses but I will leave it up to our much trusted designer friend who will take care while we are away for a month’s holiday.

She knows my taste and besides, my endorsements are clearly listed down.  For other inquiries.. I am just a phone or text away.

Just last night, I chanced upon a friend in a birthday party  and you bet the excitement grew more when we both recounted how was our lives during the past years of not hearing from each other. My friend Lilly enthusiastically  introduced her family and I had seen how timid and painfully shy her daughter was.   She was about my daughter’s age who  is the exact opposite of her… being straightforward, leader and love to be with people.    The girl was just sitting in one corner unmindful of the people around her.  She shyly reciprocated when I give her a hug and did not even looked at me.  You can see that she is avoiding people.

I can’t help but keenly observed her from afar… Beatrice (her name) is pretty, tall, with  physique of a developing woman with long silky hair that framed her pretty face.   But wait…her hair should not cover almost half of her left cheek…. When I asked Lilly, I found out that there is something hidden beneath those hair that causes Beatrice to feel inferior and afraid of being rejected.  Her left cheek was full of acne scars since the girl suffered severe case of acne when she was 16 years old.   The acne were successfully treated but the scars remained forever and that made her totally hated her  looks especially when people are around.

this is milder case of acne than what Beatrice has

According to Lilly, she and hubby are bent in working double time to save for her daughter treatment.   She heard that there are procedures available to lighten the scars and fillers of sorts to even up the deep scars on her face and she will exhaust all possible means to help her get out of her shell.

A mother’s heart goes for her daughter… she will do anything for Beatrice just so she will not forever live in a life full of insecurities and that she can face the world again.  And I assured her that I am also willing to help by asking around from friends and perhaps be able to get referrals for best dermatologists to alleviate the girl’s sufferings.

Delay in the release of our  passports renewal halted our plans to travel to Canada.  We received an invitation from my SIL (sis in law) to visit them for an exciting reunion with some of my hubby’s other siblings and relatives who will also also coming over (from the States and Korea) but the plans went kaput.   As we eagerly planned and prepared our documents we had already set our eyes for the travel but the passport renewal did not blend much with our supposed to be smooth sailing application.

It took almost 3 months (yes.. that long) that we decided to make alternative plans just in case it will not still be released on the date that we hope it will be… since our scheduled vacation in the office is getting near… we need to take it or else we will lose our chance since it was earlier on, the staff turned in their schedules to avoid overlapping of leaves….

Checking the consular office website did not help much.. most of the time their site is not working or cannot be found  (as an escape to some irate applicants and hopefuls that their passports are already in the embassy?) because true, it was not only us who were bogged down with worries…. the Embassy’s advisory is to understand the technical problems they’ve been experiencing and they are doing their best to serve us….

Yah… they’ve been serving us but with much delay….painfully so.. for the nth time that we had checked for our passports that did not come at all.  The embassy staff for sure is all prepared to hear bombarding complaints….  We visited them once again not to check for our renewal but to extend the passport for a year but lo and behold.. OMG… the passports were there!!!

precious passports… took 3 months to renew…

What a heavy sigh of relief we had that afternoon…..while it is  true we might not be going to Canada for now but still,  we will be bonding with our children back home… Everything really happens for a reason….

Yehey…. it will be vacation time once again…..

Getting a bit melancholic today because sometimes you can’t help but looked back and trace the life you had the years past.  Hubby and I only had each other when we started to weave dreams and build our family.   One by one, our children came to complete our union and we had 3  (2 boys and a girl).   Parenting is not that easy… from conception to toddler.. to adolescent years and presently 2 had gone past their teen-age years, and the youngest will soon be 19 years old.   Time flies so fast and now we can’t help shed tears as we recall wonderful moments with our children… good times, trying and difficult times  which made us stronger even more.

Now… in the end it will only be me and hubby once again… the children are living far from us as they pursue their university studies in the city.. the beauty of modern technology and social networking is commendable because there will be no excuses now not to keep in touch with families overseas.

I guess,  today… I am missing my children terribly today… sigh****