Thursday, March 31, 2011

Living in the City Vs. Province

I have been romanticizing the idea of buying property in the province. I think there is beauty in simplicity in living in the provinces. It's like the most ideal destination to raise children, where there is no pollution, where the mountains and fields are their playground, there are rivers and springs everywhere, the beaches are white and a ride away, and food is fresh, healthy and cheap. Getting an education is also cheap.

I think I am an old lady inside -- I like the countryside very much.

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Since I became a mom, I just want my kids to have the same experiences I enjoyed as a child.  I want them to grow up with recollections of how they spent their days just running around, bringing home junk, spiders, being dirty and climbing trees. Here in Manila, they spend their days confined in the house, in front of a boxful of toys, watching Cartoon Network. We can't let them go out of the house, too many cars. The only physical activity they have is whenever we go out to the mall and play in one of those playpens you pay. (Which pretty much sums up the physical activites we, as parents, are limited too, as well) And each trip to the mall costs a substantial amount of money. Our P500 isn't what like it used to be. And when we do go out, I feel like people are crawling all over each other. Plus everywhere takes 1 hour to wait for a taxi and commute (to think I already live in Ortigas.)

This was taken in our old condo -- instead of vast, green spaces, you take a baby on a walk in a small patch of vacant space beside the parking lot. Pitiful.

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View from our condo

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So what if they turn "promdi." Promdi is good. You identify with a hometown and a community.

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At the same time, I wanted to take on as a challenge to my personal beliefs that I am too Manila-centric. I think it also goes to say that Filipinos are also too regionalistic. In the book, "The History of the Filipino People" by Teodoro Agoncillo, it is said that we identify strongly with where we came from. If you were Ilonggo, for example, you will feel easily feel affinity for a fellow Ilonggo even if you've just met. Or you vouch for a certain senatorial candidate since he's Bicolano when you hardly know about his capabilities as a public servant. I have friends from college who were from different provinces, and it's amazing to see how they feel their hometowns are what they really are-- home. I want to see where all this affinity is coming from.

Even foreigners who choose to live in the Philippines choose Cebu, Baguio, Davao and some actually prefer the rural parts. From what I learned from blogwalking several expat sites, the loathe Manila lifestyle, traffic, pollution, terrible crime rate, noise, taxicabs, policemen, etc. find the simple life appealing, and most of them came from first-world, developed countries like Japan, the US, UK, Germany and others.

I'll be a fool to think that the grass is greener on the other side. In the province, even if it's cheap, life is hard too for a lot of people, especially poor families with multiple kids. I bet that if ever we relocate, people will automatically perceive us to be well-off. In my 3-week stay in Sorsogon, 4 people have already come to the house to borrow money from us. I did lend money because they're relatives, and one of them promised to pay a 50-kilo sack of rice in exchange for 800. Imagine my surprise when I heard  that neighbors buzz about how often I go to the city and always come home with armfulls of grocery bags. The truth is, we have a large household and when arrived, supplies are depleted as it is so I shopped for them. Neighbors took that as a sign that we are "loaded" or something and that maybe we can borrow money. I have since limited my trips and made sure I went unnoticeable.

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If I am to only consider the welfare of the kids, it would be an outright yes. I am ever so convinced that it's the best place to be. It's all in favor of the children. However, their daddy will remain in the city and be all alone in our apartment. He says he'll manage, and he'll go to us every so often, though I hardly believe that he'll be alright. I want them to be close as can be, especially at this crucial developmental stage.

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I am still unsure whether I can let go of the exciting things that happen here. Though most town centers in the provinces now has comforts I'm accustomed to. I bet I will still miss the clubs and the bars and my friends.My family is also here, and they live 45 minutes away.

Maybe my decision can wait a year. 


Pang-asar Post of the Day

Bro, kahit 2 percent wala man lang kayong hawig ni Miguel.

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Just sayin. :-D

PS. I wouldn't mind if kamukha ko future nieces ko from you.

A Post-Birthday Post

I apologize for not updating soonest! I wanted, wanted, wanted to make a birthday post to commemorate my silver but was unsuccessful because I got so busy celebrating it! I didn't really want to celebrate but gave in because everyone wanted to use my birthday as an excuse to eat and drink, hahaha!

First off, I got bored, bored, bored with my broom-straight hair. I skipped by a salon for a quick haircut and the hairdresser gave me "The Octopus" -- inverted triangle-type of hairstyle with a thick bob at the top and thin layering done from midsection down. Oh well, hair grows.

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I missed my folks so I called them to tell I'm coming over, they had lunch set, prepared a lot of grilled, roasted and broiled stuff plus provincial delicacies I have come to love. I have cousins from Capiz who came over. RC Cola pairs best, because it's the cheapest!

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Here's Miguel and Lolo Bert carving roast chicken

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My brothers are absent from this photo, the two kids are my sisters. Then, Mom and Pop of course.

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Then the girls decided they weren't satisfied, so we went to Pizza Hut after I had my haircut.

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The girls in the house

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Cheesy Pops (Php 650, Family)

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Bacon Cheeseburger (Php 499, Family)
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I'm not supposed to play favorites but I do have one, my favorite cousin Hannah.

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Then I was surprised to see my dear friend Benito, who used to be Marky, now Anthony, at the same Pizza Hut doing overtime signing some clients for his new banking company. So off we went to The Lanche House. My friend, Nica's, family is very close to me and my hubby.

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Boarded the happy wagon and waited for a special guest in Jollibee Regalado

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Here's the special guest, his name is Kalbo. And bumped into another close friend who I've last seen eons ago, Jed.
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And the order of business is to drink and be merry. We concluded Timog it is for tonight. It's a breather because it's always Ortigas, Manda and Makati for us. We wanted to go to Agave but our resident big sis, Ate Rhiza, suggested Off-the-Grill as the place to be. Her favorite 24/7 is on during Fridays. We didn't regret it, because they were truly good! RnB night is pure love. We still had our margaritas (pictured below, Php230), blowjobs, kamikazees and vodka sprites along with other chow.

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Cake from Fleur de Liz courtesy of the Lanche sisters and brother Jabo, making his drinking debut that night. I loved this cake, sarap!!!

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Happy troopers

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Thank you for making my 25th truly special! It's almost a moving-up birthday for me, for a lot of things.  I know I'm missing some people here and honestly I'm surprised myself, I didn't plan any celebration at all.  I hope and pray to God that I still have more birthdays and more celebrations coming up!

Almost every birthday of mine coincides with a summer outing, and I received so much birthday greetings. It's hard to answer to all 200+ of them, so THANK YOU! from the bottom of my crazy heart.

Lastly, to my dear honey, sweetie-bun, babe, love, mahal, thanks for somehow organizing this little party and wanting me to have a good time on my birthday. Love you.

Thursday, March 24, 2011

Mr. Krabs

Unlike the red sea crab Mr. Krabs of Spongebob Squarepants, these mud crabs from a nearby beach make for excellent lunch.

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Sorry, no after photos. The crabs got wiped out even before I can take a photo. :-D

Smart Parenting March 2011

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Please get a copy of the March issue of Smart Parenting! I was interviewed for the Metro Manila portion of this article written by Tina Rodriguez entitled, "The 10 Best Family-Friendly Cities."

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The article reads as:


"Some might say that Metro Manila is too crowded and polluted or prone to crimes, but many a Manileno would attest that it is still one of the best cities for families to explore. Belle Diesta, mom to Marco, 4, Miguel, 2, and Mateo, 1, states her top three reasons why Metro Manila rocks: "One, it offers exciting venues for leisure and the newest, fun activities for both kids and parents. Two, it allows working parents and their families to enjoy themselves anytime of the week without having to go out of town-- with or without a budget. Transportation is available 24 a day, though traffic congestion may be a challenge. And lastly, Manila is the place where talents from all over the country come together to share culture and art though shows, plays and performances."


Top family favorites include Fun Ranch, Ark Avilon Zoo, La Mesa Ecopark, and the Manila Bay area. Fun Ranch, which Belle likens to a mini-carnival, has various rides, play areas, snack bars and a fish-feeding area. There's also a restaurant, in case the kids get hungry. Or you can opt to go to Tiendesitas next door for a wider selection of food, and shop around the tiangges offering a variety of products. You can also visit nearby Avilon Ark Zoo where kids can interact with some of its trained animals. Meanwhile, La Mesa EcoPark, dubbed as "a forest in the city" is great for picnics, exploring nature trails without worrying about the kids getting hurt, horseback riding, boating, zipline, paintball games and swimming. 


The Manila Bay area-- home to Roxas Boulevard, Rizal Park, Manila Ocean Park and Cultural Center of the Philippines, and the famous Manila sunset-- provides a variety of places where families can relax, have fun, learn about marine life and indulge in the arts."

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Bonding with my middle child

They say that I have a favorite son. And that son is Miguel. You see, of my three sons, Miguel is probably the most mischievous, the most expressive, sensitive, easily agitated and the trouble maker. He starts all the fights in the house with his Kuya and absolutely, definitely hates Matt. He has the temperament of the grumpy giant in Jack and the Beanstalk trapped inside his little body. We never had this problem with his Kuya so we needed to have a different approach with Miguel. As far as I can remember, the infant Marco was the best convenient baby to have ever, he was just all smiles, rarely cries, always pleasant, sweet and well-behaved. It was always smooth and easy. With Miguel, he throws a tantrum whenever and regardless of where we are. I know I shouldn't be labeling him or associating him with negative behavior but that's our experience so far. Each of my boys are different from one another. Yet Miguel is the sweetest, most generous loving little boy I have ever met. 

Me and E make sure we reserve a special time with our middle child, just creating memories of him and us without his brothers. We do the same for Marco and Matt. It's important to make each feel loved and secure and trusting. Moments like these are extra special because it's for them and them alone to cherish someday. This time, for Miguel, is lunch at Max's since I was craving for kare-kare and he likes sitaw. 









I'm approaching my 25th birthday and it's at this time of the year that I get a little dramatic. :)

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