Take a breath

Adults (that's me) can be so neurotic. What seems so complicated and convoluted to us is actually quite simple to a child's eyes. Maybe I'm just reading too much meaning into motives and social contexts.

I'm glad I survived these last 2 weeks. Marlon was right - maybe I'm the one who needs a psychologist, not my child.

Just taking a breath before I go under again.

Joke of the day

Coming back from lunch, I find a bouquet of on my desk. Supposedly from my Anonymous Secret Admirer Mr. "F"

Anonymous Secret Admirer Mr. "F"? Har har! Anonymous na, secret pa!

I must say, I really got a good laugh out of that one. The carnations are almost dried out, for crying out loud. I accosted Ome and Omie but they swear they have nothing to do with it.


Of course they had a field day poking fun at me and our colleague F.

If Ome and Omie didn't do it, then it must be Ace. Just the other day he joked about F giving me an old bouquet of Mondo's. Next time Ace, please make sure that the flowers are fresher. At least it wouldn't be obvious that they're recycled.

Escape

As my sister the teacher says, parent-teacher conferences are a way of giving teachers a break. Well we parents know how to take a break too. After meeting Miguel's teacher for the PTC, I took the rest of the morning off...helloooo spa!

I haven't had a full-body massage in months! It was so good to just lie down and have someone kneading my muscles. It's probably the only time I don't mind being treated like a piece of meat.

Soothing music, the soft hum of airconditioning, the smell of eucalyptus, clean sheets against your skin, and expert hands skillfully rubbing the stress away. Sigh.

It would've been great to take the whole day off, but I have to make judicious use of my vacation leaves. Besides, I already committed to a couple of meetings today. Work is work.

But man, play is way okay too!

48/100

I hereby declare

that being Superwoman is humanly impossible. As I wake up in a stupor at my desk (talk about a powernap) I ask myself, "what was I thinking?"

It is physically impossible for me to bring my son to school every day then go to work in Makati. I'm sure it's even worse if I try to take the train everyday, because that would mean taking a 20-minute walk across four city blocks and man would I be exhausted!

Waking up at 430AM is no joke with my schedule. Even if I limit my social life to weekend nights, I still end up sleeping late because I have a launch event to attend (morale support for the brand) or a 10PM on-line meeting (yes, it happened last week).

Not to mention minor emergencies like Miguel's school bag breaking down yesterday, so that last night I had to go to the mall (after the aforementioned launch) and buy him a kick-ass stroller bag, the kind with a lifetime warranty.

And speaking of weekends, I don't always have the weekend off. Last weekend was spent in Hawaii, Pixar, and the Power Rangers. The one before that was spent on Miguel's birthday, his recital, and his first-day-of-school preparations (see the June 5 entry)

My body's been screaming for sleep for days.

Come to think of it, I'm not new to sleep deprivation. No mom is, I'm sure. Some years back I asked Gai if i could crash in her house anytime, even for 2 hours of rest. I believe that her offer still stands. For the record, I've used her house only once. Another time I showed up at my uncle's house after a shoot and slept for a couple of hours before I walked home.

It was important that I sleep in someone else's house because if I tried to nap in my house, Miguel would somehow find me and my beauty rest would be interrupted.

Back then I just needed to catch some sleep because of work. Today the combination of big-school responsibility and work is bearing down on my waking moments like a big, heavy metal helmet.

Man, I'm putting him on that bus next week.

I seriously need a break.

45/100

I hereby resolve

When you're in an Agency and it's time to produce a commercial, you know that you're gonna be well-fed. That's because prouction houses want to make sure that your tummy is kept in a constant state of contentment - or even ecstasy - so that you're not irritable during a shoot and will hopefully approve all the director's takes.

Anyway.

We've been working with a production house whose executive producer is legendary for serving the best desserts in Manila. You never know what he'll offer next: Strawberry Shortcake, Mango Torte, Marshmallow Cake, Turtle Pie. Of course me and my colleagues protest that he's giving us too much, but we always head to the buffet table to pick up a slice - or two. I feel like a calf being fattened for the slaughter.

Well, just yesterday I had way too much to eat at merienda time (afternoon snack). It was so heavy I decided to skip dinner. I went out with Mike in the evening and was amazed that at 10 pm I was still full.

So today we continued the shoot, and at lunch time Gigi comes in. She's our caster who was recently confined in the ICU because she had suffered a mild heart attack. She's probably only in her late thirties. Needless to say, she has a lot of restrictions when it comes to food.

I had already eaten my leche flan (a sugar-laden egg custard) by the time she came in, but then we predictable started talking about her doctor-imposed diet. It turns out that she has diabetes too, and since I saw firsthand how it ruined my dad's health, I gave her an account of the progression of the disease.

I know it was so hard for her to hold back and stick to her diet in the presence of such delicious fare. She started her lunch and the leche flan was right in front of her, waiting to be devoured.

Then I remembered how disgustingly full I felt last night. And how I need to cut down on sugar so I can avoid diabetes.

Then I just said it. "Gigi, why don't you stop eating sweets. I'll even join you. I'll stop eating cake, ice cream, and chocolates." Of course I made Gigi an excuse, but I know that I can do it. Not just for myself but to set an example for Miguel. Diabetes runs in only one side of my family, both sides on his.

Wish me luck :)

11/100

Starstruck

I couldn't help it. I'm not a fan, but when the opportunity presented itself, I just had to get a solo photo with him.
Reminds me of that Sprite campaign magpatotoo ka! (get real) Yep, that was me :)

Almost married

Ha ha! Don't get excited just yet. No this isn't my wedding but a commercial shoot - my almost-15-minutes-of-fame as the bride. "Almost" because I was exposed for barely a second, and even so I was just a shadow in the background. By the way, the bridesmaid is Wengderwoman, a.k.a. Weng, my officemate and fellow talent. Oh well...at least I enjoyed the dressing up part.

With that I'd like to welcome the Santiagos to my blog. I posted this one for you - it's been a while since I posted pictures, and I did promise that I had some on this site. Happy reading and viewing, guys!