not all that glitters is

Gold.

I have always been partial to shimmering shoes.Not only it is stylish but it's also multi functional because I can wear it on almost anything. My dream is to have a Miu Miu flats/sandals. They have these super glittering shoes, but they cost a lot, around Php25,000. Kung artista lang sana ako, then I can justify buying those luxurious shoes. hayyyy.

Since summer is here, you'll find everyone in sandals and flipflops in various colors and gorgeous designs. This pair of sandals caught my eyes while we were on our way to an ice cream corner. 

I knew I needed to buy that pair or else I would have nightmares every night. It looked sooooo perfect for my taste. But lo and behold! When I wore it last Sunday for grocery it was painful on my feet. Arghh! Now how do I tell this to my husband? aigooooo. Tiis ganda ang drama ko dito. :)

So friends beware. Hindi lahat ng nakakasilaw ay maganda. at Hindi lahat ng maganda ay mabuti sa paa.
:)

Facebook 101

Two summers ago my children went home from a vacation in Mindoro showing us their own Facebook account. My husband and I decided to allow them despite being aware of the age restrictions. Anyway, technology (& Facebook) is here to stay whether we like it or not. Furthermore, we have always lived far from our relatives so we thought it was really the best thing to stay connected with them. Since hubby is the techie savvy, I just asked him to make sure he could monitor what they were into. It turned out it was only Anjo who became more captivated with Facebook and the thing you called selfies.

So why am I talking about Facebook now? I would like to relate a story that happened yesterday in our household. 

It was after breakfast while I was polishing the floor when Abi went up to me crying. He was telling me about his kuya not getting him the cup for drinking. Well, you see, Abi woke up from the wrong side of the bed that morning and he seemed to be irritated at everything around him, so I just told him nonchalantly to get it himself one from the cabinet. But he cried all the more and told me his legs were painful because of playing badminton the day before. I decided not to pay attention to him and buried myself cleaning the entire house. When I sat down with hubby to rest, he showed me an FB posts (2 posts) of Abi. He had this "feeling angry" status while ranting about the "cup" and also an "IDC" comments on the link I shared with him about mother and son. Obviously, he vented out his emotions on Facebook and this really upset me.

That afternoon when my own anger had subsided, I went to their room and explained that it was totally wrong to tell the world the not so good things in your family. I tried looking for better words to fully illustrate my message by citing real life examples in our own family and also recent personal experiences between me and my mother. I emphasized that I never posted anything bad about our family on FB however frustrated or angry I was. 

      (Abi is a very expressive kid. He is competitive and at an early age he already has a mind of his own. That Facebook 101 was really a teachable moment for mother and son)

Big things come from small beginnings. If this incident went unnoticed I don't know what awaits me and the family later on. I am an old school and Facebook is relatively new to me and as much as it proves to be beneficial to us in many ways there are also risks that we need to be cautious about esp. if our children are involved in it. One day, I plan to sit with them to check their social media IQ. But first I have to rate myself  :)

God bless everyone! 

melancholic

I woke up from a quick afternoon nap in a dark and very cold room feeling an unexplainable sadness. I blamed myself that I turned our AC on before I slept. While still trying to go back to sleep and keep myself warm on the bed, I imagined how our kababayans could endure homesickness while they struggle against the freezing temperatures in cold countries like London or Canada. Perhaps, it is really depressing to be alone and be away from your loved ones.

I immediately decided to get up and turn that AC off before I become lonelier and lonelier. Oh well.

(I miss hubby who by now is on his 2nd day in Iraq)

Anyway, I checked the gardeners downstairs and was so amazed with the hardwork they put in under the merciless sun. These Indian guys have been working since Saturday until 7 pm.
I don't know with our landlord but this house is situated in a huge lot, actually all the lots are cut in big sizes. I was told by the relocation team that it's common for a villa here in the UAE to have its own pool and a nice garden. Well maybe that's how it is to live in a desert. You have to have your small oasis in your home to have an illusion of water and of course a well manicured garden surrounding that pool would be nicer too. I was just lucky that we don't have to pay our utility bills otherwise garden maintenance is definitely heavy in the pocket.

Our house is almost filled with the basics.But because it's big and we are not planning to buy more due to its being so impractical it still looks kulang esp. between the receiving room and the dining. My favorite spot is our coffee table corner. It's not comfortable as it looks, it's only for display and effect, sabi nga ni kabayan sa tindahan. When our backyard is complete, then I could sit here longer, if only for the view. :)

I couldn't wait till I have that view. Our contractor told me completion is on Thursday. I really hope so. :)
Till then.
God Bless everyone.

finally settled

finally with TFC (bless everyone for this)

finally reunited with our furniture, clothes, books, beds, shoes...

finally a place we can call home, staying in a hotel however comfortable it may be is still not comfortable enough. right?

finally with something else to do (a lot actually, but never mind)

finally surrounded by houses and not buildings and highways and cars

finally a garden soon

finally there is a sense of normalcy now.

Little by little we will be fine. We are far from downtown Dubai, far from the business district and hardly you will see kabayan except the helpers and the nannies in the neighborhood. In other words we are far from the "comforts" Dubai is known for. But this was a choice we made from the beginning. These are the compromises we expected just so we can be near the school. Adults can adjust but let us spare the kids. This is a also a brand new villa (so we are the first to use the toilets!) and everything is newly installed. Air conditioning system is in excellent condition, a must for a temperature that reaches 50 degrees (Celsius). 

I am sure the whole family will love it here. I look forward to seeing a green yard soon with a sitting place in the corner or in the balcony. I promised DJ and Abi to put up a soccer goal on the side while Anjo will have her badminton set too. I hope things get finalized over the weekend so that everything will just be like our Laguna home but minus Sarah :( ouch. there I go again. No more tears. :)

Pictures next time when I have my curtains, the house is still soo nude by the way.

God Bless everyone and keep your body hydrated.