Musing Out Loud

I am a coffee fan.

I don't go to Starbucks or any other coffee shop just because it creates a 'cool' image of me. I go to coffee shops because I need my coffee fix. Plain and simple. So I am as enthusiastic to drink brewed coffee from Dunkin Donuts as I am about drinking a cup of peppermint mocha from Starbucks. There's quite some difference with the taste of course, and the ambiance, but it's coffee all the same. :)

Anyway, this morning, I went to Greenbelt with my family (I also don't get it when people say 'fam' instead of family. Sorry, I'm maarte with things like that.). Hubby met up with some of his long-time friends from where we used to work. He tagged me and Keisha along because he knows I love Landmark.

So, I had my coffee fix that morning at Starbucks while we were waiting for hubby's friends. :) And Keisha...well... Keisha had her first taste of an expensive drink, the strawberries and cream frap, and I think she loved it (because she wouldn't stop drinking it. Had to literally pry her fingers from her strong hold on the cup). I got myself a few sips, it kinda tasted like Potchi. :) No wonder Keisha enjoyed it. Hehe. And oh, the drink wasn't for Keisha of course (ano sya masaya? :) ), it was for Ate Helen. 

While we were there, I made a decision. We would never make going to Starbucks a family habit. I mean no offense to families who do... but I think there are better places where families can actually enjoy time together, especially if they're going with kids who aren't old enough to indulge in coffee. There are better places for juice. And there's frozen yogurt. :)

Anyway... after that and lunch, I went to my shopping haven in Makati...the Landmark. Nope, not Greenbelt (too expensive) or Glorietta (choices there are too limited now. :( ) or Rockwell. I love the Landmark because of their many inexpensive product choices, especially for women's and kid's stuff. As much as I want branded toys and clothes and shoes for my little one... I feel that she outgrows all that in a matter of weeks, so why buy a top for 700 pesos when I can get one for 200? :) I can spend the rest of the change on milk pa. Hehe. Pero kung bibigyan sya ng branded, wala naman problema. Kasi ginusto yon ng nagbigay. :)

My only problem with Landmark is, dahil mura nga, I felt so tempted to buy so many stuff. So what I do is, walk around with the stuff I chose, and ponder on whether it's a practical choice or not. After probably an hour of walking around with them,  if I can't let the item go, that means they're worth buying. Usually I start off with 10 items, and I end up buying only half of the stash.

So proud to be able to exercise self control on shopping. Ang hirap non ah! :) And it's not because we don't have the money for it, we just don't budget that much for it dahil mahirap masanay.

Money comes and goes nowadays, it's just so crazy. So if you can be happy with simple things, then that's way better than being satisfied only with pricey stuff. The latter is happiness that's way too magastos to maintain. Hehe.

I won't be hypocritical and say I don't want expensive things. I mean, who doesn't? I can't deny the fact that there really are expensive stuff that are worth buying. But most of the time, mas madami yung meron namang less expensive alternative. :)


So, although life is short, we shouldn't really go around spending money like there's no tomorrow.  Because most likely, there will be a next day. And mas mahirap tumulala. :)

When I think of time management? I get a headache. :)

Kidding aside though, time management is really a challenge for me. Ever since I started schooling, I have struggled to finish my assignments a few hours before class starts. I think I may be an adrenaline junkie! :) Although I do get away with it, I mean I still get good results... Cramming is not really a great habit. It takes time away from more important, or in some cases, more fun things to do.

So, this would not be a blog on how to manage your time. I am obviously not one to preach about it. Hehe.

But I do know it's important, and that it would benefit me greatly. Now if only I can manage the 'how' part of it... :)

I work flexi-time from home, with a goal of 40 hours per week. Sounds easy, eh? No. Well for me, not really. Working 8 hours, every day, when you're working from home with a 'demanding' husband and a cute and makulit tot, it's really not as easy as I want it to be.

When you work in an office setting, all you really do is, well, work. There may be distractions, but it's not like you can actually give in to them when you want to. Hehe. I used to work in a call center, and that environment does not encourage distractions. And even if you do get distracted, the best you can do, is just zone out, but you really can't just stop working.

Now that I'm working from home, I realized how much of a relief (and a burden sometimes), being a flexi-time worker is. I can stop and pause when I want to, go out to shop, go out with my family, go do things I want, whenever I want to.

I feel the urge to go out and shop really often, but that's one I make sure I don't give in to. Because even though we may have money to spend, I really wouldn't want to spend it all on my 'urge'. :)

It's really the 'minor' distractions that kills my timeline. Cooking lunch, Facebook-ing, digi-scrapping, watching TV, grabbing a snack, playing with Keisha (not really minor. :) I'd stop ANYTHING for her.) ....  And well, I realize that, heck, I still have hours to do before the workweek ends!

So anyway, this last Tuesday to Friday, I tried to work 8 hours a day, and triumph over most of my distractions. And I think I did kind of good! :) I only have 8 more hours to burn til early Monday morning. Unlike my past few weekends, I had to work like crazy over the weekend because I slacked off the entire week. All my fault though.

So there. Time management is key! And having said that....let me burn the remaining hours. Now. :)

My mom said that observing Halloween traditions is very un-Christian, because it's based on pagan beliefs. And I wouldn't contest the fact that she made a point somehow, but, what she said didn't stop me from enjoying the camarederie that 'Halloween' brings.

Here in the Philippines, Halloween is first and foremost, a legal holiday! :) And holidays translate to quality family time. Every October 31st to November 1st, throngs of families go to the cemeteries where their deceased loved ones are. Most of them stay there for almost the whole day to remember their family member that has passed on, and to spend some time with other relatives who are also visiting. I personally think there's nothing 'pagan' about the tradition. :) Families get to bond and remember good souls that have been part of their life. :)

Although of course, Halloween parties with ghouls, witches, and monsters are inevitable. We're too Westernized (in some aspects of our culture) that we just can't help but have our own version of the Halloween event too. Trick or treating here is usually a commercial event, mostly done in malls,  rather than a community event. Save maybe in some exclusive villages where this 'tradition' is observed.

I don't have ANY memory at all of going trick or treating anywhere, and somehow, I think it's quite alright because a lot of people in my generation and those before me, never experienced it either. However, now that children are more exposed to media and all those Halloween 'pluggings', with moms being more into social events, and with social networking sites flooded with people going 'Halloweening' somewhere... you just can't help but want to be part of all the fun. :)

This year, we didn't have Keisha participate in any Halloween event just yet. I know a lot of moms just adore seeing their kids in a Halloween costume, and trust me, I do too. :) It's just that I prefer that she be part of those kinds of events when she's already at that age when she would be able to enjoy it more... Maybe next year, or the year after that. Hehe.

But we did take the opportunity to get to spend some quality time with our families. We went out to have dinner with my dad and my brothers:

Dinner at David's Tea House

My princess checking out the candies I bought for her. :)

My pretty little chicken. Hahahaha!

Having some bubble fun! :)

No trick or treating, no Halloween party... but it was the best 'Undas' so far. :) Nothing else can make any event special the way spending time with family does. :)


Now next year might be a different story...and I just might get the little one her own Halloween costume! Yey!  :D