Deviation

My husband has been wanting a new watch for quite a while, and while some of those citizen watches are not really that expensive, I feel hard pressed to buy him one, because we seem to have different tastes in watches. Also, we put almost all our money in our common family fund, so getting money to buy a gift from him seems like I'm partly spending his money to buy his gift.

That's probably why we don't really buy gifts for each other.  This is quite a deviation from the usual coz we actually bought gifts for ourselves.  :)  Nice feeling.

Thoughts of a pack rat

My husband and I were starting to look at the latest laptops a few months ago. That's because our old one is showing some problems, and we think we might be needing to change it soon. But, practicality set in and we just decided to go with our trusty 5 year old laptop after doing the necessary repairs.

That's how we usually are. We have a difficult time letting go of stuff.  Like our children's stuff, especially from the time they were babies.  And mementos of school.  And toys.  And magazines.  Yes, we're pack rats.

It's sometimes a good trait, but sometimes it's not so good to be holding on to things, especially if they are no longer usable and just adds to the clutter.  While it's good to be sentimental, holding on to things is no longer practical and sometimes you just have to let go.

Now to convince me and my husband to do just that.

On baths

My family is more into showers (or even the balde and tabo method LOL) rather than bathtubs. Maybe that's because we bathe often (1-3 times a day, depending on the weather) and more often than not, we are in a hurry. I can only remember maybe 3 or 4 occasions in my entire life that I actually used a bath tub.

I remember one time we went to this quaint, old fashioned hotel in Yellowstone Park, the Old Faithful Hotel beside the geyser called Old Faithful, which didn't have showers in their ensuite rooms (actually some rooms do not even have bathrooms). My mom didn't want us to take baths in the old fashioned clawfoot tub which looked much older than we are! She imagined that with all the people who have used the tub throughout its existence, we might just get unlucky and catch something. LOL. Good thing it was cold and snowy so nobody really felt like getting wet or taking a bath.

When I gave birth, my mother insisted that I practice ge-lai. It's the period one month from childbirth. Baths were prohibited, there are certain foods to be eaten and we're supposed to just stay in the room with no electric fans. I'm okay with the foods. I'm okay with not having electric fans (A/C's were permitted). But what made me miserable is not taking a bath for a month. I felt so unclean!

Nothing starts or ends the day better knowing you are clean and fresh from the bath.  I can NOT imagine the time when baths were considered luxuries and people get to bath once a month or even once a year!  Oh, that would be so horrid!

Where's the "Christmas weather" I'm used to?

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...especially when you go to the malls, with all the Christmas decors and the Christmas songs blaring with a subliminal "Buuuyyy yyyoour gifts NOW!" message. LOL.

 But the weather is anything but Christmassy. While we won't be able to relate to Bing Crosby's White Christmas and any MSR evo ascent snowshoes we buy on impulse would just add to our clutter, the weather at this time of the year used to require a light sweater. I remember that it was about the time of the year when my classmates and I could somehow liven up the monotony of our school uniforms with different sweater/jacket designs, without having to bring umbrellas. Cool but not rainy, my type of weather!

 Now, the weather is fickle. Sometimes warm as a summer day, sometimes wet and cool as the monsoon season. Nothing about it suggests Christmas. Unless maybe you go to Tagaytay or Baguio, where the pine trees and the cool air reminds me of what sets this season apart. Am so looking forward to another Tagaytay trip!

7 years with no itch

I was a 28 year old "NBSB" (No Boyfriend Since Birth) when I met the man who would eventually be my husband. I was so ignorant of "rules" like getting birthday presents for boyfriends or having to ask permission from somebody other than my parents when I wanted to go somewhere. I guess the long years of being single (as opposed to friends who were already attached since college or even high school) has somehow made me somewhat independent.

 Now, I still have a difficult time thinking of what to get the hubby for his birthday or for Christmas (with my savings that is, and not having to dip into the family coffers where all our income goes). But I'm pretty used to telling him about my plans for the day.

 In our almost 7 years of marriage, he's still my preferred companion to functions I have to go to. I don't have any big secrets though, so I can't remember anything I have had to keep from him. I'm not perfect, but he has managed to look past my faults and love me for the imperfect person that I am. I am glad that I ended up with him. While he too is not perfect, he tries to be the best husband to me and the best dad to our kids. 

Our life is not perfect, but we are content, and happy. I hope we stay that way.

Career musings

Sometimes I get dismayed with my career and think about shifting gears. I'd get all sorts of what ifs. What if I didn't become a doctor? What if I'd become a nurse or a physical therapist? Or maybe gotten out of anything medical, maybe one of those Travel Guide Jobs which seems very enjoyable, or maybe an entrepreneur where earnings have unlimited potential. But then I could not really think of any other job that would give me as much fulfillment and as much enjoyment. So here I am, still a doctor. Even if I am tired of the politics, the government policies which limit our practices, etc etc. The good with the bad. That's what we have to take when we go on our beloved calling.

A break

Our little family is looking forward to a few days of break this coming long weekend. We're not going far, just nearby Tagaytay where we could enjoy a few days of not working and a change of scenery and, hopefully, a respite from the Manila heat.

I don't think we're going for some swimming, because with the expected cool temperature (keeping fingers crossed), we might need to make sure that the pools there have PoolSupplyUnlimited.com pool heat pumps because we don't want to catch a chill. My children would definitely not want to go into the water if it's cold. I remember my little girl refusing to take a bath the last time we were there, while in Manila, she actually enjoys it.

We're hoping that we'd have time to bond as a family, since work and other things will be set aside, even if it's just for a few days. I am truly looking forward to it.

Cassettes

My brother has an ipod nano 8Gb which he won in last year's Mooncake Festival dice game and which he used when he went to the gym. Now that he doesn't get the time to go "gymming", it's pretty much unused. When I look at it, I marvel at how far techonology has progressed. I was a kid when the Sony Walkman was THE gadget that people wanted to get their hands on. I used to bring a tape recorder to school to record lectures. Now very few kids of this generation has seen a cassette. And they would probably laugh at how many songs can be stored in it. Well, I still have cassettes at home, and my car can still play tapes aside from CDs. The car is an old model though, so I would not be surprised if the newer cars do not have tape players anymore. Gosh, I feel old!