Grabbed this one from Aggie and Alpha.

How many sq meters is your place, and how many people live there?
We have a 200sqm house standing on an 850 sqm lot. The three of us lives here - Jon, Sophia and I with 2 helpers, 1 yaya and 1 driver.

How much is your electricity bill monthly? Water?
Electricity -Normally 9,000 a month. On peak months around 11,000 and up.
Water - 400. So cheap.
Dues - 2,000 a month

Other utilities?
House Rent - we own the house.
Internet - 1,200 (smart bro with airbourne access)
Mobile Phone Plans - 3,500 for Jon and 1,200 for me
Landline -PLDT - 600 a month and Digitel - 1,000 a month
Drinking Water - 1,500 a month
Cable - 550 a month
Fuel/Gas - Gosh, you don’t wanna know. About 35,000 a month for all four cars or sometimes more. (balikan kase si jon from our place to sta cruz laguna where the farm is located everyday, an hour and a half drive yan)
LPG - 680 a month.
Maids - 2 helpers at 3,500 each
Yaya - 5,000
Driver - 10,000 (stay in)
Helper’s daily allowance for snacks - 1,500 a month.

Groceries? Market?
Groceries - 16,000 a month.
Market (Menu) - 8000 a month

Every year, we never fail to decorate for our favorite holiday - the Christmas season. I make sure the house is festive and decors and lights are all over. This explains why through the years, I have managed to collect all sorts of Christmas decors. I do value and keep them every year as I always look forward to using them the next year. However, I discovered that some Christmas lights I bought are not that sturdy and are easily broken especially when they get wet. I just found out about these after trying to put up the lights last week as we I had planned on putting some on our balcony for a party we are having. I thought they will add a nice touch and some glitter to the venue. I got so disappointed as most of them didn’t light anymore. Sigh. Now I have learned my lesson. I need to be more meticulous when choosing which Christmas lights to buy so I can get my money’s worth. A friend also suggested I should try the mini lights, the same thing she have and got from http://www.christmas-light-source.com/. I instantly checked the site and was overwhelmed with the available Christmas lights they are offering. I am thinking of ordering the multi color and clear mini lights as my friend suggested. Oh I can’t wait for the holiday season! I bet I’ll have so much fun decorating the house using my new lights.

After Typhoon Frank, my Smart Bro antenna is broken so no internet connection for me. I tried the dial up but I literally fell asleep while waiting for a page to load, goodness. Smart Bro customer service is another story. They simply suck.

Right now, here I am blogging at Starbucks after taking the little girl to school. I still had to go with her today as the ID’s of the yaya and the driver were not yet ready as of Friday last week as I submitted the pics and some requirements a day late. The registrar’s office was already closed Thursday afternoon when we came back after purchasing the steering rack Jon had asked me to buy for him. You see, Sophia won’t be released from school without proper ID’s issued by the school of either the yaya or the driver. Hence, I had to go today.

On her second week, Sophia is still enthusiastic with school. She was all on her own today and her class will be a full three hours already. I wonder how she’ll take it. Last week was orientation week so they had shortened periods. I can’t wait for her stories later. I hope she eats her macaroni soup and cheese sticks during snack time.

Having a full time school girl is no joke. The driver and the yaya has to stay with her the whole time she’s in school. And this means I had to prepare snacks for them too as they’ll be waiting outside for the whole three hours. Today, they are having macaroni soup too like the little girl. It’s really an added expense. I also have to make sure their cellphones have loads so they can text or call me anytime. With the high prices of gasoline too, it makes it even EXTRA expensive. I am sure you know what I mean.

Okay, enough of my rants. Instead, I should be thankful for all other things right?

As I was trying to keep my closet in order the other night, I stumbled upon my old swimsuits and boy oh boy, was I so thin back then! Most of the pieces won’t even fit on my hips now. I bet I looked anorexic when I was younger. Good thing I gained a lot of weight when I got married and plenty more when I had Sophia. I hope though that I won’t gain that much after this second baby. Oh, I wish!!!

Because Jody wants to know, I need to spill the beans about me and hubby.

1. Sojourn 2. Pinay Mom in Czech Republic 3. See Me for what You Will 4. LAINY’S MUSINGS 5. OUR JOURNEY TO FOREVER6. My Paperless Writings 7. As The World Turns 8. My Daily Discourse 9.From This Side10. Our Family Adventure! 11. Shopaholic Ties the Knot 12. My Random Thoughts 13. A Reality Bite 14. In this Game of Life 15. My Charmed Life

are you deeply in love with your spouse or boyfriend/girlfriend?
if you do, let’s try how well you remember the moment of your life with him. but before you put yourself in the hot seat please read the rules of this tag first.

RULES:
1. this tag should be pass on to your friends.
2. visit the blog of the person you’ve got this tag.
3. leave a comment on her/his tag post. be sure to thank her/him for this tag.
4. highlight and link all the list of people who accepted this tag by visiting their blog site.
5. there are 10 questions that you need to answer but you will be the one to write the 10th question for the next person you want to pass this tag. Here are the questions. Please be honest with your answers.

1. how did you meet your husband/wife or boyfriend/girlfriend?
- We met in school. We were from different courses but we had a couple of joint classes .

2. where did you go on your first date?
- Fridays Glorietta and we watched a movie after - The Story of Us.

3. when was your first intimate kiss?
- i don’t know the exact date but it was even before we were officially together bwahahahaha!

4. how many girlfriends/boyfriends he/she had in the past? do you honestly know?
- Him-madami! Me-1 lang. And same as Jody, we were both in a serious relationship when we got together but we both left who we had then and got together as a couple.

5. what is his/her ethnicity?
- Chinese Filipino

6. what is his/her favorite food?
- Filipino and Chinese Food

7. what is he/she like if he/she is mad?
- He rarely gets mad but when he does. Naku, MAD talaga.

8. what are the things he/she did you thought is the most romantic thing he’d/she’d ever done?

- The very first time we talked over the phone, we chatted for 5 hours. The very next day, he was infront of our gate in Pampanga just to give me flowers. He came all the way from Manila.
- He’d take me to surprise trips all the time - Tagaytay, Baguio etc.

- On my first birthday that we were together, he asked all of those in his contacts (phone) to greet me. Most of them I didn’t know even.

- He used to have a diary exclusively for me like what he’s doing and how he misses me very single day.

9. describe how he/you proposed to you.
- Ay ito, secret!!! HAHA

10. (my question) what’s one thing you’d change about your husband?

- His being too workaholic!!!

Now spill the beans Dez, Mich, Vannie, Thea, Peachy, Joy and Chat.

My husband is glued to the television yesterday watching the NBA championships between Boston Celtics and LA Lakers. He is one huge basketball fan but he never fails to check out his baseball picks too once in a while as he loves the sport also. He is one sport fanatic and I hope he gets to pass this on to our future son. HAHA, I wish!

I love receiving gift baskets, who doesn’t? I remember when we first moved here in the neighborhood, we received a couple of gift baskets from our neighbors. Jon and I were so touched. We thought it was such a nice gesture. We felt very welcome and to this day, we are grateful for the warm welcome and extra special gesture they have extended. For days, I didn’t want to open the basket full of goodies and what-nots they gave. They looked so pretty thats why and for sentimental reasons, I wanted them to stay that way.

For our part, now that there’s a new couple moving in right across our house, we are extending the very same warm welcome we received three years ago. I am now patiently looking for really nice gift baskets to give the young couple moving in maybe next week. I want something extra special as first impressions last, don’t you think? I hope to find something that suits my taste soon before I resort to doing something on my own as I’m pretty sure it won’t be pretty after all as I am not gifted with creativity or colorful imagination, not at all. LOL!

I needed to quench my thirst.

I called the LV store in Guam yesterday after I found out that the Damier Neverfull is already available there (in Japan, Saipan and Hawaii too) asking if they have it in MM as a friend’s tita who works for a mortgage lenders company is coming home.

I guess this bag is not for me as they have it in PM and GM but not in MM.

Hay …

My mom has been talking non stop about how she loves the patio furniture she saw at the Home Depot she went to. Now, I have been thinking of getting it in time for her birthday next month. I wonder is she would appreciate it better rather than getting her the usual gifts like a watch, a bag or a perfume.  Although the furniture would cost me more, I guess its the better choice. What do you think?

How’s your Thursday, everybody?

So far, mine is good. After my check up and ultrasound yesterday, I am feeling better and has got more peace of mind now. I saw how the baby is so likot kasi.

Later today, I’ll pick up the roman shades I had made from Shell Canvass for Sophia’s room. Will also drop by Brother’s Burger for I have been craving for their burger with blue cheese for the longest time now. Would want to order take out from UCC too. What else but my all time fave Chicken Wakadori Salad. I just can’t get enough of it. I am hoping to shop for clothes too while at the mall as my tummy is getting really bigger and I can’t fit to most of my clothes already. Would love to score new shoes/flats/sandals also. I hope the little girl cooperates while I do some shopping or better yet, I will make her play at Dave’s Playhouse while I go around. After all, she enjoys it there to a hilt that she never wants to go home each time I pick her up. I’m sure today will turn out to be a fun day. I sure hope yours will do too. Have a nice day!