Finally!

Late post from 02/22/14, 1PM

After a year's worth of delay (usual turnover problem in the Philippines), two failed inspection sessions (ever heard of "kapak" tiles?) and one encounter with a property tour guide from hell (she told us that we can't test if the faucets and power switches/outlets are working)... we finally got the keys!

(L) Family pic at the door,  (M) With courteous, warm and service-oriented tour guide Jazzy,
(R) With The talented, dedicated and fab Architect/Interior Designer Red Fuertes

This is a 2-bedroom fully furnished unit at SM Jazz Residences. We have yet to move in as we need the place renovated. We need to put in elements that will help us maximize the small space in Meketeh Ceteh that we can afford. We also need to ensure that the unit will be able to address our needs for the next seven years (because the next big dream is to have a real house by then! pray for us!).

"Bahay namin maliit lamang,
Pero, pero, pero malinis 'to pati sa kusina"

Kitchen. Bye bye LPG days. I will need to adjust to electric stove cooking.

(L) Kids' bedroom, (R) Our bedroom

Living Room

I didn't like the photos of the bathroom that I took. But it's the most "spacious" room in the house. I don't understand why. Anyways, we're very excited to see this baby transform into what and how we envisioned it will and should be. 

Speaking of excitement, one of the biggest reasons behind my excitement is ready... but not yet operational. This is the view of the 6/F. The tower's pool area. The common area for the four towers, where the olympic size pool, more kiddie pools, function rooms/clubhouse area and jogging path are, is still under construction. So yeah, I don't see why we should be paying association dues without the complete set of amenities we signed up for. But what can you do against the good guys? Blah.

Bullshirts by YummyliciousLady #02

Can't sleep. I should do this more often. I should re-learn Photoshop.

On the 20th hour

Konting kembot na lang ay 20 hours na akong gising. Nakasunog ako ng isang pirasong tortang giniling. Naghugas ako ng isang kawali nang lagpas sampung minuto (puro kuskos lang). At nakaligtaan kong umaapaw ang iniipong tubig to the point na napuno ang plangganita kung saan nakapatong ang lalagyan ng tubig. Muntik na rin akong mahulog sa upuan. Nasusuka ako at gumuguhit ang matapang na acid sa aking lalamunan. Maski si Sopling (The New Little One - TNLE) ay aligagang aligaga. Panay ang tigas ng tiyan ko. Sinubukan ko na ang mag-vent kay Luz Klarita pero di pa rin ako kumakalma. Ayoko namang magdasal kasi hindi pa ako tapos magtampo. Oras na para sa ultimate cure. Kailangan na itong isulat.

Kung magkakilala tayo sa totoong buhay ay alam mo ang tungkol sa sitwasyon ni TLO (The Little One). Alam mo na hindi pa siya nagsasalita kahit malapit na siyang mag-limang taon. Alam mo na panay ang attend niya ng speech at occupational therapy, alam mo na nag-aaral siya sa SPED school at alam mo rin na wala kaming nakikitang progreso. Kung updated ka, siguro alam mo rin na minalas kami sa Developmental Pedia at nagsayang ng halos dalawang taon. Alam mo na rin siguro na bumalik kami sa mahusay na DevPed at ngayon ay binubusisi niya ang lahat ng posibleng dahilan ng Global Delay ni TLO.

Hindi siya bingi.

Walang problema sa pandinig si TLO ayon sa dalawang mamahaling tests na ginawa sa kanya. At dahil cleared siya sa aspetong yan, move on kaming lahat sa next possible cause. Ang utak.

Research: Tuberous Sclerosis

Sa unang session sa isang Pediatric Neurologist, tinanong kami kung may balat na puti si TLO. Positive. Ang tawag daw roon ay ash leaf spot at iyon ay isang posible sintomas ng Tuberous Sclerosis Complex (TSC). Ang TSC ay may malawak na range ng sintomas --- pwedeng normal ang bata, pwedeng madalas mag-seizure, puwedeng may epilepsy, pwedeng may Global Delay at higit sa lahat, pwedeng may mental retardation (kung saan tumitigil ang development ng utak sa isang edad kahit ang may katawan ay tuloy sa "pagtanda"). Puwede ring may mga tumor ang bata sa utak, puso o kidney.

Para malaman kung ang tao ay may TSC, kailangang dumaan sa EEG at iba pang follow-up tests depende sa resulta ng EEG (ex. CT Scan, MRI).

Image Source: http://rhemashope.wordpress.com/2009/11/09/sleep-deprived-eeg/

Sa Sabado ay dadaan na si TLO sa EEG.

Hindi ako handang malaman ang posible naming malaman. At dahil genetic disorder ang TSC, hindi rin ako handang malaman kung pati sa NTLO ay apektado rin.

Bakit ang lakas mag-trip ng Diyos?

The People In My Neighborhood

Meet I and M. If not for the dedication and brilliance of these two, I will not be where I am now. If they weren't great at what they do, the company will not decide to grow the team. There wouldn't have been any opportunity for me. Yihaaa!

These ladies share a dangerous (for obese me) love for food, everything Korean and... selfies?

 

Ms. R is a superstar in the office. She's a major inspiration behind my career move.

She barely sleeps. It's the merit season. Nobody does in C&B.

Our awkward WACKY. It's comforting to know that someone shares my WACKY discomfort.

 

My two bosses. The left (P) and the right (Ms. R). After I give birth, I cannot be fat. Oh, and P never sleeps too.

Simple rule: click before you eat.

C (far right) is the boss of our bosses. Here, they are making fun of me... trying to beat the 5-second timer o the camera. Running pregnant woman is apparently a funny sight.

Team Activity

We stayed at the Kamana Sanctuary Resort and Spa. It's a majestic destination for relaxation. The Zen minimalist theme of the resort blends perfectly with the view of the mountain ranges,  the ocean and abundant greenery. Like most resorts in Subic, Kamana Sanctuary's beach is not for urban rats craving water activities. It's perfect for sedate, reflective, romantic get away's.

Kamana Sanctuary's perfection lies in its location and architectural design --- do not expect so much from its staff. It seems that they are still in the process of discerning what excellent customer service means. It also seems like they are still not used to having guests. Everything takes a while to prepare and staff tends to panic when simplest questions/requests are thrown their way.

I specifically did not like the big bluff that we experienced. In the process of booking the rooms, I was told (several times!) that they were hosting a big corporate event on the day of our arrival. They said that this is the reason why they can only offer one room type and cannot guarantee availability of the conference room. Well, when we checked in, the place was full... of nothing. Aside from us, the only guests that we saw were  two other people (one couple). Maybe this is some sick sales strategy to create a sense of urgency on our part to confirm the reservation.

Anyways, this was "supposedly" the only room type available on the day of our trip. It's a deluxe twin with loft and a balcony. We shared rooms, despite our boss' generous offer to get us our own rooms, because no one wants to be alone in this spacious work of art. That's a King bed at the lower deck and a Queen on the loft.

Our boss reallywanted us to stay in these babies called Casitas. Again, the resort bluff said that none of these are available on our check in date. When we arrived, our boss asked again and they suddenly had one free. So they put her in one of the Casitas --- farthest from all of us. We could not understand why the rest are not available, or why put her on the last Casita next to nowhere, when there were obviously zero occupants in the entire strip that night.

 These, however, help one forget about terrible service and trust issues.

First "live" encounter with an infinity pool. If I weren't pregnant or if I had preggy swimwear with me, I would have chosen this over sleep and/or breakfast. I miss swimming!

Thank you IHG and thank you to our bosses and my team mates for this wonderful trip. And ok, fine, thank you Kamana Sanctuary Resort and Spa for providing a relaxing, rejuvenating and peaceful venue for our team activity. 

 

Contact Kamana Sanctuary Resort and Spa through these numbers:
Tel nos. +632 843.7851 to 52 (Makati)
Tel nos. +63 47 250.0725 to 28 (Subic)
(To call Subic from Manila, dial 047-250-0725)