Because we don’t always have a nanny, we often bring mateo along when we do the grocery. Because of this, mateo has developed a special fondness for selected sections in the supermarket. Here are top three sareas he prefers in the supermarket:

1.) Toy section – As expected, all kids love this particular section. Whenever we pass by this area, it is a must that he spends around 10-15 minutes checking out the bike display and the balls.

2.) Rice section – This is usually the place where the sacks of rice are stacked for people to look at and choose from. This is also where mateo learned to appreciate climbing. He loves to climb these rice stacks or columns. The higher the stack gets, the better and more exciting it is for him.

3.) Scanner areas – I can not remember exactly when he started noticing scanners (those things that tell you the price of a particular item by just swiping the barcode over the dancing light) but I’ve just realized it when mateo was already gathering cans and other items to swipe over the scanners. Sometimes he would be happy to just watch us do it for him. Other times, he would have to be the one to use these Honeywell Barcode Scanners.

These are the three areas that we always pass by whenever we do the grocery, all because of the inquisitive one.

In preparation for getting a car, I’ve just sold my motorcycle and ended my brief stint as a 2-wheel rider. I can’t help but feel mixed sentiments about the whole thing.

For one, I’ve become accustomed to riding the bike and have realized the joys of using one – the cheaper gasoline consumption, easier parking time, traffic movements, maintenance cost, and the sheer adrenaline rush you feel when the wind is breezing across your face and hair. Letting it all go makes me feel a little sad and sentimental. Second, I’ve kinda gotten used to riding on my own.

However, with the bike went the greater risk of road accidents and the need for legal assitance like those from a Pleasanton motorcycle accident attorney. My wife, son, and parents can now rest easy knowing that I’m traveling in a safer way riding something with four wheels or simply walking.

I’ve yet to feel a sense of closure for the whole thing and I’m dreading which emotion would take over. I just hope we already have a car to make it all better. Huhuhu! Goodbye bike!

After getting over the initial excitement of discovering we’re pregnant with the next baby, we’re now back to being worried and scared. Aside from the financial cost of delivery, there are other things that are unconsciously but constantly nagging at the back of our minds. Here are some of these concerns:

Since andrea’s previous gynecologist has already retired, we have to find someone new, which is not exactly an easy task considering we’re not really from antipolo so we know very few doctors in the area.

Second, in a few months, andrea will be finding it more and more difficult to move from one place to another, so we have to find ourselves again a car to make transportation a little more convenient.

Third, we’re getting more and more preoccupied with mateo, work, and the new baby that we’re forgetting to exercise. If this continues, in a few months, we’ll both be needing supplements like lipofuze and such just so we won’t be adding health risks.

Lastly, a new baby will definitely change the dynamics of our family. We’re both scared and excited how things are going to turn out and how both our children will adapt to these changes.

Once again, deadline season is fast approaching and the school is tranformed for the nth time to a lean mean paper churning machine. Seatworks and activity sheets are being given out at their fastest pace. Students are answering and returning research papers, lab sheets, and problem sets at large volumes everyday. And teachers are up to their necks with things to check and to make.

While the students are complaining about the load and the stuff their doing, they have no idea what goes on inside the faculty area. They don’t understand that the load they’re answering cost us teachers a great deal of time to come up with and compose; that the load they’re asked to answer we have to check, record, and analyze; that the things they’re required to understand we still have to reformulate into exams.

The paper-filled faculty area has become an automated workplace that almost seems robotic in nature. Teachers are monotonously checking, typing exams, and unconsciously losing several pounds of fats and brain mass trying to go back and forth between checking and typing. There’s no need for diet supplements during these times. If you’re a teacher, all you need to do is to beat the deadlines. Hehehe! Good luck!

Ever since summer, my dad has rekindled his desire to go back to the province and settle down there for good. You see, with my brother’s wife giving birth to a second daughter, my parents’ house has become a little too small for all of them to live in. As a result, dad has decided to just take to the mountains (in Bicol where he was born) and start taking care of the farmland my grandfather, giving way to my brother and his family.

Honestly, I have no quams about them living in Bicol except for the fact that mateo might probably grow up to be distant to them. I mean, the air there is so much cleaner. The food is fresher and the whole environment is a million times less polluted than here so it might actually be healthier for them to stay there. However, because Bicol is just too far away from us, I, andrea, and mateo will not be able to see them very often. How would mateo get to know them if they’re more than 10 hours of bus ride away?

Also, even though Bicol is so much cleaner than Quezon City, it still is underdeveloped in terms of so many things like health services, infrastructure, communication, and all sorts. What’s going to happen if my dad suddenly had a heart attack? It’s not like they have AEDs (Automated External Defibrillators) there to use in case of emergencies. Nor do the ambulances have direct access to their place (because of underdeveloped roads). Who would be competently trained enough to take care of them if something bad happens?

There are so many reasons to oppose this idea of parting ways. However, I can not honestly express my apprehensions because I can see the genuine happiness in my dad’s eyes whenever he talks about going back. I could imagine the grand vision he has in developing his land in Bicol to serve as a vacation place for mine and my brother’s families. I’m not selfish enough to deprive him of that.

Rainy days bring welcome reprieve from the hot and dry summer but along with the rain comes many significant problems too.

First, because of the frequent rain, going to work and coming back home becomes so much more difficult especially now that we don’t have a car anymore. I have a motorcycle but it offers no protection whatsoever from the water. On the other hand, if I decide to take the tricycle, I still need to walk some distance in order to get to the terminal.

Second laundry takes a long time to dry during rainy seasons. Sometimes, even if they do dry, the clothes would still have a funny smell because of not being exposed to sunlight.

Third, I’m not sure why but moisture from frequent raining seeps through the walls of the house causing molds to form and the paints to sag and crack including those protecting our built-in cabinets. In fact, I’ve just finished making a temporary box to put our clothes in for the mean time. I’m afraid that if the sun doesn’t come up soon I might be needing a box cutter to make more boxes for the other things that might be ruined by the moisture and molds.

Last, because of the cold, it’s really very difficult to get up early.

All these things sometimes makes me wonder. Is enduring the summer heat actually better than the enduring the moisture of the rainy season? Hehe!