It’s just more than halfway through March, and the summer heat is already wreaking havoc. The plants outside are slowly dying despite getting water regularly. Our house is starting to feel like an oven, especially in the afternoon if you don’t open all the doors. We’ve been spending more and more time with the air-conditioning unit on (and yet we’re still contemplating on getting a basement dehumidifier to further add more coldness to the house).

If things continue to be like this till May, our expenses our going to shoot up, especially since andrea would be in her second trimester by then. She’ll be feeling the heat more than mateo and me, and we have nothing but the air-con to fight the heat.

We don’t exactly have a swimming pool at the back nor a shopping mall across the street where we can relax and spend some time in without suffering from the this awful summer heat.

I do hope it rains soon.

Last week, we went to a friend’s house in QC to catch up on things. She was one of our oldest friends and was just recently married. To give a brief background, she and her husband are currently residing in a detached extension of his parents’ house, but they were moving in to their condo this December once it gets finished.

One of the topics during dinner was about moving in. The couple were worried about how to furnish their space. Since the condo itself is a little pricey, they figured it would be difficult to save up for things to put inside.

We suggested several solutions. First, buy only the necessary stuff. After being married and living on our own for 5 years, andrea and I realized that there are a lot of things we could have lived without: (1) TV – With our laptops, a subwoofer, and the internet, we were up to date with shows, movies, and a lot of other things we used to depend on TV for. (They already have those so a new TV isn’t going to be a necessity.) (2) Sofa set – Once they have a baby, they’re going to need as much additional space as they can. In our case, we got ourselves a puzzle mat for mateo’s space. Eventually we ended up spending more time on the mat than anywhere else in the living room, so our sofa became a substitute table instead where we put our bags, clothes for folding,  etc. They can save more by not buying a sofa set or going for the less expensive contemporary sofas. (3) Washing machine – Since there a lot of laundry shops now, it would be more convenient to just simply drop your clothes off. You not only get them neatly folded already afterwards, you also save yourself the trouble of worrying about water, soap, and electricity expenses. Not to mention, you also save space.

Second, buy things one at a time. Fully furnishing a unit takes a huge amount of money because most, if not all, the necessary stuff costs more than 10k  each – bed, refrigerator, dining set, etc.

Third, postpone the baby-making. Pregnancy, delivery, and other baby expenses put a lot of pressure on the budget. If they want to furnish the unit first, then they should concentrate all their efforts on that before the baby comes. I guess this is also why most couples nowadays choose to have babies late. It is financially practical, but then again, biological reasons also have a say on that argument. (but that’s for a different post)

We realized that after getting together with our friends, andrea and I have already been through a lot. Learning these same lessons the hard way is challenging but we’ve made it through… somehow. Perhaps, next time we get together, we’ll be talking about babies and baby lessons. Those, we learned the hard way also.

This summer, I’m still undecided as to whether I want to lose weight or whether I want to put on some in preparation for next school year.

You see, it would probably sound like such a ridiculous dilemma but I have a lot of things to consider for this incoming year. First, since I’m planning on playing basketball this summer, the first choice seems like the reasonable one (not to mention healthier). Although, it’s not really much of a choice if you think about it since a lot of people consider sports to be the best weight loss supplement of all. However, it’s still up to me to decide how much play time I want. I can still stop anytime if I’m losing too much too quickly.

Second, since andrea and I are expecting a new baby by August, I’m already thinking about sleepless nights and additional chores on top of school responsibilities. Because as far as I can remember with mateo, his first year was a bit difficult (perhaps because we were newbie parents as well, I can’t say for certain) and I lost a few pounds as a result.

I don’t want to look like a zombie by December and I also don’t want to let go of the chance I’ve been given at work to handle additional responsibilities, but I don’t want to look bad and unhealthy this summer either. So what should it be then? To lose or not to lose? That is my question… hehehe!

I’m finally looking forward to summer – a promise of long break from the busy hassles of everyday teaching, a promise of afternoon basketball games, and a lot of chances for brushing up on some LAN games and skills. Although it would still be filled with work, summer still offers a welcome change in ambiance and some time for mental and emotional recuperation.

The  only real down side that I can see about this summer is the summer heat. I mean, it’s not even April yet and the heat is no less than scorching already. And as I mentioned before in my previous post, not only do I not appreciate unnecessary heat, I also abhor the sweating from it. My skin does not handle prolonged exposure to sweat well because it tends to suffer from acne breakout. I’ve known this since I was in college, which is why I’ve been conscious of sweating and body soaps since then.

Of course I have a variety of soaps and phisoderms at home since Andrea and Arlene have a thing for them and other organic body wash, but I’m not really keen on following any particular brand when it comes to soaping. I just usually take frequent showers when it’s hot and that’s it. That’s also probably the same thing I’d be doing for this summer. I just hope it doesn’t get any hotter than this though.