How Was Your Day Off?

"How was your day off?" is usually the first question I get from coworkers the next day I come back after a so-called day of rest. The honest answer would be, "What day off? Moms don't get days off!" but instead I always opt for the simple "It was nice, thanks!"

It would've been okay if I didn't have to cook. Or hear all the screaming sounds that reverberate the walls of our tiny condo unit. Or maybe if it weren't so cold and I didn't have to chase Kai everywhere so he could put on layers of clothing. And if only my husband installed those childproofing things that you put on cabinet doors properly, so that my little rascal didn't empty those stupid cabinets all the time and pretend he's going in a dwarf house, then maybe, just maybe, I could actually say "It was nice, thanks!" with some sincerity next time.

I sometimes look at other moms and wonder if they run the same kind of madhouse that I do. Those moms who seem to feed their kids on time, read to them religiously, limit TV viewings to two hours a week, and send them to bed early. Would I be happier as a mom if I were more organized and followed these rules, wore unattractive clothes and running shoes, drove a van and adorned my hair with clamps? Do these moms ever feel they don't get any days off, and wishes so badly that they get at least one every now and then?

I wouldn't know, because I'm not like them. I just know that for now I'm going to pamper myself with my Sugar Face Polish by fresh and call it a night. I know I didn't have an ideal day off but at least I had this treat. Moms are pretty easy to please. Tomorrow my husband and I are going to see a movie, and maybe that will be a nice day off.

fresh is available on fresh.com and eluxury.com and I highly recommend it. Just don't blame me if you get hooked! Consider that a warning. Sugar Face Polish, 4.2oz, $55 (yes, it really has bits of strawberries! I tasted it one time and I'm most likely to do it again... sweet!)

Facebook, Anyone?

It's been 9 days since my last entry and I feel so bad that I haven't written for that long! The culprit? FACEBOOK!!!

I learned, just a few days ago, that there is a certain group of friends of mine that I could only find here-- people I've been searching for for years via Friendster and MySpace but failed. They're the rich kids of Brent International School of Baguio, Philippines otherwise known as my high school classmates. And I am only saying that as-a-matter-of-factly. They're the golden kids and this is where they hide. But I sure am glad to be reconnecting with them.

But there's so much more! I know I may sound like a dork for discovering Facebook just now when it's been around for a while, when members have hundreds of friends and I have 32. I've been declining invitations from friends thinking it would, just like these other sites, take more time away from me performing the duties of a good mom and wife. Evidently, it also took time away from me performing the duties of a good blogger. But how can you not love Facebook, which, quoting my friend Les, is like a toy!

So what made me decide to join? Aside from my young 20-something-year old coworkers reminding me on a daily basis, I think I got especially curious when one of them asked the other, "Have you opened the Louis Vuitton gift that I sent you on Facebook? Did you like it?" I thought to myself, you could do that on Facebook?!

So here I am, telling everyone, Twitter style, how I'm doing right now. I've also been abusing the wall-to-wall feature, importing my blogs, became a fan of Jake Gyllenhaal, and sending Filipino food (with balut being my favorite) along with my personal messages. The first day I saw my coworkers after joining I asked them, "So did you get my Hermes gifts?" Which of course, was overheard by another coworker, and judging from the reaction on his face, we could also now call him another Facebook addict waiting to happen.

A Perfect World

"In a perfect world," Jake Gyllenhaal says, "I would love to do one play for every three movies." In a perfect world I would be sitting right next to him, telling him I'd support him all the way. But who lives in a perfect world?

On Thursday Origins was giving away free samples of the skin care line of your choice simply by listening to their spiel, and letting them try the Modern Friction exfoliant on you. And what do I pick? A Perfect World, of course! I'm a sucker for citrus scents, just like my perfume Sugar by Fresh. To quote the Origins website, the "aromatic orange, bergamot and spearmint fortify the feel-good factor" and believe it or not it actually is very uplifting! The little sample box included a deep cleanser, liquid moisture (toner), antioxidant moisturizer, and a body cream. I'd say they would last you about two weeks.

Anyone who knows me well enough would say I hate regimens-- diet, exercise, skin care, make up, etc. I'm just not high maintenance or systematic enough when it comes to these things. But since receiving these samples I've been looking forward to prepping up my skin! It's my me time in the morning and at night before going to bed.

So if you feel like giving yourself a treat, that you so deserve, one of these days visit Origins as through September 28 they are giving free 1-on-1 consultation. They will also be sampling a new product called Plantidote which is a face mask so prepare looking silly in front of other customers as well. If you live in the Oak Brook area I would recommend seeing Greg Coleman at the Origins counter within Macy's. He's very knowledgeable about his products and makes the whole experience a real treat. If I could get past my self-consciousness I might stop too and have him cover my face up with a mask. I guess no one could really recognize me once I have that on! Haha.

So don't forget your own treat! You may call Greg Coleman at (630) 684 2171 for more details.

So until I have Jake by my side I may not live in a perfect world, but at least my skin does!

Eli Stone: The Complete First Season DVD is Out!!!

Eli Stone: The Complete First Season on DVD is out as of yesterday (I heard it on the radio)! List price is around $40 but here are the best prices (from reliable websites) I've seen so far:
tower.com $26.99
overstock.com $27.91
buy.com $27.89

Sometimes I get those 40% off DVD sets coupons at Borders so that actually is a pretty good deal too. Their list price is $41.99 so it's $25.19 + tax.

I love Eli Stone because it's a smart, touching, sensitive, funny and entertaining all at once. It's also pretty much the only show on prime time that I could actually enjoy with my kids. If you were into Ally McBeal like myself you'll fall in love with this character as well. I have yet to meet other fans, so if you love the show please drop me a note! :)

Monthly Endorphin Injection

How's that for a title? But I can't take credit for it. This is actually what Amanda Gore calls her newsletter which I am subscribed to.

I first heard of Ms. Gore when I worked at Crate and Barrel. There was a convention for all store managers and copies of her lecture were made available to the staff for viewing. I'm glad our manager encouraged us to take the DVDs home and I've subscribed to her newsletter since then. It's always something I look forward to seeing in my inbox every month.

This month she talks about change and she entitled it, "Change or Die-- The Start is Hope." The article is pretty long to post here, but here are excerpts:

Neuroscience is essentially the study of the nervous system but recently it has been applied to the business world and linked with how people change and keep their brains young, creative and alert.

The great news is that our brains are not hardwired and set in concrete from birth on! We can change. From what I have read, it seems that there are 4 keys to change that lasts-- focus, attention, repetition and celebration! FARC for short! Add to that learning completely new and different skills and we have a recipe for rapid effective change and brain development!

...Dean Ornish, the most successful cardiologist in the world at reversing heart disease without surgery, says ‘people don’t resist change, they resist being changed’. His program starts with hope. His approach is to make dramatic life changes and the results that soon become obvious, are a source of hope that people can feel better and live a pain free, happier, active life.

Just like all of her materials this article is an excellent source of encouragement, hope, and yes, endorphins! It's a not-to-miss read and if you would like the full article please email me at windycitystine@gmail.com and I'd be happy to forward it to you. To subscribe to Amanda Gore's newsletter please click here.

Eye Creams and Aging, Mothers and Daughters

What is it about moms that you can never take their advice about everything for granted, important or not?

Just a few days after my birthday I receive a text message from Mom, and it went something like:

"Tin (my nickname), didn't you just turn 30? Start using eye cream to prevent your eyelids from drooping. Haven't you noticed that one of your eyelids is lower than the other? The folds are not even. I recommend Strivectin."

This is coming from someone who can't live any farther from me, literally from the opposite side of the globe, whom I see about once a year or two. Yet she speaks as if she was there by my side to witness me slowly age. And by the way, I turned 29, not 30!!!

But as they say mom knows best (in my case that's mostly true, just don't ask her about birthdays) so the very next day I hit the cosmetics department of Macy's. With the help of my coworker's mom who works for Clinique I grab a tiny jar of eye cream from Shiseido (what the...??!!!) and smear the preparation around my eyes. I guess if a salesperson tells you to buy from her competition you just have to listen. So I decided to purchase Shiseido's Benefiance Concentrated Anti-Wrinkle Eye Cream but for good measure I also grab Clinique's Lash Power Mascara because it had me at hello, errr, its brush. Not even the tiniest lashes could escape it! Anyway, what's a beautiful eye without them long powerful lashes?

That night I sent Mom a text message to let her know that I took her advice and have promptly bought "The One." She wants me to try it for two weeks and see if it does me any good. So I am starting a photo collage to show my progress over the course of two weeks and share that with everybody. I could hardly wait to un-age!!!

Meet My 29-Year Old Self

What could be a happier birthday than one spent with the family? Well I could think of one. A birthday that's celebrated with even more family members!

Last week I received a message via Friendster from my cousin's wife that they are flying to Chicago on Tuesday, August 5th. They've always known that I've lived in the US for quite some time now but because we never kept in touch they had no idea where exactly. But again, thanks to Friendster, they found me! I was very excited to know that they've picked a special day to visit the city. Not only was it my birthday, it was also my day off work so we were able to pick them up at O'Hare and tour them around for a bit.

But Kuya Jaymard was here about the food. He wanted to make sure he ate Filipino food during his stay, so for dinner we went to Little Quiapo, a buffet-type Filipino restaurant. Need I say we ate to our hearts' content? To top it off, aside from dessert we also had halo-halo and sago. Yum!!!

So aside from starting my new year by pigging out, what's there to expect? I'm not sure exactly. This morning when my six-year old greeted me a happy birthday, he asked me a very profound question. As soon as he gave me a kiss and a hug, he asked, "So Mommy, what changes now that you're 29? You don't look any different, but I hope you stay that way. I don't want you to look like a lola (grandma)." He would every now and then ask me these kinds of questions and each time I am taken off guard. I would usually say, "Oh baby, that's not gonna happen!" because I'm not about to complicate things for a six-year old. But I realize maybe the best way to keep my word is to stay as healthy as possible, physically, spiritually, mentally and emotionally. So I'm making that a goal (a major one!) for this year. For the rest of my life, I should say!

Thanks, Tita Susie, for the flowers. They're very pretty! :)

My 28th Year in a Nutshell

To celebrate my last day of being 28 I am making a list of memories and achievements of sorts I could go back to and say, "Ah yes, that happened when I was 28!" Here goes (not in any specific order)...

• I got to work for my favorite brand in the world
• I became an eBay powerseller (yeah, believe it or not, although I am losing that title soon because of inactivity, thanks to my new job. But I'm not complaining!)
• Was this close to winning the prestigious Chief Bag Officer title by being selected as one of the five finalists for the "America's Ultimate Bagaholic" contest sponsored by Bag, Borrow or Steal
• I acquired my very first Vernis (patent leather collection of Louis Vuitton)!
• Despite strong disapproval from my hairstylist because of my cowlick (haha!) I chopped off my bangs and actually got tons of compliments! (Last time I had bangs was in 4th grade!)
• This was the year I actually used the treadmill that's been collecting dust for two years!
• I went back home in the Philippines for the second time since I moved here, this time with a new member in the family, my bunso Kai
• ...It was then that I got to revisit the Banaue Rice Terraces
• ...and Boracay
• ...and see the breathtaking Sagada for the first time!
• I became an aunt for the second time with the birth of my (first) nephew, Inigo
• Started this amazingly awesome blog!!! I better not hear any objections. It is, afterall, my birthday in a few minutes!

And the list goes on but what I will forever remember is how good God has been to us this year. It's almost as if he played favorites because we would receive blessing after blessing even without us asking. So with a thankful heart I am celebrating my 29th birthday. Tomorrow! Let me enjoy the last few remaining minutes :)

Eli Stone Returns

I was really worried about Eli Stone not coming back after its first season. I personally do not know anyone who follows it except me and my six-year old. Seriously! But it's never too late to get Stoned. You could still view full episodes online by clicking here.

Please mark your calendar: Tuesday, October 14, 10/9c

I wanna make sure that this show is here to stay because seriously, I need to get over Ally McBeal and Felicity!

I Wanna Go Back to Bed, I Feel Much Better There

If the title sounds familiar, it's because it's part of The Murmurs' song called "Carry Me Home." You'll hear it in the beginning part of the song. The Murmurs was a big part of my college life and although it's been a while since I last heard any of their songs I listen to them today (via YouTube) with the familiarity of the near yesterday. My entry this morning has nothing to do with them except for the borrowed words but I hope I provoked a sense of curiosity in you to check this video out:

So why do I want to go back to bed... aside from the fact that I feel much better there? Well there's this little thing at noon which goes on til 9pm (if I'm lucky) called work. Being the caring mom that I am (haha!) I wanted to make something good for lunch and dinner for my babies before I left. And when I mean babies I mean my husband included. Men! So my alarm went off at 7am. In a matter of minutes my husband tells me that he and the boys are going to the Cliff's Off Road Park in Marseilles, Illinois for the Toyota Jamboree event. He's been talking about this for the last couple of days and I keep telling him I have no problem at all about him going, but he needs to find a sitter since I have work all weekend. Apparently this is way too big a task for him so he tells me last night, past midnight, that he decided not to go. Until he wakes up. I swear it'll take a lifetime for me to understand this guy!!!

But then again, looking at the bright side, which I try very hard to do at every given bad situation, I need not make lunch and dinner so that makes me wanna go back to bed. Oh, carry me home.

Laughter Work Out

Today was a pretty normal day. I have work and on days like this I wake up anytime between 9am and 10am, not to get ready but to start cooking lunch and dinner. My kids eat home-cooked meals everyday as long as I'm not too busy to do it. They actually eat more this way :) Usually at 4pm I head off to work.

So nothing too exciting today. I even missed running (which I try to do every other day) because our realtor called and said they are coming over within an hour for a viewing. So I had to clean up a little bit, and it's always challenging to keep the place spotless. Any parent of a two-year old would know exactly what I'm talking about. And guess what? The people we're expecting (the realtor himself included) decided not to show up. So I missed running for nothing.

On second thought, looking at the bright side, I did sweat it out a little by scrubbing and what-not. And also while waiting I went to the YouTube website by clicking on a link my little sister sent me. She said Mom wanted me to see it. It's five minutes long and I laughed my head off the entire time. So from the work out I got from playing Cinderella and the short-but-effective abdominal muscle tightening exercise courtesy of Mr. Manny Poohquiao himself, I guess it wasn't as bad. I just have to maybe run everyday for the rest of the week. Yeah, right. Let's see that happen!

Meanwhile take time to spare five minutes of your precious time to try this thing I call the Laughter Work Out. You never know, it could also be the highlight of your day. Well, let's hope not! :D

Bucketful of Sunshine

When I woke up today at 7am-- a feat, considering I've been getting up at around 10 on normal days recently-- I didn't mind so much that I was losing at least 3 hours' worth of sleep. Why, you ask? Because today I was coming home with a bucketful of those sweet round pretty yellow Rainier cherries!

The 2-hour drive from Chicago to the Jollay Orchard in Coloma, Michigan was bearable. Because we own a large SUV all the kids in the family (six in all) usually prefer to ride with us. It was a lazy Sunday morning and the highway was near empty, thanks to high gas prices! Cholo also rode with us and we chatted the ride away until we reached our destination. I loved the scenic small road we took. Lovely homes, wineries, orchards and a fine chocolate shop were just a few pleasing sights to behold.

At last we get to the farm. Not only was the place abundant in parking spaces, it was also..... unusually empty. We momentarily find out that we are two weeks late from the picking season. I guess that's better than being just one day too late! Unless, they said, we'd be interested in tart cherries. I guess tart cherries are better than no cherries.

Or not! The cherries were so bitter none of us could tolerate them. We are not a baking kind of people either, so there really wasn't any use for these fruits. I thought they looked cute though--they reminded me of my old Louis Vuitton Speedy 25 Cerises! LOL.

So I guess we're unlucky this year. Which, by the way, would've been my little family's first. But that doesn't mean we couldn't pick raspberries! So picked we did. That's me, taking it very seriously :) However, my husband, the two boys and my 8-year old niece had a different idea about having fun and used the Radio Flyer wagon to coast down the hills. As expected, it ended with pleas and screams from the two-year old who didn't want to stop.

Even though I didn't expect this kind of conclusion to our family outing I was very glad that we did go. Part of that is because when we left Chicago this morning it was kind of cold and gloomy (it was pouring throughout the day yesterday). The Michigan weather was beautiful, and while some people are just okay with a pocketful of sunshine, we got bucketfuls! :)

My first entry!!!

This month, the 26th to be precise, marks my 7th year here in the US. While I did live in Florida for a while and New York for an even shorter while, Chicago has been my home of choice for nearly 7 years now. Or not! I will probably elaborate on that later but for now let's focus on my introductory blog.

Growing up I've always tried to keep a journal whenever I can, but life happened and it became a major task. Lately, however, whenever I get those days when life does not seem to not make sense at all I wish that I had somehow written something, anything, that I could go back to and tell myself, "Ahhh...life is beautiful!!!" So this is the very purpose of this blog.

Rekindling my love of writing would be reason number 2. And for this I'd like to specifically thank two people in my life who for some reason would not lose faith in me, and would always encourage me to write again. Geda and Les you know I always hold a place for you in my heart. Thanks for being true amazing friends all these years despite the great distance!

Reason number 3 is to reconnect with family and friends, meet new ones and hopefully provide inspiration and entertainment to everyone who happens to stumble upon my entries. So please read away! :)