Weekend de Pâques

J'adore la France. This country is just so rich in diversity that we don't even need to cross its borders to breath new air. Its mountains, its seas, its architecture, its different regions, its different regional products... the list is endless.

La Petite France

This weekend, we had our stopover at the Alsace region. The picture above is just an appetizer. Let me serve you the rest of the menu.

Strasbourg

Random pictures from Bergheim, Riquewihr, Kayselberg, Chateau de Haut Koenigsbourg, Ribeauvillé and Colmar.
As most of the European cities, the Alsace region should be visited by foot to really enjoy and feel the place. A lot of marvels are oftentimes hidden inside narrow streets and forgotten squares.

Mommy traveller as I am, of course I went there armed - comfy shoes and clothes, and most important of all, light but convenient baby stroller. Though Louna enjoys walking around the centre ville, it's still advisable to take the stroller in case she gets tired and wants to sleep.

Enjoy the colors of Alsace!

Easter Egg Hunter

She's just finished collecting all the easter eggs in Dijon. A bit early, yes. But early bird catches the eggs. She's heading off to Strasbourg this weekend for another easter egg hunt. Happy Easter, folks!

I'm busy. I'm not.

I am feeling a little boredom infiltrating my office walls lately. It's stressing me out to know that I'm being paid to do nothing. Though I know that my work's nature is quite cyclic, depending on what project I work on, still the idea stresses me out. Just when I thought I should talk to my boss to ask for more short-term jobs (because I'll be busy on the second semester - in Dijon, fortunately), mental telepathy worked rather fast and saw him coming in with a contagious smile.

Bonjour.
Bonjour.

Ca va?
Ca va.

So there. After several exchanges of what's up and what's new, he asked me if I could assist our American plant on a week-long-or-longer job next month, probably mid-May.

Errr. I'm actually working on my schedule as I'm planning to go to Bangkok, then to Manila sometime end of May.

Conflict. Now I'm wondering if I really have a problem with time management or is it simply because schedules are quite unpredictable at work that I find schedules overlapping on my calendar at times. When I was in Bangkok end of last year, I was actually supposed to go to Milan at the same time. I asked another colleague to do the job instead. The Milan job, just like the upcoming US job, was a last-minute plan. And oh, boss just reminded me that I need to go to Milan before summer vacation starts (July-August).

It's either I stay put in Dijon, or I have to hop from one country to another, not even care about jetlag.

What makes the schedule more complicated is that there are a lot of long weekends in May and we already planned some getaways. Labor day will be Prague. Ascension day will be a birthday celebration of Frenchguy's childhood friend. In the menu are wild water activities mixed with a mountain hike and a via ferrata which I wanted to try. To top it all, Frenchguy just organized a wild-water-activity weekend on the first week of June.

Hmm. Do you still follow? Well, I know it's quite complicated and I'm afraid I have to sacrifice his friend's birthday to keep up with the schedule. Poor Frenchguy might not be able to ride his kayak because of me. Nobody to babysit Louna.

I'm in the process of negotiation and who knows, I could fit in all the schedules and sing 'We did it' in the end.

Tagged

Princess and SassyMom, both of Pinoy Moms Network, tagged me to list 7 songs I'm addicted into at the moment. It's been long months I haven't received any même on this blog, and this one came wrong timing - simply because I'm not into music at the moment. It's spring and I feel like playing badminton all the time (Louna serves as the net. She loves staying in the middle). After the match (with Frenchguy), it's bath/play, dinner and bedtime for Louna. Then it's telly or blog/surf time for me. No time for music.

Well, ok. I'm not as boring as that. Here's my list:
- I'm the Map and We did it. Themesongs from Dora the Explorer. I'm repeating I'm the map in my head while writing this.
- My toes, my kness, my shoulder, my head. Repeat it 3x. With actions please.
- Tape tape petite main, vole vole petit oiseau, tourne tourne petit moulin, nage nage petit poisson. Again, with actions.
- Itsy bitsy spider during giggly playtime.
- I tune in to RFM on my 12 minute-drive to go to work so that gives me a list of non-mommy songs. You gave me something by James Morrison is one of my current faves.
- And finally, Gardien de Nuit by Francis Cabrel. It's just way too cool that I use it as my ringtone.

Whew. That tag was cool. I just forgot about my hectic schedule within 5 minutes!

It says:

From: SIL and family
To: Moi, Louna and Frenchguy

- image of paradise -

Big thanks for this super duper vacation which we will have all because of you. We are over mega happy and this gift really pleases us a lot.
- smileys -
Again, a thousand thanks.

The translation is quite exaggerated but I just wanted to highlight how happy they are. Noticed the super super? I translated them to super duper over mega! And now, Frenchguy is super duper over mega inggit to them.

You must be wondering why he's jealous, almost regretting the plan. It's because we've never been to La Réunion and the travel could have been for us. The surprise gift to my SIL should have been to visit the western part of the USA to which they declined, so they ended up reserving La Réunion. If it was as planned, he won't be jealous as we already visited the west. My poor lil boy. Now, our planned visit to Italy and Greece this summer is not as enticing as it was, he prefers coconut trees and white sands.

Picture this: A little Frenchguy giving away his fave toy while crying because he's obliged to. Because he promised he would give it away. Palabra de honor. - that little Frenchguy hasn't grown up yet. He wants to keep his words - but sometimes, with a heavy heart.

Picture this: Moi, laughing my heart out while teasing him. Bwahaha. Bad girl

Work Tidbits atbp

I received an envelope yesterday containing a letter informing me that a certain amount of euros will be deposited on my account as part of the company's profit-sharing scheme. But before I could even plan on how to spend the euros, Frenchguy already told me that I have to fax the accompanying paper to our head office. The accompanying paper is the go signal for them to transfer the moolah to my PEE or simply put, to buy company stock-options. In fact, PEE is so advantageous as it exempts the capital and the revenu (appreciation of its value) from any taxes and social charges. The sum is then inflated by a mouth-watering amount by the company but it will be blocked for 5 (or 7) years. So what will you do? Instead of giving probably 30% of it to the government (tax on revenu), I better keep it for myself and have it available in 5 years, right? Anyway, I don't have any to-buy list at the moment, so ok, document faxed.

---

The long-awaited email has finally arrived. A colleague informed me that the subject we are working on will finally push through.

In fact, I have a pending request from our Philippine site for a week-long job. But since it's not an urgent request, I've told my boss that I'll go there if I have another business in Asia. To which he agreed, but not after July.

So there, if everything works into place, I'll be in Bangkok with a side trip in Manila...hopefully soon.

---

I've stopped business travelling since my pregnancy till Louna turned 1 year old. With that, I've lost my Lufthansa Miles and More silver membership and turned back to the basic blue card. With the coming travel, I think I'll have enough mileage to shift back to silver. Great. I just love VIP treatment during travels hehe.

---

Frenchguy's donating his Flying Blue mileage tickets to his sister and her family this summer. At first, it was a round trip ticket to the Wild West but they backed-out at the last minute, frightened by the language barrier. Final destination became La Reunion. After discussing about it with me this morning, he suddenly realized 'it could have been for us'. Naipamigay mo na kaya.

---

I'm off for a soirée choucroute. Happy weekend everyone.

How Far Could You Deal With Stress?

Most people try to personnalize their work areas to bring a certain life, a certain balance and a certain detachment from work. I, for one, have Louna's picture on my office wall and on my laptop's wallpaper and screensaver. A colleague displays one of his paintings on his wall. Another one, his wife (nope, no darts on the picture, promise).

It's normal. We spend most of our lives at work. A lot of people identifies themselves via their job. It's a source of self-esteem. It's a haven to those who want to showcase their competences, their skills and their talents. It's a place where we prove what we could do best. In fact, work has become not only a source of financial health but mental health as well. But what if stress has taken over to all that?

In France, some people are blaiming the 35 hour-per-week system as a source of stress. In fact, they get the same workload for lesser working hours. Add to that the massive delocalization of a lot of companies. Most are afraid to lose their jobs one day so they try to be productive and competitive, sometimes way beyond their capabilities. The latest news about Alcatel-Lucent suppressing 12,500 jobs worldwide in the next 3 years (1,500 in France) has just added to their mounting stress boosters.

The company Renault counted 3 suicides in 4 months. The last one left a letter clearly blaiming his working conditions as the cause of his act. The other two didn't leave any letter but have chosen their work areas as their death beds. Not long after, Peugeot Citroen followed suite with one suicide and another tentative. Both evoking their working conditions as the culprit.

Another news came directly in my mailbox. A manager from my previous post died of massive heart attack and the family is blaiming his big boss because of too much pressure. It seems that the defunct had been complaining about his work conditions too. The sad part is that he was obliged to resign because he couldn't take it anymore and he was just finishing his contract. He was close to freedom. He probably waited too long. - This news really shocked me. A Filipino died of too much pressure? We're known for being jolly, right. Tinatawanan lang natin ang problema. He must have endured too much pressure..

Based on personal experience, I've always considered these frenchies as more stressed-out fellows compared to Filipinos. But it's contagious. I now spend some sleepless nights thinking about work, and when I finally catch sleep, I then dream about work. I'm trapped in the system. I do try to manage it tho. Louna is my main stress buster, blogging is another way.

How about you? How do you deal with it?

Scrap It

Credits: Backgrounds by Joyce Designs of Scrapbook Bytes, Jamie Rousselle and Beth Nixon of Digital Scrapbook Place, Button Stitches by Tracey Rennemo and Stitches by AC Perky of Scrapbook Bytes.

I was browsing on our old memorabilias and I stumbled on our wild, wild, west adventures last October 2004. It was our late summer vacation getaway as I was tied with work for the whole summer. Tho I was a newbie at work at that time, thus no paid leave yet, I had sufficient days off due to all the Saturdays I've worked for my project in the Philippines.

Going back to the subject, it's probably one of our best vacations together so I thought, it's worth the scrap. As I was working on it, I can't help but smile on the memories which started rushing in: Frenchguy playing cowboy! I was actually with a little boy at that time. In fact, he's of the Western Spaghetti generation. Ya know, playing guns at 8 years old thinking he was a cowboy hehe. So there you go, my Frenchguy, playing actor, and moi, the photographer.

Have a great weekend!

Disciplining a Toddler

I was busy preparing something for lunch this weekend, and as usual (especially when Frenchguy's out), Louna was there in the kitchen, playing with her toys but most of the time clinging on my legs. I know this is quite dangerous but she cannot stand staying alone in her playroom while I cook. She's a gourmand. So as a precaution, I take extra care not to spill anything on her.

Then came the drame. I accidently spilled one of my ingredients, not on her, but just near her (but I nevertheless measured the danger of this bad habit). Louna, frightened and surprised, started crying and went directly to the corner while looking at me with her sorry look. I kept on telling her that it was not her fault but she just continued crying. So I stopped cooking and cuddled her in my arms.

After minutes of retrospection, I realized that we never disciplined her that way. We never asked her to stay in a corner when she does something bad. I'm not against this method of disciplining a child but the thing is, we never asked our daughter to do that. She must have seen that in her nanny's place or somewhere else. As mothers, how would you react to that?

Also posted at Pinoy Moms Network.

First-Time Gardener

Winter is exceptionally warm this year. The snow has timidly showed only once in Dijon just to remind people that it was indeed winter. The whole February adopted spring temperatures that jonquilles (daffodil) started to blossom three weeks earlier than the normal time.They're supposed to be in full bloom starting March. Anyways.

This weekend, Frenchguy and I finally decided to start on our common project - garden beautification. Early or not, we don't really know. Like the plants, we also lost our mark.

Since we moved to this house, it's actually my first time to work outside our house perimeter. I was preggy on the first spring, a doting Mom on the second. This year seems to be the best time for me to initiate on gardening. We could work on our rhythm while Louna occupies herself with her toys.

We started by removing all the weeds and boy, that was tiring. We then removed all the lavender plants infront of the house and replaced the soil (we will do the planting next week). We ended by putting some fertilizers and now, I'm aching everywhere. Should I confess that gardening is NOT my passion?

This weekend, however, is far more of a gardening experience. For the past years, Frenchguy and I led a somewhat separate life (limit that to gardening time please). He worked in the garden while I took care of Louna. He's tired.. and I was equally tired. But not for the same reason. He thought I was escaping from gardening, I thought he was escaping from being a father. Gardening was translated to friction in our couple. This weekend was a whole new experience tho. We were together. We were both tired but we were happy and satisfied. I guess I will do love gardening after all. Louna does.

Embellishments from Free Digital Scrapbooking.

Prague: The City of 100 Spires

The magical city of bridges, cathedrals, gold-tipped towers and church domes, whose image has been mirrored in the surface of the Vltava river for more than ten centuries. Prague is also a modern European metropolis full of energy, music, and art.

I just booked for a weekend getaway at this lovely city for the Labor Day weekend on May. It will be Frenchguy's first flight experience with Louna and our first visit to the city. If you've been to the city and you have the list of must-do and must-see wonders of Prague, please leave a note. Thanks.

What do you want to be when you grow up?

Common question? Not here.

The first time I asked that question here (to Frenchguy's niece, she was 8 years old then), the parents (and the grandparents) looked at me like as if I'm from another planet. But hey, isn't it the first question asked in the Little Miss Philippines pageant on the primetime show Eat Bulaga?

With the look I got from everybody, I quickly understood that it's not their ordinary topic. French kids don't dream of becoming a doctor to help poor kids nor an astronaut to go to the moon at an early age (or at least to those I frequent). My niece had a massage kit when she was 3 years old because she wanted to be a physical therapist like her Mom and Dad. I asked the same question to kids of her age here and the parents had a good laugh out of my question telling me what do these kids know about professions at that age?

I met two parents with grown up daughters and they have a common problem. Their daughters still don't know what to pursue at 16 years old.

Frenchguy's niece told us she wanted to be a cashier in a department store when she grows up (she was 10 years old then). That is just to end the conversation. And I'm sure no Filipino kid will dream of that job even from the poorest of family. She's 12 years old now and still doesn't have any idea of what her dream job is.

My niece, 7 years old now, still dreams to be a Physical Therapist. She's studying in Japan (in an American school) and the first in her class.

Moi wanted to be a teacher before (like my parents) then changed my mind at 10 years old. My love for Math was probably encouraged by the dream of becoming an engineer, I don't really know. But this dream surely led me to where I am now.

How about you? Do you encourage your kids to dream big at an early age? How is it in other countries?

Posted at Pinoy Moms Network.

When Work Goes Beyond the 4-Walled Room

I have been watching the telly the other night and my attention was caught by a program on M6 (topic: Extraordinary Homes), particularly the Australian couple living la vida loca in their appartment on the mega-luxurious ship The World. I wondered how they could manage such an extravagant life till they showed their laptop. Stupid me. Of course they're still connected to the real world (their businesses) with all the technologies available onboard.

Now let me talk about me.

I live exactly the same technology overloaded life (minus The World, of course). Technology has broke through the traditionnal office walls that I could work even inside my cozy toilet at home or in any internet center anywhere in the world.

My list of technology gadgets :

VPN : A virtual private network (VPN) is a private communications network often used by companies or organizations, to communicate confidentially over a public network. VPN traffic can be carried over a public networking infrastructure (e.g. the Internet on top of standard protocols, or over a service provider's private network with a defined Service Level Agreement (SLA) between the VPN customer and the VPN service provider. A VPN can send data e.g. voice, data or video, or a combination of these media, across secured and encrypted private channels between two points. Read more from this site.

But this gadget starts to be outdated so I pass to..

i-Pass : iPass is a commercial company that provides Internet services to business users working remotely (out of their country or region). Typically this means travellers with a laptop computer.

For most countries in the world, dialup service is available, in which one calls a nearby phone number that connects to the internet. Today it is also possible to use iPass with a wi-fi connection, if there is a Hotspot with an iPass arrangement available. ISDN connection is also offered in some regions such as Europe. Read more from this site.

Outlook Web Access : OWA is used to access e-mail, calendars, contacts, tasks and other mailbox contents while on the go. Microsoft provides Outlook Web Access as part of Exchange Server to allow users to connect remotely via Web browsers. Most of the functionality in Microsoft Outlook is also available in this web "look-alike". The most important difference is that Microsoft Outlook lets you work with e-mail, calendars etc. even when you don't have a network connection, while OWA requires a network connection to function.

OWA can be used from Internet cafes and any other location that provides connectivity to the Web. Read more from this site.

Conferencing has taken a whole new world too. Webmeeting, call and video conferencing. What a gallery of airfare/train savvy solutions.

Some companies even provide instant messaging - and I mean internet downloadable gadgets - with the microphone and webcam installed! A friend of mine showed me her 6-month preggo state through Skype while she was in her office in Makati. Galing!

I'm sure, there are more innovating technologies out there waiting to be discovered but these gadgets are already enough to give me the impression of having a shadow - my work following me anywhere I go. Enough.

Tax Hurts!

I was checking for airfares on one of the European destinations and found this:

Airfare : 38.00€
Taxes : 140.56€
Charges : 0.63€

Taxes represent 78% of the total price. Arrrgh!

One, T...

Having a baby is a no joke. It demands YOU, as a whole. No part-time or full-time parenting. There's just no rule. I don't consider myself a part-time Mom because I'm with my daughter from 6 to 9pm everyday. I believe that parenting has only one common goal - to give the best for their children - whatever their means. And again, there's no rule.

Frenchguy and I lived for more than 4 years together before having Louna. And it was a common decision. Our 2 years of long distance relationship was not enough to really know each other so we agreed to take our time. We wanted to explore our life together without a kid. And when the time came to have a baby, we both knew it. It was instinct. We were ready to become parents.

But second-time parents? Errrr... He's ready. I am not. That's the problem.

For Moms out there, how did you know that it was time for the second one? Do you consult your Chinese calendar? Do you do it by vote? Because your horoscope says so? You toss a coin? You ask a fortune teller? Or you just wake up one morning and feel ready?

Well, I'm quite lost. I don't even know why I am not ready? And me thinks it's important for a happy pregnancy. Yelp!

Why I Love My New Toy

I'm quite ecstatic to discover my new toy. I was so used to drive my old 1992 model Peugeot 106 that changing it by a 2006 model seems to be a big promotion for me. Contrario to what we dreamt of, we ended up buying a car which was, for us, a car for Monsieur Tout-le-Monde (Mr Everybody). Simply because we find a lot of these cars on the road (8 out of 10 in its category, we learned - but ain't it a good indicator of good quality and good customer satisfaction?).

It was not on our list, never considered as a potential candidate, and not even our dream car. We wanted something different... till we did the road test. We were awed. We were seduced. We wanted that same car.

Here are some super cool options I find great:

Hands-Free Card = Key : The car opens automatically when you approach it. You could keep the card in your pocket/bag forever as you don't even need to push a button to open the car. To start the car, you just have to push a button and off you go. To close it, simply push the button on the car door. I know, this little gadget is an electronic concentrate... but it's just so cool!

Big Boot Capacity and Handy Drawers in Every Seat : Women. You should understand me. By the way, the glove compartment serves as a 'refrigerator'. Cold drinks you keep inside remains at the same temperature throughout the ride. Cool!

Cruise Control and Speed Limiter/Regulator : Ok, this thingy, I hated it when I first drove a car with this option on the roads of America. Imagine me driving, alone on the road, on the long straight roads of the West, without the gears to change or the gas to accelerate - it was boring - nearly pushing me to sleep. But with the fixed and mobile radars roaming around France, we better have it.

Consumption Display : Ang saya. Who drives better? Moi or Frenchguy? Hehe.. it's our new toy, I tell you.

Special Edition : Who wouldn't want it?

PS: No regrets. My dream mini consumes 6.7 L/100km (42.2 mpg) compared to 6L/100km (47 mpg) for my Renault Scénic II. Not a bad deal. Be earth-friendly. - now, don't call that sour graping, OK?

Carte de Résident

Visa, resident card, green card.. the nightmare for all immigrants. I finally had mine so I thought I should share at least my experience so it could guide other resident card aspirants here in France.

In my case (PACSed), I had to wait 5 years before the obtention of this resident card. For those who are married, the waiting time is reduced to two years.

As usual, the request for visa renewal is 2 months prior to the validity date. Aside from the usual paperasse, namely:
- valid passport
- old visa card
- 3 months address (electricity bill for example) and salary justifications
- PACS certificate - not more than 3 months (from the Tribunal de Grande Instance de Paris)
- 3 recent ID pictures
- 1 envelope with mailing address and stamp

I also provided the following papers:
- birth certificate of Louna
- family book (livret de famille)
- motivation letter justifying my request for a 10-year visa

When my visa expired, the Prefecture issued a récépissé (receipt) valid for 3 months which is sufficient enough for travel (I was able to travel to the Philippines with the récépissé) and other administrative needs (CAF et CPAM). Before the end of the récépissé, I was asked to present to the Prefecture for an interview on Proces Verbal d'Integration Républicaine. And here are some sample questions:

- How would you prove that you're well integrated to the French Republic?
- What are the 3 symbols of France?
- What do they mean for you?
- What are the roles of the President? Prime Minister? National Assembly?.... Prefecture?

And I swear, I wasn't able to answer half of the questions, especially on the last part. The interviewer filled-up the questionnaire while explaining to me the different roles of each government entity. I was half-joking half-anxious that I hope I won't be judged because of my ignorance. And he seriously said YES. So I was actually negociating for another interview so I could review each of the questions before the D-day when he said 'Don't worry, you will have your 10-year resident card soon.' Yohooo!

By the way, I was asked to read an article and write a sentence before the interview. During the first exchange of conversations, he told me that I should speak a lot more with my daughter, indirectly telling me that I speak shitty French. How to destabilize an enemy. I swear, he was the first ever to tell me that. Good thing he told me I speak really well before the end of the interview. That's an additional ego booster.

Ober da Bakod

No trespassing: Except for those who cross the border at daytime, by foot or by bicycle, with proper documents and goods not exceeding the tolerated limit. The Customs.

Hiking at the border ain't that easy. You have to bring your papers, or else...

To France or to Switzerland?

F for French Border.S for Swiss Border.

Torn between two borders..

Co-Sleeping

What seems to be so natural for us could be completely absurd to other culture. Co-sleeping is one of them. Some would chose not to co-sleep with their children but never would they incite other parents to do the same. I still remember our supersize green mosquito net for the whole family (of six children). It was the haven of pleasant childhood memories - the joy of playing with my siblings before bedtime, the race to get the best place beside my mom, the big fat mosquitoes in the morning that we had to capture one by one, and so on.

And that doesn't end after childhood. The last time I was in the Philippines, the whole family (after the departure of Frenchguy) occupied one room out of four. Syempre pa, we couldn't resist to midnight kwentuhan, asaran and tawanan.

But here, I had a first hand experience of total refuse. First, it was at the maternity clinic. The nurses wanted to take Louna from me for our first night of finally being together. Their reason was for me to take a rest after a tiring labor (I gave birth at 3pm) and for Louna to feel the separation. I found the 2nd reason too brutal so I persisted that I wanted her in my room for the night. And anyway, there was no way I'd leave my newly-born child sleep somewhere else but beside me. They said ok but Louna had to stay in her crib, just near the door so she won't see me and smell my odor. What a way to reject a child on her first day in this cruel world. So I said ok just to finish the discussion but I actually slept with her. In fact, I was probably branded as a bad Mom when I left the clinic. E ano ngayon?

Then came my inlaws. Dangerous. Ridiculous. Destabilizing. Confusing. For them, those were the words to describe co-sleeping.

Last month, Louna was very ill. High fever followed by vomiting so I had to co-sleep with her while Frenchguy slept on the floor. When my inlaws knew about it, they laughed and found the act ridiculous. They even adviced that it has to be the other way around, Louna on the floor, Frenchguy on bed. Ridiculous. That time, I hated them 100%.

The ordeal of co-sleeping. I'm glad Frenchguy willingly discovered the joy of co-sleeping that I sometimes find Louna on our bed even on weekdays. Love it. Happy heart's day Frenchguy!

Note: We only co-sleep with Louna on weekends as I have sleeping difficulties. It's the best balance we found and I swear, everybody's excited every weekend.

Why One Prevention is better than a Thousand Cure

We knew that it will come one day, but not this soon.. we always reasoned out the lack of finances, that it's not our priority, that everything seemed to be working well, that she's running a-alright.

But too late now.. my Peugeot 106 is seriously ill!

And it came barely 2 months before the arrival of the new car. Bad timing. We actually brought it to the garage for the technical control so we could sell it afterwards. The bad news came when the garage manager informed us that he couldn't release the car. That we need to have it repaired for 350€ when the car value is barely 500€. Darn!

Now we're blocked with only one car available for at least a week, obliged to have the car repaired, need to expedite the buying process of the new car, and stay calm to avoid friction at home.

If only we decided earlier to buy a new one, considering that we knew that both cars were almost dead, we could have saved ourselves from all this mess. Sigh!

Note: Peugeot 106, 1992 model, 187,000 km, pawis-steering. She's been my constant companion for almost 5 and a half years.

Sunny Weekend

There she goes.. like a big girl.. taking a walk at the park like a grown up..

Decisions

How do two engineers at home deal with important decisions?

- First, they stablish a CdCF, the functional requirement.
They would list down all criteria possible then weigh each of them according to the defined objective and needs. He looks for performance, she looks for comfort. He looks for energy, she looks for consumption. He looks for prestige that goes with the product, she looks for functionnality.

- Then they compare and analyse different solutions.
By internet. By visiting different boutiques.

- Then check if they are within the target budget.
Hello banker? We need cash. Deal or no deal?

- Finally, they negociate.

The most difficult part, the first one, has already been defined. Finally. After having consecutive headaches (thus, expenses!) with our old Peugeot 306 and 106 (yes, the two cars!) and after having endless discussions on which car we will keep (for me), we finally decided to entertain the option of buying a new one. But who would tell that this experience could become a getting-to-know each other's preferences stage for us?

Frenchguy dreamt of having a big BMW, Audi or VW. The problem is, we have a very narrow garage. Built in the 30s, the proprietors at that time didn't anticipate the idea of having cars as big as what we have now. And he even thought of buying a 4x4! Asus! Probably 85% of our time is spent driving in our little Dijon, we don't need a 4x4. Add to the fact that the energy consumption of such car is way out of my take on the environment. Scratch the idea.

Moi wanted a Mini. Hehe, syempre pa, scratch kaagad ang idea.

CdCF says: family-friendly car, big trunk, bigger sitting capacity but relatively small in size, low fuel consumption (low C02 emission), diesel, good performance (110 hp mini), silver, affordable price. After comparing different brands and models, we ended with one car in mind. It's in fact a very common car which we totally ignored but finally seduced us with all its functionalities and options. Hope the banker says 'deal'. Hmm, I'm quite impatient to drive it now..

I Love This!

Credits: Word Art by Tina Chambers from DSP

I had myself an Adobe Photoshop Elements 5.0 for a Christmas gift and I start to love it. Just starting to learn the twists and turns, lurking for freebies, checking for tutorials, making scrappy scraps. This one's too neophyte probably, but I just love it.

While-You-Shop Nannies

Thought of shopping but nobody to take care of the kids? Come on, accept it. Sometimes you want to have a time for your own, sans the kid howling at the back because he wants to buy a new costume of Spiderman, right?

Try the playground in SM Malls. They are often found near the SM Department Store entrances or hair salons. There must be one playground on each floor of SM San Lazaro where you could leave your kids while you shop. Prices range from P50 to P100 for half an hour. Not bad.

I must have ignored them before, or I was simply less sensitive to such places but I find the idea really cool. Louna loved the place. At her age, I was of course obliged to stay with her so we played together inside the playground. There was one moment where I kept distance from her so I could observe her interactions with other kids. Well, she's not playing with them but she was attentive to her environment. At one point, I caught her eating popcorn because another kid was handing her some every so often. I guess, for Louna, it was the best part of the stay hehe.

The nannies seem to take good care of the kids, they even have first aid kits. I give them two thumbs up for that! Way to go!

This is a Special Announcement

Louna, our unica hija, finally walked today, at 1 year 2 months and 18 days old. The most awaited milestone has finally been accomplished.

It started with inciting her to walk hand in hand with her favorite toy (which she call Tetite). She just had her milk so she was actually on play mode. We walked together with Tetite in the middle, me barely giving any support to her. Then, little by little, I let go of Tetite and she continued walking. At first, she wanted me to hold her toy, to which I obliged. But 3 to 5 turns of the dining-room-turned-playground after, there she was, living the new adventure on her own. Obviously happy of her new discovery.

Congratulations Louna! We're very proud of you.

La Femme de Ménage

Frenchguy was ardently cleaning every angle of our house last night. Guess who's coming.. yung tagalinis namin!

Well, actually, to justify the act, it was our first meeting with la femme de ménage. It was to show her how clean we want our house to be. But me thinks, we could have left our house as it was and let the femme de ménage evaluate how much time she would need to clean it. Afterall, she's the expert, right?

Ako ba o si Frenchguy ang tama? Or tamad lang talaga ako?

I just hope Frenchguy won't do it everytime our femme de ménage comes. May pagka-pasaway din kasi to minsan e hehe.

Why I wanted to bring him to Pagsanjan Falls..

My frenchguy is a man of adventure. He loves taking risk, it's his stamina booster. He would rather do something exciting outside rather than stay at home. His first love is his kayak, not me. Before our vacation, he made me promise we'd do something else rather than eat and sleep the whole day with the family hehe. So, kayaker as he is, I thought Pagsanjan Falls might be a good getaway. To our disappointment, of course.

So I told him, he could have his one-week sortie kayak with his friends in May. Sans us.

Here's frenchguy in one of our sortie kayak in Queyras, south of France.

Pagsanjan Fell

Do I have to be ashamed that I worked and lived in Laguna but never visited the famous Pagsanjan Falls? In fact, this place frightens me. A Thai colleague was asked to pay a $50 tip after the ride. A pinay friend, with her Frenchy, backed out when upon arriving in Pagsanjan, they were harrassed by fellow pinoys haggling over exorbitant prices. Another french friend was asked to buy food for the two boatmen who asked another fee at the middle of the adventure to continue the ride and then another P2000 for the tip.. bat di na lang kaya sya nagpaampon?

But okay, I have to see it for myself. After an overnight stay in Pansol, Calamba (to celebrate Louna's birthday), we decided that a tour around Pagsanjan should be fun. Along with my whole family, off we went to that place. Just as we entered the town center, our vehicle suddenly transformed into a human magnet. At least 10 men followed us, putting both hands around their eyes then sticking them on the vehicle window to see the people inside. What a show! They already started to get on my nerves. I then asked the driver to move out of that area so I could ask Frenchguy to move at the back of the van just so I could get Filipino prices. But I told you, our vehicle transformed itself into a magnet. These hagglers suddenly became our escorts.

So, okay. What's the price? P660. Per boat? No, per head. Huwaaaaaaaaattttt?

Mga kababayan, with that amount, you could go up the Eiffel Tower - one of the most visited towers in the whole world (30,000 daily visitors during peak season). You could visit the Louvre Museum, the biggest museum in Europe where you could see the original Monalisa - me sukli ka pa nyan. You could visit 13th century wine caves in Burgundy with free wine tasting. So why the f*** should I pay equivalent amount in Pagsanjan?

Ano? Because the boatmen should consume all their energy just to bring you there? Oil ba na galing sa Iraq ang nananalaytay sa ugat nila? Sobrang mahal naman. E pamasahe na yan for two persons papuntang Zambales e. Me pambili ka na ng chitcharon nyan.

Natural park kasi. Ngek. Sige, go to world renowned natural parks like the Grand Canyon and see if you pay that amount.

My point is, why do we have to kill tourism in the Philippines? Why do we have to make the Philippines inaccessible to the Filipinos? Why do we have to level the prices with the prices practiced outside? Are we contented with 500 visitors daily ? Don't we want to aim more and create real jobs for Filipinos?

Call me kuripot or whatever but I don't support this kind of tourism (or however they may call it)!

Any violent reaction is accepted.

Picture taken in Jura, east of France.

Travelling with a Toddler

I should have known better. A business travel experience is nothing compared to travelling with a toddler. On a business trip, I only worry about wifi connections, miles upgrades and which film worthy enough to be seen onboard (moms don't have time to watch films anymore!).

On travelling with a toddler, I was preoccupied by the diapers, fresh wipes, feeding bottles, milk, food, updated vaccin records, vitamines, medicines with doctor's prescription, toys, extra clothes, baby bassinet availability and a lot more. Add to the fact that I instinctively add more than the normal dose to be sure I've got everything onboard. I also brought my cam to catch those precious moments on board, so add to my worry the batteries and the extra gigas to bring with me. All I thought was everything would be a breeze..

But moi is far from being perfect. If only I could rewind my travel, I would:
- not bring my 500-page pocket book which weighs half a kilo. Arrgh! - Yeah right. I had no time to read!
- pack all our stuffs in one small rolling suitcase. I had one very light backpack and another one for Louna's stuffs, all of which I could pile up on one stroller. But imagine once the airline staffs take the stroller. I had everything stack up on my tiny shoulders. Waaah!
- explain to all other passengers that when airline staffs announce that passengers accompanied with babies should board first, it's a no joke. Nakikipagsiksikan pa kasi ang mga mokong, parang wala pang designated seats sa loob. Ano ba yan.
- knock myself down (whichever way possible) to be able to sleep while Louna's sleeping

Buti na lang...
- Dubai Airport provides strollers to passengers. Pierre Cardin pa yan. Ain't that cool?

before / after

- Emirates planes have a long list of Disney movies. Louna adored the Bug's Life! That's luxury!
- A doll stroller comes in real handy. Louna could stray around the airport while Mom's resting.

Globalization

When I first saw HSBC's print ads, I thought I should blog about it. Not that I want to promote it here (it's not even my bank), I just find it excellent and I want to share it with you. For those who never saw the ad, here's the work and play version of the ad.

It's actually a matter of how we view things. Each person, depending on his culture, environment, upbringing.. will see exactly the same thing differently. The magic of globalization is seeing and respecting these differences.

Globalization means competitivity. How could we propose the same product at a lower price? It also means working with different nationalities. We should then think locally and act globally.

Working in a multinational environment, I'm sometimes tasked to do an economic analysis on a certain product. Objective: Cost Reduction. Being Asian, of course, I would prioritize workloads going to this region. Here's some pictures I use to convince big bosses to caution my project - to a promise of lower cost (well, at least, for delivery cost!).

Special thanks to the unknown photographer. Must be a tourist.

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!! HAVE FUN!

Let Me Out

This picture was taken in one of the carparks in Bangkok. I've travelled quite a lot and for me, this one is a certified 'only in bangkok'. If my car is the one with the red arrow, could you figure out how I could move out of this chaos?

The Solution

Well, I guess nobody will find the solution so here it is. In fact, these Thais don't use their handbrakes when they park their car, so you could actually push these cars one by one without any problem till you get enough space to glide your car in between. But imagine pushing two rows of cars just to move your car out? Well, I saw one lady who pushed probably 5 cars each row to get her car out.. but I have to admit, I had a difficulty figuring it out too.

My Bangkok Experience

Prior to my travel to this lovely country, I had already painted in my mind my own vision of Thailand. I have heard a lot about it and worked with its people that I know almost exactly where Patpong is and how the Thais feel about it. But let me repaint my vision. Travel with me.

The Arrival

My arrival was a mix of positive and negative vibes. I waited 30 minutes to get my luggage and hurriedly hopped into the limo to get to my hotel. Yes, you got it right, a limousine! But in fact, it was just a big Mercedez. Me, who, upon receiving the confirmation from the hotel, dreamed of that big long car.

The big, wide roads of Bangkok, though not flooded when it rains, provoke long queues of impatient Thais on the road and I didn’t figure out why. Probably because almost all of the toll gates are manual? Instead of 40 minutes travel time from the airport to my hotel, I was stocked for almost 3 hours inside the limo. Traffic jam was worse compared to Manila.

I spent half of the 3 hours sleeping inside the car. I needed it because I wasn’t able to sleep in the plane and I had to work that same day. The rest of the time was spent observing Bangkok and its people. From the airport to the hotel, I saw but new cars driven by young women in their 4 to 6-lane motorway. King-size roads! But hey, where are the guys hehe?

They have impressive wide roads but they’re not done yet. Infrastructures are just about everywhere. Ready for economic expansion, I should say - both for investors and tourists.

Arriving at the hotel, I was informed that there was no executive room available for me so they’re upgrading me to first. Tatanggihan ko ba naman? And since I was already way too late for my appointment, I asked them to prepare a taxi for me in 30 minutes. Bilis no. After a quick shower, I went down hurriedly to the lobby, and guess what, the company driver was already waiting for me. Sarap buhay!

The Stay

I just stayed for a week so I only had all the evenings of the week and one whole Sunday to get a feel of the Thai life.

For the first evening, I was too tired that I just contented myself for a feast of soft shell crabs (as in kakainin mo lahat, pati shells) at a good restaurant just a block away from my hotel. The good thing about having business travels is that I could taste the good life without worrying for my pocket hehe.

The second evening was of course, fiesta! Accompanied by my colleague, we dined at the Silom Village where traditional music and dances are being performed permanently. A line of art and jewellery boutiques are also present which makes the place extra special. Sayang, I forgot my camera.

We then walked up to the famous Patpong (well, everybody talks about it at the office) but nothing shocked me really. A mix of night market and bars.

The next evening was spent in Siam Square. A chic and cool place, I should say. After a little window shopping, we then joined the Thais in this cool and hip street party. What a night!

Since I only had one Sunday to visit, I decided to go and check the Grand Palace. Wow, these people have something to boast to.

Thai people put coins in this line of pots for long life, I guess. The last picture shows me while praying infront of the Buddha ;)
We ended the day with an intense shopping spree at the Chatuchak Weekend Market. Akala ko kung ano na, parang Divisoria lang pala hehe. One difference probably is that, wala tayo nito:

Security Insecurities

Travelling regulations had changed a lot lately that I sometimes get goosebumps when I board a plane. I once asked to remove my shoes. That was just after the attempt of terrorist attack in England. After that, removing my coat and belt has became an SOP. I'm afraid they will soon ask me to get all of my clothes off!

Travelling for me has to be cool, my luggage, in consequence, has always been light (add to the fact that I don't really know what to put inside). I probably have an average of 15 kg per travel, the heaviest was surely when I decided to migrate here. I had a 30-kg luggage then and I told Frenchguy that I had all my life in there. Needless to say that I never knew what a balikbayan box was all about. I was even travelling with just my backpack then (the immigration officer even asked me kung wala daw bang mabibili sa France hehe). Now, I have my petit cabin luggage which I carry with me everywhere I go. Not that I don't like my backpack anymore, it's just that I have to be proper (for whatever that means) when travelling, minsan kasi me nakakabangga akong big bosses sa airport hehe. I board with my cabin luggage inside the plane without any problem. I was always at the top 10-earliest-traveller who reach the EXIT sign.

But that was history.

Starting November 6 of this year, all of the flights from the European Union, wherever the destination is, will be restricted of liquids, powders or gels inside their cabin luggages (that includes toothpaste!). If you really need to bring some with you, you will have to transfer them in a small transparent sachets, not exceeding 100ml each (or use small containers). These small sachets will then have to be sealed in a 1L sachet. If you have to bring your medecines, be sure to have your doctor's prescription. If you buy some liquids (whisky, etc) in a duty-free, be sure to have the plastic sealed too. And oppps, if you're on transit within the European Union and you bought a bottle of whisky outside the territory, this bottle, even if you buy it in a duty free inside an airport, couldn't be accepted in the next flight. Better drink the whole of it or it will be confiscated (I just saw a pile of alcohol behind the controller's desk the last time I travelled!).

Baby products, buti na lang, are acceptable. But better not fool them, because they might ask you to taste the product (in case of food products) infront of them.

With all that, I'm now obliged to bid goodbye to my cabin luggage for each travel. I will be part of those people crowding the bagage conveyor system at the airport. I won't be at the top 10 anymore.

I was just thinking, we're like prisoners in a free world. Sigh!

Scraps, Work, atbp.

I never imagined how scrapbooking could take as much of my time that I even have no time for blogging. In return, I have 20 lovely scraps hanging on my kitchen window: from Louna's first smile to her first birthday. I even bought the latest version of Photoshop to really indulge myself to this latest passion. Though it's really fun to create, I have to admit that it's equally tiring. So to unwind, frenchguy asked me to go down south on which I readily said yes with the condition to meet fellow pinay bloggers. That was great, I finally had my first ever EB with Haze, Makis and Jhona! Nice to meet you ladies, that was fun!

Louna singing, obviously enjoying this magnificent view.

But to be honest, work has been keeping me busy too. In fact, after my maternity leave, I was more or less a lazy couch potato at work, dealing with nonsense projects. In consequence, I had no salary raise which is quite normal. I then talked to my boss that Louna's big enough now and I wanted to reboost my career, which meant I needed more work. From then on, I learned another lesson: be careful with what you're wishing for. It could come true. Darn, I'm busy!

As if being busy at work and home aren't enough to keep me turning, I received an appointment last week for an interview at the prefecture. The problem is, I won't be available on the proposed date so I hurriedly went to the prefecture first hour the next day to get another appointment. I was then surprised by all the other applicants crowding the entrance so I moved to get closer just to be pushed after by the applicants-turned-rugbymen when the door finally opened. Para akong nasa LRT! The funnier thing is that these rugbymen tried to block the machine distributing the tickets. But these stupid bastards pushed the wrong button so I ended up 2nd on the list. haha! Gusto ko silang dilaan, bwahahaha!

Ooppps, by the way, Nao tagged me weeks ago and asked me to lie 5x. Bad girl! Though I really tried hard to lie as much, hindi po talaga ako sinungaling (hehe). So now, believe my stories or not, I inserted some lies in between. Don't count 5, I don't think I reached the target.