What a Busy Week!

I can't believe it's already Friday.

On one hand, I am relieved that it's already Friday. On the other hand, I realise that I still have a lot to do over the weekend. For starters, I need to report to work tomorrow to cover up for my absence last Wednesday. Thank goodness I work from home and don't have to go out!

This week has been very busy for me. It was a mix of good busy and bad busy. Let me tell you about it.

Busy for Work

I have been given new responsibilities at work, which is a really great thing because it shows they trust me enough. I've also been made in charge of the Filipino content team. In fact, another Filipino has been added to the team this week. I interviewed her on Monday and she got hired immediately!

Busy for License Registration

But as busy as I am for work, I had to work the afternoon shift on Tuesday and be absent on Wednesday because I was taking care of my license registration. The hurdles - not to mention the steep fees! - really don't end with the board exam. But it's alright. We have no choice because we have to get our license!

What made the process fun and bearable was the fact that I came with a friend, Ate Elaine, who was also my classmate, and I also met my old friend, Sonny, who is also my brod from the counterpart fraternity. We're all brokers now, yay! I told them we should form a corporation or something. It's really all for my benefit because Ate Elaine is a CPA while Sonny will take the bar exams this November. Bwahahaha!

By the way, I'm finally a licensed real estate broker. I don't have the physical license yet, but I have a license number!

Busy because Yuri was sick

I've also been busy because of "bad" reasons. For one, Yuri came down with a fever last Wednesday, which did not subside until this morning. He's barely sick, but when he's sick, he's really weak and doesn't move much. He needed some rest and nourishment.

Today, Friday, he's feeling much better, although we keep going to the bathroom because he's having a mild diarrhoea. He says his tummy doesn't hurt though. I think it's because his food intake for the past days is mostly liquid. I won't worry until he says his stomach hurts.

And busy because my laptop is sick

And my trusty laptop is not doing well this week, too. Talk about bad timing! I don't know what happened to it. It was doing well on Tuesday night, but when I came home Wednesday evening, it was suddenly not turning on. It functions but veeeery slowly. In fact, yesterday morning, it took an hour and a half for it to start!

So I PC-refreshed it. The computer promised that the process won't harm the files, but after around an hour of refreshing, when it came back on, all of my blog photos were gone. I wasn't worried much because I could download them from the blog, but I hope it fixes the problem. It's still going a little slow now, but I'll monitor it.

EDIT: The photos are gone from my drive, but when I re-installed Picasa, all my photos are there!!! Every single one. Good guy Picasa is good!

How was your week?

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I Passed The Board Exam (!) and Other Stories

I'm back! I'm finally back!

I don't know if you missed me, but I surely missed my little community and, of course, blogging.

I know I said in my last post that I'm starting a new blog. It's true. In fact, I'm going to tell you more about it later. I have soooo many stories to tell you! But first, let me tell you that....

1. I PASSED THE BOARD EXAM 

Yes I did! They said that this year's board exam is that toughest so far - I'm not sure but perhaps it really is - and even the seasoned attorneys and experienced real estate practitioners had trouble answering it.

It was hard but I thought it was manageable. Yeah you can call me mayabang now, but that's not what I mean. The truth is I think I only "lucked out" when I chose which topics to focus on. I put "luck" in quotation marks because what I mean is that God gave me the right discernment.

Finding time to study was hard - I mean, I'm a mum, I have a full-time job, and I have a part-time job - so I could not even open all the resources I have had despite not sleeping during some nights. But I felt God telling me to do away with the reviewers (I think I had 3) and to focus on the actual laws and computations instead.

So to maximise my time, I practiced computations and painstakingly read the Republic Acts, Execution Orders, Presidential Decrees, and the rest.

Guess what came out in the exams?

Mostly laws and computations.

When the day finally came that the PRC announced the passers, I already received messages from people telling me that I passed, and I knew I should give credit to God alone. Yes it was me who studied and memorised and stayed awake until dawn, but it was God who gave me the prompting and right discernment on what to study and, more importantly, the sheer strength, good health, and clear state of mind.

Thank you to everyone who helped me (my mum most especially!!!), those who congratulated me, and thank you Lord!

Funny anecdote:

(The morning when I found out I passed, I told only my Papa because Mama was not yet home from a 2-day conference)

Me: Pa pasado ako!!!
Papa (without missing a beat): Anong place?
Me: Err... 

*insert Asian over-achieving dad meme here*

2. I TURNED 25 

A few days after becoming a true broker (can't say "licensed" because I don't have my license yet!) was my birthday. I turned 25!

And I have so many things to thank for: a loving partner who remains faithful to God and to me despite our situation, a smart and bibo 3-year old who gets more unpredictable each day, a supportive family, a new job where I don't feel like I'm actually working, new friends, old friends, and, of course, passing what could possibly be the most important exam of my life.

But I really need to lose weight. So help me God.

3. NEW AND OLD RESPONSIBILITIES 

However, it's not just fun and surprises. This month's one of my busiest months this year so far because, aside from having new responsibilities as a consequence of passing the exam, my old commitments are also catching up.

For instance, I have a book here sent to me by the author last April, and I need to review it. And I will. I commit to doing it this week.

4. A NEW BLOG 

Yeah, I have a new blog. It's on WordPress.org, hosted by CoffeeMags.com (thank you Pam for the recommendation, and one of the owners turns out to be my schoolmate from UP!).

So why am I still blogging here?

I have 2 reasons.

First, after several frustrating days of migrating my blog, I gave up the other night. I was able to migrate everything except my comments. After everything I did failed, I finally gave up and decided that instead of migrating, I'll take the road less traveled and begin a new blog from the ground up.

Piece of advice: Don't use Disqus or InteseDebate or any third-party commenting system for that matter and save yourself from a massive headache if ever you're considering migrating.

Anyway, it wouldn't seem like so much of a fresh start if I have a new blog but have almost 700 old blog posts. Also, I don't want to totally obliterate DavaoMommy.com from blogosphere. It was my home for more than 2 years after all. Google search will take care of it haha.

Second, I almost forgot I still have an obligation for Nuffnang. It would be complicated if I write the sponsored post in a different blog. I know I shouldn't post my new future home yet for the surprise factor, but I couldn't help it as my launching count down page is quite pretty. (And I'm hoping you sign up for updates - shh.) Here's where I'll be moving to in the near future.

5. A DREAM COME TRUE: A HOME OFFICE 

I think every remote or home-based worker will agree with me if I say having a real home office is a dream come true. I just had my own last Wednesday.

Technically, it is my mum's home office. She is not only a real estate practitioner but also the village secretary and the Purok leader. So people come to our house day in and day out. Finally fed up with all the papers and files and people filling our house, my parents decided to have an office built.

The great thing is that I have my own space there so it's almost like having my own office. (And mama's not home most of the time anyway!)

______ 

If you're still reading at this point, thank you! Sorry for the long post, I just have so many stories to tell after more than a month of not blogging. In fact, I have more stories, which I'll save for another post. Also, I know all of the stories I chose are good ones, but I also have problems and struggles. I just choose to share the positive ones (most of the time anyway).

Enough about me. How about you? What's up? :)

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Annoying Gatecrashers and Other Stories

Every muscle in my body is aching! It's 6:20 am here, I only have 40 minutes until work starts (my work starts at 7am and ends at 3pm), and I'm still here in bed with Yuri. At least I can still work with me in bed. #perksofaWAHM

The reason why I'm so tired (as well as everybody in the household - actually, almost everybody active in this village) is that we came from the beach yesterday. We had fun, yes, but sadly, because of some reason, our day also quickly turned sour. Let me rant a little and share with you what happened.

Annoying Gatecrashers

The activity at the beach yesterday was planned as an R&R slash team building activity for everyone who worked hard to make last week's fiesta (our village's first fiesta slash foundation day ever). It was planned among the village officers as a treat to themselves and the youth who laboured really hard for days and even went home at dawn just to finish everything that needed to be finished. 

Obviously, the event should be just for the officers and the youth who call themselves "Cecilia Boys." We cooked our own food and paid for our own entrance fees etcetera. The boys used their prize money from the basketball game they played in during the fiesta. And we had fun.

Including this kiddo

Until the gatecrashers came in.

Yuri Turned 3, I Graduated, and Other Stories

Hi everyone! Happy Monday! As what is becoming usual for me nowadays, I don't have a proper post prepared again. I'm just so busy, and while I'm thankful, I don't want to neglect responsibilities!

I actually just came back from a vacation, which turned quite ugly for me midway because I had food poisoning. I know, right? And all I ate were the same with what the rest of our group ate. I will surely write about our adventures and misadventures in Baguio, Ilocos Sur and Ilocos Norte, Manila, and Cavite soon.

(For my friends in Manila, I only set foot there for hours and most of them were spent inside a car.)

Oh I will write about the trip and every important thing that I need to write about. Just as soon as I get to finish everything I need to do today! Reality surely didn't waste its time making its presence felt.

You see, the week before our vacation, I didn't receive important emails and didn't even receive a single email from my regular client. So I wasn't very productive that week.

However, during the trip, a barrage of important emails came crashing in. My client emailed me about a change in our strategy, I got several blog invitations and offers, and I even got a job inquiry and an invitation for interview. I had no choice but to respond and say I will be available to handle their concerns as soon as I'm back in good ole Davao. (My client knows I'm on vacation though.)

But really, I was like, where were you when I was bored and idle? Where were you?! Just kidding.

Here Comes March!

Can we just take a moment and revel in the fact that it's already March (yesterday)? I mean, didn't we just celebrate Christmas and New Year? Time flies!

Source: http://quotesblog.net/

February was truly a roller-coaster ride for me. First, my Comprehensive Real Estate (Brokerage) classes began last February 7, and even though I never imagined myself being in this field, I found myself enjoying every day of "school." Sometimes, I dread them especially when Atty. Raymond Batu (our lecturer for the legal aspects of real estate) threatens to hold an oral recitation, but I still enjoy our classes generally. I also realized they were nothing but empty threats haha, or maybe we just always run out of time. (I wrote a post about my life as a student here.)

I'm feeling floral today! 

A photo posted by Marie Angeli Laxa (@maanlaxa) on Feb 27, 2015 at 7:27pm PST

I love dressing up for school.

On the other hand, I have also done major career decisions last month. I had an almost month-long hiatus from work because I needed to decide whether I want to stay with my current job or explore new opportunities.

In the end, after the hiatus and many prayers and much self-reflection, I decided to stay with my current job but drastically reduce my hours. I explored new opportunities, and now, I'm a writer for a Christian company (I'll write about it in the next days) and a freelance writer for Writer Bay. I'm enjoying my new setup so far!

However, the downside of my career move last month is the loss of income.
 

Frugal Beauty Haul from Watsons

Another perk of being a student once more (at least for me!) is having a legitimate reason to buy skincare  products and some makeup. Thus, before our classes officially started a couple of weeks ago, I went on a trip to the ever reliable Watsons to buy said beauty products.

You see, because I'm just home everyday, I didn't find the need to buy stuff for my skin. A compact of Maybelline pressed powder and a tube of either Human Nature lipgloss or classic Carmex would suffice. But I wanted to appear more "professional" in class, so I needed to buy "stuff." However, I also wanted to remain frugal so I chose to go to Watsons rather than cutesy Korean shops. Anyway, I'm rambling, so let me show you what I've gotten (I don't remember the specific prices so I'll give you a rough estimate and try to be as accurate as possible!):

1. Pond's Flawless White BB Cream

I wanted to try Holika Holika since I read Ms. Ro of Animetric's review of it. But I don't know where to find it, so I settled for a tried and tested brand. It works naman and it doesn't make my face look ghastly white. I still want to try other brands though; maybe next time, I can try a Korean brand!

A tube costs around P300, but Ponds products were marked down at P50 less, so it was just around P250.

2. Watsons Foot Peeling Mask with Papaya and Lactic Acid

I have rough skin on my feet. Yeah, TMI, I know, but it's kind of annoying because all the scrubbing in the world wouldn't make it soft and smooth; it only turns my feet's skin raw. I wanted to try Foot Appeal because it got raving reviews, but then I saw this far prettier box!

This was on sale from around P200 to just around P80. I wasn't able to try it yet but I shall make a review once I am finally able to do so.

Life as a Student

Okay, a review student for only 8 weeks, not a full-fledged student. I actually still have a scholarship for Masteral and Doctorate degrees in UP (#humblebrag #sorry), but because of my strong aversion to oral recitations and quizzes, I don't think that scholarship shall ever be used.

I digress.

So I've been a "student" for a couple of weeks now, swallowing my aversion to all things academic to perform my daughter-ly duty. Ang drama ba? No, actually, my mother influenced me to take up a real estate brokerage board exam not so I can follow in her footsteps in the field but because she knows employment is not in my blood. Well, yeah, she got that right.

I digress again! Ano ba!

Okay, if anyone thought real estate brokerage was easy, he's so wrong. I mean, I also thought the same before the first class started. I'm reality, we have to know so many laws and so many concepts and do so many computations. Eek!

But there are things I love about being a "student" again. The first thing I love the most about being a student is, I'm not gonna lie, time alone. I only go to classes every Saturdays and Sundays, but believe me, those weekends are the biggest amount time I have ever spent alone as a mother. Because I know Yuri is well taken care of at home, I don't have to worry about him at class and can fully focus on learning and on myself.

The second thing I love about going to school is picking out outfits. Well, it would have been fun if only I didn't gain weight. But I did so my wardrobe choices are limited at the moment.

However, now, I have a legitimate reason to buy new clothes!

And We Can Uplift Each Other

I don't remember the last time I blogged lightheartedly. Oh I remember pala. It was during Job's birthday the other week. Was it only 10 days ago? It seems like a lifetime.

Last week, I felt down for reasons I will describe below. However, there was also one thing that occurred last week that forced made me to remember the happy things. Look at this photo:

You see toys; I see hope.

This photo was sent to me in an envelope containing more photos and a letter. A thank you letter. See, the envelope came from World Vision. Aside from the photo above, there were other photos depicting a handsome smiling boy in a shopping cart with her mother, shopping for toys and clothes.

The boy is a 3-year old, almost the same age as Yuri, and one of my World Vision sponsors. The letter came from him and his mom, thanking me for my meager contribution to their joy. Joy not because of the toys and clothes but joy because of the hope that we can help each other and uplift each other. It's not impossible pala.

And it made me rethink some things in light of a different context:

What's Up: Future Home Plans

Hello!

I’m sorry for not posting in the last few days. I’ve been too busy, busy, busy! You see, I decided to go back to work and still hunting for a freelance writing gig – not to augment my income or add stress to my life (harhar) but, well, just to explore writing more.

But the biggest reason why I haven’t been able to blog lately is this: I’m beginning my review classes to become a real estate broker.

Actually, it’s Saturday night now, and I just came from the first day of our class. What we discussed earlier was not very different from what we discussed last year, when I attended the seminar to become a real estate salesperson, but it’s a very important refresher. I also expect to learn a lot more in the next 15 days of my life. I will write about this on Monday.

But aside from preparing myself for the board exam and, ultimately, pursue a career in professional real estate brokerage (when? I don’t know haha), the lessons we heard also remind me of my own house. And how excited I am to finally transfer (which won’t happen after 3-5 years but I’m patient), and, you know, interior design.

I admit that several times throughout the day, my mind drifted off as I started to imagine what our house would look like. I imagined the bigger things like the paint on the wall, the floor tiling, the living room set and the dining room set down to the mundane stuff like curtains.

Because our house is on the small side (to put it mildly haha), I know I need to stay away from thick drapery. Aside from making the house look even smaller, they would also make the inside feel stuffy. So I’m thinking of using lace curtains instead. I started looking for them and found this on www.cwotop.com:

These curtains can be found here: http://www.ctwotop.com/baby-blue-blackout-custom-read-made-simple-lace-curtains-with-rose-lace-p-818.html. Aren't they lovely? I like how they provide enough shade but are not too thick that they cause the room to feel stuffy. On the contrary, I think they make the room feel fresh and airy!

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post. 

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Before the Grind Begins

It's Saturday, the third of January, and also officially the last day of "vacation." Technically, I don't get a vacation, but because the students are on Christmas vacation, it means there's almost no essay to review over the holidays. Thus, self-imposed vacation for me.

How are you?

I feel as if it's been so long since I last interacted with someone online. I know there are still occasional updates on this blog, but my mind has been far from blogging during this vacation. Aside from the busyness that comes with the season, I just wanted to make the most of this down-time. The truth is that I have several things I need to blog, but I don't want to sit in front of the computer just to blog. After all, this is the only time of the year when I can afford to not look at my laptop for a whole day!

Today, I was able to review four essays this morning and none at all this afternoon. So I'm taking a short time to drop in and blog. There are also many things in my mind that I feel the need to write something to let off some mental steam.

Source: allthingsdisneysfrozen.tumblr.com

Aside from going back to regularly working, here are the things that face me once Monday begins:

1. I need to go back to eating a healthy diet. 

I'm sure you have heard this a million times, and like many other people, I've pigged out a lot over the holidays. I actually can't wait to eat red rice, white meat, and vegetable salads again!

2. I seriously need to go back to exercising and working out.

Which I haven't done in, like, a year, and my body is seeing the effects. I'm so big.

3. I will be beginning my review classes for my brokerage exam.

This means I won't have any weekend free from January to March. I'm a bit anxious for it to start since I haven't been in a classroom setting for years, but I'm also excited to learn a lot of new things.

And some long-term preparations:

4. I need to get ready for a family trip on March.

5. I also need to prepare for the official start of our homeschooling on June.

So now, I'm making the most out of the last day of vacation and, at the same time, worrying over some stuff that I don't need to worry about. #OCDproblems

What about you? What do you need to do once vacation is over?

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I Got A New Title (and a phone, too!)

In 2010, I got the title, UP alumna; during the same year, I became a member of the workforce. It was 2012 when I got called "mother." I became a "blogger," too. Can you guess what my new title is?

Nope, you'll probably neveeeer guess. Even Job had no idea. Even I didn't have any idea until last Wednesday, too!

Ehem, as of yesterday, I'm officially a Real Estate Accredited Salesperson.

(Technically, I still need to complete my requirements and get my license from the PRC but you get the idea.)

Come March next year, God-willing, I may call myself a Real Estate Broker, too.

(After, ugh, 8-week reviews and an exam!)

This is so surreal because I don't have any background - or interest - in real estate at all!

But my mother has been wanting me to at least try for some years now. I don't have to do it full-time anyway naman daw. And she just told me about this seminar last Wednesday ha, so I was really shocked. I didn't have the heart to refuse her anymore since she's been requesting me to do it nang ilang beses na, and this might be the last of the seminars for accrediting salespersons.

New Perspective