The World of Second Chances

Ikaw Sana

December 8, 2009

That’s Entertainment

I’ve never been a fan of tele-serye until I got hooked on GMA 7’s “Ikaw Sana.” Let me just clarify that I am not a fan of Jennylyn, Mark and Pauleen; I just learned to love their tele-serye.

Pauleen, in “Ikaw Sana” plays the role of Sophia Montemayor-Olivares. She is Eliza’s (Jennylyn) wicked half-sister. Like a true tele-serye that’s full of drama, the two women fell for the same guy, Michael Olivares (Mark). I’ve never appreciated Pauleen Luna’s acting skill until she played the role of Sophia. Pauleen can internalize and feel her role well. I wonder why she was not given any heavy drama role before. I can’t think of any actress who fits the role of the evil socialite Sophia than the pretty Pauleen Luna.

Mark needs to look matured as he’s still baby-faced; he can still be paired with younger actresses like Ynna Asistio. There’s no question that the Jennylyn-Mark loveteam is one of GMA’s bankable team. The couple (Jen and Mark) has evolved from portraying teenybopper to matured roles. There is chemistry between Mark and Jen. I wonder why Mark and Jen didn’t end up with each other in real life!

Jennylyn has grown prettier since her Starstruck days. I no longer read bad publicities about Jen and I hope that her reported mood swings won’t happen again. She is lucky because GMA gave her another chance after that unplanned pregnancy that gave her a very cute Alex Jazz.

Tirso Cruz (Gener Montemayor,father of Sophia and Eliza) and Maritoni Fernandez (Loretta Montemayor, wife of Gener and mother of Sophia) are seasoned actors and I think everybody appreciates the way they deliver their character. But honestly, my favorite is Ms. Marissa Delgado as Amanda Montemayor, the grandmother of Sophia and Eliza. Marissa is one classy lady that can effectively portray the role of a high-society matriarch. I always wait for her tarayan scenes with Maritoni Fernandez, who is also a classy lady and a LADY in real life. She is a daughter of a British aristocrat, Lord Anthony Moynihan.

Love, revenge and family issues; that’s “Ikaw Sana.”
Postpartum Calorie Watch

December 5, 2009

Life & Love

caloriewatch

If you are calorie-conscious like me, I am sharing with you the attachment that I downloaded from the net several years back.

On December 10, my baby boy will turn three months. That means that next week would be my third postpartum month! While I am among the very few mothers who didn’t gain too much weight during my pregnancy, I belong to the several many who find it hard to resume to our pre-pregnancy figure. Oh, don’t get me wrong that I have the same body type as Nicole Kidman or our local Aubrey Miles who were able to lose several pounds after giving birth. Nicole was said to be back to her pre-pregnancy figure two weeks after giving birth. As for Aubrey, she was proudly parading her post-pregnancy body during a lingerie modelling show some two months ago. If these women were able to shed several post-pregnancy pounds in less than a year, then why can’t the “several many” do the same?

I made a commitment to myself that I’m going to bring back my college days figure. It’s depressing to hear from college acquaintances that I’ve grown big. An old college friend told me not to mind those insensitive people.

“You’re not that big. You were just anorexic in college,” she would say.

Yeah, I was underweight in college. Blame that to those skinny fashion models! Lol!

I know in my heart that I could never bring back my old college figure. I gained weight after college and fortunately,
I didn’t gain a lot of weight during my second pregnancy. I’ll just have to change my idea of “how thin is thin and how fat is fat” and adapt it to my age.
Acidic Pop Cola?

December 5, 2009

Career, Finance & Product

Is someone trying to sabotage Pop Cola? Last night, (just like our ordinary nights) I asked my daughter to buy Pop Cola from our neighbor’s sari-sari store. When she brought home the bottle, we noticed that it doesn’t have the usual black color. The color resembled that of an iced tea.

I took the bottle, opened it and noticed that there was no “spirit.” I decided to taste the soda and to my shock, the liquid burned my tounge! It took me a lot of gargling before the acidic taste went away.

My question is, “Is someone trying to sabotage Pop Cola?” I should have kept the bottle with the acidic soda but panic attacked us last night; we gave back the bottle to the sari-sari store.
Anger Management

December 3, 2009

Wedding & Family Life

I need to undergo anger management seminar. I realize that I’m becoming the evil person that I am not really. Since I experienced a lot of stress this year from my mother’s “mysterious” disease to my father’s troubles to my mother’s demise and to the other stressful problems, I became hot-tempered and suspecting. I learned how to blurt out bad words when I’m pissed off. I learned how to verbally attack a person when I’m provoked.

I hate it. It’s not me.

I realize that I am still angry for everything bad and sad that happened this year.

I need to let go of my anger.

I need time and understanding.

I need God’s help and mercy.
Mindanao

December 2, 2009

Life & Love

Ampatuan vs. Mangudadatu
Nice headline. It projects an image of two warring Muslim royalties.

Maguindanao Massacre
Gruesome headline. It projects an image of a backward civilization.

Since last Monday’s (November 23) massacre, I’ve been surfing the internet for more facts and details about the Mangudadatus and the Ampatuans. I learned that they used to be allies. When we speak of allies, I hope it does not mean that the Mangudadatus supported the Ampatuans wicked activities. One article says that the Mangudadatus are warlords themselves. I hope that the Maguindanao massacre is not some sort of karma as I condemn political killings.

Mindanao is called “The Land of Promise.” But is it really promising? Mindanao’s lands are fertile; the perfect land for agriculture. Its seas are said to be perfect for fishing and tourism. I grew up with an impression that Mindanao is not a peaceful place. Its problems are more political than socio-economical.

How many Abu Sayaffs do we have and why can’t our military forces pin them down? It leads me to think that we tolerate these terrorists because there is business in war. There’s big money involved. And maybe, there are some big families in Mindanao that conspire with this group.

The MNLF and the MILF, in my opinion, do not regard themselves as Filipinos.
“We are Muslim,” they would say but never “We are Filipino.”
Does it mean that being a Muslim give them an authority to ask for an independent Mindanao?

Is there hope in Mindanao?
My Mother’s Daughter

November 6, 2009

Life & Love

I am sitting in front of my laptop with a cup of coffee; ¼ tablespoon of coffee, 2 tablespoons of creamer and 1 tablespoon of sugar. When did I develop a taste for coffee? Probably it was during my college days when I had to finish all my assignments and prepare for the next day’s lessons. Prior to my college years, I HATED coffee! It was my mother who was addicted to it. I didn’t realize that several years later, I would become the person that I never thought I would be. I realize that I am becoming like my mother in so many ways or maybe in so many ways that annoyed me when I was younger.

When my mother was still a full-time housewife, she was a neat freak. She took much attention of the restroom and kitchen. Did we, as kids, leave the toilet messy? Did I, at ten years of age, wash the dishes properly? Her being a meticulous made me and my younger brother take care of our things properly. I hate greasy pans and plates. I hate it when the glasses and utensils smell fishy. I hate it when the kitchen is left untidy. I hate it when the toilet is left messy. I realize, I was never this meticulous before and it would take a week of orientation before my helper gets my particular style in good housekeeping.

I thought I was not jologs like my mama when it comes to food but lately, I’ve been craving for cheap puddings, kupeng, otap and mamon. These breads cost less than ten pesos but enough to fill in a hungry stomach. Mama thought that my Goldilocks or Red Ribbon pasalubong were too expensive but would eat them, anyway.

Now the budgeting issue; whenever I remind my husband, my kid, my sister-in-law and my helper to turn off the lights when not in use, I hear my mother’s voice in my own voice. She would always ask me and my brothers to turn off the tap properly, turn off the lights between 10 AM to 5PM (unless necessary) and turn off the TV or sound system when not in use. I understand where she was coming from. She, being the breadwinner, knew the value of money more than anyone else in our household.

There are still a lot of comparisons that I have yet to discover and a lot of things that I hope I would be, someday. I would like to be a great cook like my late mother. Her kare-kare was the best. I would like to be motherly like her. I would like to be empathic like her. I would like to be patient like her. I would like to be a good wife like her. I would like to be a good daughter to my remaining parent like her. I would like to be a good sister like her. I would like to be be a good friend like her. I am my mother’s daughter; sooner or later, I would do funny, silly, relevant, meticulous and good things like her.
Desperate Housewife

October 13, 2009

Life & Love, That’s Entertainment

You may find this kinda late but since my maternity leave
started last September 8, I’m hooked in watching Desperate Housewives.
Oh yeah, the transition from being a Sex and the City fanatic to being
a Desperate Housewives fanatic. Does it have something to do with my
change of civil status? Perhaps! But since I’m watching it on DVD and I
started on the 3rd Season episodes, I’m not sure if the housewives had
budgeting problems like me.

I used to argue with my late mother on budgeting. It was not budgeting per se
but it was the way she used to mention how tough a job budgeting is.And since I was
living alone with lots of comfort on my apartment which is a two-hour drive from
my parents’ home, I didn’t know that budgeting for a large family is really a tough job!

When I got married and my husband moved in with me, he nearly freaked me out for
touching on stuff that were supposed to be out in my perceived time.Then came his
sister a month after we got married. Budgeting was becoming more challenging!
When my daughter from my first love joined us after my mother passed away, I don’t know
if my pregnancy had something to do with my mood swings whenever I see the cupboard
empty ahead of my scheduled grocery day. It was not only the groceries that I was concerned
about. It was the electricity bill and water bill that shoot up! When the baby and the helper
came, grocery cost increased by 40%, electricity by 120% and water by 100%. Oh, don’t count the
baby; I didn’t include him in the computation.

My husband noticed how irritated I was yesterday. He knew it was the budgeting issue.
“Why can’t some people be just as disciplined as me? And for everyone’s info, when
I used to live with my relatives, I never touched their stuffs!”

Yes, it’s not just the money issues that I’m irritated about; it is also the consumption issue.
When I was living alone, everything was scheduled and budgeted. Electricity and water cost
were lower because I knew how to conserve. It is easier to impart that to my sister-in-law
and daughter because they are family. I have a big job to educate my helper on CONSERVATION.

Back to Desperate Housewives, in running a family with extension (sister-in-law) and a helper,
maybe I could associate myself with Lynette Scavo. I admire the way she handles her family.
She’s tough yet cool about her children especially when the twins are already on their
teens. She knows her insecurities and is not afraid to tell others about it. (The episode
when she told the successful Bree Hodge that she’s jealous of her career)

Susan Mayers and Gabrielle Solis are my most favorite character. Susan resembles me
in the way that we’re both hopeless romantics. (But I’m not a drama queen like her!)
She’s the most natural character aside from Lynette’s. Susan’s imperfections like
her carelessness make her more adorable. Ordinary housewives would say that yeah,
life is fair; because a beauty like Susan could be so vulnerable and careless, too!
I love Gabrielle Solis because she reminds me of my youth; the time when I thought
it was easy to change boyfriends because a better one would surely come my way.(It didn’t
happen, though. I only had three boyfriends before I got married, the last one became my
husband) Gabrielle’s character is just as fiery as mine. I love her sense of humor and style, too.
I love Season 5 because it showed the down to earth side of Gabriel Solis when she and Carlos
nearly hit bankcrupcy.

Bree Hodge, though the most charming character is the most superficial, too. Her being so
reserved and acting with much finesse is just too unnatural for me. Oh, maybe it’s the reason
why her children turn out to be that way?

Edie Britt reminds me of Samantha in “Sex and the City.” Both are blonde, pretty and
free-spirited. Between the two, I prefer Edie’s character and her reputation as the
neighborhood “slut.” I don’t remember Samantha being condemned by her friends; in fact
she is well-loved by her friends! What I like in Edie’s character is this: it’s natural
for women to feel threatened to the presence of a hot woman in the neighborhood. Edie’s character
wants to tell us that not all pretty and sought-after women are happy. (Season 3 shows a vulnerable
Edie pleading for love and commitment to Carlos)