I found home

It's been 2 years and 5 months since my last post and i'm only reviving this so you could check my new blog :)

Click here to go there.

OR copy this to your browsers http://ifoundhome.wordpress.com

OR google me: Poor Mom's Blog

OR whatever,,,just go there! see you at my new home :)

wordpress vs blogspot

 

This is my statistics.  The main reason why I'm in wordpress right now and not blogger.   I get excited each time I see my blog getting its fair share of readers.  Last Tuesday (April 27),  I had 12 visitors from all over.    While one can istall a third party stat reader for blogger, this one is an automatic WP feature.   With wordpress, you get to see how the reader got to your blog, what are the search terms they used, how many views they got for the day and if they click any links from your blog.  here's a sample of what i am claiming:

Today, my visibility relied on the tags I used for the post and one link shared at Pinoy exchange. Yesterday, a reader from FisherBoy dropped by in my blog.  People have been finding my blog with the terms Dawal, Zambales, Magic Lagoon and Subic.  I noticed how seasonal this can be.  Last Christmas, readers  found my blog because they've been looking for Crema de Fruta recipe and the girls' cookout article have been raking hits.  Now people have been looking for vacation spots.  I'm sure I will have lesser visitors by June - November but it's fine with me.

I used to have a blogspot but I wasn't able to update it after the wedding which was almost 3 years ago.   I like that Blogger has several themes available.  Search google and more users are creating exciting themes for Blogger.  Wordpress has limited themes and features are sometimes limited to the theme you choose.  I hate it that you have to upgrade an account or upload wordpress to you own host for you to use the special themes.   But wordpress has several widgets you can use to enhance your blog like meebo, custom text, Del.icio.us, Flickr, Twitter updates,platial mapkits,,,etc.  I have yet to explore the last 4 because I don't have them...sayang naman!

Operation: hanap bahay

we've been scouting for a house ever since last year, but this month was really intended for that purpose.  I have called and texted quite a number of sellers but we were only able to view a few.  Either we end up not findingthe house or the vicinity is no longer appealing to us that we don't check the house anymore.  I rely solely on two sources Sulit and Buy and Sell.  If we're lucky enough, some sellers upload pictures of their house in Sulit.  With Buy and Sell, you'll have to contact them and hear the line "see to appreciate".  We've been eyeing Cainta since it's easier to go to work (minus the traffic) but the flood issue always comes in the way.  I remember witnessing a waist-deep flood right in front of the village of  the house we were supposed to see.  Jaims said Taytay is another option.  It can be far but not as far as Antipolo or Fairview or Laguna and Bulacan.  That's why I broadened my search and included Taytay as a prospective place.  I got a few but this one we were eyeing has a picture.  The price is 1.5M but I'm thinking maybe we could bargain.

It's located in Dividend Homes in Taytay.  A 2 storey - 90 sq. m. - house. 

It has two bedrooms, a veranda, 2 t&b, a dirty kitchen/laundry area and the front can serve as garage.  It has a kitchen sink and cabinet too.  Sofi likes the veranda.  While we were upstairs talking to the owner she was pulling my hand towards the veranda.  She liked it that she can see the outside part and not get wet.  The house is near a park/basketball court and the community, Dividend Homes, looks like a peaceful place.  They have a gate along Velasquez St. and there is a security stationed by the gate.   It looks quite better in "person."  It has a homey feel and good enough to raise and start a family.

The reason why I'm blogging this is because I like the house but I don't have money.  We asked them how much was the lowest bargain given to them and they said they didn't give it at 1.3M.  And we couldn't afford to give them even half of it as downpayment.   Jaims said that it should be a lesson to us that if the house cost 1.5M, we shouldn't go and check it anymore because we just end up being sad. 

On my way home, I was telling God to just sell the house right away.  By that we know that the house isn't really for us.  hanap ule...

time deposit

despite the strong rain yesterday i was finally able to go to the bank and opened a time deposit for Sofia.  I already texted my teller-friend, Joannes that i'll opened an account in their branch earlier this week.  Jaims got back at past 10 from a client call and he was too sleepy to even surf.  so while he was asleep i grabbed the opportunity and sent little sofi to sleep, too.  When i was sure that they won't wake up in a while, I packed all the docu needed and went to BDO (Stanford-Shaw branch).

Joannes texted me the following requirements:

2 valid id's




1 1x1 picture




baby's birth certificate




sell all your third currencies because BDO only buys US dollar

I have sold all her foreign currencies (US$, Canadian $ and Yen) last night at SM Marikina.  I used my PRC and company id as two valid IDs, snatched an old 1x1 picture and brought Sofi's birth certificate.   No need to worry about photocopying all the docu since they will do it for you.  Once you get there, proceed to the new accounts section and inquire about their TD.  They will ask you to fill up three forms, 2 forms about yourself and another one about your baby.  Take note that this TD is an ITF (in trust for) for Sofia so if you're opening a TD for yourself alone i'm not sure if you'll be filling up lesser forms.  After which, I inquired about their rates and the person in charge will show you there current rate sheet.

I couldn't remember the other rates except for the range where Sofi's money falls.  For 10,000 - 50,000 range, 30-60-90 days will earned her money 1.625% more and 180 days and above will give her 2.5%.  I tried the 90 days for the meantime.  The bank will automatically roll her money on its maturity date.  I asked her if i could roll it any other day or a few days after the maturity date but she said that if you don't go there on the said date the bank will automatically renew the TD.  I wanted to get a longer maturity term but first times always have drawbacks.  90 days is enough trial period.

Atthe end of our transaction, I was handed this...a Time Deposit Certificate

and oh, i asked her if this can be enrolled in their online banking...and she said NO...damn!

Mrs. Teddy Banks

This is Mrs. Teddy Banks, half-sister ng lahat ng teddy ni sofi (teddy, teddy big, teddy oink-oink, etc.). She's currently recuperating from the wound she incurred from the caesarian operation she had the other day. The operation was done by Doc Elizaga (aka fisherboy, computer techie, Mr. Photograper, Mr. Barber and Daddi).

All the coins we got from Mrs. Banks were traded into bills courtesy of Mama and it amounted to P1600.00 We also dropped a few bills inside which totalled to P4500.00. These plus more bills inside her drawer made her richer than I am right now. Since I have a month to spend, i thought of opening an account for Sofia so all her monetary gifts and savings will earn interest. I figured, sayang naman if it just stays inside the drawer. Although I haven't decided if I will place it in a Time Deposit and roll it until she reaches 18. Or maybe open a kiddie account,  perhaps from Metrobank or BDO then just add more as she grows.

Jaims and I promised not to spend the money she got from her birthday, baptism and Christmases. We borrow money from her, occasionally, but we made sure that she gets paid the same amount we owe her. I think this will be a big help to us when she starts going to school. Since no one can really trust educational plans nowadays. But the question is, where should I place her money? Savings? Time Deposit? Trust Fund? or drawer? :p

waddyathink?

Road Trip: April 2009

Left Manila: April 4, 2009

• Destination 1:  Subic
• Destination 2:  Pundakit, San Antonio, Zambales
• Destination 3:  Uacon, Candelaria, Zambales
• Destination 4: Dagupan City

DAY 1:

We were supposed to leave as early as 6 am because Jaims wanted to catch the track Day at Subic International Raceway.  It was an invitation from the NissanBayan for the MazdaTech people to join them in their trackday.   While the desire to get there was high, the need to stay late in Manila to deliver overdue work was more pressing.  We first met a guy somewhere around Manila to drop off an album then we proceed to St. Luke's to deliver Bien's goodies.  I stayed a little longer to catch up with Mylene who just gave birth to the Peñaranda twins.  The road trip officially started at  11 am.  Traffic was terrible before NLEX since the MRT station was being done.  We had our first stop at Burger King.  Totally got disappointed with the Whopper Jr.  The last time I ate one was during my pregnancy days with Sofi.  And seeing how small a whopper Jr. makes me so sad :(.  Anyway Dadi got his free back massage at Burger King.

Passing to SCTEX was part of the plan.  The newly constructed Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expreesway was a breeze -- plus, we get to do some drifting.  Though Jaims claims  that it was a little boring since there's no traffic to think about.  At 3PM, were able to arrive at the Raceway.  In as much as I wanted to feel the adrenaline rush I just can't join him.  I begged that he drop us off to the nearest lodge, hotel or whatever that is within the budget.  He initially wanted to leave us at All Hands Resort, but from afar one can see how many people are dipping on the shore.  I just want to rest.  So we went up the road and found Crown Peak.  The place looks eery but the sight of the pool made us stay.  We checked in at the Tiara Bldg.  After 30 minutes, I decided to bring sofi down at the pool.  Knowing it will take a while before Daddi comes back.

The pool was clover-shaped with depth ranging from 2.6 ft - 6 ft -- not too cold but not too hot.  It has a slide in the middle, and little tables were scattered around the pool.  The shallowest part of the pool was up to Sofi's neck :)  We got tired waiting for Daddi so I decided to go back to our room and dry Sofi.  Dad came in after 30 minutes.  He was all smiles and he kept on talking how fun it was to drive around the raceway.  that moment I felt he loved me a notch higher for allowing him to drive hehehhe...

We decided to explore Subic for dinner.  Besides he wanted to see if the fishing spot we saw that afternoon was great.  We found Annie's Kitchen near the Subic Bay and decided to take our dinner.  Since we don't have a definite plan, we were extra tight on the budget.   On our way back to the hotel, the mood changed.  We were stopped at the checkpoint because we failed to use seatbelts.  Daddi was given a ticket for not wearing a seatbelt and another ticket for not informing his passenger [ me ] to wear a seatbelt.  Crap!  For the entire day we were so obedient of the Subic traffic rules and just a minute far from the hotel we committed two violations.  Dad was even telling me when we got there that the rules are strictly followed in Subic.  and then this happened.  I remember taking off our seatbelt when we went down to the fishing port.  We completely forgot about it when we went back to our car :(

Day 2:

We went out without eating breakfast.  we planned to find a picnic spot and cook there.  30 minutes on the road and we haven't found a spot.  Locals were directing us towards Camayan, but we don't have a budget for dining out. we just want a spot for our portable stove to do its task.  We went back and drive elsewhere until we got to Morong, Bataan.  We got to a public  beach but they say you have to pay P500 for the cottage.  no way!  We decided to just stroll for while in the beach then go back to Barney.  On our way back, Dad turned left somewhere and we were both surprised how fast we got back to our hotel.  the hour drive was cut to 15 minutes.  Spooky!  Anyway we decided to just go to Malawaan Pier where we stopped over last night.  I cooked hotdog and hot water while the two looked over the pier.  We just had bread, hotdogs, noodles and coffee for breakfast.

We went back to the hotel and since it was still early, i nudged Jaims to swim in the pool and perhaps take some pictures.  Checkout was at 12 but we left around 1PM.  We decided to eat lunch in Subic.  Magic Lagoon.  For a scorching hot afternoon, the place was cozy.  Open-air, roof was made of nipa and a big pay-fishpond was on the side.  Roosters as big as Sofi walked around the grill as if they're part of the decoration.  We spent around P600.00 for a heavy lunch.  I overheard the family behind me that they're also going to Pundaquit.  We were informed beforehand that our resident bankero, Mang Randy, will not be available even after Holy Week.  Anawangin Cove is full of visitors and resorts within the area are fully-booked.  We're just trying our luck.

We got there by 4 and it is really impossible to be island hopping around that time.  The most ideal thing to do was for us to find a place to check in.  I told Jaims to try inquiring in Canoe Beach Resort (our usual resort in Pundaquit), there's no harm in trying.  Luck must be on our side when they told Jaims that the one who booked for that day did not arrive so they are giving the room to us.  Check in is 2PM.  Since it was a Sunday we decided to drop by the Church but when we got there the last mass has just ended.  Since I didn't like the idea of feasting on noodles again, we thought of buying ulam in the carinderia.  Jaims wanted to cook rice but since only two of us will eat[and Sofi, too], I told him to just buy cooked rice for both of us.  The most tiring part of the day was packing the things again when I have just unpacked our stuff a few hours ago.  Jaims thought of checking out early the next day.

Day 3:

the plan was to check out early (checkout is at 10) and proceed to Nagsasa Cove.  Mang Randy referred us to another boatman and didn't recommend Nagsasa.  The cove is an hour away from Pundaquit and it won't be safe for Sofi to travel that long.  he recommended Talisayin Cove.  Talisayin can rival Anawangin with its beauty.  The good thing about it was that tourist hasn't flocked the area yet.  We had the beach all to ourselves...except for a few locals who were drinking coke while singing Happy Birthday.  There was a resort on the left side and a few huts around the area.  We found a small hut in the middle but the owner was nowhere to be found.  Perhaps he went out to hunt for food.  In as much as we hated breaking through one's house, we did.  There was no place to eat and his table was quite inviting.  We had tocino, salted eggs and tomatoes for lunch. We also asked Mang randy to cook rice for us.  As a sign of gratitude we decided to leave some bills on his table after eating.  We got back at Canoe around 1PM and used the public shower room to clean ourselves.  At 3Pm, we're back on the road.

Bolinao, Pangasinan was the next on our list but that would mean driving for another 4 or 5 hours.  To cut the trip short, we decided to find some place along Zambales.  We started scouting for a lodge by 6Pm.  We were aiming for something lower than P1000 since we only intend to spend the night there.  But finding something within that budget seems impossible.  We first went to Dawal and they said it costs 1,200.  We went around and find a few more but as we go farther down, the rate seems more expensive.  When it was almost dark we decided to just go for the place that cost the lowest but they said that as soon as we left, a group checked in.  We went back to Dawal and they said only the P1600.00 room was available.  I went back to Jaims feeling sad but while I was talking to him the receptionist approached us and said that a P1200 room was available.

With the rate and the sight of Potipot, we made up our minds that we will be spending two nights in Dawal and scrap Bolinao.  We had a decent meal in their restaurant and slept like a log on our first night.

day 4:

We had breakfast by the sea.  Cottages are lined alongthe beach front over looking Potipot.  Sofi was busy playing with the sand that we were able to cook breakfast.  Jaims and i decided to just go to Potipot after lunch to save us from the trouble of bringing lots of stuff on the other island.  We spend the rest of the morning scouting for stash in the "bayan". We also looked for an ATM to replenish our finances (there are only 2 ATM there, one ran out of money) and laundry service (Jaims found out that there are no laundry service around the area and only the wives of the tricycle drivers do the washing for others).   We ate in our room since I had to pack our change of clothes, Sofi's toys and the chips for merienda.  Jaims bought a watermelon, too to complete the summer feel.  We had Century Tuna in lechon paksiw sauce and Master Fried Sardines.

We boarded our boat (costs P400) at 1 Pm with our video cam.  Potipot is just 5 minutes away from Dawal which makes travelling faster.  Once we got there, a lady approached us and asked for entrance fee.  Entrance is at P50 per head and Sofi is still free.  While the island is small and visitors were everywhere, the place is not crowded. Tables are available and if you want to spend overnight in the island, cottages are also available for P500 a night.   The sand in Potipot is finer as compared to Talisayin and the place is very shady.  The water is warm and clear but Sofi and I opted not to go far from the shore since part of the sea suddenly goes deep.  There are borderlinesto distinguish which part is safe to swim at.  By 5Pm our boatman fetched us.  We were so burnt and tired that after taking a bath, the three of us slept until 10Pm.  We woke up just to eat dinner then walk a little.  By 12 we went back to our room and snore the night away.

Day 5:

at 7Am, I received a text from mama informing us that they are on their way to Dagupan.  We didn't rush ourselves and spent an hour or so in Dawal's pool. The rest of the time was spent packing our stuffs back to Barney.  It was still quite a long drive so I begged Jaims if we could eat by 12.  We ended up eating at Jollibee.  Nothing beats  Chicken Joy and Jolly Spaghetti as hunger buster.

By 3PM, Daddi, Mommi and Sofi officially ended the Elizaga Road Trip :)