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Friday, May 30, 2014

Argh!

Repair here, repair there, repairs everywhere........argh!!!

Thursday, May 29, 2014

Visa Application

This  morning, Lucas, Martha, Marion and I went for an interview at the Philippine US embassy.
The Filipina who was giving us the number at the ticket booth was very rude. Understandably it was a busy morning but you would think that she had the most important job of all! Not even looking at us or asking any questions or giving any instructions even, she snapped at us liked a communist (irate) soldier. She was angry and unhappy that we were slow, that we waited for her to instruct us to drop our passports into the window slot. Well, if she does not like or love doing her simple job, she should not be working at the embassy at all!!! That's all.

Friday, May 23, 2014

Abundance of Mangoes

We have a super abundance of mangoes this summer. These are mangoes from my backyard.

 3 pailful of mangoes to be distributed to friends and relatives.

Mangoes left on the table for home consumption. I love the green mangoes best.

One friend told me to ripen them up inside an ice chest. Testing the outcome.

Thursday, May 22, 2014

Be My Guest

Be my guest........ 






Tom and Angel and Children

My son Tom left Manila for Cebu first week of May to open a new engineering office for his firm in Cebu. He is greatly challenged by his work. For embarking on his new career prospective, he has both mine and Lucas' blessings. Early this morning, Angel his wife and two children enplaned for Cebu to be with him. I am happy that Angel is a supportive wife. But I am going to miss my grandchildren most of all, age 7 and 3. They all lived with me in my second home in Manila. Whenever I was there, I enjoyed bonding with Dylan. (Yuri is too young to really get familiarized with me.) Dylan and I got to eat lunch together while everybody was at work. At the dinner table, I inculcated proper eating habits. He ate his veggies and finished his soup. We kept each other company. Sometimes he would agree to come with me to the grocery store and pushed my cart. I would mildly chide him for running around with the push cart though. He was however very keen with direction. This I had observed of him even at a very young age. My last visit to Manila, we went to the mall together. He casually led me to where I wanted to go by running ahead. I had to remind him. " Do not run. Ahmah can not run after you anymore." Sometimes alone at home, whenever he threw some tantrums, I would admonish a little disciplinary threat or helped him solve his besieged little problem. He would listen and behaved. One time I praised him to his parents for his good performances and behavior. Tom said that this boy just simply loved to please me.

Last night, knowing that they would be leaving for Cebu early in the morning, I talked to Dylan over the phone. I told him not to forget all of us. To always obey his parents and teachers. Not to forget some Chinese words that I taught him. To always remember to pray. His answers all came "Okay!", "Okay!". Then over the phone, I asked that we pray aloud together.... and he readily recited with me.... "Angel of God, my guardian dear, to whom God's love, commits me here. Ever this day, be at my side, to light and guard, to rule and guide. Amen."
O my God please bless them always!!!

Sunday, May 18, 2014

Toilet and Bath Renovation

Renovation after 34 years.......I am just happy to have this new toilet and bath.


No more bath tub!


Thursday, May 15, 2014

Repairs At Home

I am into four weeks of renovating my house. I am all flushed with :
A. Carpenters, masons, painters, plumbers, electrician, etc, walking and working about from 7:30 in the morning to 5:00 o'clock in the afternoon.
B. An endless request for materials such as wood, planks, plywood, cement, gravel, tiles, adhesives, galvanized sheets, steel bars, paints, screws, etc, etc.....
C. Expenses and paid-outs keep on piling up. It's hurting my pocket already!
D. Rotating brown-outs in the city (disruptions of power) that hinders the continuity of work
E. Noise barrage coming from all directions, be they drilling, banging or cutting, and others.
F. And dust all over the house.

I can stand the noise but not the dust, yet I stay at home all day long to help facilitate on-going works specially those in-coming-requisitions. Sometimes I pity the laborers, they have to carry heavy loads through 3 story flight of stairs. The tilers are really skillful, but those working on the roof top have to endure rougher condition working under the heat of the sun. These definitely are not easy jobs but they are nevertheless honest to goodness respectable work nonetheless. Sometimes though I get irritated when they don't try to keep the work place clean. My maids are kept busy cleaning after their litters and trash. My girls have to run the floor with rags three times a day to keep the dust at bay. They also carry and replenish big bottles of cold drinking water at the beckons of the guys. I tell you, it's chaos all over the house from top to bottom. But I see to it that Lucas comes home to a relatively clean house after the day's work. I  prompt everybody, the workers and all to clean up before 5 pm. Then my husband comes home to inspect the progress of the day and approves of it.

We have so far finished one room, two toilet and bath, one window finishing, the stairway roofing and 1/3 of the roof top. And oh, we trapped and caught 6 big rats too!  The maid's room comes next, after which I think I'll take a little breather after this.