No more 30-ish Fish

Time surely flies. It was like a few months back when PJ posted something about his turning 30. And now, he's counting down to his last 12 months before his age gets kicked out of the calendar! :)

Happy 31st birthday to my mahal! I hope you had a great time. There were no surprises for this year but I know you had fun! Our simple salo-salo with my whole family together with PJ's family made our celebration a success! So, with that, I would like to thank my family and my special thanks to Ding, Emily, Cel and the 3 kiddos who went to our new place to celebrate this occasion with us.

And to you birthday boy, I wish you more blessings and am looking forward to celebrating more blissful years with you as my lifetime partner! Muah!

Tagaytay trippings

Just recently, we had another one of those Tagaytay evening trips with old friends Liann and Cocoy. I remember the first time our group went there together, I was about 6 months pregnant, and we finished at about 1am! This time around, we went out with, now a toddler - CJ - so he can also spend time with his Ninang Liann and Tito Cocoy. As usual, we went to our fave dining place - Gourmet's Cafe! Aaahh...... Just the thought of the place makes me wanna come back and have another of their famous Caesar's Salad, fresh from their own garden! Oh, and I also love their version of Seafood Pasta!

After dinner, we stopped by Starbucks for dessert and coffee of course. We then left CJ with his lolo (my dad) who works and stays in Tagaytay. His lolo was more than happy to baby-sit, too happy that he's asking for a tip for his services! :))

I swear, 5 hours of non-stop talking with this couple is not enough! Whenever we get together, we just can't stop reminiscing on how each one got into each other's arms. PJ and I, btw, played cupids to these 2 lovers and they in turn became one of our closest friends! The four of us were officemates before, and I'm glad that after all these years we still manage to get together.

Solo Flight, at last!!

Yesterday marked the very first time I drove alone for a considerable distance - from Makati to Sucat (our home)!!! Yooohoooo!! The past few weeks since I got my driver's license, PJ has been giving me the liberty to drive the car even without him. But on those occasions, I was always accompanied by someone else either my cuzin Cito or some friends who would always be willing to be of help by staying awake and look out for any trouble that may hit us. But yesterday was a different story. PJ decided to stay home so I drove to Makati for work with my cuz and dropped him off near my office leaving me enough time to park car before 7am (not that I'm an early bird for work, it's because we're color coded on Thursdays! haha!) I haven't had the chance to practice on my reverse parking before, so since it was still early, and there were only a few cars parked, I managed to park it after several trials. Hmmmm...it took me more or less 5 minutes before I was able to fit car inside the parking lane. Whew!

Anyway, cuz texted me late in the afternoon to confirm that he's already on his way home, and that my angels will be there to guide me on my way home. I certainly hoped he didn't mean heaven when he said home! LOL! Honestly, I really got nervous with a mixed feeling of excitement and nervousness because it was my first time to drive alone from Makati and at night time, and its still peak traffic hours! I left the parking lot after I said my prayers and off I headed to the first independent driving of my life. There! After about 45 minutes of intense driving, I got home complete, safe, sound and most of all, the car was intact, not a single scratch! Yipee!

Please allow me to thank my family and friends who prayed for me on that night; My best friend - my eyeglasses! Thanks to my angels and to my companion from above!

Can't wait for the next one! =)

How to win back an unhappy customer?

I just want to share the cool experience we had last week when we dined in at Bubba Gump (Greenbelt, Makati). Aside from their awesome and sooooooooo yummylicious menu, I can't help but be pleased with the way they treat their customers! PJ and I have been their regular customers for the past months, so we know already more or less how the food are served, how good they present it, and how fast their service is (or atleast most of the time, depends on the time of the day). Anyhow, our last visit was quite memorable. I got disappointed because the main course that we ordered didn't arrived on time...I had to follow it up to check if they were able to get our order considering we were almost done with the other food that we ordered and PJ has to run for an appointment. I had to mention that it was quite unusual because we use to order that a lot so we have an idea of how long it takes for it to be cooked/prepared. So, one of the crews or probably the manager, immediately approached us and said that it was in the order list but for some reasons the person-in-charge in the kitchen missed to take note of it. She was very apologetic, and I just bluntly said, it's ok but we prefer to cancel it. In the end, it was too late to cancel since the order was already prepared a few minutes later. Not that we didn't have the choice, but it was quite rude if we still insist. And who am I to make a big deal out of it, when they have sincerely apologized.

Here's the catch! We decided ofcourse to just have it packed so we can take it home (aside from the fact that we were really full, also to be consistent that we are really running out of time) The manager approached us again with a complimentary cup of sinful ice cream together with that she gave us a gift certificate which we can avail on our next visit! Cool, huh? PJ had to go already so I was left with the ice cream. It was just too bad that I'm not an ice cream lover, more so if it's strawberry flavored! I didn't want to hurt their feelings and I don't want them to think that I'm being rude, so I had to finish atleast half of that cup! Burp!

I realized that it was a good strategy that they did there! They have resolved the issue with a-not-so-irate customer, by sincerely apologizing and accepting that it was a mistake on their end. To make it up for a customer, they give them complimentary food, which is the usual approach already done by a lot of restaurants. But for them, aside from that, they made sure that after that not-so-good experience you had with them, they give you a GC which can be availed on the next visit as their way of making you return and try again their food and service! So, as a customer you'll be thrilled that after everything, you were still fortunate that you got a GC from them and you would already consider using it by going back to that restaurant. In the end, chances are you'll come back and be their customer again!

I've had several experiences before when I got so pissed off for a bad service but this one certainly was a different story. Not that I'm being biased, I've worked also as a crew and as a marketing relations officer @ McDonalds for about 3 years during my college, so I know when someone is really not doing his job. Hmmm....I'm also aware how people from the kitchen gets even to a customer when they make life harder for them! It happens everywhere, right?

On Frustrations

Here are my top frustrations to remind me that life is a continuous struggle...

1.) Learning how to drive
After having my student license for almost a year now, I still feel frustrated that until now, I can't drive in the busy city roads and highways. Having a very strict instructor in PJ, did make me feel confident in a way, because I know that not only am I (slowly) learning how to drive but I am actually learning how to do it right. Thanks to my ever-trying-hard to be patient instructor and always-the-driver Sharkey! He's one helluva disciplined driver and mentor! Need proof? Go ahead and check this one, and this one out!

I actually lost my momentum when I caused a scratch at the side and at rear end of our car...on two different occasions! After that, I guess the fear of causing the same damage or probably even worse got so much into me, that I would rather sit and buckle up my seatbelt on the passenger's seat.

Goal: I'm giving myself two-months' time before I hit the one year anniversary from my getting the student license. I know I can do it, I just have to believe in myself and I just have to listen and follow what my instructor asks me to do - yes, the vain in me likes to do things my way...

2.) Losing weight
I can't remember the last time that I felt so light and so healthy inside. Yes, it's more than a year now since I have given birth to our wonderful CJ...I don't know what has gotten into me because I never became as big as I am now when I was still pregnant. I feel so bloated...but good food everywhere is just so hard too resist! Especially when you have someone who always tags you along to these "you-can't-say-no" restaurants!

Goal: PJ and I are considering going to the gym...just have to look for somewhere good and reasonably priced! (Oh no, another add-on to our list of expenses!) In the meantime, I'll avoid the sinful cabinet in our office and the tempting fridge contents in the house! Enough of those Chinese slimming pills! Hello sweat and muscle pains!


(To be continued to make you feel frustrated... =P)

Dada/Daddy : Baby's First Word??!!??

I never knew that Dada/Daddy is "usually" babies' first word till my friend, Kim, mentioned it to me a couple of weeks ago. Well, who would have thought that Dada comes clearer first before Mama? Can somebody please explain this to me? 'Coz I still find it weird! =) Oh well, at least now I understand... I still remember that day when we got home from work, and my son, CJ, just never stop babbling "Dada." It was really a touching moment for all of us, especially to PJ. We ended up recording it and begging him not to stop until he got tired and start his usual snoring at nights! LOL!
Well, as a consolation for me, being the mom, he can actually say Mommy/Mama, only in a different way... It's my family who really enjoys it everytime they ask him to say, "Mommy/Mama." Why? Maybe because I've grown so big, that he actually pronounce Mommy as "Ba-bye!" You would actually think he said it as "Baboy" (Tagalog word for pig!!) Great, isn't it? Don't get it wrong.. I'm really close with my son, that we tend to forget his dad's existence especially when he's busy with his laptop. I guess I'll just have to buy Kim's explanation why he can't still say Mama clearly.
Anyway, we're still enjoying his toddler years! And the fact that he's starting to babble a lot is a sure sign that he's right on track and very much healthy. He sure is getting bigger each day, and I just can't get enough of him...Motherhood is really an overwhelming experience, not everyone gets to be a mom...and not every mom gets to be called "baboy" by her own toddler!!