At Home With MrsC

Raising a family, making a home.

MrsC | Patricia Cuyugan

Sweet Endings

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I usually end my days by 9:00 when my little boy goes off to sleep. Around that time, I turn out the lights and immerse myself in my online universe. After a couple of hours on the net, I get tired and cross-eyed, and I promptly drift off to lala land. Of course, my body clock didn’t always function that way. When I was younger and before I became a parent, at 9:00 the fun was just about to start. My friends and I would be up until the wee hours, and bedtime was only a few minutes shy of sunrise. I think it’s safe to say that I have mellowed over time, and motherhood played a big role in my lifestyle switch. Of course, since I work in events, late nights can’t be completely avoided, but more often than not they happen for business, rather than for pleasure. Nights out with friends and even date nights with the hubs are now rare occurrences.

Tonight was one of those rare occasions where I found myself ironing my hair at 8 in the evening, preparing to leave the house. I had gotten special invites to an evening event in Makati, and I decided to attend and drag Mr C along with me. A friend of mine had organized a special preview of Tango Fire for bloggers and VIP’s at Nuvo in Greenbelt 2. I’ll get into the full event details in another post, but for now I just have to say that everything about Tango Fire is just sizzling hot!

After the event, Mr C and I took a short walk around Greenbelt’s gardens, and we eventually decided to try the Drive Thru Starbucks at the Fort before heading home. I got a glimpse of the Christmas light along Ayala Avenue, something I looked forward to while I was still working in Makati. We also drove by the Ayala Triangle Gardens and saw the lively lights hanging from the trees. I hope to be able to take a walk there one evening before the holiday season is over.

The Starbucks Drive Thru at the Fort was something I’d been wanting to try for a while now. We actually attempted to go there a few months ago, but it was late and we had Tristan with us, and we couldn’t find the right street to turn into! So tonight I was excited to finally see the place, which turned out to be really cute. I hope they open a drive thru branch in the south too.

While Mr C ordered his usual Cafe Americano, I decided to sample the new Christmas drink, the Cranberry White Chocolate Mocha. A friend of mine said that it was extremely sweet, and she didn’t enjoy it much. I ordered  mine iced, and I think that was an excellent idea, because when the ice melted, the drink wasn’t so overwhelmingly sweet anymore. Of course, I also got a piece of my favorite Starbucks holiday treat, a nice big peppermint brownie.

Peppermint Brownie!
Looks a little messy coz some of the chocolate frosting stuck to the wax paper.

I’m just so giddy about being able to attend an event as a guest for a change, and actually just being able to go out in general, even if it was just for a few hours. I really should be getting some sleep soon, tomorrow is sure to be another long day at the office. Glad I got to escape my routine tonight, and on a work night no less! Seems rather risque in a grandmotherly sort of way.

 

 

Puss In Boots Comes to Festival Mall!

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No one was as excited as I was about the Puss in Boots Meet and Greet Activity we had at the mall. The little kid in me had been jumping for joy since the day I first read the email correspondences confirming the mascot’s appearance at Festival Supermall. I’m glad that the hubs and the kiddo were able to join us that afternoon. Though brief, Puss’ appearance made a lot of kids and kids at heart, like myself, very, very happy.

The little boy and his very wawa toy
With the kiddo and the team
Forever alone
Daddy and Mommy
Baby love
Getting excited!!!
Last shot backstage
 

A Day With My BFF

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Last October, we celebrated Pet Month and the Feast of St Francis with A Day With My BFF. This event, in partnership with the Lifeline Foundation and Animal House, brought together dog lovers and their best furry friends in an afternoon of fun and games at Westgate Center Alabang.

This activity made me remember how it was to have dogs around. It’s been years since we had a puppy at home. Our last doggie was Rex the Rottweiler who broke all our hearts when he died of liver failure. Before Rex, we had an assortment of big and small dogs, beginning with our first, Cujo the Toy Poodle, who was delivered by Santa Clause when Boyong and I were little. Our other two dogs, Bow and Buddy weren’t with us for very long, which may be why I can’t remember what breed they were. After we lost Rex, we shifted to cats, and have had our last remaining kitty Sasha since 1997.

Some of the dogs I met at the event were such characters, like the Frech Bulldogs from Ayala Alabang, Spam and Tapa, and the lovable Chewie Chowchow. All of a sudden, I’m tempted to buy a puppy, and would probably have done so already if we had our own place. My mom doesn’t want any new pets in the house while Sasha is still around, coz the last time we tried to introduce new kitties to our household she went on hunger strike. Yes, we have a cranky old kitty on our hands!

Look at all the cute doggies!

More photos from the event!

Registration
MJ and Toni
Goodie Bags!
Ms Chona and Mr Noel of Westgate Operations
Our friends from Healthway
Pet Blessing
Fun walk with your BFF
Dr Contreras of Animal House and our host Dizzy Jojo
Finale – A little poodle doing tricks!

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

Westgate Center
Filinvest Corporate City
Alabang, Muntinlupa City
              (+632) 8460278       local 5033
inquiry@westgatefilinvest.com
www.westgatefilinvest.com

Lifeline Foundation Support Team Inc. Headquarters
#86 Aguirre St., BF Homes, Parañaque City, Philippines
              (+632) 836.2514           
info@ineedalifeline.org
http://www.ineedalifeline.org

Animal House
Level 1 Festival Supermall
Alabang, Muntinlupa City
              (+632) 842-7485      
anihouse@skyinet.net

 

 

Work-Life Balance + Healthy Living 101

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There are just so many things I want to do, but with my erratic schedule, it gets hard figuring out how to squeeze everything in. Yes, that is the perfect excuse, if I do say so myself.

Looking at it from a broader perspective, I actually have a better work-life balance now than I did at the beginning of this year. I am able to do more leisure activities, spend more time with family, I get to write more, and I get to sleep better. Eventually, when my leave credits come in, I know I’ll get to go on a vacation, something I’ve been wanting to do for a while now. But despite all my new found free time, I still feel like there are more things I’ve yet to be able to do for myself.

Maybe the essential problem is not lack of time, but improper schedule management. I figure if I did manage my time well, I wouldn’t be late for work in the morning. I’d find time to prepare packed lunch, and even squeeze in an early morning walk. I’d have time to do homework with the kiddo before dinner. I’d be able to sleep earlier too. It’s the same scenario as my wanting to lose weight and live a healthier lifestyle – I know what the problem is, I know how to fix it, I just can’t seem to get around to doing it. Maybe I need to commit to the idea of a complete lifestyle change more. Maybe I’m just to lazy to get moving. Maybe I don’t want it enough. But I really think I should get started soon, on the lifestyle change I mean. Maybe I lack motivation.

What motivates you to keep your schedule in check, to manage your time well? How do you make the most out of your day? And what do you do to live a healthier life? I’d love to hear from you. Maybe I’ll learn a thing or two.

 

 

Tech Envy, Year Four

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So I’m thinking of changing my phone again. I have a serious case of tech envy. Every time something new comes along I want it, specially if a lot of my friends are starting to have it. It all began with the Nokia 5110. Back in the day, it was absolutely the hottest mobile phone with its slim body and colorful Xpress On Covers. I got one right when it was at its most popular, a birthday gift from my dad. In less than six months, It got stolen from my bag due to my own carelessness. Cue momentary depression, followed shortly by the desire for a new phone.  In the years that followed, I’ve gone through countless handsets. For a long time, I was loyal to Nokia, upgrading from a 3210 to a 3310, and eventually moving up to the 8250, the first phone with a blue light, which I also tragically lost in less than 6 months. After that I tried out the shockproof, orange lighted 5210,  fell in love with my first camera phone, the 7650, downgraded to the 6100, then inherited my dad’s 6630.

When I started working in Smart, my tech envy got worse, since I always had to be aware of the latest mobile phone releases.  In 2008, my second year in the telco business, I bought myself my first hard-earned unit, the Nokia 6680 in a limited edition black finish. The discovery of vanity colors made upgrading my handset even more exciting, and since then I made an effort to pursue the special edition colors, even if it meant the unit would cost a little bit more. If I’m not mistaken, the 6680 is my longest surviving handset. In fact, I still use it now for my secondary line.

I got a taste of my first smartphone in 2009 when Mr C got me a Nokia E66 for Christmas, and all of a sudden my standards went up. I just loved how it could do so much! The bar had been raised as far as functionality and style were concerned, and I was not turning back ever. I just had to keep moving forward and upgrading. Well, I didn’t actually have to, but I wanted to, more than ever before.

The Christmas after that, I got my first Android Smartphone, my HTC Wildfire from my favorite mobile phone distributor Yogi. Of course, he found me a limited edition red colored unit. I was perfectly content with my Android phone, enjoying my games and apps, until the day I noticed that everyone seemed to be on BBM. It’s only been a year since I got the Wildfire, and this is causing me to have guilty feelings about wanting to replace it already. But while the whole touch screen concept was fun at first, I am now wanting a physical keypad again. I actually had a chance to test an HTC Snap for a time while my Wildfire’s LCD screen was being repaired, and I actually liked the feel of qwerty.

BBM + qwerty keypad = I want a Blackberry too!

I’ve been debating with myself about getting a new handset for about a month now. If not for my present lack of funds and extreme self control, I’d probably be BBM-ing away with the rest of them already. I’m also deciding if it will be better to get a tablet rather than a new phone, but that doesn’t really satisfy my qwerty + BBM curiosity. At the same time, looking back at the past few years, it seems that I practically change my phone annually. That means getting a new handset on my current phone’s first anniversary is nothing new. Yes, it is pretty extravagant, but nothing new. The decision of whether or not it’s time to get a new phone is a tough one to make. At the end of the day, i don’t need a new phone but I want a Blackberry. And yes, I can be spoiled sometimes. That’s why I was extremely happy when earlier today, Mr C gave me the answer to my dilemma – he said he’d get me a Blackberry for Christmas! Aren’t I the luckiest wife ever?

So now I’m stuck in another dilemma – which model do I get?

It never ends!