Sir Ramil over Dr.Herrera

Posted on April 26, 2008 by alaherrera

Ramil was supposed to take up medicine. His was a family who have been frustrated at producing one and they had high hopes for him. However, circumstances prevented him from pursuing this after finishing his BS Biology degree. All his batchmates who pursued medicine are all doctors now. Whenever we talk about them, we always say that he could have been one of them. His constant attire might have been a white coat instead of our blue uniform. His most used gadget might have been a PDA CME instead of his laptop. His most held thing might have been a stethoscope instead of a piece of chalk. I always ask him whether he regrets anything and he always answers me with a ‘no’. If he pursued medicine, we wouldn’t have gotten married right after we turned 24 because he wouldn’t be done with med yet. Also, he has come to love teaching so much that I know he couldn’t imagine doing anything else. He’d rather be a Sir Ramil than a Dr.Herrera

This announcement was paid for by Epocrates.

dreams of a new car

Posted on April 18, 2008 by alaherrera

Ramil and I have been so frustrated with our dreams of a new/newer car. A few months before Mateo was born, we almost bought ourselves a brand new Aveo Sedan. Our bank loan got approved without a hitch, and the car guy was almost to the point of driving the car right to the front of our house just so we could commit to buying it asap. Boy, were we soooo tempted to just take the leap and go for it. Unfortunately, my impending delivery in a few months’ time brought us back to our senses. Lately, we’ve been seeing a lot of cars for viewing in different malls and we can’t help but remember our dreams of a newer car. It doesn’t help that our red car is getting to be less road-worthy with each passing month. We’d sometimes think of selling it and commuting instead. It would have been so straightforward back during the old times when transportation comes in the form of horses and the only accessories you’ll need are saddles. We are holding on to our dreams, even though Ramil would sometimes feel hopeless whenever he thinks about how much we’re earning and how much we’re spending lately. Nevertheless, I’d often tell him that we’ll get there. It may not be now but I know we will.

techie gift for my geeky hubby

Posted on April 11, 2008 by alaherrera

Ramil’s birthday, as I’ve mentioned before, is already coming up and I still haven’t gotten him a gift. That’s because he just wouldn’t say what he would like to get for his birthday. Stubborn man!

It’s a good thing though that I’m more stubborn than he is. Because after much prodding and negotiation I was able to get a hint of what he’s been wanting to do for a long time – that is to upgrade his laptop. You see, in one of our discussions, he mentioned something about wanting to save up for a higher computer memory. And also, I’ve seen him hovering around ebay lately looking for some good deals on memory modules. It figures – a techie gift for my geeky hubby!

Now I know what to get him. The only problem now is figuring out the details about the computer memory that he’s looking for. Good luck with that!

gift for the hubby

Posted on April 10, 2008 by alaherrera

As I’ve mentioned in my previous post, I was supposed to give Ramil a bottle of perfume for his birthday. Now that he’s told me that he want something else, I can’t help but try to come up with another idea on my own. Although he has several ideas on his mind already, I’ve also thought of giving him some men’s jewelry. I just know he’s going to laugh when he learns about this. My husband in not into such stuff, he’d prefer some techie stuff. Nevertheless, it’s still something that I plan to give him in the future, when I get some extra money for it.

our plans for our millions

Posted on April 9, 2008 by alaherrera

Ramil and I would sometimes try our luck with the lottery. Most of the time, we’d get enticed whenever the prize money is really big already. Just a few weeks ago, we decided to try our luck on a 200 million prize. It was funny that we were already planning what to do with our millions even though we haven’t really won yet.

We’ve already decided to spend 10% of it for the three of us (Ramil, Mateo, and me), 10% for our families, relatives, and friends, and 80% for charitable causes. Ramil was hesitant to agree at first until I pointed out to him that 10% of 200 million is 20 million! We already knew what we wanted for our 20 million, a new car, our own house, and a business of our own. It was as simple and straightforward as that so we didn’t really spend that much time talking about it. What provided a good conversation for us was the 80% of our imaginary prize money. We got so excited thinking about different causes we’d like to do.

Being teachers, the first thing we came up with was a scholarship fund. We are inclined towards anything to help improve education and to help children have access to good education. We could even donate car to Car Angel, a non-profit company that uses car and other donations to make videos for kids and teens.

Since we’re both nature-lovers and Ramil is a biologists, we’ve also thought of donating to WWF or Haribon. Children with terminal illnesses came next in our list. Those were the items on our top 3. Ramil and I have discussed other causes which I have forgotten already. LOL.

Our conversation ended with both of us really excited about the 80%, the 10% seemed so trivial compared to what the 80% stands for. The next day, the winner for the lottery was drawn. We won’t be getting our 10%. I just hope whoever won (somebody did) would allot a part of the winnings to his or her own charitable causes.

mateo mall time

Posted on April 8, 2008 by alaherrera

Since its summer and there’s no work for teachers like Ramil and me, we find ourselves heading for the mall these days. It’s funny because once we get there, we often just walk around and window-shop. Of course, Mateo would often tag-along and we’d always end up wishing we left him at home. Hehe! Yesterday, the three of us went to Megamall to have Ramil’s laptop checked. Since it was a holiday yesterday, parking was terrible. We ended up having valet parking service because we didn’t want to hassle ourselves with waiting for an available space. The first thing we did upon getting there is to get ourselves some yummy halo-halo from Razon’s. We then proceeded to the Neo shop to have his laptop’s CDROM checked. We also met up and had dinner with our friend Jeng. Also, we dropped by the hardware to buy some bulb so we can change our bathroom lighting. It was a very tiring day. Mateo was fast asleep even before we got home. Ramil and I were tired but satisfied. It was a good mall time for our small family.

Boracay trip (part 3)

Posted on March 20, 2008 by alaherrera

Read part 1 here and part 2 here.

My sister and I told ourselves we want to wake up before the sun comes up. After the long walk we did on Sunday night, I knew we wouldn’t be able to make that happen. Mateo woke up around 7 am and since his waking time dictates my waking time, I woke up at the same time. Upon waking up, we ordered our breakfast. The rates we got are inclusive of daily breakfast. We had it served at the cabana and ate after changing into our suits. I love the cabanas in front of the resort! It made staying at the beach so much more relaxing.

After eating our breakfast, we were eager to let Mateo try the sand. He refused to let his feet touch the sand on our first day. Only one thing got him walking and running on the sand…

Good thing another guest of the resort was willing to lend Mateo the soccer ball. Mateo had fun kicking the ball with his Dada. The sand was a huge playground for him after that. These were his constant companions:

He ended up having sand on his scalp (because he liked getting some sand and throwing them around), on his face (because he’d rub some on his face), even inside his diapers (because he’d get into all kinds of positions while playing on the sand).

Lunch was again, prepared by my mom and me but my sister helped this time. After lunch, everyone except my mom and dad, went to d’mall to check things out. We also passed by Jonah’s to have some shakes and french fries.

having shakes and french fries at jonah’s

We took a tricycle back to the resort then I put Mateo to sleep. Ramil and I got ready for the wedding we were invited to. We were excited for this wedding especially since Ramil’s friend is the main reason why we were able to go to Bora. The wedding took place at Sea Wind, right beside White House so it was very convenient for us. The best part of the wedding was the dancing afterwards. It was one of the most relaxed wedding I’ve been to. I guess that’s what you get if you’re having a beach wedding, everyone is so laid back and I got to enjoy myself without worrying about high heels and formalities.

After the wedding, we were too tired to do anything else. Oh, but I just had to have another shake from Jonah’s so I dragged Ramil along the beach and had my mocha shake.

On our last and final day, Mateo had more fun at the beach. He loved ‘riding’ the resort’s jetski parked at the beach. Since we left him with my parents when we attended the wedding the night before, they were able to spend time together and ‘bond’.

We also took some time after breakfast to walk farther up Station 1, where the more expensive resorts like Discovery and Fridays can be found. Ramil and I vowed to go back and stay at Discovery. Haha!

Since our Kalibo-Manila flight was scheduled at 4:55 pm, I asked the resort if we could have a late check-out. They agreed since they don’t have any arriving guests. We still took a quick dip in the sea and the pool, then we got our stuff ready. After a quick lunch, we used the resort’s van to take us back to Cagban Port. We made a quick stop at the talipapa on the way there so that we could buy some pasalubong.

After Mateo’s scary first boat ride, we’ve been trying to think of ways to make the next one less scary for him. We tried to distract him even when the boat wasn’t moving yet. I guess it worked because he enjoyed our boat ride back to Caticlan! Our vacation was short and sweet. We were able to do what we came there for – to attend a wedding, to have Mateo enjoy the beach, to relax and unwind. How I hope we get to do something like this every year!

Boracay trip (part 2)

Posted on March 12, 2008 by alaherrera

Unfortunately, it took me more than a week to write the follow-up to our Boracay trip last March 2 to 4. If you haven’t read part 1, you may read it here.

Allow me to backtrack a little because I saw a picture amidst our Boracay pictures that I really liked. Upon arriving at the Kalibo airport, we arranged for a van to take us to the Caticlan jetty port. While my sister was having a bathroom break, we saw an ati-atihan character with holes for its head. We couldn’t resist taking a picture. And of course, who else would be our model but the one who couldn’t make any protest, LOL.

the cutest ati-atihan character

Ok, so back to my story… Upon arriving at the White House Beach Resort in Station 1, we unloaded our stuff inside the bedroom. Since the sun was blazing outside, my sister and brother decided to take a nap first. Mateo likewise decided to continue his nap that was interrupted several times. Since we have a kitchen, my mama proceeded to borrow a lot of things from the staff – cooking pots and pans, plates, utensils, glasses, even a knife. The staff obliged at no extra cost. The service was excellent all throughout our stay – from the receptionist, to the pool bar’s bartenders, to the young ladies who would clean our room everyday.

After requesting for all those things, my mom dragged me to the talipapa to buy food for us. She planned to cook the meals since we have our own kitchen. We bought a lot and I have sore hands by the time we were finished buying. Upon getting back to the resort, she proceeded to prepare our dinner. We found my dad already swimming with my sister trying to contain Mateo because he’s been struggling to get himself inside the pool too! When Mateo was handed over to me, he was a wet, sandy baby. I hurriedly changed him into his swimsuit so he can have his fun in the water.

As expected, Mateo got scared of the waves. I knew we were going to have this problem based on how he reacted during our boat ride. Also, he refused to walk on the sand. Haha! Nevertheless, we got him in the water. I carried him while swimming near the beach and he was okay for as long as he’s being carried. He also got excited when we pointed out some fishes swimming with us.

After the brief swim in the sea, we decided to let him try the pool instead where we know he’ll enjoy more. We were right. Just like his dada and mama, he prefers swimming in the calmer waters of the pool.

Ramil and Mateo enjoying the pool

In the picture above, Ramil and Mateo are in the pool while my brother watches them. The veranda behind my brother is the veranda of the room we got. Beyond those sliding doors is the dining and living area. It was like having our very own house in Boracay! We even have a view of the beach from inside if the curtains are drawn back. Aside from the great beach, I fell in love with the resort. Plus the resort had only a few guests during our stay because we stayed from Sunday to Tuesday, not the usual days for vacationers(?) like us.

After our swim, we all took baths and had dinner. We enjoyed our dinner especially prepared by my mom and me. After dinner, Ramil, my sister, and I (with Mateo of course) planned on walking by the beach to explore. While waiting by the cabanas by the beach, some manangs approached us and asked if we’d like a massage. Ramil and I asked my sister to watch over Mateo and then we had an hour-long massage by the beach. Sarap.

After the massage we walked all the way to Jonah’s to try their famous shakes. First sip and we were converts. I love shakes but I fell in love with Jonah’s more. We also ordered a big plate of fries for our little companion which he enjoyed very much. With full stomachs, we then walked backed and decided to call it a night.

To be continued…

happy 8th!

Posted on March 8, 2008 by alaherrera

It’s our 8th year anniversary as bf-gf! My darling husband forgot about it this morning though and we only got to greet each other at around 2:30 pm, when I arrived in school. Since we’ve gotten over the mushy, lovey-dovey kind of celebrations, I was still happy we had some kind of celebration. And what a better way to celebrate it than to do something that we always do when we were just boyfriend-girlfriend, walking around the mall with arms around each other or holding hands with each other.

We went to the nearby mall, ate at Pizza Hut (our fave eating place as bf-gf), and bought ourselves this:

No extravagant celebrations for us but it was perfect for us. We had some much-needed couple time and we got to reminisce on our carefree days. Haha! Our small mall trip took only around two hours but at the end of it, we were eager to come home to our little boy. It was sweet seeing his smiling face when we got home and everything that happened in the past eight years glared back at me. It’s definitely the most wonderful eight years of my life and I will never regret saying ‘yes’ to Ramil on March 7, 2000.

our Bora trip (part 1)

Posted on March 7, 2008 by alaherrera

We’re back! We stayed in Boracay for three days and two nights only. How we wish it was longer. The whole vacation was really cheap for us since we have sponsors but any amount is still painful for an empty pocket. Haha! Nevertheless, despite the travel and our much emptier wallets, it was worth it.

My dad and mom fetched us from our house in Antipolo as early as Saturday afternoon. Instead of us driving over to Novaliches on early Sunday morning, I requested that they come get us. Ramil and I wanted to save on gas and we didn’t want to put too much stress on our beloved red car by traveling that far. Before heading back to my parents’ house in Novaliches, we met up with my sister in Trinoma where Mateo got his very first pair of Crocs (a gift from my sister). We walked around, and got home at around 7 pm. Since we all wanted to have enough sleep before our early flight, we all went to our respective rooms at around 9 pm. Everyone except Mateo. He’s so excited not being in his house that all he wanted to do was to explore and play with everyone. Good thing he got tired out after a few minutes.

Mateo loved the fountains. He kept saying ‘teh teh’ (for water).

Mateo loves malls now

The next day, my parents plan to leave as early as 6 am for our 9:25 am flight. They plan to leave the Revo in ParkNFly and we wanted to check-in early so that we can still have the first row in the plane. I wanted as much space as I can get because we don’t know how Mateo will be inside the aircraft. We reached the NAIA Terminal 2 at around 8 am and we were able to get the first two rows. We passed time walking around the airport and eating some snacks. Mateo was a happy baby, excitedly walking around and almost bumping into people. He’s in that stage when any wide open spaces makes him excited to run around.

walking like he knows where he’s going

Since we have an infant, Mateo and I were allowed to board ahead of everyone else. It was a good thing because he had time to get used to the airplane before it got full of strangers.

exploring the insides of the plane

Unfortunately, he got cranky while the plane was getting ready for take-off. He was getting noisy and my solution was to give him my breast. Before the plane even took off, he was sound asleep. He was asleep during the whole 1-hour plane ride and woke up only when I stood up to get off the plane.

sound asleep

Of course, since it was Mateo’s first plane ride we didn’t forget to take pictures after getting off the plane.

me and a still sleepy Mateo

While waiting for our bags, I made arrangements with one of the vans going to Caticlan. It was an uneventful 1 1/2 hours van ride for us. Since Mateo was still sleepy, he resumed sleeping a few minutes into the ride. We reached the Caticlan Jetty Port at around 12:30 in the afternoon. We all decided to eat there first before heading for Boracay island.

If the plane and van ride were relatively uneventful because Mateo slept most of the time, the boat ride was a different matter. Upon settling ourselves near the window, he excitedly looked out and enjoyed the seawater splashing on the sides of the boat. However, once the boat started its engine and the splashing became stronger because of the boat’s movement, his hold around me got tighter and his eyes got bigger. My baby had his first scare of the trip. He was nervous the whole time, he’d try to go to Ramil, or my mom, or my sister. He was desperate to go anywhere because he was scared. We tried to console him by distracting him with songs. He’d clap along with us despite the nervous look on his face. Good thing the boat ride was a mere 15-minute ride.

Upon reaching Cagban Port, we took a tricycle that would bring us to White House resort. Although we still had to wait a few minutes while the room was being readied, we didn’t mind because we were upgraded to the best room in the resort. Instead of our original booking of the resort’s 2nd floor family room, we stayed at the ground floor. The ground floor was perfect for us, it has a kitchen, a living room, a dining room, and a very spacious bedroom. It was right beside the pool and you could see the beach even from the kitchen. Really perfect.