Author: Frugal Teacher Mommy

Migrating or not?


In the past few days, I’ve been convincing my husband that we should migrate to Australia as soon as possible. I told him that we should do it asap so that we could settle already. If we continue to live here in the Philippines, it would be hard to migrate especially if we have investments already.
It was only yesterday that everything became clear to me. He confirmed that he’s open to the idea of migration, but then he wants to prove something here first. I agree to his position. Talking to him is like an eye opener experience. He has so many insights on everything that’s playing in my mind, and every time I think of the things that he say, I keep realizing that he’s right. After our conversation yesterday, I realized that I should stop convincing him because we should live in the present and we’ll just see what’s in store for us in the future.

Orientation, New Faces, a Wound and Cheesecakes


Work related scoop…

It’s been a week since the classes started in our school. I have five lab. classes for this term, which means that I’m at school everyday. The first week was spent on orientation and memorizing the names of the students. The discussion was still relaxed, but I know this will be more intense as we start the experiments. I’ve just realized how confusing it is when you’re handling a lot of classes. You have to know the section and schedule of this student, so that when you meet him in class, you’ll call him with the right name, stuffs like that. I have to get used to it, and also to preparing lessons everyday.

Family related scoop…

Zoe has a wound on her right knee, she got this when we went to Batangas to attend my cousin’s wake. It’s drying up, and it’s on the stage where the top part is quite itchy. I know that Zoe can feel this itchiness already, that’s why I always let her wear pants.

JE had won a Zen V Plus mp3 player and it can store up to 2G info. His entry in one of their company’s contest on designing a site for one of their products was chosen due to its functionality. I’m very proud of him.

I’ve always liked to bake and try new recipes. As I was looking at baking sites for something to try in the near future, I got this recipe on how to make mini chocolate cherry cheesecakes. It looks really yummy, and I wish I’d have the time to do it this weekend or next week. Anyway, a picture of the finished product is shown at the right top part of this entry.

Always expect the unexpected


The first trimester for the school year 2007-2008 starts today. How’s my first class? It’s fine but I’ve been shocked to know that one of my students is the middle child of our Head Laboratory Coordinator! Ain’t it shocking? What’s worst is that I didn’t recognize the student. His surname is familiar, for that’s also my maiden name, that’s why it catched my attention. When I went back to our deparment, he was there saying “hi” to me. I feel stupid for not having a clue about his being in my class. Now I’m starting to feel the pressure of having a student whose mother is in-charge of checking if the laboratory instructors are doing what they’re asked to do. I just didn’t expect this. Oh well, I think I should get used to it. Ignore this intimidating feeling and focus on my job.

Milk shakes, Fish balls and a Bad News


I had a wonderful day with JE and Zoe today. We did our laundry today, and we had mango shake and fish balls for afternoon snack. We lay down on the floor while watching cartoons. All we did were to eat and watch TV… in short, we’re bums today. What a funny way of putting it. This is how we spend quality time with Zoe when we don’t want to go out because we have no money. We don’t have money either because we’re saving for something or because we don’t have extra cash to spend on eating at fancy restaurants and making a trip to the mall. My husband is a fan of the idea of staying at home, eating and catching up on favorite TV series. Well, I’d say I’m becoming more used to it, and I’m starting to love it, too.


Just after we had our afternoon snack, my mother sent me a text message, informing me that my cousin had an accident
and didn’t survive the tragedy. I was so shocked. I didn’t know what to say. We were just exchanging text messages a few days ago just after Mother’s day. I didn’t expect that would be my last conversation with her. I love this girl. She was the one whom I’d look for every time I went to Batangas during my childhood years even up to my teenage years. I’d ask permission to sleep at their house and chat with her all night long. She lent me all the toys and nice stuffs that she had. When she became a mom, she even asked me to be her son’s godmother. I’m really surprised and saddened by her too-soon death. If I’ve known that I’ll never see her again, I should have told her about my gratitude for those wonderful memories we had during our early years. But I was not able to tell her that, I’m just hoping she’ll hear my prayers. Thank you for being a great cousin to me. I promise to be good to your son. May you find peace in God’s love in the eternal life.

Punta Fuego, IDP, and Zoe’s new Barbie dolls

I haven’t updated by blog for days, so i need to catch up.

Last week, we spent our weekend at Punta Fuego (courtesy of my sister-in-law). The place was nice, but as expected, we did not get inside the room where we’re staying easily. We had a long drive going to the place, and when we arrived there, we had to wait for the room to be ready. When we went swimming, I saw the happiness in Zoe’s eyes, and that made me forgot the earlier hassles. The experience at Punta Fuego was fun and luxurious. For more of the pics, you can visit my multiply.

Earlier today, we went to Makati for the IDP exhibition. Since the event is free, I grabbed the opportunity. There were a number of Australian schools in the exhibit including the University of Melbourne, Monash University, and University of Newcastle. I enjoyed the seminar and the exhibit. I just wish one of these schools would give me a scholarship.

Also today, we bought Barbie dolls for Zoe. She’s a big fan of “The Twelve Dancing Princesses“. Since my husband is so in to buying one of the 12 princesses’ dolls, I eventually gave in to the idea. Even though Zoe was sleepy when we went to the Barbie shop, we still saw her excitement upon having her new dolls. We bought the box which contains Hadley and Isla, because they have the spinning effects. I’m just wondering, are we spoiling our daughter? Maybe, but there’s nothing compared to seeing those twinkling eyes of Zoe when she’s delighted with a thing. I’ll just try to convince my hubby not to buy another Barbie in the next few months.

Subic Escapade


Zoe and I joined the annual faculty outing of the DLSU Faculty Association. The outing was done at Subic, Philippines. It was a two-day summer adventure. There are lots of activities, and it seemed that all of those are jam-packed in just two days. As a result, everyone was rushing to finish an activity and prepare for the next one. But even if this was the case, I still enjoyed the event, because I saw that Zoë had a great time there.

Unforgettable moments:

1) Zoë puked on my shirt when we were on our way to Subic.

2) Zoë made poop when we were to enter the Ocean Adventure, and I left our bag inside the bus because snacks and drinks are not allowed inside the establishment. So, I did not have a diaper with me…hahaha.. Zoë had no underwear for the entire stay at the Ocean Adventure….I’m just glad it’s over, and she listened to me not to pee during that time…whew!

3) Zoe had fun at the Dolphin show; she didn’t like the Sea lion show.

4) We had fun at the Zoobic Safari. The close encounter with the tigers is really scary. Though they’re inside their cages, I didn’t feel at ease because the tour guide told us that there is a possibility that we might get peed on by those tigers, and the smell would be unbearable. Thank God that didn’t happen.

I’m grateful for this chance. I’ve brought my baby to Subic at a low cost, and she was able to experience such quite rare activities.

Jell and Issa’s 18th Birthday Party



Yesterday, we attended the 18th birthday party of my cousin’s twins, Jell and Issa. The event went well. It reminded me of the fact that I am really getting older. These girls used to be the little kids that I played with several years ago. Now, they’re both ladies already… the babies are now the ladies. Well, I hope they will continue to reach for the stars, and be successful individuals someday.

Shown with this message are the pics at the said event.