REVIEW: Unionbank Dasmarinas, Cavite

My Unionbank Eon will expire in a few days, so I've got to replace it in time for my salary at the end of the month. At 9am on the dot, the Unionbank branch in Dasmarinas, Cavite opened up. Here are some things I've noticed:

1. Their bank employees, including the guard, do not know how to greet customers. Courtesy is very important because the life of their business depends on the customers.

2. My transaction only took 15 minutes. Kinda quick but it would have been quicker if the person in charge in handling new accounts did not include her other responsibilities not related to my purpose. She said she'd just open the vault. I went there to change my Eon card, so no connection at all.

3. I paid P150 for the replacement of my Eon card. I've read in numerous blogs that a fee is paid for the replacement. Apparently, there is no payment if the card has reached beyond its expiration date. For example, if my card expires at the end of August and I decide to replace it by September, there would be no charge for replacing it. It would have been better if the bank's website includes that information.

More observations next week as my card will be replaced after a week.

REVIEW: Sky Ranch

Last August 23, our whole family decided to celebrate my father's 70th birthday at Sky Ranch. It is located beside Taal Vista in Tagaytay. Buses going to Nasugbu, Batangas pass by it, and jeepneys from Tagaytay Rotunda are another option. Below are my negative and positive observations:

1. Their entrance is 80 pesos during weekends. I find it misleading because when I told the cashier that we have a senior citizen, she said that the entrance of my father will still be 80 pesos because it is already discounted. According to her, the entrance is really 100. I think that is a lame excuse not to give a senior citizen discount. So it appears that regardless of a guest's age, the entrance would still be P80.

2. Even if it's sunny or drizzling, the ride attendants are always ready to use their big umbrellas for those who will be taking their rides. 

3. Children below a certain height has a free entrance. However, I ended up paying for my 3-year old daughter's rides because the cashier said she isn't free. When my brother-in-law asked, he was told that a child who has a free entrance can also avail of free rides all throughout. How confusing!

4. It's nice to see that there are now benches around. When my friends and I first visited, we were just standing around.

My kids enjoyed their time at Sky Ranch. Aside from the entrance and price issues, the place is clean and the attendants are nice.

What I Am Proud Of

I've been a little depressed these past weeks, but suddenly had a change of perspective. The sudden change was unexplainable. So I would like to write about what I am proud of. This article includes my big and not-so-big accomplishments as a wife and mother. Happy reading!

1.I am proud of witnessing my children's milestones. 

When a mother works outside, she misses a lot. Although the work contributed by women nowadays are given more worth compared before, nothing beats seeing your child's first smile or first step. I had a child one after another, but despite that, I never missed any of their milestones. It never stops to make me smile when I think about them.

2. I am proud of knowing my husband more.

I always tell my husband that our relationship is tested by distance. In the 9 years that we have been together as a couple, 3 years of that, he stayed in Japan, 1 year he stayed in Qatar, he goes home only twice a week because his work is in Makati, and going home everything would exhaust his time, money and energy. I admit that even when we got married, we still didn't know a lot about each other. Our relationship grew as we were blessed with more children. That meant having a limited time with only the two of us. Both of us exerted a lot of effort to make each other feel special. It was a challenge at first but we were able to surpass it. Yes, it was difficult but worth it.

3. I am proud of my work.

When I was studying my master's degree in UP, I was ashamed of my job. Whenever I was asked what my job is, I would get blank stares from others. I felt that other people think my work wasn't that serious to be considered a career. I guess partly true. I've been working as an ESL teacher since 2005. Ever since quitting my job in 2009 and becoming a housewife after, I was left with no choice but to look for a job that would be easy to do at home. Still, ESL teaching came as a good opportunity. I am more proud of it now because I do not need to leave my house but still get a salary that is the same as those working outside.

4. I am proud of my little home.

I could still remember the time when I was questioned why I bought and used my husband's money for a 26.8 studio unit. I could still remember my mother-in-law's reaction upon seeing the unit, looking a for staircase (of course there was no staircase!). They made me feel I just wasted a lot of money for a small property. I had to let it all pass at that time. I am vindicated now. That small house witnessed my family's struggles and happiness for 4 years. 

5. I am proud of being a housewife.

Being a housewife and accepting that I have become a housewife were both difficult in the beginning. It was sad comparing myself to my peers and seeing how successful they have become in their chosen fields. I remembered saying that I wanted to be a housewife, but I wasn't ready with the responsibilities included. God listened to what I wanted to become and everything changed. It was disappointing at first. Doing everything on my own and still taking care of the children after was physically, mentally, and emotionally draining. But I have gotten used to it and couldn't last a day not doing a task for any of my family. 

6. I am proud of my children.

Last, but definitely not the least. I love my children so much because they complete me. They're like ordinary kids, but they're special to me. They are different in their own ways. They have their own strengths and shortcomings. They make me cry and they make me smile. When I look at them, I always think they're still babies. Even if I had a lot of difficult time taking care of them when they were smaller, I don't want them to grow up fast. 

What's Happening To Me?

dreamstime.com

I've been excited about so many things. From a whining person a month ago, something strange happened, and things are becoming clearer. I recently realized the value of having an insurance. I'm a person who's afraid of dying. I don't want my kids to suffer what my sisters and I have experienced when our mother died. We were left with a million worth of debt, unpaid mortgages, credit cards, etc. My poor father have to shoulder everything. I used to blame my mother for what we have to go through after her death. Our lives were changed, every member in the family was affected. These past few days have made me realized how bad I was to blame my dead mother for our financial problems. I suddenly realized that she was not financially literate. She didn't realize the importance of investing when she was still alive. I still love her despite what happened. Somehow, things would have been better if we knew people who could give a good influence about money.

Last weekend, I met two different agents. Both were knowledgeable about their products. Agent 1 started discussing about my finances and what could be left after deducting expenses from our salaries. Agent 2 started discussing about the background of the company. Agent was straightforward in what she could offer. Agent 2 provided me with enough information about the different technical terms associated with finances. For the value of a VUL worth 350k, Agent 1's quarterly premium is double of Agent 2's. I still have to research on their respective products. I asked for a month to think about it before making a decision.

Aside from being more financially-concerned and interested these days, I also decided to change my hair color. Being a housewife has decreased my confidence. I lost interest in going out and learning new things. I became content with my kids and what I need to do at home. I somehow lost my motivation to grow and learn as an individual. Parenthood has put me in a cage where everything I do becomes a chore. I love what I do for my husband and kids, but somehow, I lost 'it'. And so I decided to change something about myself.

To end this, I just want to say that I started to think of the future because I was holding on so long to the past. Change is good.

notbuyinganything.blogspot.com

My Typical Day

                                           Source: imnmarketer.com

What is your typical day like? As a mother of 3 kids, with no nanny, and a lot of house chores to do, I end up lacking energy all the time. Did I mention that I also work? I have realized that ever since I had a child, I have never had a complete 8-hour sleep. I could only have at most 5 hours of sleep everyday. Let me give you a list of what goes on everyday.

4:15am -Wake up and prepare for my 4:30am class
4:30am-6:20am- Online classes
6:20-6:40am- Prepare kirsten for school
6:40-7:00- Breakfast
7-7:40- Do laundry
7:40-7:50- Bathe kurt
7:50-8:00- Prepare for a one-hour online class, do the dishes, etc
8:00-9:00 Online classes
9:00-9:40 Prepare kylie for school, do the laundry in between, prepare what will be cooked for lunch
9:40-10:00 Send kylie to school, fetch kirsten *with kurt in tow
10:00-10:20 Check kirsten's homeworks, check for subjects to review, do the laundry
10:20-11:30 Prepare and cook lunch, wait for kylie to arrive, put kurt for a nap
11:30-12:00 Lunch, do the dishes, etc.
3:00-5:00pm Clean the house, do more dishes, review the kids' lessons, prepare and cook dinner
5:30 Dinner
6:00-6:30 Bathe the kids
from 7:00pm Check my night classes, emails, writing jobs
7:30 Put the kids to sleep
9:00-10:00pm Online classes
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I could only take a nap in the afternoon, but most of the times I couldn't because I got used to watching them sleep. I would often complain about this schedule but I am more than thankful for the physical and emotional strength everyday. I also break down in tears sometimes, specially when kids become uncontrollable and they just won't listen. I've thought before of going back to work outside, but just an hour of being away and not seeing my kids become unbearable already. I've learned to appreciate the hardship of doing everything everyday and find something positive about it. The kids' smiles, words of appreciation and warm hugs compensate for everything.

7 New Faces in 7 Days

                                                         Source: cavendishimaging.com
I am slowly becoming a fan of Solar News Channel because of their shows. 'Undercover Boss' is my favorite show, because it features how bosses are willing to go undercover to know the problem and issues of their own companies, deal with the employees who serve as the backbone of their companies, and later on uncover their real identities to these people and reward them in the end. Last Saturday, as I was channel surfing, I chanced upon 'Stories', a documentary show on the Solar News Channel. The story that night was about how a group of UK doctors went to Vietnam, more specifically Danang Hospital, to help those who have facial deformities. The medical team will only be staying in Vietnam for 7 days and they need to help 7 patients with serious facial deformities. The challenge for these doctors was choosing who to help among the many number of patients expecting to be cured. I never knew that many people in Vietnam have facial deformities. They have, i think, one of the highest number of people with birth defects. The lack of medical help and equipment have forced these same people to just accept their fate. What made it worse was poverty. It made me feel very lucky and sad at the same time. Lucky because no one in my family has a similar problem. Sad because the usual problems of not having money and not getting the right medical help are forcing these people to accept their situation. What impressed me in the end was the idea of bringing 3 patients to London for their operation and treatment. 

The viewer will, in the beginning, be saddened by the plight of these patients. Making one realize that, in our society, we still laugh upon those who do not look 'normal' or 'acceptable' based on what most of us have made standards. That even if we have started to accept black as beautiful, we are not still ready to accept those whose faces are deformed. That even if most of us say that we put no discrimination on people on wheelchairs, we still pass them in elevators, and some companies still do not employ them. Despite these realizations, one compelling lesson is unforgettable all throughout: that one should not lose hope even if the odds may go against him most of the times.