In retrospect....

Point of view

2009-09-07T00:02:00.000-07:00

When I lost my job last June 18th, I felt a little nervous thinking how many people are unemployed and very few jobs are available since alot of companies have closed and some are either laying-off or holding off on their hiring process due to the present economic situation. And the big question is: how long do we have to endure this crisis and will the economy be able to bounce back? And will I be able to find a job soon? No one knows for sure.

I remember on the drive home, I was thinking of a good strategy to break the news to my husband. I knew for sure that he'll get upset. But to my surprise, he took the my bad news lightly and gave me a big hug and told me not to worry. I guess, I'm lucky for having such a loving and supportive husband.

It's been three weeks since I've lost my job and I'm really enjoying my vacation and unemployment benefits for the first time! Aside from recuperating from my carpal tunnel surgery, I go to lunches with friends, spend more time with our 3 dogs, go to the gym for light cardio excercises, and watch all my favorite shows that I have on TiVo. It's just so good to have this free time for myself and practically do anything that I want at my own pace!

And then one day a call from Kaiser came regarding a possible job. Within two weeks I had 2 interviews and a job offer to start work with them on Sept 21.

Two days later, I had another job interview this time at Western University of Health Science in Pomona. And as the day goes by, I had more calls for interview coming in. I declined and accepted Kaiser's offer.

Looking back, job isn't so hard to find after all. Or did I just get lucky? There are available jobs out there but, the question is ...... is it your field of expertise? Do you have an excellent track record of your past work experiences? Do you have connection within the organization to get the job? There is a great number of qualified unemployed people and that makes the competition very high. And these reminds me of the saying "survival of the fittest" and "may the best man wins".

And remember, patience and timing are key factors in job hunting. Don't give up easily and market yourself the best way you can.

Lessons learned

2009-08-03T01:39:00.000-07:00

Three weeks had passed since my surgery and still recuperating. Finally, I've finished my antibiotic medication and my surgeon advised me to be very careful with my left hand movement as it is not fully healed yet. Infact, I still have 3 more weeks to recovery with 24/7 splinter/wrist guard. The pain has lessened although without the splinter it still hurt when I try to do some movement to exercise my fingers.

Sometimes, it is so frustrating not being able to use my left hand. And I experience frequent pain and discomfort. And there are alot of things that I can't do. And, it takes me so long to type.....for obvious reason that I'm only using my right hand.

These experience has taught me a couple of things.........extreme patience and pain threshold(thanks, to carpal tunnel!!). But, I have to re-think if I really want to undergo the same procedure for my right hand. Maybe, never again.

Finally, I did it....carpal tunnel surgery

2009-07-30T17:36:00.000-07:00

After 8 years of pain and sleepless nights, I finally decided to go ahead with the carpal tunnel surgery. Unfortunately, I have it on both hands but, thought I should do the surgery on my left hand first since it is the worse one.

After almost 3 months of doctor visits and nerve testing I was finally scheduled for the surgery last July 9th.

Morning of surgery, I got out of bed early and gave myself a good bath. Scott drove me to the Inland Valley Empire Surgical Center in Pomona and checked in at the nurses registration at exactly 10:30am, July 9th, 2009. Half an hour later they called me in to the prep room to put on OR gown and socks. They hooked me up to an IV and waited for my Anesthesiologist. Scott was called in to be on my side and met my doctors 30 minutes before surgery.

At 11:00am they rolled me in to the operating room and was given the most controversial sedative Diprivan through my IV tube. The surgery that lasted for 30 minutes went well....no pain and discomfort. My surgeon made sure that my left hand was wrapped beautifully in white bandages.

We arrived home around noon and the anethesia was slowly wearing off. The discomfort was sipping in and can't do much but rest. A few hours later, inspite of the increasing discomfort, I managed to dressed up and we started our drive to the Greek Theater to see my favorite jazz trumpeter, Chris Botti in concert.

This could be a blessing

2009-06-18T23:57:00.000-07:00

Today is not a good day. Because, today is my last day at work. Due to the financial challenges that a start up company experiences in this time of economic hardship, my employer have resorted to cut back on employment. Unfortunately, my position being the Executive Assistant to the CEO has been affected with 7 other co-workers.

I'm an optimist. And every time something bad happens I always look at the brighter side. Everything happen for a reason. It could be good or bad. So, this move might be a blessing to us all.

I'm lucky though that I'm so blessed with a husband and family who are all very supportive and understanding.

So, I'm not stressing. Infact, tomorrow I plan to go to the gym and have a good work-out. After all, now I have a lot of time to take things easy and enjoy every moment while I can.

But, I honestly hope that this economy get better soon (or we're all screwed!).

I failed

2009-01-20T17:38:00.000-08:00

In one of my earlier posts, I mentioned that I have joined our company running team for the Pasadena Marathon in November 2008. Well, I ended up not running. In the last 2 months, I just didn't have enough time to train. Things just got too busy at work. In short... I failed to reach my goal. Well, I guess next time I just have to try harder and stay more focus.

For now, I need to go back to my regular exercise routine and shed off the extra pound from last Christmas.

Til the next Pasadena 2009 Marathon!

LA County Fair

2008-09-29T13:04:00.000-07:00

The LA County Fair has somewhat become a part of our family tradition. Every year, my husband and I look forward to this funfilled event at the Pomona Fairplex.

Back in 2003 and 2004, we used to drive to the Fair everyday. Those were the days when my husband and I were working part time. And we both had all the time to go to the fair from start to finish. Things have changed since then and now we only have time to go on weekends because of our jobs. And in a way, it somewhat made it more exciting for us.

For us, the fun start at the race track watching and cheering our favorite jockeys and horses. But, the highlight of my day at the races was the Budweiser Clydesdale parade at the race track. I always find myself in awe admiring these beautiful and charming horses all dressed up for the show.

This year, part of the Fairplex Garden was converted to a dog park called "Bark Park". They have all these cute puppies ready for adoption. Three times daily they have the Frizbee dog show and, a Border Collie playing hockey. It is so amazing watching these dogs do such great shows and put a smile on every one's faces. These dogs have guested in popular TV shows such as The Oprah Winfrey Show, Ellen DeGeneres shows, and appeared in TV commercials. The show promote adoption, neutering & spaying. And the dogs in the show are all rescued from the shelters.

We also went to several of the wine tasting sessions hosted by Ralph's. Price per person has gone up though to $16/person since they started in 2004 at $6.00/person. In one of the sessions we invited my bestfriend who is visiting from Manila. We were given 8 different red wine mostly Cabernet and one is Merlot and Bordeaux. The wines are all winners in the International Wine Competition held each year. They have featured guest speakers who give talks and tips about wine.

One thing that you don't want to skip at the fair aside from the scary rides are the food. Everywhere you look, everywhere you go there's food, food, food!! How amazing is that. You don't even have to worry about going home with empty stomach, but you'll surely go home with an almost empty wallet. You see food of all sorts from barbecued tri-tip, alligator meat to deep fried oreos. Oh boy, that deep fried oreos are really good. This year I went for something a little outrageous...a chocolate-covered bacon. Yes, it's bacon inside. You don't taste the bacon until the very end. But, I guess it would have been better if the bacon is crispy fried.

The hypnotist comedy act was really fun to watch that we have to go back and see it on the last day of the fair. It is kinda amazing how this guy can work on the minds of people....very interesting.

At 10:00pm our legs were all so tired but we made sure that before we hit the road home we go to see the animals at the barn and the Budweiser Clydesdale to say our "goodnight".

Great Friends

2008-09-26T16:45:00.001-07:00

Last month 2 of my best buddies came to visit for 3 weeks. Doris, who is based in NY and Jing, who flew all the way from Manila are both classmates in High School. Every year, we try to always find time to get together.

This year, we went to spend a weekend with some friends in San Diego and ate a lot of Filipino food. OMG, the Mamon Luk siopao is still the best! And Uncle Bert and Rodel are such wonderful hosts that they fed us like crazy and brought us to one of the newest shopping mall. Of course, we had a grand time shopping. "If you are a Filipina, you must love shopping", that's what my husband would always say.

We also hooked up with 2 other classmates, Rollyn & Tess who are both based in the bay area. Again, all we did was eat, shop, eat, shop and eat. It was a never-ending shopping and eating spree! We went wine tasting in Napa.

We danced at the Tonga Room of the Fremont Hotel and talked and laughed alot!

It's a great feeling to have friends. Friends who really understand you well and who will always be with you in good and bad times. And these are the kind of friends who sorrounds me and make my life more colorful. That is why I always feel so sad and cry everytime they leave.

And we're all looking forward to the next year for more girl bonding and laughs.

Cheers to us, Girls!

Staying in shape at 40's

2008-06-09T17:30:00.000-07:00

To be in shape and looking good in your 40’s is alot of hard work. They say “no pain, no gain”. It’s true especially for those who are vain. It’s blood, sweat and tears to stay in shape and look good. What more if you’re in your 40’s and a couple more years you’ll be hitting the 50’s mark.

My husband always tell me I’m obsessive about my looks. Personally, i think it is good to have that attitude because it is what motivates me to stay in shape and healthy.

Looking good has a positive effect in every person. I don't sit on my laurel feeling overly confident that I would stay slender at 98lbs especially now that I'm just 3 years away from 50! Our body changes so fast once you hit 40. Gone are the days when you can eat a pound of M&M's and all the junk food that you can ever imagine without having to worry about your weight.

To stay fit and look good has a high price tag to it whether you go under the knife or just simply doing your favorite sport or going to the gym. Putting the money issue aside, I think one important factor is finding time and having the right attitude to do whatever is necessary to stay fit. It's hard though especially if you're married and working full time. Everyday, I try to squeeze at least an hour to go to the gym. Most days I end up going at 9pm and by then I'm all beat up and I struggle running on the treadmill.

Last month, I decided to join the running team in our office. And the goal is to run at the Pasadena Marathon this November. Oooops!, let me make that clear...I'm not running the whole marathon; not even the half marathon....only the 5K run. This is something that I've been wanting to do and I'm quite excited and a little too anxious about it. Hopefully, I do good with my training and, finish the race!

Wish me luck!

Amusement Parks

2008-05-18T00:44:00.000-07:00

Finally, I went to Knotts Berry Farm!

Can't believe it took me years to see it....shame on me! We got there shortly before noon. My husband and I thought that we should go around and check the stores first and go to the fun zone afterwards. We went from store to store and finally hit the Knotts Berry Farm candy store. I'm not a big fun of fudge but.... I swear theirs is really good. We sat down on the bench outside the store and gobbled it.

It was almost past 3pm and realized we haven't had our lunch. We decided to have early dinner at the Knotts Berry Farm famous chicken restaurant. The line was already quite long when we got there and took us almost an hours' wait to get in. Whew!...that's what you call for the love of chicken!...LOL. It was worth the wait though. We got our orders fast and we were both happy with the taste and quality of the food. Our server was very courteous and attentive. At the end of our meal our server gave us 2 choices for dessert: apple pie or boysenberry pie. Of course...we picked the latter and it was a good choice! My husband was raving about how good it was.

We headed back inside Knotts and walked to the fun zone. I was so tempted to get into one of the roller coaster ride but hesitated. I guess that happens when you're old.... it would have been different if I was in my youth. We took the log ride and had a blast especially my husband. Infact, he was begging me to go for another ride. Can you believed that! Oh well, he's such a big kid. We rode the "choo-choo" train that took us around the place, and also the one that goes inside the mining trail. We then headed to see the Perilous Plunge. OMG!..... you have to be young and a thrill seeker to get into this one. You have to pay me big bucks to take this challenge. It is so facinating to watch these young kids go for this ride without hesitation.

After seeing all the scary rides we headed infront of Knotts City Hall and watched the instuctional dance.

We took a couple of pictures for remembrance and headed home at almost 7pm with a smile on our faces.

All day we felt like kids .... careless and just having pure simple fun. It is the kind of feeling that you would always want to go back to :-)

Freeway driving

2008-04-24T14:53:00.000-07:00

Driving is not just passing the DMV tests and having a valid driver's license. Little of us know that driving especially on the freeway is more of common sense and logical thinking aside from knowing the basic traffic rules and regulations . I'm a late bloomer when it comes to driving. I officially started at 46 years old. I guess in some ways it's a blessing or I'll be one of those drivers who think their invisible and has super power ability who can out drive everyone.

I take the freeway (210) on my way to and from work. And everyday, I see alot of things and ponder how can this person passed the DMV test....when he does not even know when to yield. There are drivers who does not even bother to turn their signal lights when changing lanes. Others think that it is alright to cut someone off just so he can get ahead of everyone. Also, more often you see drivers on their cellphone.....oh btw, they don't have the handsfree set, too! And these are the ones who are either driving beyond the speed limit or weaving on their lane. These drivers does not realize that they pose danger to themselves as well as to the other motorists on the road. I guess nowadays alot of us just doesn't care anymore. Call it sad or pathetic.

Last March 26, I was rear ended while I was stationary on the 210 East due to heavy traffic. The poor kid (age 20) was driving like a maniac and was on his cellphone didn't reacted early enough and hit me. He didn't realized that the traffic way ahead of him had come to a complete stop. I was thankful though that we both didn't get hurt. But, I have to give this young man a credit for being so polite and brave to accept his mistakes. The insurance company which is Mercury Insurance was very cooperative and that makes the whole process easy. I got my car back from Marco's Body Shop in Pasadena after 17 days. They do body work for Mercedes Benz Rusnak customers .... and this place really does a great job! My car came out looking like a brand new 1999 C280 model...... but, don't get me wrong.... my car look nice for a 9 year old even before the accident.

Hopefully that incident has taught that young man a lesson in life. I guess many of us does not realize that in every second of a minute a lot of things can happen ...things that can affect or change ones life. It could be good or worse.

Pet Expo at the Orange County Fair Grounds

2008-04-14T14:23:00.000-07:00

My husband and I are big dog lovers. Last April 12th we drove about 30 miles to grace the Annual Pet Expo at the Orange County Fair Grounds, Costa Mesa. We left our house at 9:45am and we didn't reach the OC Fair Grounds til almost 11:05am. Traffic was really bad at the 55 due to a 2 lane closure and we totally missed the show that my husband has been itching to see on "Having Your Dog Certified as Therapy Dog".

Every year we look forward to this event to see the dogs from the different rescue groups and shelters. Most of this dogs are up for adoption. It is very unfortunate though that we can't take any of them home as much as we'd love to as we already have 3 dogs. This event does not only showcase the different breed of dogs but most importantly, it encourage people to go to their local shelters or rescue groups to adopt dogs.

We had a chance to see the World's tallest dog, Gibson. He is a giant....a gentle giant. This dog is huge....made me look like from Liliput Island standing beside him.

We've walked from one building to another and checked what's new at the different vendors booth . One of the coolest booth is that of PetSmart...where you pay a $1 and get to spin a wheel for your prize. And PetSmart donate the money to the homeless dogs. We petted & hugged alot of dogs .... some are big, some are small...some on wheels.....some are slobberer (like this one in the picture... this guy is a 9 year old Newfoundland and he's really so adorable) until our feet are sore...at one point we had to sit down to rest and cool down a little bit as it was really hot (upper 80's).

We headed home at past 6:00pm tired but happy and looking forward to seeing our 3 kids waiting for us with a big greeting.

It is amazing how dogs can make a huge impact on ones life. They're just beautiful creature that God has created whose goal in life is to please and give unconditional love. I could not comprehend how some people can have the nerve to abuse and neglect them.

Let's support our four-legged friends and be responsible dog owners. For those who are planning on getting one ... please think about it and ask yourself if you're really ready for it. Go to your local shelter. There are alot of wonderful dogs at the shelter who need a loving forever home. And let's put a stop to the puppy mills.