#100daysofblogging

Dear MERALCO

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Yesterday, we endured 12 hours of no electricity.

The BAD:

It was difficult trying to sleep in 33-degree temperature with no airconditioning or electric fans.

The only migraine trigger that still exists for me now is heat and (over) sun exposure. I was already feeling bad after a long shower and sitting in front of an electric fan, the power outage made it even worse.

It took Meralco 12 hours to restore service. It would have been understandable if it really was so difficult to address. What makes this response time unaccepatable is that:

  • It took Meralco six hours to get a team to inspect the transformer that got busted. Why did it take so long for them to get here?
  • After inspection, the team said that a boom truck would arrive shortly to change a fuse.
  • I don’t know what time the boom truck got to our street, but they were not prepared to do the repairs needed. Hindi daw sila na-inform na papalitan ang fuse. So they left to get the necessary tools/parts, and came back at midnight.

This really got me wondering about Meralco’s Service level targets. What guarantee do they give consumers when it comes to duration and frequency of power interruptions, response and restoration times? A quick Google search didn’t get me anywhere, except this 2009 Philippine Star article that has no specifics.

I also visited the Meralco website but could not find the information I was looking for. What I haven’t done is send an inquiry thru their Facebook or Contact Us Pages. That will be a Research activity I am saving for another time.

I recognize that we are better off compared to other areas – we don’t experience regular power interruptions, we have power when some areas still don’t. But, we still deserve better service. As consumers, we demand it.

Now, it wasn’t all bad during those 12 hours. There was also some good:

  • Spending time with this happy baby. Because it was too hot indoors, I went down to the common area to hangout with family. Bekah sure enjoyed all the attention she was getting 🙂

  • Halo-halo. No explanations needed.

How was your day?

9 of 100 done!

You Don’t Have to Agree With Me

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Today, I am sharing thoughts on marriage. Having been married for just a little over three years, I feel like being such an authority on married life already. NOT!

I believe that our relationship, like all others, require constant work. But, it doesn’t have to be a tiring and tedious ride. Though we are still new at this marriage gig, we have been partners now for a good 18 years. Throughout our journey together, and in observing family and friends, and watching so much TV, surely we’ve learned a few lessons, right?

Sometimes, I like to reflect on these lessons and talk to the husband about them. Here’s one of those lessons.

Don’t expect to agree on EVERYTHING. It’s just never going to happen.

Very early in our relationship as boyfriend-girlfriend, I realized that despite our similarities, and no matter how we make an effort to align our goals with each other’s – we are essentially two very distinct individuals.

Before I move on, I acknowledge that there are core values that are non-negotiables. And that it is important to agree on your #couplegoals – after all, you both have to be going in the same direction. This isn’t about that.

No Magic Pill

Saying I do, moving in together, or switching your Facebook profile to In a Relationship. None of these is a magic pill that allows you to suddenly agree easily on every choice or decision you have to make. Things won’t automatically line up the way the Sort button on an Excel file does.

It would be nice to find a partner who sees everything the same way you do. But not everyone will find one. Liking the same things or having the same values and opinions on just about every issue isn’t what’s important. I believe that what matters is how much value we place on our partner’s preferences and opinions.

It matters more that we are able to set aside our own biases – even for just a short time – to hear our partner out. We can go on to argue our point, but always, the end goal is to understand the other side better. Personally, I don’t always seek to convert the husband to cross over to my side – but I’d like to know that he listened to me and sincerely considered my point.

Tips on how to deal with your differences:

  1. Be respectful while explaining yourself.
  2. Empathize.
  3. Listen to understand.

And always, keep your arguments on point. It is not about YOU and how you feel about each other, it’s about the issue at hand.

The hubby and I don’t share the same world view. I tend to see things in a more positive light, and approach social issues with respect to the many structures and layers involved. I support actions that are long-term and truly address the root cause. He tends to have a darker, more sinister view. He leans towards practical, short-term, and quick solutions. So yes, we disagree on more than just where to eat, but I find that recognizing our differences, saves us from being hurtful towards each other.

Finally, 8 of 100.

On Adulting

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Monday was a national holiday commemorating the Day of Valor. As it is with long weekends, many took the opportunity to take a vacation and create memories with their families and friends.

As for me, well, perhaps seeing my Facebook status may give you an idea of how I spent the day.

I had deliverables due early that evening so I cut my weekend short and sat down to work. All the while my mind was drifting away, thinking that I would rather be doing either of these things instead:

    • Visit Amir and Arkin (my nephews who are growing up sooooo fast!)
    • Crochet/Knit
    • Read a book
    • Do more meaningful work
    • Have an adventure!

Yeah, adulting is hard. Being an adult with responsibilities sometimes means prioritizing the less fun stuff.

And when I say hard, I’m not referring to having to get a job and spending so much time working. Sometimes that’s the easy part.

It’s about being responsible for yourself and your own needs.

And when you have to be responsible for others. Of course, no matter our age, our actions always affect other people in some way. But when your actions and decisions mean life and livelihood for someone else – that can be scary shit.

But adulting is fun too.

Though I miss Christmas vacations and long summers, I don’t miss sitting for long hours in a classroom. I really did not enjoy going to school. It surprises me, to this day, that I did pretty well as a student. Believe me when I say that I understand kids who are difficult in the morning of a school day. I was THAT kid.

So I love NOT having to go to school.

And…

Uhm…

I am pretty sure there are so many times when it’s fun being an adult but I am for sure having a hard time recalling right now. Hahahahaha!

7 of 100 🙂

Puppies Day Out!

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On March 13, Chiclet gave birth to three healthy puppies.

First photo - Chiclet nursing Pandora, Roku, and Shadow

First photo – Chiclet nursing Pandora, Roku, and Shadow

We are so proud of Chiclet! Truthfully, we thought we had a week before delivery, so imagine the surprise when the husband came home from his shift to find two wee puppies! The third pup soon followed. Buti na lang marami kaming cardboard boxes from grocery shopping – he was able to make a bed for the new mom and her puppies lined with soft clean rags. No need to buy a new crate.

Sometimes, I feel like Chiclet needs a break from breast feeding. We find her snuggling elsewhere every once in a while like she’s craving a moment of peace!

Sometimes mama just needs a break. #chicletonyxapitana

A post shared by Vera S. Ocampo-Apitana (@verabear) on

When the puppies turned two weeks’ old, we took them out for their first visit to the Veterinarian. They were so precious crammed into one big shoe box! They were well-behaved, and didn’t fuss. Not even when they got their vitamin shots.

I’m still amazed that our baby Chiclet carried three babies in her tummy, and gave birth all on her own. She has been a very good parent. Sirius, on the other hand, has been left out a little because Chiclet doesn’t like him fussing over the babies at all. We just make sure we give him cuddles too so he doesn’t feel so bad.

So now, we’re a household of two humans, two adult dogs, and three puppies.

See how behave the puppies were while getting their shots:

That’s 6 of 100, blogged!

30 Days of Thankful – November 2017

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Finally, after years of just watching from the sidelines, I have completed a 30 Days of Thankful Album <happy dance!>.

Every November since 2012, Cathy Zielske has done this project “to help (you) remember all that is good, from the tiniest of things in this life to the most humongous, to everything in between.” Every year, I follow her posts with the full intention of joining in. In 2014, I even got as far as signing up for the private Facebook Group created for anyone who needs inspiration and support for completing their projects, yet year after year, I end up with nothing.

It doesn’t matter that it took me five months to complete an album that was meant to be done in 30 days – what matters is that I did it!

Here’s a flip-through video of my completed album:

I loved working on this album and being reminded to find joy in the smallest of things, and to be grateful always.

This project also helped me come to terms with how I’d like to approach memory keeping:

  • I love memory keeping and the Project Life system. I almost chucked off scrapbooking as something I would never really get around to doing. I have a lot of physical products, and I also have the App. It seemed like I would start an album, make a few pages, and then never finish anything. I thought it was something I already needed to give up and get off my plate so I didn’t have to feel bad about not accomplishing anything. Completing this project changed my mind.
  • Having a home printer is important for me to stay on track with documenting life. By the end of the first week, I had completed my cover and the first six pages. Then I ran out of Paper for my Canon Selphy printer. That really set me back big time. I know fully well that I can still build my title Cards and journalling, then add the photos later – but for me it needed to start with the printed photo. Not having the printed photo felt like a mental block from going forward with what needed to be done.
  • Color coordination and embellishments are not all that important to me. Although I had always admired scrapbookers who do great embellishments, and have cohesive album pages – I realized that mine didn’t have to look that way.
  • Stamps are wonderful tools that you can use over and over again for your pages, but I just can’t stamp effectively. Maybe my ink pads are low quality, or maybe they‘ve dried up or lost their pigment after I’ve had them so long and not used them. I don’t know. I may really just be awful at stamps.
  • Alpha and number stickers are LOVE. I don’t have a lot. When the self-imposed moratorium for spending on hobbies is lifted, I am getting more. Gifts are WELCOME too. 🙂
  • Maybe not everyone can read my handwriting but I’m not about to let crappy handwriting stop me from adding journalling to my pages.
  • Speaking of journalling – I didn’t plan it, but it just came naturally to journal in English. Next time, I’ll try to express myself in Filipino or TagLish (Tagalog-English).
  • Great photography would be awesome for my pages! But not having great photos is just another roadblock I’d rather not stop me. Not all my photos are great, but they are photos that show what life is right now, and THAT’s what’s important.

Have I mentioned that I LOVE DOING THIS ALBUM? I really, really do.

Supplies: 6×8 album, photo pocket pages, and assorted cards from Project Life by Becky Higgins

2 of 100 done!

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