Goodbye 2014, hello 2015!

Looking back to 2014, I'd say the year didn't exactly start in a pleasant mood. It was a year full of hope, but with Yolanda, the strongest typhoon ever to hit land, leaving traces of despair and grief in its trail toward the end of 2013, 2014 couldn't have kicked off in high notes. Add to that the fact that my daughter, Marthe, contracted chicken pox on the first month, making her miss her ballet lessons, classes, and an important play to watch in school, and my father had a stroke in November 2013, 2014 for me wasn't all that exciting, at least at the start.

Step-up for the Girls
The year moved quickly, though, and by March, things became clearer. I wouldn't say better. Our daughters' school, St, Scholastica's College Manila, announced a step-up program they had to implement to comply with the Department of Education's plans for the K-12 program. Our daughters have to decide to step up to a higher level in view of their age but they had to undergo 25 days of crash course to prepare them for the next level. The crash course would happen during summer break and if they took it, by June, they'd be in the next grade level - granted that they pass the course.

It was a difficult decision to make. There was the cost of the course to consider (after all, summer break is supposed to be tuition break for us as well), plus it would mean we'd have to skip our yearly summer vacation or perhaps opt for a short one near Manila. The thing is, we had a standing invitation to my aunt's 70th birthday celebration in Cebu last April and it looked like we might not make it. Also, they'd have to skip graduation, the staging of A Midsummer Night's Dream, and many other special activities of graduating grade school students. On the other hand, letting them skip one grade level meant skipping one whole year of tuition and allowing them to graduate ahead, which would do a great favor to our pocket. What to do?

Our own daughters made the decision easier. Since Marthe was having difficulty with her Math subject, and her teachers advised she ignore the Step Up Program and go through the regular term, she decided to skip the Step Up. Fides, however, wanted to be accelerated to Grade 7 right away as she has plans for her future that she wanted to be done immediately. She decided to take advantage of the Step Up. The next month was a whirlwind.

Quick Vacay in Cebu
April came and Fides began her 25 days of crash course. Meanwhile, my aunt wanted us to come to her birthday party and requested Marthe to do a ballet number for her. We then decided that I'd go since my aunt was on my side of the family, and I'd bring Marthe with me as she would be presenting, while Mel, Jules and Fides would stay behind.

Preparing for Cebu was a balance between finishing office work and helping Marthe out with picking her music and dance routine. We practiced every day after work for two weeks and we finally settled for Yiruma's River Flows in You and the more pop Frozen theme by Idina Menzel. Three days before the party, we were ready and set to go. Marthe and I left on a Thursday in a rushed trip to the airport, which almost made us miss our flight. We didn't realize that MMDA or the DPWH has already installed many barriers that prevented us to enter the Skyway from some parts of the highway.

My aunt's 70th birthday party in Liloan, Cebu was a big hit. My cousins from London and the Isle of Man arrived with their boyfriends, and my aunt's friends she haven't seen for a long time also came. The place was a bit small though for presentations and it was drizzling that day so Marthe danced in a small space but she was okay with it. The organizers also didn't consider the possibility of a technical problem, which prevented their speakers to work. Luckily, I had the music saved on my tab and I hooked it up to a component which had portable speakers. All in all, the number and the party were a success.

After the party, Marthe and I managed to make quick tours with my mother and cousin to Fort San Pedro, the Immaculate Conception shrine in Simala, and the Ayala Center. I also met an ex-officemate working there. Three days after, we were back in Manila.

New Schedule
Jules had begun his own 3-month vacation since UST would be joining the few universities that would start their school years in July. He would be busy with debut practices in the weeks following that and I would be busy thinking of what he would wear for certain themed parties - a thing that would become common as 2014 comes to an end later on. He'd be away some days to hang out with guys in his class or to stay overnight at a friend's house. There are times he couldn't go to mass with us as he had school activities to attend. I guess he's really starting to be independent now.

The only thing is he has also begun sleeping a little bit later than usual due to paperwork and school requirements and I don't think that's good. For instance, why would a teacher request his students to take an online exam that runs from 11pm to 2am (at their own pace)? Looks like it's being done now. Or, is it?

New School
May came and Fides ended her crash course. It was time for exam and she was busy with school work every day, poor girl. No rest for her. We'd had to wait for the test results before we could decide to transfer her to a co-ed high school, which I thought she needed badly as she has spent all her classroom years in an all-girls school.

In the meantime, Mel had already gone to Dominican School to inquire and we were relieved to know they could accommodate transferees until the start of school in June. Right after we learned Fides passed the test, we quickly had her take the entrance test in Dominican, applied for her Step Up certificate in St Scho, and bought her books, things, uniform - all in one week. Before she could recover from a suffocating summer, she was back in school, studying again. This time, with boys around, and with a more difficult curriculum to deal with.

We attempted to have one last hurrah for the summer at the end of June so we could go out of town with my parents-in-law before they leave for Hawaii to have my father-in-law's pacemaker changed. Unfortunately, my brother-in-law chose a resort that I wouldn't--in my wildest dreams--think of ever visiting. A resort in Infanta, Quezon that I'd rather not name. We all made a mental note never to come back to that little space on the other side of the Sierra Madre mountains (yes, you had to go through the range to get there).

New Policies
By July, many changes have been implemented in my workplace. New rules, new guidelines for articles, new incentive program, new team members, new expectations. The workload had not lessened but the standards remained. The push became steeper. And so did the requirements at home. Fides had shown an increasing need to talk to me ever since she began in her new school, especially about things she's adjusting to: her classmates, the boys, the teachers, the Math lessons, the projects, etc. Her new girl friends are also starting to influence her to dress up well and fix herself (which is good as she's the "I don't care what I wear" type, but that was before Dominican School).

Marthe, on the other hand, felt more relaxed with her current class, and had rekindled old friendships and acquired new friends. I've been watching her class performance as she's graduating and any lessons that would make her lag behind would affect other requirements for the level so it's important that she's always on track.

August wasn't a good month for me as I got sick again of vertigo, a condition I had experienced 10 years ago. Back then, I collapsed in Landmark and I was just lucky I had office mates still around to help me. They brought me to the hospital when things worsened. I couldn't believe it returned. I was absent from work for two weeks and the checkups on me were inconclusive as to the cause. I still have to make further tests, even now. I suspect, though, that late nights, passing up snacks, and stress were to blame. They were to blame before, why shouldn't they be now?

Picking Up Pace
I returned to work 2nd week of September and gradually regained my usual pace as weeks flew by, though I still remained cautious. Since my sickness, I no longer aimed for my workload quota but did what I could do within work hours. If I happened to hit quota or went beyond, which was rare, then well and good, but otherwise, I'd rather preserve my health than my numbers.

September and October were push days again as there were times my house help, Olive, had to take a leave. She had also planned on pursuing a certificate course so we expected to see less of her around during the day. Kids also started to have a lot of activities in school and term exams to study for, and that meant studying with me.

By November, Olive had decided to take the F&B Service course at The Canadian Tourism and Hospitality Institute and began studying shortly after. She'd arrive around 6 or 7pm so dinner for the kids was pushed back to 8. Sometimes, I'd had to do the dinner preparations whenever I arrived earlier than her. She also took her OJT by December, and came home even later than 8pm.

By October and November, I had also begun my twice weekly practices for our office Christmas party production number, and I had to leave 2hrs later than usual. It didn't mean I could relax by the time I came home, though. There was still school tutoring for assignments and bonding time with the hubby (watching History Channel, usually). Old habits die hard, yeah.

Something Simple, Something Different
I think things took a different turn this November, when I decided to keep things cool and simple for the holidays. December started out with our office Christmas party at Grandview Events Place, and I'd say it's one of the best times of the year. Our team had a good production number and we won the contest. I felt good with my Sabrina (Audrey Hepburn) costume. I won a microwave oven in the raffle. And I even had time to make a few poses in the photobooth (something I'd always forget in previous Christmas parties haha).

To top it all, it became clear that our department would take all the holidays this year. Hoorah!!! Thanks to our department managers, we're finally going to feel the holiday season this year, compared with last year when we had to work OT in all the official holidays except Dec 24, 25, 31 and Jan. 1. The managers found a way for us to make the numbers through work-at-home as an incentive. If we wanted to take the holidays, all we needed to do was to make extra weekend work in the weeks leading to the holidays and in the holiday weekends, and if we go beyond quota, we earn something in return. Isn't that sweet? Let's do this again next year, okay?

I did away with Divisoria shopping - well, technically - like braving the crowds in the night market and all that. But we did go to Divi just one day and shopped for gifts while looking for Jules' dinner jacket for a debut he was attending. We were done in a couple of hours, no sweat. Although I had to wrap the gifts myself, as Olive was always out, it wasn't as toxic as last year, and I had Marthe to assist me.

Our department Christmas party was fun as well. Thanks to my office mates EJ, Ginyn, Jonas T, Lelaine and Errol, the games, awards, and wonderful food brought the house down. I found time to meet with my friend Jambi, too, when he came home from HK for the holidays, and I have a get-together with ex-GS office mates on the first week of January. Our family reunion last Christmas was also much more lively and exciting than last year's. There was some family conflict with some relatives in the past but it looks like things are settling down and we're all okay.

I booked my own parents and my brother's family in Go Hotel for New Year's Eve and New Year's Day so my mom's pharyngitis and my niece and nephew's respiratory conditions won't escalate from the smoke of the fireworks and firecrackers. They enjoyed it and I was happy to have given my parents - especially my Papa - some rest and relaxation even for a day. Olive and I finished cooking and food preparations earlier than we did last year and so, I had time to make this blog post.

As I end this, it's about 5 minutes before midnight, and I have this sense of accomplishment. I guess 2014 would be ending better than it began. Soon it would be 2015, and I'm looking forward to another year of challenges, opportunities, struggles and victories. Hope 2015 will be a great one for you as I hope it would be for me and my family.

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL!