Our Saturday Story

This fine and sunny Saturday morning, Hubby made me my favorite breakfast - bacon and french toasts drizzled with Maine maple syrup. It was just the perfect thing to jumpstart my day on this cold winter morning. And it was such a nice gesture from Hubby. But it was not like that a year ago.

So, let me tell you a story!

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On Saturday mornings, I used to make us breakfast in bed. It was not really meant to be the typical romantic quote-and-unquote-with-matching-finger-gesture “breakfast”. It was just an ordinary breakfast in bed for lazy people like us.

Well, being able to lie in bed till noontime in my jammies feels like holiday to someone who wakes up at 4 in the morning to leave for work at 20 minutes pass five. [My side of the story.] And being able to lie in bed till noontime watching TV even if the shows are just paid advertisements is definitely a welcome change from a whole day pounding or sanding walls. [Hubby’s side of the story.]

Given both sides of the story, we got used to having breakfast in bed every Saturday to celebrate our “lazy side of the story”.

And like any ordinary story there is a climax and anti-climax to it. The climax… Hubby lies in bed and enjoining the breakfast in bed and the anti-climax, me making the breakfast in the kitchen. Being a wife, in this double standard society, it is my role to make breakfast and it is Hubby’s role to stay in bed and wait. Oh well, blame it to my bladder. I have no choice but to get up and take my first trip to the bathroom and yes, since I am already up and hungry I had to make breakfast. So it has nothing to do with the role issues I stated earlier. It was more on my bladder issue.

But Hubby after some threatening and guilt-inducing blackmail finally made breakfast one fine Saturday morning even if I already took a couple of trips to the bathroom and already facebooking. The first time he made me breakfast was not what I expected because he just went to the store to buy breakfast sandwich at Dunkin Donuts. But eventually, he began to give in to the idea that making breakfast for his lovely wife makes him a loving and romantic husband. And I really appreciate it.

And since then, we take turns in making breakfast and enjoy our only day of the week where we truly have time for each other.

10 inches and adding

Ten inches of snow! Are you kidding me?

I woke up this morning to a white background again. Snow storm! I didn't have a clue until I had to get up and took my first trip to the bathroom.

I have not left the house since yesterday. I was officially on house arrest since then. I don't know. I am sick, maybe? I am sick of a disease called... laziness. I am sick and tired of this weather. I can't do much and I am too lazy to get dress and drive around.

On the lighter note... at least I have more time for blogging and updating my blogs... catching up with friends online... facebooking... crawling in bed... doing the laundry... eating... eating... and eating. There goes my one and only New Year's Resolution! Thanks to snow storm.

After breakfast which Hubby cut out this morning by the way, I had the urgency to check my phone. Unfortunately, I didn't even realize that I left my phone in the car last Saturday. So Hubby was forced to do the plowing job right away to get the phone in my car instead of staying in front of the TV watching his favorite channel.

This is Maine! Welcome to my world!

The Typical Wife

One of the challenges facing any blogger in this world wide blogosphere is coming up with new ideas to write about.

As a wife, I have many ideas but most of my ideas are not good enough for writing. I am a typical wife with lots of dirty laundry quite figuratively and literally speaking.

As a sensible wife, it is not descent to wash my dirty laundry in public, if you know what I mean. Well, my dirty laundry, figuratively speaking is not as dirty as the Jon-and-Kate-plus-8 circus extravaganza or as juicy as Brat-Pitt-Angelina-Jolie-high-profile spectacle.

As a carpenter's wife, my kind of dirty laundry, figuratively speaking, is just as simple as whining about the trash that Hubby always forgets to take out.

Well, I am a typical wife married to a typical guy. We live a typical life with all the typical perks and sides. We struggle like any typical couple trying to survive the typical economic crisis. We try to have fun together as typical Mainers enjoying what the typical Maine seasons can offer for fun. And most importantly, we love each other like typical people who treat each passing day like a typical day.

Of freezing temp and loose change

I woke up to another freezing temperature this morning. It was in a single digit. Yeah, below 3 degrees! Brrrrrrrrrr.

Oh well, I can only whine and whine but that won't really help keep me warm. I live in Maine so it's normal. At least it’s not snowing. I will surely be pissed if I will have another auto body repair service for having another bad collision due to icy road. [Knock on wood!]

Since we have freezing temperature, I am not really surprised to see my cranberry juice which I left in my car last night… frozen. Great! Maybe I should turn the refrigerator off and just put all my food in a bucket and tote and put them in the snow bank. In that case I will be able to save on electric bill. hahahaha

And speaking of saving… I found Hubby rolling up some dimes this morning when I got home from work. Hubby always puts his change in an old wipes dispenser box. Eventually the loose change accumulated and the box instantly turned into piggy bank.

Today he rolled up 100$ worth of dimes and as usual I will bring it to the bank so I can change it into a dollar bill. Not bad huh!

I know... I know...

This year, I’m planning to start dieting again.

I know! I know! I have mentioned about dieting many times before. And I have blogged about it too for the Nth time across my five blogs. I can’t help it. I do want to slim down. I have the drive. I have the momentum. And I have the desire. What I don’t have though… is time and perseverance! Oh how I wish I have the metabolism like other people who can eat like a truck driver but never gain weight.

I know! I know! I always have alibis. And I have a really valid alibi for not achieving the “hot body” that I so desire to knock my Hubby off. He is my Alibi! He always tells me… I love you for what You are and You are sexy in my eyes! Too bad, I believe him so!

I know! I know! There are lots of options that I can take to achieve my goal and lap-band the woodlands could be the future journey of my life to my dream figure. Or better yet, take the long and winding road of the treadmill and die in exhaustion.

I know! I know! I have promised myself that this summer… I will be with my cousin in Malibu. So... let's see if I will be clad in sexy bathing suit or long gown!

Few Minutes Bonding with Hubby

I came home from work today hoping that I could take an early nap because I didn't get enough sleep last night. Oh well, it was CSI: Miami night so hubby and I stayed up passed our bedtime.

As I drove our icy driveway, Hubby's truck was still there so I was assuming he was home. I heard the sound of an engine running by the shed outback so I knew he was there messing up with the snowmobile. And I was right. After a few minutes I heard the motor roaring and there he was cruising in the snow covered backyard.

I was already preparing for my beauty sleep when he barged into the bedroom and asked if I want to go snowmobiling. I was like… "are you kidding me?". I was bundled up in seconds. Well, he knows I love snowmobiling. It's as if, he was asking a little girl if she wants a candy.

I was cruising in the backyard.... at 10 miles per hour. Geez, my arms were sore so I was having a hard time maneuvering the big boy. After few minutes I gave up. Hubby then took over and we went around the woods to check some deer tracks outback.

For few minutes, I had fun with Hubby before he finally left for work. After he left... I did some Math... Snowmobile= $7,000.00; First Gear = $175.95; Gas = $2.96; Few minutes with Hubby = PRICELESS! Spending quality time with him is indeed something precious now considering that we seldom find time for each other due to our busy schedule.

My Dearest Sweetest... an open letter

When my Hubby and I were still in a long distance relationship… I used to send him cards every week. Even if we chatted online religiously and talked on the phone frequently… I still sent him cards with sweet messages that I wrote to tell him how much I missed him.

When my Hubby and I got married… I am now used to just writing checks for bills… filling up forms… and doing his paperwork.

This is the 3rd New Year that we are together as husband and wife. And we have only a couple of hours left before the year ends. I am writing this letter to tell him how much I miss him… even if he is just a foot away.

My Dearest Sweetest,

We only have few more hours left and a new year will begin. I wish we could spend those remaining few hours of 2009 cuddling while watching CSI and waiting for the countdown. But then, we are spending it like any ordinary nights… ME – multi-tasking [watching TV, facebooking, blogging and chatting with Japol] and YOU – snoring away to dreamland and too tired to even take your socks off. But then, it's ok at least I can write this letter without you bugging me and asking me what I am doing every 5 minutes.

This is our 3rd New Year together and so far we are still holding on and going strong. This year has brought the best and the worse in us. We both rejoiced and were grateful for the best times we had this year. And we struggled together to beat the worse moments just the same. There were times that we fought over petty things and there were those moments when we fought together against the odds. We did have a lot of misunderstanding but still we never fail to understand each other and always ready to forgive and forget.

Sweetest, I want to take this chance to tell you how much I love you.

I love you not because of the sparkles that those diamond jewelries that you gave me bring… but because of the sparkles that I see in your eyes when you look at me.

I love you not because I enjoy breakfast in bed… but because you try your best to make me breakfast when I am too lazy to make one.

I love you not because you fold your own laundry and leave mine in the basket… but because you want me to save time on folding clothes and don’t want me to re-do mine because you know I have a special way of folding them.

I love you not because you take care of the trash and the mice trap after several times of procrastinating… but because you always wanted to tease me and find me cute when I am angry.

I love you not because you give me flowers every chance you got or shall I say after my nagging… but because you still give me flowers even if you don’t believe it’s important, you still give me because you know I love them.

And more importantly, I love you because you are such a hard worker, both figuratively and literally. I'm sorry if I whine a lot every time you asked me to rub your back at night because it hurts. I would have never known how hard you work until the day I insisted on going with you and helped you out with a few stuff. I only spent a couple of hours working with you and didn't even do the hard stuff but my whole body was sore. It was then that I realized that you were really hurting when you asked me to rub your back. That few hours of spending time with you at work and observing you work made me realized how hard your work is. Observing you at work brought me to tears. That is why... since then, I tried my best to rub you back even if I am too lazy to do it.

Sweetest, thank you for keeping up with me... for putting up with my craziness... and for loving me despite my shortcomings.

I love you!

Your Sweetie

Happy New Year, Everyone. Hope Hubby will be able to read this when he gets up in the morning.

It's Indeed... Christmas!

I woke up to a nice, sunny white Christmas morning and to Hubby's sweet and loving "Merry Christmas" greeting... with a matching one-of-a-kind, multi-colored, half-a-carat trinity diamonds and white gold necklace. Yes! I got another piece for my collection. [wink*]

I woke up this Christmas morning very excited with the present. Whose girl will not be excited? They're diamonds! They're girls' BFFs! And what does an excited girl would do when she receives a diamond? She'll "facebook" it! LOL

It's indeed Christmas! After an entire year of waiting... a few days of countdown... a little effort of taking several trips to all the stores in town that has a big "SALE" mark on its window... a lot of painstaking moments to beat the traffic and finding a spot to park the car... a lot of decision making ordeal in finding the right present for the right person... a couple of sleepless nights wrapping the presents... and one last chance to hold myself together to make it to the holiday season... Christmas has indeed brought the best in me... and thank God, I am still alive.

Finally, It's Christmas! Now, that the gifts are unwrapped and mess is cleared. Now, that all my loved ones' newly acquired possessions are dealt with. Now, that I saw that everyone is happy with their loot... it's now time to plan for the next things to buy... because after Christmas... is the best time to buy presents for next Christmas because everything is on sale. LOL.

Merry Christmas All.

My Interview with Kristie... The Last Words

QUESTION NO. 11. Anything else you want to add or share about expat life or culture shock? Please share anything you think would be helpful to expats in general or expats living where you are now.

Moving to an entirely new place or home is a life-changing decision that one has to take with total precaution and consideration.

No one will prepare you for the changes that you will about to experience and the challenges that you are going to face. Adjustment period will be long if not constant but opportunities are endless.

Things may not always be favorable but take them as a learning experience. And most importantly, take things to the next level every time you reach your goal.

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There you go! I guess that's all I have to say. And this is the last of the "My Interview with Kristie" sequel.

I would like to thank you all for this great opportunity to share my experiences and colorful reflections of my new life as an expat... a life that I am living now away from my homeland... from the people I love... and from the culture I was born with.

My Interview with Kristie... The Restless Traveler

QUESTION NO. 10. Where do you think you'll go next?

I am a traveler. At least I believe so that is why I am so sure that once the travel bug bites me again... there is nothing else for me to do but to pack my luggage and take off.

I have been to different countries [with my BFFs] before I finally settled here in Maine.

I want to see the world and given a chance I will not pass on it.

I want to see Europe and the mysterious Asian countries that I used to teach my students from books. And perhaps visit again those places I've already been to just to relive the good memories I had there.

And after I get tired of traveling I will surely go back home for a short visit to my home country to be with family and reconnect with friends every now and then.

Or maybe buy a farm and build my dream vacation/retirement home there and just come back here in Maine after the long winter is over.

My Interview with Kristie... Practical Tips

QUESTION NO. 9. Any practical tips for the new expats out there?

Moving or migrating is a big decision one has to make. It is like going to war. You need to be prepared and ready... emotionally, physically and perhaps spiritually to survive the challenges awaiting you.


My practical tips are very common and simple. I know a lot of people already know them or simply put... they already know what to do once they are faced with the same predicament. I believe that human being has a natural instinct to adapt to any life situation for survival. But still everything is easier said than done.



Based on my personal experience... these 5 things saved me from losing my sanity during the first few months in my new home. And for this reason alone, I know it is worth sharing. So here goes;

1. Pack a great amount of common sense and you will never go wrong.

2. Be prepared and don't whine if things won't happen the way you dreamt it.

3. Expect the unexpected so that you will not get disappointed.

4. Don't leave behind your values, faith and personal conviction because
they will come handy in those instances when you are left with no options.

5. And more importantly, grow where you are planted.

Being an Expat is like you are being uprooted from the soil where you are planted. But being so is not entirely a negative thing. Some plants grow beautifully when they are re-planted or re-potted... you know what I mean. Take advantage of the things offered to you in your new home and look for the opportunity to learn and to adapt and things will fall perfectly into places.



And if things did not go the way you expected it to be... find ways to move on... or move out... or move in. It's your choice.