Tenant 304

The past weeks has been filled with so much blessings. But early today, the happiness those blessings showered upon me vanished. I had an accidental encounter with our neighbor this morning. Accidental, because there was no bad intention at all. Come to think of it, the situation got out of hand when our neighbor confronted me when we all thought that everything was already fine. 

The issue: parking spot.

For the past months, we've been waiting in line for a parking spot in this condo we're renting. Last week, the manager told me that Tenant 304 is moving out and assured me that we can already park in the spot that used to be the space for tenant 304 starting October 30, 2013. We even talked about the terms of payment. With that, my husband and I thought that it was all clear.

When my husband got home from work, he informed the guard on duty of the parking changes and yes, he was able to park properly. Around 7am today, the guard asked us if we can move our car because Tenant 304 is coming. I didn't argue because the management apologized for the wrong info they gave us. We didn't have problems on moving our car either. I took out the car, waited a bit. Apparently, there was no parking available outside the building as well. So I placed the car on hazard and went to the condo's office to ask for assistance. It just so happen that Tenant 304 was there. When I came in, the manager approached me and apologized for the mix up. I was also told that Tenant 304 was the one near the front desk. So I apologized we parked in his spot for a couple of hours and even thanked Tenant 304.

Aside from me and Tenant 304, the people present that time was the condo manager, the janitor and the guard. With all those people present, I asked the manager again if they can assist me on finding a parking spot. But Tenant 304 "barged in" and said " Actually, you can use na my parking spot because I am not coming back anymore". I gave my thanks but it didn't end there. Then tenant 304 blurted: "But my contract will end last day of October, but sige, the parking spot is all yours."  He said it nicely. Now, with confirmation coming from Tenant 304 and the condo manager, I moved the car back to the parking spot at the basement.

After parking, I didn't go down of the car immediately because I was fixing some coins. Then Tenant 304 who was in the other spot approached my car and said (sarcastically): "You know, what I meant was, you can park there the day after tomorrow". Then he tapped the hood of the car and said: "just joking, it's all yours!".

It's just parking. It's such a cowardly thing to confront a person (a girl) at the back of everyone else. Tenant 304 is a guy by the way. He waited for me to be by myself just to sight his point. Is that a man or a dad or maybe just a mean boy who wants to "bully" a lady. I remember talking to him with the condo manager and everything went smoothly. As a matter of fact, with what he told me in front of the manager, it may be considered that Tenant 304 formally turned over the parking spot to the next user.  I wasn't even eying for Tenant 304's parking, I was originally asking for a spot outside the building. But since there was no parking available else where and Tenant 304 said yes in a proper manner and the manager also confirmed, I moved the car back. 

When I was confronted with no one else there at least to witness, it felt I was being harassed.  He was already a threat to me the moment he approached the car with just the 2 of us at the basement parking.

Obviously, Tenant 304 was sour graping because someone else's car was parked in his spot. That's his parking spot until October 31, 2013 "now we know". There was a communication gap between us, the condo management and Tenant 304. We moved our car, we apologized for the mix up and even thanked Tenant 304. It should have ended there and on with our own businesses.

If I'm to play Tenant 304, I will voluntarily give up my parking spot to anybody who needs it, I'm leaving anyway. According to the condo management, Tenant 304 doesn't even sleep in his condo anymore.

Anyway, my husband didn't know that something was already happening. Well, I froze with the encounter myself. My husband got very disappointed with what happened but it's already too late to confront Tenant 304.  He thinks I handled the situation well by not reacting to Tenant 304's idiocy. I know I didn't do anything wrong. I did not step on anybody. It's just sad that a simple dilemma that can be handled properly went haywire because Tenant 304 chose to be a total jerk more than a considerate "human" being.

What happened to me is another realization. I'm enclosed within the 4 walls of my home, surrounded by nice people and when reality sets in, if it bites, it can be shocking and very painful.

Tenant 304 will meet his match someday. God's watching.

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The Big Outlet Sale Great Find: Tretorn Skymra Canvas

Here's one of my great finds during the recent Big Outlet Sale held at Metrowalk Ortigas over the weekend and it's also my first time to attend the event. I have been hearing a lot about this Big Outlet Sale for the past 3 years. I thought it's for BPI credit card holders only. A friend shed light to this confusion and finally, we were able to pay the sale a visit.

Tretorn. A Swedish brand known for its classic design and lightweight footwear the Nylite. Tretorn found it's third home here in the Philippines. Its flagship store now stands at the 3rd floor of the Robinsons Galleria mall in Quezon City. Part of the new Tretorn selection is the Tretorn Skymra Canvas. I've always wanted to have a pair. It's made for both men and women. It's lightweight and the laceless design made it more casual and smart- looking at the same time.

Its regular price is at Php3000+, I think around Php3,800. I'm a frequent visitor in their store, but I always end looking around and leaving empty- handed. Now I have my dream pair from Tretorn. At the Big Outlet Sale, I was able to get it for Php1,200 only. Of course, the colors and sizes available were limited. I must say, it was my lucky day because almost everything being sold were in my size, left the place with 2 pairs. The following day, I immediately put my new sneakers to the test. A whole day of running errands, groceries and strolling carrying an adorable baby, my feet felt as if they're being hugged by a cushion.

Other than the shoes from Tretorn, my husband got a good deal on Sanuk Sandals (from P3,000+ down to Php1200). I was able to buy a nice pair of Hot Wheels shoes (Php250 only) for my son and base shapers for my Longchamp bags.

The next Big Outlet Sale is going to be on December 2013 and I'm eyeing for a big raid on our next Big Outlet Sale visit.

Xtraordinarymom Celebrates Her 5th

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Blogging came into my life thru an old friend... I saw the value of sharing one's story online, the impact of being able to inspire other people and how it can be a form of motivation too.  It was early in 2007 when I started to open myself to this extraordinary experience. But it was from 2008 up to the present when I was able to fully explore what an online journal is about.

There were challenges in terms of flexing time, handling more responsibilities as a mother and wife... But I  believe, that if one is passionate about the things around him or her, not a force should stop that person from doing the things he/she love the most. Each post I make is also a realization. With that being said, I learn more and I also grow from within to become a better person everyday.

For the 5 years of being open on some parts of my life, all I wanted was to inspire women, young girls, moms, aspiring moms and even the men.

I don't know how wide this 5 year old blog has touched, but no matter what...

I will continue to share my one of a kind experiences that makes my life colorful and meaningful.
The ups and downs that pulls out a stronger being in me. 

Events that offer unforgettable memories. 

Music that keeps my daily routine in tune.

My inspirations and love for simplicity. 

The interesting gadgets that makes me go crazy.

A little of the things I love as a woman.

Over- all, my never ending excitement to be able to share the beauty of life.

Thank you very much for the continuous visits... Stay happy!

Archie Comics Through The Years

Here it is my friends, the Archie Comic collection I have. Well, actually this is already a combination with some of my sister's. We thought that it's a good idea to put everything together and place it in our parents' library.

 Reading Archie Comics is one of the things that I still do even up to now. I can go through every old comic book over and over again. I have 2 reasons why I have all these. 

1. My mom told me one of the things that she did with my dad as bonding time was reading Archie Comics. But unfortunately, they didn't think of preserving those comic books. Now, with that, it motivated me to keep my collection and preserve it. 

2. As a kid, my family didn't have enough to buy other things and everyone that time was into Archie Comics. I ended up borrowing from friends. But not all were very open to share. So I told myself, when the right time comes and when I get to have extra money, I'll get myself some Archie Comics. Eventually, my family was able to get up from those hard days and yes, almost every week or at least once a month, I made it a point to buy new Archie Comics. 

Often times, when one is deprived of something, that person has the tendency to fire back. I didn't think of doing such thing even if I was denied several times just to be able to read an Archie Comic book. As a matter of fact, I gladly lent mine to people who didn't even return some of my Archies. But what the heck, I'll just buy more.

Now, my collection is open to my own kids, my niece and my nephew who loves to read. I share with them that Archie Comics is filled with nice, colorful stories with values to learn. Everytime we have visitors, the amount of "WOWs!" and "COOLs!" we get seeing my collection is unbelievable. This collection is something to be proud of. Some of these are really old. As you can see, others have torn pages. My sister was nice to wrap each with plastic and create covers for those without the front part. 

In the recent Toy Con, I was able to find a seller of old Archie Comics at Php50 ea. Then I discovered a toy shop in Greenhills that sell Archie Comics too. Slowly, I plan to expand the collection with the classic Archie Comics and the special hard bound collection I saw in Fully Booked.

iPad Air: Me Want You

Among the gadgets that Apple has released, my eyes has always been fixed on the iPad. It works like a mobile personal computer for me. I can work and play at the same time using the iPad. Game- wise, I am greatly satisfied with its graphics display, and I'm just talking about the iPad 2. I can live without an iPhone or an iPod Touch or a laptop, but never without an iPad at hand.

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The iPad has become an essential for me as a stay at home mom. I use it to update my blogs, find great ways and home ideas using various apps and the Safari. While in the kitchen, I use my iPad to go back to my food blog and other reliable websites in search of recipes. I keep in touch with my husband, family and friends thru Facetime, iMessage with instant photo- sharing and email once connected. I use interactive apps for kids to teach my children. While traveling, especially on road trips, with a pocket- WiFi, we rely so much on Google. It's an all-in-one gadget! The size is just right, not too big, not too small. It's sleek and smart- looking as well.

It's been a long time since I got my iPad 2 and I've been itching to have an upgrade. It seems like for the past years, all I saw was the same tablet with selective enhancements only.  Until finally, Apple released the much-awaited iPad, the iPad Air. Thought it's "the" worthy replacement for my iPad2. In choosing an upgrade for my gadgets, I look at the over-all package. The processor, the advance features, the size and weight are important for me too.

With the new A7 chip, the system is going to be more powerful, faster and lighter. The following apps: iPhoto, iMovie, GarageBand, Pages, Numbers, and Keynote were made available for an extraordinary experience. 

Last year, my husband wanted to get me the iPad 4 for Christmas, but I declined because I thought  it's not worth it. I said: "I'll wait for the new iPad next year." so we got an iPod Touch 5th Generation instead. Which is also very useful because it's like a pocket-size iPad that I can toy around every time we go out.

 I thought that the next release is going to be the iPad5, but Apple gave us something better. I've been waiting for this uniquely designed gadget.  I gotta say, one of the best Apple has released. I can't wait to get my hands on an iPad Air. I just hope we get it here in Manila soon. The Holidays is just around the corner, it's the perfect gift for a love one and for oneself haha!

Live Now

It's one of those conversations I shared with my husband one fine Thursday morning while having breakfast...

Yesterday, he said: "how time flies so fast and so is life". 

So I jokingly replied: "Yeah, better not keep up with it or it's going to eat you alive". 

Then there was a pause. So I thought he was serious about it. 

Then I said, "You know what, don't get bothered by it. Live at the moment, do whatever is needed to be done, just go on with your daily life or routine." 

Then I got a smile and a nod which is a sign that I was able to ease out his thoughts.

You see, life itself is already complicated, we do all sorts in order to survive. The last thing I want for my family to do is to "keep up" with those complications. Like, technology, lifestyle, food and may it be just the over-all status of society. But if one can learn to dance around it, sway with it and make the most out of it, everything is going to be fine. It only becomes hopeless or dull or a nuisance if one will ask for more than what he or she can chew.

It's one of the things I hold onto everyday not only as a mother to 2 kids but also as a person, just plain me who stays at home 24/7. If you're going to look at it, I have nothing, but I don't find my status boring as if it ends there for me.

I push for whatever I can pull out with my fixed routine and I do get something positive in return. Simple things that makes me happy and where I can spread that same positive vibe to the people around me. Part of that was to be able to give my thoughts and share a new meaning when one notices that life just drives by so fast.