Old and New

A quick hi.

As you may have noticed, I did a merging of my old Bebengisms page and the new Royal Domesticity page. But since the old one has more followers, Facebook chose to keep it. The number of likes merged but sadly, the photos didn't. Huhu. With that said, I'll be reposting photos on the page from my IG in the coming days as to kind of update that part of my cyber home. Please bear with my throwbacks and flashbacks and senti moments, mmkay?

Anyway, the merging of pages symbolizes that I'll be back to my old blogger self but with a new vision for the blog. No, not going back to doing coverage of events one day after another or having a slew of giveaway in a week (please do not unlike, haha). Instead, there will be stories of our simple and small family life that revolve around our dreams, the drama that pops in from time to time, and the delicious food we ate in between dealing with all those. 

Lost Landbank ATM Card

source

I am currently at the height of my emotion as I am writing this. It's not advisable, according to the tenured bloggers. It usually wreaks havoc, that's what I know. But I feel like my chest will explode if I won't write this down here. Worry not 'cause you'll learn a thing or two from this kwento.

To get to the core immediately -- I lost my husband's ATM card -- on a holiday when there is no bank. Good job to me. Not. I was about to withdraw money so I can ask my kitchen assistant to buy supplies in the market for the shop's orders when I knew it was not in my wallet. Of the many cards that I have there, it was that card that I have lost! Tsk, tsk. Remembering the last time I used it, perhaps I unintentionally forgot it in the machine. Or have I dropped it elsewhere? I'm still in denial that I forgot to get it in the machine 'cause I remembered putting it inside my wallet! Oh well. Good thing I still have some cash with me.

I called Landbank's hotline (02-4057000) right after I turned our house upside down and asked the customer service to block the card for security purposes. I also asked how to have it replaced since it was opened in a branch in Mindanao where R was first deployed. The lady I talked to said since my husband is a soldier, he can personally have his lost card (no thanks to his great wife) replaced in the Landbank branch nearest him and submit a notarized Affidavit of Loss plus two valid IDs. 

There you have it, folks. 

So if you're like me who keeps the ATM card of your military husband, you already know what to do in case you got a stupid day and lost it. 

My salary from my social media management job goes there as well. This means I really, really need to open my own bank account asap. What bank can you recommend and what are the requirements (like initial amount and maintaining balance)? I will truly appreciate your help.

Update:
R just told me that a senior officer had the same scenario and since card replacement had taken too long already (one incredible month, guys), he just applied for a new bank account. As simple as that.

Hi-Ro Truffles

This post was originally entitled Pseudo Oreo Truffles. I realized, though that it can attract negative vibes so I changed it to what it really is. After all, Hi-Ro is not pretending to be something like Oreo. Well, I used pseudo because: 1) We didn't use Oreo, which is what most usually use in truffles; 2) no cream cheese and lastly; 3) no chocolate coating. My girl didn't complain, though. She was too happy to see the heart-shaped sprinkles that we used to even bother why it really didn't taste anything like her favorite cookie (second to what I bake, I assume). 

Oh, how I love its imperfection.

Speaking of the crushed cookies, I bought it at Chocolate Lovers in Cubao, Quezon City. For those who haven't been there, it's the chocolate-colored castle in the middle of P. Tuazon Avenue. Google Maps can help. It's heaven for baking aspirants and enthusiasts! They have there different kinds of chocolate chips, cupcake toppings, baking pans, moulds and boxes. Next time, I'll feature it here. 

Let's proceed. Where were we? Oh, the recipe.

One Word, One Year: 2016

For the younger millennials, my word for this year is nothing but a song and an album title. I looked it up in the Internet to see if the song is good and was glad to find out that I felt like it is a song for God. You must go to Youtube and watch a lyric video. Tell me if you also felt that it is for the Big Guy. Type in: Purpose by Justin Bieber.

Yes, my word for 2016 is PURPOSE.

I thought of a few before finally deciding. I thought of give. To be selfless is saintly. Maybe I can challenge myself to give more of my time, effort, resources, gifts and love to the people who need it. I also thought of move. To refuse to be idle is divine. Not doing nothing can perhaps lead me to success. But as days went by, I felt like it has not penetrated my core. There were days that I want to spend it lounging on the sofa, tinkering on my phone, seeing the sink full of dirty dishes while waiting for my daughter to come home.from school. There were days when I said no to people who asked something from me. My daughter asked me to play with her but I was swamped with work, online and kitchen, I said no. I was invited to an event of a brand that I don't like, I said no.

It resonated with me that these words do not make sense at all. At least to how I want to live my life. You see, it looked like I was only tinkering on my phone but I was actually working for my business. I was promoting my products on my social media accounts. I was answering inquiries of customers. I was replying to emails of potential distributors. I only looked like a bad mom for saying no to my daughter's request of playing with her in her room but I was just really finishing my work in one go so I can spend quality time with her over dinner, evening telenovelas and bedtime stories.

Purpose popped in my head as I plopped my half-dead body on bed after a day of online work, cooking for the business and mothering. I reminded myself, like how a coach does it to his team, on why I was doing all those things in the first place. Despite my sleepiness, I thought of my short and long term goals that I need to work on. I thought of my mom's retirement, my husband's career growth, my daughter's future, my health, our dream home and what I will cook for dinner the next day. I thought that I should just do, buy, create things if its purpose is love. So saying no to an event of a brand I don't like is actually a great thing! Had I went there for freebies, small talks (which I actually do not like lately) with fellow bloggers I do not read blogs of or for a material for the blog, I am sure I won't even be writing about it. Plainly because it didn't bring me joy. Hellen Keller said, "Joy is the holy fire that keeps our purpose warm and our intelligence aglow." And I couldn't agree more. 

This word can play around in all the aspects of my life as human, woman, wife, mom, freelancer, entrepreneur, blogger, etcetera.

So far, this word is a good word for me. I just wrote a post here because of it. Nice, right? If you have, what's that one word would you choose for 2016?

Hello, it's me.

I won't go Adele-ing here, don't worry. I just really want to start this year in my cyberhome by being myself -- writing as if we are talking to each other in person. So there.

My small family and I celebrated NYE at R's workplace. We had the simplest media noche ever, compared to our past celebrations as a military family. It looked sad judging on the faces of the troops that were left there but no, as always, we didn't allow the ordinary food and the sleepy mood to dampen our spirits. The main office had fireworks display so we went out and enjoyed being showered with the debris (not!). Then we turned on our car's engine and allowed our girl to honk the horn the loudest that she can. We screamed 'till our throats ached. R ran with Berry, the non-barking pitbull, like he was the more rabid dog. We laughed and laughed and laughed some more. And when we got tired, we lay down beside each other, chatted about random stuff while we all tinkered with our phones, took our first family selfie, didn't clean up, didn't do our bedtime prayer, didn't say goodnight to each other and just blissfully slept. We woke up the morning later reminiscing how funny R's run with Berry was. Pia loved the screaming part most. 

Our "feast" didn't have lechon belly, seafood galore, mouthwatering desserts, swanky pica-pica and expensive wine but hey, we will always remember it with a smile, okay maybe a grin, on our faces. I know it sounded like a I did a soul-searching or retreat something with the monks in the mountains but you know, I find inner peace, more happiness with less of the extravagance of this world. Of course, we have a car. Our house, though rented, is big enough. We have smartphones, all of us, including our daughter. She goes to a private school. I buy pricey butter and cheeses when I have extra budget for it because those are the best stuff in the world. Aren't they? We love to live a comfortable life because we worked hard for it. But to spend beyond what we didn't earn isn't our thing. I'm glad that God made me marry a guy who somehow, sometimes thinks like I do. Like what we always agree upon on how we should rear our child and live our lives, "swabe lang". 

I'm excited on how 2016 will turn out to be. It started steady. It sails a bit rough due to light financial waves but it's nothing that we can't handle. We can always stir the wheel for a calmer journey. R and I are partners. It's fun to think about how we came up with a new business that we hope will work out. It's a baby step to one of my grandest dreams! We will make it happen, I tell ya. I'll share it with you all, soon when it does. But for now, allow me to enjoy my days off from work. By enjoy, I mean, pay bills, go to the wet market for fresh produce, clean bathrooms and finally finish folding the laundered clothes. 

Hello, it's me, a servantless, foodpreneur and work-at-home mom and wife. Contented and loved. Who are you? ♥ 

***

P.S. Follow me on Instagram @royaldomesticity, I'm a more reserved storyteller there. 

No Clever Title: An Occasional Blogger's Year-End Post

Flowing; let it flow. That's what I'll just do with my thoughts here. I want to try harder and write my best as this is my farewell post for this year but the more I plan it, the less I feel about its need. Can we proceed? I have no idea how to do a proper segue now.

This site has given me so much joy and satisfaction. This site made me meet people I won't get to even say hi online. This site tested my character. This site validated my worth at some point. This site has been the extension of what I am and currently doing. If I had been hooked to hosting giveaways, it's because I love what I was doing. If for some I've been a looter and freeloader, it's because I found it fun. If I had been to every event, regardless if it has no relation to my brand, it's because I didn't know then that I shouldn't be doing that. 

After three years, I now know what I want to do with my online life.

In all honesty, I don't care anymore if I don't get invited to events or I don't receive packages after packages of products. It's not too important for me if I won't have sky-rocketing hits from readers. The end-all and be-all of this blog is my happiness. I believe that if I'm happy, the people who'd get to read my posts or see my photos will be influenced with whatever emotion I was conveying. 

So with that, I sincerely thank you if you are reading this. That means, you care for me and my happiness and not just what I can give you. If it's just 50 or 30 or 10 of you who visit my blog whenever I have a new post up, I am grateful for all of you. That means, I still matter. That means, people still read me. It sounds like I'm a hipster or something but it's not in the number of followers, right? Oh well, not if you really wanna be famous and do this professionally. 

Like I said, I'll just let it flow. And right now, nothing's flowing no more. Bye for now.

It's 2016 in a few hours. Happy new year to all of us! xx

*Photo by Unsplash

Currently | 02

Hello! I just got a day off from doing my hefty holiday orders over at Bebeng's Kitchen. I gladly welcomed the rest from dealing with jars galore, garlic, chili, vinegar or shrimp paste. I still didn't literally take a rest, though. I have online work (like right now) and I fixed the kitchen earlier. The girl also has serious school issues that made my and R's head ached badly. My meeting with the school principal didn't turn out well. No sane mother will allow her baby girl to be erred by an aggressive classmate, who keeps on picking on her. More so, to be judged for her sensitive and innocent heart. I felt that she was trying to justify the kid's erring ways.

Anyway, due to lack of latest posts here, I am doing my second randomness of my Currently series. Currently is a blog link-up initiated by Siddathornton. I have been seeing it done by the younger bloggers (ya, not the mom ones) but I only convinced myself to do it when I read this year's current it girl, Maine Mendoza, wrote her own series. Influenced by local showbiz's current it girl, yes. Here was my first. And now, indulge me to bore you with my segregated ramblings below. 

Currently...

THINKING. A lot. It's a mess to get into my brain right now but here are some: My daughter's classmate's behavior. The kid is obviously bullying my child. My kind and brave mini-me came home the other day with a blue marker stain on her shirt! She told me her classmate intentionally blotched it on; it was the same kid who also threw her sharpener just because he felt like it. Someday, as a bullied person myself, I'll share with you all what I've done as a mom to help my child cope with frustrations and anxiety as a result of her classmate's super un-cute antics. I guess, when all sorries have been said. Also, my and R's 5th wedding anniversary is in my thoughts. We'll be attending a wedding on that date so I don't know how we'll be celebrating it with just the two of us.  

CELEBRATING. Speaking of celebrations, I was on a high when our new Samsung with Digital Inverter Technology refrigerator arrived! It's so beautiful. It's dark gray with black accent. It matches my black and stainless La Germania oven. Sweet.  

BUSY WITH. I have a total of 520 jars of my savory sidekicks to cook (have already cooked 1/3 of the number) that I sell over at Bebeng's Kitchen. I'll also bake 42 dozens of oat cookies. Whew. The numbers are overwhelming but it's a happy problem so bring it on, foodies. 

PLAYING. Inside Out Thought Bubbles, y'all! My husband told me to install it. Little did I know, he's now on 100+ level. Kainez. 

READING. Aside from the requests and messages sent our way through the brand I'm working for's Facebook page, online articles about Senator Grace Poe's disqualification and Mayor Rodrigo Duterte's electionovela (see what I did there?) were keeping me intellectually stimulated and politically entertained. I don't like that Davao guy. Sorry, not sorry. And I also learned about how elephant families are. Hence, this post's hero photo. I think we're like an elephant family. Not sure, though if my husband will agree that the females in the family are the boss. Hehe.

CRAVING FOR. Taho. So badly.

ANNOUNCING. The winners of my recent giveaway. It's on the previous post so if you joined, go and check if you won! 

Hey, care to give my Facebook page a like before this year ends as Christmas present? Will ya? Mwah! ♥

*Photo from Unsplash