The Sad Cake Story

More than a week after the incident, I'm finally ready to share this story with all of you. Maybe if I will share this here can finally move on from the sad experience. Just like how I said in that terrifying mommy moment, I will try my best not to make this sound like a rant.

July 20, 2015

I told the cake supplier about my plan of getting her service for my daughter's 7th birthday on September. I have helped several mompreneurs in launching their home-based businesses through this blog so I thought of doing the same thing with her. I offered her a blog post and a banner ad on my sidebar in exchange of 50% off on a 2-layer cake (the first layer is made of styro covered with fondant) and 60 pieces of cupcakes. I thought it was a good deal.

The main reason why I got her even if there are better cake suppliers out there was that she is the mom of my girl's bestfriend. 

Currently | 01

If you are keen to details, you may have noticed that the blog's look and color have changed. I'm also back to Twitter. Oh, you should follow me! I'm on #AlDub high most of the time. LOL. Clearly, there is an intention to do what I used to do — mainstream blogging and all that jazz. But this time, it's gonna be simpler: I'll bleed thoughts, edit it, and when it's published, I'll share it on Facebook. I might join comment exchange occasionally but I'll make sure it's not gonna eat me and my time like it used to. Sorry if my blog isn't inspiring or helpful or informative. No more series of giveaways, too. I just really wanna keep blogging because I love it. It matters to me. 

Do I matter to you to read this nonsense? I hope. 

OK. Enough of the melodramatics. I'm 31 and I write as if my first puberty hair just popped out yesterday. *rolls eyes* Anyway, let's get down to business.

Currently... 

READING. Tweets of AlDub hashtags. What a loser. Uhh, I just bought a book last month and I still haven't finished started it. Let's see if I can read a page or two, at least, before I sleep. I won't promise.  

LISTENING. Daniela Andrade's covers are ahhhmazing. La Vie En Rose is my favorite. 

THINKING. Espasol. Food again, yes. Secondary would be my girl's school field trip next week. I don't want to go but she has to so I will. Wth, motherhood.  

WATCHING. I got my first pay from my Community Manager job while the husband's home this past weekend. Coincidentally, a really great Filipino movie was shown (still showing, as of this writing) in cinemas. We watched Heneral Luna. I will write my thoughts on the impact of its message to me, soon. In the meantime, you can read my three-points-to-convince-you-to-watch-if-you-havent here. Puñeta! Ang ganda, ang galing. On a daily basis, it's Kalyeserye and Clark and Leah. Yes, mababaw ako. So whut?  

EATING. Fat, I'm getting fat. As much as I hate to see people allowing themselves to be swallowed by their fatness, that's what's happening to me. I don't have enough sleep (9-hour shift at work, house chores all by myself, I'm a mom,) so I resort to eating. I know, I know. It's a lame excuse. But can you blame me? Inihaw na bangus and ginisang munggo with tinapa are to die for.  

HAPPY ABOUT. I work full-time in my ratty, comfy pambahay and I can have my coffee any time I want to. Most of all, there's no need to travel for hours just to be stuck in traffic. Hence, the hero photo from Unsplash.  

WEARING. Maxi dresses are lurve. Something that's comfy to wear at home but decent enough to be worn when running errands. There's also been a silent agreement between me and my getting-older-self to choose black or white or anything basic. Again — I.am.getting.fat.  

LEARNING. My new job as a Community Manager of a multinational food and beverage brand. It made me think of going back to school, take my Masters and eventually teach Communication Trends and Breakthroughs. I got a badass 1.0 on that subject.  

WRITING: This blog post, obviously. I'm also drafting (for the nth time) my contribution for Make it Blissful. The reason why I can't finish it is still a mystery. *crickets, crickets*  

LOVING. My girl's surprising kisses when I'm busy at work. Or my girl calling me from the gate when she arrived from school. Or my girl's cuteness when I tuck her into bed. I love my girl.  

LOOKING FORWARD TO. Pray with me that I'd be able to get a helper soon so I can still do my kusinera duties at Bebeng's Kitchen. I'll be taking Christmas orders as early as next week but I need to present a holiday package to many of those who inquired about it. I need help from a help. 

So there, how about you? What have you been up to lately, currently? If you want to do this thing, too, I hope you'll link it back to me and comment your post so I can check it out. ♥

*Photo from Unsplash

ALDub It

So Ms. Daphne Paez wrote about the AlDub fever (read it first then come back here, will ya?) and I just have to agree with everything she said, including those from the commenters of the post. I mean, come on, so if you call yourself a person with substance or class just because you don't watch noontime shows or the segment where the ALDub couple is, what do you call Mrs. Paez then? 

This has nothing to do with your profession, nothing to do with how much you have in your bank account, nothing to do with the size of your brain. AlDub and the kalyeserye segment are purely for entertainment. Some said it's inspiring. What, with Lola Nidora and her sisters' words of wisdom, one can surely get a quotable quote that can be her "life goal". Yes, it can teach its viewers a thing or two about life, love and the young generation's way of courtship, but for me, it's my source of entertainment. It's the most fun and entertaining segment created in the history of noontime TV. 

I love laughing. 

I love watching shows that are meant to make people laugh. I love seeing people, who have natural talent in releasing punchlines perfectly, laugh at each other. The Kalyeserye segment of Eat Bulaga has all of it. They can keep me laughing, kilig and entertained for like 30 minutes or so. 30 minutes of not thinking of sleep deprivation, work, housework, business, and my daughter's school tuition among others. My favorite is Lola Tidora, how Alden looks at Maine (sorry, I'm such a romantic), their fansigns, and TVJ's reactions. And then I'd go back to whatever I was doing before that when the segment ends. Okay, I'll read tweets. I sometimes tweet, too. This phenomenon is crazy and I'm glad I can be a part of it by tweeting my brain farts. 

Alright, this millennial mom needs her 4 hours of sleep. I'll see the dabarkads later. Follow me on Twitter, if you want: @deniserayala. 

P.S.

One of my secret dreams when I was younger was to play any musical instrument (I can play basic guitar) in front of my crush. Maine Mendoza played drums and Alden saw it with his mesmerized eyes. #somuchfeels

What can I say?

In the days that I want blogging to be a normal thing, to include it in the routine of my daily beautiful mess, that's when I feel like I am slooooowly dragging myself away from the space I have loved too much one time. Why are there bloggers who can find time to write about their new lipstick or latest gadget and I can't even sit here to bleed nonsense thoughts? Que sera sera. Just like the hottest split-screen love team on TV, my blogging is at its best when it's not forced. And words aren't number-conscious. 

So today, after my shift at work in my comfy house dress (yes, I am now a certified work-at-home mama), I decided to jot in here a few of what I currently think or maybe the nothingness caused by cups of coffee and glasses of cola. Well, I'll be finishing my girl's invites for her classmates and teachers before I can finally doze of for 3 hours. The little miss will be having a simple gathering this weekend for her 7th birthday. I can't wait to share what I have prepared. It isn't as lavish as other girls' 7th birthday parties but I am sure, in my heart, my sassy songstress will love it. Just like how I always hoped it could be, the husband is home to help me with my wahm changes and party preps. 

So far, so cool. 

I might be saying hi to you all here more regularly. Say, something about why I like James Reid and Nadine Lustre? And perhaps, I can tell you a little about my learnings as I turned 31 this month. 

Alright, friends. Until I feel the urge again. (why does it have to sound that way?)

Pure and Sure Water For A Healthy Family

We are a family with sensitive digestive system – R, the girl and I. It was not so long ago when the girl had amoebiasis, which R and I experienced, too. It was crazy. Endless trip to the loo is, right? Although water was not the culprit why the girl and I had it, I still make sure that the water we drink is safe and pure, even if that means I need to spend more. There are numerous water refilling stations that sprouted everywhere like stray grass but only a few can be really trusted. My MIL encountered one that has rust in their water. Imagine, I allowed my then toddler daughter to drink that! It's unforgivable, I know. Good thing nothing bad happened to her.

source

So I was grateful that this blog was invited when Manila Water Total Solutions launched Healthy Family Purified Water on August 7 at Annabel's Tomas Morato. I knew so much about water. They told us that Healthy Family is the same water that comes out from our faucets, only purer and safer. Why so? The whole process of bottling it were done hands-free. And you might be asking why don't we just drink the water that comes from our faucet if it's just the same? Well, it's because some pipes are already old and rusty that even if Manila Water provides water that is safe enough to drink, it still gets contaminated. Thus, the creation of Healthy Family. 

Checking In

The hiatus was intentional. I was not missing at all, I'm still in the circulation. I may have taken a rest from this space but I was all over the messy, happy place that is the cosmic universe. I've been throwing photos taken from this city all the way to my one thousand plus Instagram followers. I've been cooking simple meals at home and sharing its recipes with my followers on Facebook. I pin for sanity or for the girl's upcoming party. Lastly, Twitter has absorbed all the unnecessary one-liner randomness I can think at the moment. Mostly showbiz stuff, not biggie controversies. I know I bid goodbye to the blue bird some months ago but you know, I kinda miss it. Yes, the bird. So I tweet my stupidities when I'm bored. It's not an avenue to showcase intellect, after all. 

I'm not sure how many of my past Bebengisms readers are still here. Just want to say hi and that I miss you. I miss this. I miss us. Whoa, it's like we got into a long romantic relationship that didn't end well! Ugh, too much teleserye. Pangako *coughs* Sa'yo. LOL. Seriously, whenever I'm here, although I know I won't see your reactions, I feel like I have thrown my thoughts in a big box of party where there are people waiting for me; for whatever I have to say. Or so I hope. 

I was daydreaming one day and decided that this blog will be full of stories. No whys, no reasons. 

If there's one thing that makes me crave for this blog more is that I have the freedom to write what I want to write. I can still go and have sponsored posts here (like that of Lysol) but the brands and collaborators are fully aware that my readers will hear my voice and not someone else.

I'd like everyone to know that I am happier now because I am blogging in my terms. 

Indeed, when you stay true to your purpose, whatever it is that you do (in this argument, this blog), blessings, the kind that is rightfully yours, will naturally come your way. It can be gifts from sponsors that you timingly need or a partnership that can put food on the table. But the best blessing I have received because of sticking to my guts was love. 

I felt more love when I promised to be genuine in every thing I say or do -- more love for myself that was forgotten at some point years back, married kind of love from my husband, sweet love from my baby girl, and understanding love from the people who accept me for who I am.

It is love that makes this ordinary blog extraordinary.

Chicken and Banana Stew

Some gutsy souls have asked what I do all day as a stay-at-home momma. Well, for those who still wonder, just please stop, haha! Well, look at my healthy and happy child as an evidence of "my work". And I think you already know that one of the not-so secrets to successfully raising a healthy and happy child is feeding her with quality food. Yup, not junkies.

Heads up, it can be tricky. Sometimes, there are parents who only think of vegetables as healthy. And that vegetables can make their kids "fat". What? What's up with that? Fat doesn't mean healthy, right?