Cutty

Preparing for a trip as big as what we had a couple of months ago, entailed putting our lives on hold.  What little time I had left was spent with family, sleep and errands.  So, when I got back from our month-long trip, I immersed myself on things that I put on hold:  housework, spa business, school involvement and pampering myself. It seemed that the time away from everything brought me back the focus I needed.  It was quite a refresher.   At home,  I was left with one househelp to deal with 3 kids and 1 infant, chores and cooking.  At work, I was bombarded with personnel and financial issues.  I had to deal with theft, firing an employee and hiring a replacement.  In between all those, I had to juggle chauffering the kids to school, nursing asthmatic kids and training the kids to be self-reliant individuals.  They had to help with chores, keeping the house clean, preparing their clothes and stuff for school.  We were all mult...

Have you heard of that superstition?  They say that after two failed attempts, the third will most likely succeed.   That's exactly what happened to our yaya's 3rd attempt to get a passport.  After so much hassle, she finally came back with some good news.  I am hoping that there wont be any other delays so she can get it in time for our departure. Now that she can tag along, we can bring Bettina with us.  We will be complete this coming New Year! It will be different this time.  For the past 4 years, we've celebrated New Year's Eve cooped up in our hotel room.  It looks like Vic and I can slip out on New Year's Eve, while the kids are asleep. I can hardly wait to plan our stay.  But wait, I still have to search for Bettina's passport's delivery receipt first.  I hope I find it.  Otherwise, I'd have another problem. In the meantime,  I am Cathy's Kitchen's slave.

In the past few weeks, I've been gathering requirements for our yaya's passport application.  For our year-end trip, we are planning to bring all three kids and one help since we can not manage all three. For our first appearance, I've asked her to get her birth certificate from NSO, a baranggay ID, her Fetcher's ID and the ID from our subdivision.  Since she doesn't have any other government issued IDs, I was hoping that those were enough to prove her identity.  So when we went to DFA to get her passport and Bettina's, I wasn't surprised that she was asked to present more documents.  We finished Bettina's application within two hours, thanks to the courtesy lane.  Yaya, on the other hand, was instructed to get her documents from her hometown.  The following day, her mother managed to get a transcribed copy of her birth certificate from the local Civil Registrar, unearth past school IDs and diploma and was able to secure a copy of her Form 137.  By...

To start off the whole experience, I give you this... from 12:30PM to 5:30PM on a gloomy and humid Thursday afternoon. I hope you get the idea. ----------------- I waited two months to get that appointment schedule. I didn't know what to expect. I refrained from reading personal accounts of people who applied and renewed their passports using the new system. Seeing that the waiting area is filled to the brim is quite a depressing start for us. We queued outside the official waiting area as we waited for the place to be less crowded. Since it was already Javi's nap time, he was getting groggy in his stroller. Salamat naman he didn't throw a tantrum. By the time we entered, he was already fast asleep. He didn't fuss over the heat also. Good kid. Once we're allowed to enter, we were given a number. Looking at the number we got, we're up for a loooooong wait. 150 pa before us. It's a good thing that they didn't give us separate numbers for ren...

...I am supposed to find Vic's missing passport. The missing passport is an old one with no valid Visas. It's just that it has the bulk of Vic's travel history. I don't know where to start because I have to turn the whole house upside-down. That means I have to clean up our closets again. I need to find it soon so Vic can renew his US Visa in time for our trip this August. ...I have a Jazz class but I am not going. My body has changed so much that I can't cope with the teens . I am disheartened by the fact that the group is preparing for a recital that I am not joining. I may enroll for a workout class next. ...I just watched a new TV series by Fox called Glee. It is about a teacher who wants to the high school singing group a new life. Our group, ACS , finds it very timely and fitting. We have a friend who's about to do the same thing in a Jesuit school in NJ. If you want to see the first episode, you may view it here . The pilot episode was aired...

I've heard so many horror stories about the passport application process. I have no time, nor the strength to brave those horrors. I am glad I found out about this firm that processes passport applications. All I had to do was call their hotline to find out about the requirements. Once I had everything, I called them up again to arrange for a pick-up of the documents. They use Aboitiz 2Go. I was given a schedule for appearance at the DFA. Their service was very convenient and reliable. I was met up by an usher who brought me to their window. All I had to do was to counter-check the forms and sign in behalf of my son. My passport and other documents, which were sent to the DFA, are still in good condition. My whole stay didn't last for 15 minutes. Amazing! I was informed that the passport will be delivered to me in two weeks. Service fee is P1,300. That includes pick-up of requirements, scheduling, processing and delivery of passport. It is more expensive if you choo...