My MID-DAY ESCAPES

To juggle office work and family life is no easy task. Both aspect of my life demands full attention, careful analysis, circumspect planning and meticulous execution in order to avoid unnecessary injury of whatever kind. It’s barely lunch-time and not one in my ‘to-do-list’ had been ticked-off. As pressure keeps mounting on and as stress continues to provoke me to blow my top, I have found a sure way of thwarting them all-- A ‘Harry Houdini’ act -- allotting one hour or two, to get away from them all.

Escape Act No. 1. -- A drop and smash game in the badminton court. A competitive badminton game with friends (in lieu of lunch) makes me physically revitalized, mentally reconditioned and emotionally stable (ha-ha). The powerful smash, a witty drop, the sweat, the quick shower, a one-liter energy drink and most of all, the fun and excitement, could really make me going for the rest of the day. This one I wouldn’t give up… Not until I beat Mr. N. Robertson in a single match…

Escape Act No. 2. Tai-chi Chuan, anyone. They say, this activity of Chinese origin, turns all the negatives into positives. A sure fire way of attaining balance in life, not to mention the health benefits it gives. The mother of yin and yang. For whatever this worth, I really enjoy executing the slow, fluid movements of this activity, from creating a taichi-ball and patting the horse’s mane to the complicated kicks and so on. I had just completed the 24 basic forms of this and I am now hurdling the advance forms. Whew, what a challenge!

Escape Act No. 3 - A one-hour spa. My officemates would understand what this means. I do not want to divulge further, as it may incriminate all of us, but one thing is sure, this spa in the afternoon is the most effective way to beat stress. (Thanks Petes… for that fragrant, secret oil).

Escape Act No. 4 - Chatting, the old-fashion way. Not in the net, but with office co-workers and some girl friends. There was never as engrossing as talking and talking and talking. After doing mental calisthenics in resolving cases, after endless brainstorming, after twisting your brain to find the right and just solution and after defending the conclusion reached in front of your boss, an hour of talking about anything under the sun is really very calming. One couldn’t just imagine the diversity of topics we have – from political issues to what’s-in-your-I-pod stuff, from business matters to Kathie Holmes’ gnarly feet, from Buddhist teachings to kama-sutra’s perfumed garden. You name it, we talk about it.

Escape Act No. 5 - Coffee bean and Tea Leaf. And anything that goes with it….I mean, the usual chatting, listening to MP3s (recently burned by an officemate) and reading a good book (not a law book), newspaper and magazine. Drinking coffee in my office is just as routinary as breathing, and as relaxing as smoking. Tea is equally exciting. Our office tea pot brews black, green, white, jasmine and mint, chamomile, rose, earl grey, cinnamon and sometimes, combination of known tea herbs– you name it, we have it.

Escape Act No. 6 – A phone call from hubby. A minute or two of talk with hubby cuts the boredom of office works. I always find talking to him so thrilling and exhilarating even though, the purpose of his call is just to ask, how the kids are, what I have for lunch, or how’s the traffic that morning or did I come to the office late or sometimes, just double checking the amount of check I issued… Whatever his intention in calling me just brightens up my day.

And lastly, that incomparable therapeutic malling. My office is just a walking distance from a big mall. That is why if I really feel burnt-out, I usually ask an officemate to have a walk in the mall, to binge on sweets (usually smoothies), to check stuffs put on sale and to purchase that stuff put on sale. There is this unexplained feeling of satisfaction whenever I acquire (at a reduced price) an exquisite conquest, which I had long been eyeing-on.

Try escaping…. It’s fun…. It’s soothing…… It’s comforting…..

THE BINGE

Just recently, I hosted an unplanned little party…

Rushing home from my Saturday dentist appointment, I dropped by a small convenient store to satisfy my ice cream craving. Because I cannot decide on what flavor to get, I chose tiny pints of everybody’s favorites—Vanilla, for hubby, strawberry for my son, pistachio for me and caramel also for me. I also picked packs of cream to complement their sweet taste. Then came the idea of holding a ‘create-your-own-ice-cream-party’. Not that I tolerate binge-ing on sweets. I just wanted to bring out the creativity in everyone of us. The party people: Me, my hubby, my six-year old son and my two-year old daughter. Thank goodness for the left-over choco syrup in my fridge; the canned fruits (peach slices and crushed pineapple) direct from my pantry shelves, the sweet bananas given by my mother 2 days before and few pieces of stickos accidentally found in the bread bin. So goes our little unplanned party.

My hubby, who is as consistent as ever, settled for the simplest- a vanilla ice cream topped with choco syrup and a teaspoon of the hand-whipped cream. (he demands for preserved cherries, but they ain’t available). My team-up with my daughter ended us with a peach-melba cum banana split ice cream. The most creative of all, my son’s very own creation. As he blended all the available ingredients, he came up with the most colorful, clown-like concoction of ice cream, with the crushed pineapple posing as the hair, wedges of bananas as the hands, the stickos protruding as ears and traces of the syrup everywhere. The appetizing looks of our creation were simply irresistible. Oh what fun… Such bonding… Such closeness… My unplanned tiny party turned out to be one heck of a family affair!

Bedroom Surprises

Waking up from deep sleep in the wee hours of the night, I cannot deny the feel of sensation stirring inside me—heaven on earth, so to speak. The way the hands knead into my belly, the delicate fingers interlocked in my hair, the legs folded into mine like a human puzzle. The warm sweet smell of the breath against my cheek… The gentle movement that creased the smoothness of the bed… The soft skin enveloped in the familiar contour of my arms amidst the moist coolness of the air… And sometimes with sleepy gaze, the lovely smiles reassuring love, comfort and affection. Looking back to the night before, I remember the endless cuddlings, the hugs and kisses, the exchange of sweet words, the gentle touch, the tight embrace. Oh, such an indescribable feeling…. I must admit, sleeping with your children is one of motherhood’s loveliest experience.

...and now my turn

As I began to blog, I know that my days of envying others do their blogs were just over. Thanks to the formidable Ms. E. Oh, how she wanted to unleash the contents of my fertile thoughts, to rekindle my love affair with handsome, yet simple words-- knowing fully well that I have been lately spending moments with legal jargons.

True it is, for each minute spent is one experience created… Each experience felt, comes the lessons… And with each lesson learned, comes the sharing. And thus bear with me as I do my own…