Gone in [what feels like] 60 seconds

As you may have already guessed, my pregnant yaya spent her last Christmas with us before going back to her family.  Based on our last conversation this morning (yes, breaking up is soooo hard to do...) she is due to give birth anytime now.  Vito and I have survived our first week without yaya, thanks to Clara, my house maid (more on her later) and Nonoy, my driver-turned-yayo.  This arrangement will have to work until I get someone qualified for the yaya role.

Last night, my mother-in-law was able to get 2 girls from Zambales, aged 18 and 21, who were to be given to me as yayas-in-training.  I wasn't enthusiastic to hear that they were so young.  Based on my experience, our house help of the same age would either end up getting pregnant by their boyfriends or worse, the family house boy or driver.  But as the saying goes, beggars can't be choosers and I was desperate.

One look at them and already I had this sinking feeling that they wouldn't last.  The older girl was slightly taller and darker, spoke slowly with a low voice and a slight lisp. The younger one was so small I swear she could fit in my pocket... like... a... pocket maid! She was better looking than the older one, had more confidence and walked with a lighter gait.  I took them home last night, fed them and oriented them with their tasks for the next day. The older one was to be assigned to do household chores while the smaller one would accompany Clara as assistant yaya.

Today went by without any major hitches.  I felt I was over staffed but I thought, better over than under.  When I got home tonight, I gathered my staff for a review of the day's work and assigned tasks for the next day.  Thirty minutes into the meeting, the 2 finally tell me that they have decided to leave.  I knew they wouldn't last but I didn't think that they would leave after 1 day!  To cut the long story short, I let them go tonight.

I was surprised that, for first-timers in Manila, they had quickly and readily made arrangements to be picked up by a "cousin" at the nearest jeepney stop.  They were also all packed and ready to go within the same minute I had given them permission to go.  And when I brought them outside the village to drop them off, I was amazed at how fast they got out of the car and scurried away.  It was like they had propellers for feet.

My conclusion is that they used my poor mother-in-law as their free ticket to their Manila holiday.  So I end the night with the same situation as the night before--desperately seeking yaya.

Ready for a rainy christmas

This year has got to be one of the rainiest Christmases I've seen, at least in my lifetime.  To equip myself for the wet holiday season, I went online shopping for the perfect pair of rain boots to keep my feet warm and dry.  Check it out ladies, my very first pair of plueys in Ooh la Lace:

Super cute even on my super-sized feet.  Found these on readyforrain.com.  I also got 3 other pairs as presents for my sisters and mom in Sew Cute, Charlotte and Lulla.  Ordering is easy and boots are shipped via Air21 door-to-door delivery in 3 days.

These boots have got me wishing that it was raining everyday!

Help Wanted

     I have 25 days left (gasp!) before my yaya leaves us.  I am desperate.  I am taking this to the internet hoping that a kind soul would reach out and help us find a yaya for Vito, the cutest boy in the world.

1.        He loves music and can be kept busy for hours singing songs (literally!  Mommy’s last videoke session went on for 5 hours.  Mommy sang herself hoarse and had to call in reinforcements.  Ninang Carla saved the day by taking the last hour singing Vito’s favourite nursery rhymes), playing musical instruments like the guitar and piano, or videoke-ing in lolo’s bar. 

2.       He is easy to feed the food he likes—anything with soup like nilaga or arroz caldo, lola’s special longganisa, spaghetti with sweet meat sauce (minus the hotdog, McDo is good too), Olsen’s Spanish bread, loackers quadratini and graham crackers. 

3.       If he seems to be starting a fit, there’s two easy ways to change his mood to happy—give him a banana to peel (but you have to do the eating, he only likes to peel them) or present some M&Ms for him to snack on (lola’s trick).

4.       He naps at 1pm to about 4pm which gives yaya (and the entire household) the much needed timeout to recover for when he wreaks havoc again by the time he wakes.

5.       If you want to get him tired (which is almost always the goal everyday) take him outdoors for a walk (or a run), or to the neighbourhood playground for some slide and see-saw action, or fly his favourite helicopter till the batteries run out.  Hopefully his batteries run out before the helicopter’s does.

6.       He’s soft and cuddly like a living teddy bear and he blows kisses, gives high-5s and warm hugs as much as there are stars in the sky.

7.       He isn’t toilet trained yet but the upside is he loves brushing his teeth and can be easily motivated to take a bath since he loves the water.  So this kind of evens things out.

8.       If he gets too hyper, it’s easy to calm him down.  Just give him his favourite books and he can leaf through their pages while you identify the colourful pictures.  He also loves puzzles and blocks but make sure he doesn’t get frustrated with them.  If he does, refer to number 3. If that doesn’t work, number 10 should.

9.       When he gets bored or antsy, just put him in a moving vehicle—a golf cart, a bike or a car.  Driving around aimlessly is one of his favourite pastimes.  A duyan works like a charm too.

10.   When all else fails, only one thing can save the day—BUBBLES. So mommy always has a bottle packed for emergency situations.

     So will someone please take pity on this little boy and help find a yaya for him?

Aminexil for thinning hair

     If you have the same misfortune of being born with the bald/thin hair gene like me, this one’s for you.

     To begin with, my hair has always been thin and limp.  It didn't help that I also put it through a lot of abuse over the years--blame it on the aquanet and all that teasing which were the rave at that time (oh you know you can relate! I’m not the only teenager from the early 90s here...). Or it could just as well have been my obsession with hair coloring, highlighting, and low lighting in my late teens til mid twenties.  Then I got pregnant at 30 and it was downhill for my hair since then.

     It is for this reason that I am always looking for a remedy to improve the health and quality of my hair.  Right now, I'm on Aminexil which was recommended by my hair stylist.

     Hair follicles can shrink or get blocked due to hormonal imbalance, stress, pregnancy, medical treatment and seasonal influences.  When this happens, the hair gets "choked" resulting in a thinner strand or worse, no growth at all.  Aminexil is a topical scalp solution that addresses the hardening and shrinking of hair follicles.  By lifting the blockades, hair grows thicker and stronger, and the hair at the transition phase (the short hairs on your scalp) grows normally again.

     I am on my 26th day on Aminexil and I'm beginning to see results.  My scalp's condition seems to have normalized, my hair is not oily at the end of the day which it used to be pre-Aminexil, my hair has more body specially on the crown area and I'm beginning to see more short hairs growing.  I particularly like this product because it smells good (unlike other hair products that smell hideous) and is easy to apply.

     Disclaimer: This product is more for prevention of hair loss and maintaining the hair you still have. It does not claim to produce more hair follicles.  In short, if a follicle stops producing a hair, this product will not make that follicle grow a hair again. 

On the Kc-Piolo break-up

     This is it! I will succumb to peer pressure and comment about the KC-Piolo split.  I owe it to my followers (yes, all 3 of you! hahaha ako na ang feelingera of the year!).

     Can't say that the news on the split came as a surprise.  Who are we kidding right?  PJ is gay. Sad but true.  If he refuses to come out, then he should just stop leading women on to think that he can straighten up.

     I believe KC really fell for him.  Her tears were real.  They had to be because she isn't a great actress (I'm being kind) and I don't think she could pull off that cry fest if it were an act.

     So at this point, if we're keeping score, who has the upper hand? I'm giving this one to KC.  She may be a bad not-so-good actress but she is definitely not a stupid one.  She had the smarts, grace and style to come off as the wronged party without really saying anything damaging about PJ.  But her "non-admission" was derogatory enough to add fuel to the rumor (or reality?) of Piolo's sexuality.  Well played KC.  Slow clap for you.

The Exorcism of Emilyn

     I woke up to the soft rays of sunlight peaking through my wooden blinds.  It was Friday.  Greg had gotten up ahead and was already in the shower.  I called for the yaya to come up to the room.  I had to get ready for work.  Another maid came up.  Not Lyn.  She looked distraught and pale.  I asked her why it was she and not the yaya who had responded to my call.  Mam, hwag nyo pong ibigay si Vito kay Lyn.  Kahit ano po ang mangyari, huwag na huwag po. (Mam, whatever happens, don't ever give Vito to Lyn.)  Her voice shook and she wrung her hands so tightly while she spoke.  I asked why.  Basta mam, ako nalang ang hahawak kay Vito. Huwag na huwag niyong ibibigay si Vito sa kanya. (I'll take care of Vito.  Just don't give Vito to her.) Her concern was genuine.  Ok, this was beginning to scare me.  I asked a final time, why.  After a moment’s pause she said, nasaniban po si Lyn kagabi. (Lyn got possessed by an evil spirit last night.)   WTF, right? Was this a joke?  What is this, a local parody of the exorcism of Emily Rose?  I went down to the kitchen to find out for myself exactly what had happened the night before.

     At this time I was still living with my parents.  They were away with my sister and brother on a Euro trip.  It was just me, Greg and Vito in the house.  Just my luck, right? Stuff like this always had to happen under my watch.  I called a staff meeting—5 maids, 1 driver and 1 house boy.  Everyone looked tired and on edge.  They had had a rough night.  Each telling a piece of what was to be an incredulous story of Lyn’s possession.  Our manang, the laundry woman, was visibly frightened as she recounted what she had seen—Lynn shaking vigorously on her bed, her eyes rolling back in their sockets stark white, her body stiff and uncontrollable.  They tried to make her stop shaking but couldn’t.  They all gathered (including the driver and house boy) around Lyn and prayed until the “evil spirit” left her.  After which they weren’t sure if she was alive because she lay so still and didn’t seem to be breathing.  They all kept vigil by her side til morning. 

     Clearly she wasn’t dead (!).  She was right there standing with the rest of them, the picture of perfect health, while all her kasamas were faint from the fear and exhaustion of the previous night.  I asked Lyn if she remembered what happened to her.  She did not.  She only learned about it after the others had told her.  She said this hadn’t happened since 3 years ago when she was 15.  She suspected that she had been “visited” again because she lost her panglaban (an amulet or talisman to protect against evil spirits).  She said the albulario (witch doctor) from her hometown had given her a bullet tied with a string as a weapon against the visitor.  She had misplaced it which would explain the possession.  I couldn’t believe what I was hearing.  There had to be a logical explanation to this besides the one that they were offering.  Piecing together everyone’s story, I suspected that Lyn had had a seizure.

     I scheduled an appointment with a neurologist the next day.  I took Lyn for a check up.  The doctor recommended some tests to complete his diagnosis.  He too, suspected it was a seizure related to an undiagnosed epileptic condition.  When asked if anyone from her family had had a similar condition, Lyn replied yes.  Her grandfather had suffered a similar fate and was “taken” by “it”.  The doctor said that the attack could have been triggered by Lyn’s exposure to TV.  Since Lyn had been spending the past 2 months taking care of Vito, she had been watching a lot of TV with him.  The doctor explained that flashing and bright lights can trigger a seizure.  Until he could run the tests on her, Lyn would have to take extra precautions.  She would not be allowed to cook, wash clothes or baby sit Vito.  She was also advised to have a companion at all times wherever she went and whatever she did.  Lyn sat there and listened, but it was obvious she wasn’t buying it. 

     I would never find out about Lyn’s true condition.  Before her scheduled tests could be done, she decided to go home.  She said her mother wanted her to see the albulario so that she could receive treatment.  Only the witch doctor could put an end to her suffering, she said.  There was no persuading her.  So I let her go. 

     That is as close as I would ever get to the real life possession and exorcism of Emilyn.

My first (and last!) encounter with The Agency

     Shortly after finding out my yaya was pregnant, I snapped out of my initial paralysis and quickly went into yaya search mode.  I sent an SOS text to my pretty mommy friends (you know who you are <wink>) to help me find a replacement and fast.

     Through my friend Lyn (bless her soul) I was able to connect with a girl named Shirley who was formerly from an agency.  After realizing that it was more lucrative for her to do the search and placement services herself, Shirley broke away from the agency to freelance.  She would charge a total fee of Php1,000--P500 from the employer and P500 from the maid upon placement.  An additional P200 "commute" fee also had to be paid upon delivery of the new maid.

     After interviewing 3 candidates, I settled on taking in Edna.  She was 25 years old and had prior experience as an all-around maid from her previous employer.  She seemed like a kind soul, soft spoken and capable.  I had high hopes for this one.  But nothing would prepare me for the horrible surprise that was to come.

     On her first day onboard, Edna buddied up with yaya Gina (the pregnant one).  It was a typical weekday schedule--school in the morning, lunch at Lola's followed by a nap, OT or SP in the late afternoon, then back home in time for dinner.  At the end of day 1, Edna got sick with a fever.  I thought to myself, sick after one day with Vito... that can't be good... So on day 2 I let her rest.

     That evening after coming home from work, Edna was on her feet as she greeted me good evening.  She looked well.  When I asked if she felt strong enough to continue buddying up with Gina the next day, she said yes.  I took her temperature just to be sure.  It was normal.

     On day 3,  Edna went with yaya on the same weekday schedule. Can you guess what happens at the end of the day? Yup, sick again!  When I asked her if she knew the reason for her fever, she answers binat lang po ito mam.  

     I was not convinced.  Something was not right.  I called for a household meeting with yaya and Clara (my other maid).  As I prodded them for what they knew of the new girl, the truth came out.  Edna had recently been pregnant by her live-in boyfriend but had had a miscarriage about 3 weeks prior.

     I called for Edna for a final chat.  I asked her if it was true.  She said it was.  When I asked how far along she was when she had her miscarriage she answered isang buwan po. I was confused.  I had never heard of anyone having a miscarriage at 4 weeks.  The earliest would be 7-8.  So I asked how she knew she was pregnant in the first place. Kasi po dalawang buwan na po akong di dinatnan. Ok, I tell her, then that means she had already been pregnant for 2 months.  She then looks at me with this perplexed look, Ganon po ba yon mam? OMG.  The girl didn't even know what was happening to her own body!  Then it dawned on me.  If she couldn't even tell how long she had been pregnant, how could she be sure she had had a miscarriage?  So I asked.  I had hoped her story would include a visit to the doctor or something like that.  It did not. She just assumed she had a miscarriage because she bled a lot and had pain.  The girl was utterly clueless. 

     I did my best to educate Edna about the reproductive system that evening.  I explained to her how important it was that she should see a doctor to find out her true condition and receive proper medical attention.  I gave her some money for her bus fare home.  I let her go the next morning, after only 3 days with me.

      As for Shirley, I was shocked that she would give a sick girl to me.  She claimed she did not know about Edna.  She was as shocked as I was.  My expectation of Shirley as "the agency" was that she would have at least done a thorough interview and background check on her girls before farming them out to her clients.  Isn't that what you're supposed to be paying the agency for? Apparently I had assumed too much.  She really didn't know these girls from eve.  She would just take any one who would come to her house looking for work then match them with a client.  I would find out later that this was typically how any agency operates.  Really, how different is that from taking an arbitrary stranger off the street into your home, right?
   
      Shirley promised to replace Edna with someone else.  I told her not to bother. I wasn't interested even if I couldn't get a refund on the fee I paid.  I had learned my lesson the hard way.  That was the last time I would deal with the agency.