birthday 'thank you' post

i am another year older.

apart from another birthday it is the start of a new job in a new place,so it will be a crazy day for me, as i am moving a different county, a new job, and staying in a hotel for a whole week.

just in case i am unable to due to the crazy schedule, i would write this now and say my birthday 'thank you's' for the lovely messages over at Facebook/Twitter/Skype/Multiply/private messages


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i had great laugh reading a birthday blog dedicated to me from my family.


here is the blog


some photos that made me feel the love..judging from the photos you would think that our family has some screws missing..(yes,they are really like that in person, wacky and 'kengkoy').

even the little girl has the same personality,hahaha;-)

my super 'game' mama;-)

my cousin by blood,but my sister in love;-)

my sister Mayel,and niece Dominique

B1

and B2

i know, they're all weird..but lovely..and i love them to bits..

theyre very creative on sending their love to me every birthday..last year was a video..this year was mugshot messages..i wonder what's for next year??



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my birthday started early. on saturday my friends gathered online for skype and wished me a happy birthday.

they sang for me too.

and had a birthday cake for me (and candle too).

they are my friends since we were teenagers ..we missed one of our barkada, but we knew she was in the middle of vacationing in Seattle ;-)

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on saturday i also received a wonderful birthday loot from bestfriend, Kharla.

i still am trying to get over receiving kropek over the mail..one of my long-time misses.

wonderful lovely messages from auntie/uncle and cousins...and lovely handwritten message from Simone (my goddaughter and niece)..

and some tear-enducing message from kharla..

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and some nice time with Ana and Dominique today;-)

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i thank the Lord each day for such wonderful amazing people that surround me..;-)

thank you too for dropping by this space and leaving some lovely thoughts,too;-)xxx

the olde post office

some good news today! i woke up to find a letter thru the mailbox from the agent confirming myself and the mister as the successful bidders to the cottage.

so here as promised, are the pics of cottage.

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the cottage was not ready when we viewed it. the backgarden was in chaos as the workers of the landlord chopped off the trees (Adrian and i wanted to stop them coz we would have loved the trees in the back),and was just about to landscape the backgarden.

Speaking of landlords, the owner/landlord is actually Lord Howard, a blue-blood said the agent, who owns half of Norfolk and has his estate rented to the public.

this cottage was the old post office, thats why the address will read The Olde Post Office, Castle Rising. cute, isnt it?

the upstairs was not ready, and the bedrooms had no carpet yet, and there were still missing windows, but you know,when you step into a property and you feel an instant 'home' feel to it? thats how it felt like.

the other house in the 'burbs which we liked too, was ready to move in, as soon as we wanted to, it had everything and four massive rooms. this cottage was not ready at all when we saw it, the carpets downstairs were shoddy, the upstairs were still exposed floorboards and garden a total mess, but Adrian and i fell in love with it. it is smaller in comparison to the house in the burbs (same rental price), this one has no cooker installed (which means Adrian and i have to buy a new one,too, which makes this move quite expensive more than it should) yet the feeling of making it a 'holiday' in norfolk than just a 'living-to-work' in norfolk as an idea is so much more inviting.


the kitchen in this cottage is tiny, yet i think, the real log-burning fireplaces, the reception room, the overall feel of the cottage won us over. (plus Adrian's dream of selling artisan organic breads by our doorstep while i'm at work is too tempting for him to quash,lol).

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I suppose some things are just meant to be. I whispered prayers to God, who i asked guidance and answers for everyday. i know i have been very doubtful about this move (this new job in far far away Norfolk from my home), but whenever i feel down and skeptical on some things about this sudden life-change, something happens that really tells me, this is it.

so yeah, this is it.


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photos of the Olde Post Office (photos taken by my canon g10. i wasnt able to bring my DSLR that day, as we were too busy walking in and out of houses,there were just no time to log about a heavy camera).

when we move in, more pics to come of the newly organized backgarden. (altho Adrian said, do not hold your breath about their 'promised landscape', their idea might just be evened-out grass..i thought, i do not care, i'm willing to live in its present condition now)

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the small cottage...

those picket fences will be white in a month's time.

at the foot of our garden is the hill, where the castle is seen..'muni-muni',here i come

the bricks and stone is local to Norfolk, i forgot what they call that kind of sanding..

its a tiny cottage, but its bigger inside, 3 bedrooms upstairs, a dining area, a kitchen (small kitchen,though, something i have to get used to) and a big nice lounge (with log-burning fire)

a closer view to the back..i think it would be nice to share afternoon walks there, up the hill to the castle, and blurt 'he-loves-me-he-loves-me-not' litanies..

my sister Ana who will be visitng me next year with Mama said, her Jane Austen fantasies might come true in this place (im sure!) and my bestfriend Kharla who loves solitude and reflective silences would cherish to be in a place like this..even my hiking buddies would love this place..this village is a wonderful hike trail.

a cottage that hopefully would be home to me and adrian while i work.

a 10 minute car-drive to/from work.

the idea of being on-holiday-and-working at the same time makes this move a gentler move than the big blow it was supposed to feel. I am one for being rooted and finding home.. when it took me years to get adjusted to where i was, here again, was an opportunity to land my dream job, yet i had to move far away from my present home.

i think this cottage and the village will be kind to me..because this was an answered prayer.

i showed these photos to my family in FB the day we went there, and my brother said "nice sya, but murag dako dako gyud mo'g silhiganan," hahaha, commenting on the chaos from the garden.. the reason why we could only move on the 1st of october is because Lord Howard wanted to do work in the garden before we move in. [i would love to meet Lord Howard and get a portrait of him],lol.

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thank you for being excited with me. you know who you are! ;-)

the village

adrian and i found the village we wanted to live in in the countryside. it was a toss up between a bigger house (which could accommodate guests and visitors) and was 5 minutes walk to the hospital, or a small idly cottage in this wonderful village. it was practicality vs. heart. The bigger house was ok, but the neighbourhood would just look like where we live now, a cul-de-sac in the suburbs while this small cottage we also wanted was in the heart of a tiny ancient village in the town's history.

our hearts won in the end.

we applied for the house/cottage in this village. but its not definite yet whether we get it or not, because there is another person who applied a day before us. the good thing was, we brought in our documents the very same day we applied and paid the lawyers fees and application fee in cash, while the other person was still waiting for his cheque to clear. We have one foot ahead of him. We just pray he will not push through in the end.

These are photos of the neighbourhood we wanted to live in. The photos of the house/cotatge will soon be blogged if we hear any news from the estate agents (hopefully the end of this week).


[note: my gulay, the renting documents and ceremonies you need in this country is atrocious. it feels like a massive criminal investigation, too. the thing is, Adrian and i have not experienced renting, so we do not have a word or letter from a previous landlord, so we need more documents from Adrian's work, and my work to give to them (rental agents). Although on Friday,we brought in our documents from bank statemens, proofs of address, passports, driver's license,etc, the letters from previous landlords, employer's testimony we are still trying to get hold of this week. so the contest is still on. may the best tenants win!]


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the name of the village is Castle Rising..its made famous by the hill which has a castle on it

the only pub in the village.. its a pub smack in the centre

a tea house which also serves homecooked meals

the Unique tea room..

the barn which is also a boutique..it has a dental clinic on the side too.. yes, everything is very 'countryside-feel'..

the name of the boutique which sells shabby chic interiors is called Unique too.i m sure the owner also owns the tea room..

thats the mound of the hill, where you see the top of the castle..i havent been yet, but if were lucky enough to get the cottage we will surely visit it.

the tea house..this was the facade.taken from the garden..

more of the Unique barn-cum-store-cum-dentists clinic

this is the Arts and Craft centre of the village..(something to investigate what they have here)

the village green where horses are grazed and let loose..

this picture was taken from the gate of the cottage we wanted to rent..this would be the view from our gate if we get the cottage..

a view of a rising Castle..historic little village this one.

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we applied for the cottage in this village,and we are waiting for news that we are getting it, by early next week. so for 1 week, Adrian and i will be staying in a little B&B in the side of town while i work for a week.

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I kept praying for the cottage to be given to us, but like what my mom told me, if its not meant to be, it will never happen, as long as ive tried my best to get it, then i can say its meant for someone else..

by next weekend, you would know if we get this village, (a 10-15 minute drive to my work) or a very suburban detached house 5 minutes walk to my work..either way, both are win-win..

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how are you, my loves?

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[EDIT: the new bloglook just so matches the photos from the village,noh? i hope it is a sign,lol..

many thanks once again dearest Patricia for your work and excellent skills..im officially a FANCY GIRL]

an aviso for an aviso is a must

{photo: lovely tabletop centrepiece decour, at the Laurent Perrier Champagne Tent,at last year's London Taste Festival}

The Human Resources department in the new workplace has definitely messed my schedules in the biggest way possible. And not in a good way.

On the day the job was offered to me,the OT department people asked for a date when i could start soonest. I calculated and estimated, and answered the 19th of September.

The HR department required some documents from me, so I went to see them a few weeks ago, at the same time looked at properties we could potentially rent for my 19th of September start.

But!... after talking to the HR lady officer,I was told that my starting date is NOT the 19th of September as they still need to process my criminal records check (CRB check, equivalent to an NBI background check), which could take at least 3-4 weeks.

I was astounded because it only means my start date will be pushed to the middle of October. So it meant, the properties that were for rent which we viewed that day and liked/loved,will not be available by the time we were ready to rent it. The HR lady said "its not clear what date you will start but it will be around that week of October, and you will be notified by us, when", in between sips of her tea (the cow!).

A little bit deflated that day, i went home but soon recovered because i thought i could use some chill-time and do odd jobs here and there and see girlfriends before i go move counties.We also calculated and rejigged our plan to look at properties again at the end of September, and move in the first week of October just in time for start of the work. (we thought!)

Yesterday, I received a phonecall when i was on the train, the OT department telling me they're looking forward to seeing me on Monday, the 19th. Gasp. *S%^*@£!!!*. I do not have a house yet, no furnishings, nothing. Thinking, it was too soon to rent a place when I am not working there yet. Wrong!

{Some questions looming from yesterday: why did the OT department not talk and communicate to the HR department? Did the HR people, in their lackadaisical attitude think they can do this to all wide-eyed-eager-newly-hired employees like moi? What to do!!}

My brain went on overdrive yesterday and my supposedly leisurely afternoon for myself, became a panic contact to all home agents in Norfolk to arrange house viewings as soon as possible in Pret-A-Manger cafe between furious bites into my chocolate croissant and truckers-sip of my cappucino. (Lady-like goes out of the window when stressed,me!)

I wanted to throw a tantrum and be angry but the thought of being angry makes me tired, so i decided to just mope about this for a few days and get over it.

So today, Adrian and i bought a furnitures for a whole living room and diner/kitchen for a house we have yet to see, and still have no clue whatsoever whether it would fit the sizes of these furnishings. Not the way i wanted to do it, but time is so precious and so little we had to resort to going the other way around.

Apparently, some situations call for you to go via the backdoor to get in.

But it doesn't make me a happy bunny. I am not good with dealing with other people's miscommunication to myself and I am suffering the consequences of other people's inaptitude for the job they are supposed to do.


But then again, i heard of serendipity. Some accidents may turn out great.

If it is, there'd bloody be a John Cusack look-a-like at the end of all these mishaps.


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Anyways, enough of my old-woman whining.

here's hoping the winds are gentler down your parts.


have a serendipituous week, my lovely friends..



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PS. I am loving the new look of my blog. I'm sure you do,too.

its done by the super talented Fancy Girl Designer, Patricia Alix-Villa. Awesome designer, mom and friend.

fridate

one of those days we have nothing to do and just decided to take our time and have a leisurely day for ourselves.


we started really late. left the house at 2pm and got to victoria by 3pm and went ahead and just followed our nose.


we ended for a snack at wasabi..

went to church to say our prayers for Papa whose birthday would have been on the 14th..

had coffee at leicester square

We did some windowshopping..and bought more books! (as if we need anything more to pack).

and had a pasta dinner at The Italian at Leicester Square..

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i cannot wait to post pics of our 'dates' in norfolk (in the future)...;-)x

have a nice week ahead from Mr.S and i;-)

anchored

It seems i will not miss my usual joints after all.

Adrian and i have decided to NOT rent out our house and we just come home every weekend. So by Friday evening, i'm back to our comfy kingsize bed and green rococo bedroom. We will just rent a small place in Norfolk for the meantime while i'm working there.

Well the decision to not rent OUR house and come back home is only a temporary decision and will be reviewed after 6 months of being in Norfolk. Until we find we are adjusted there and having a circle of friends,maybe then we will rent this place out.

The decision therefore will have an impact to our lifestyle. We will live frugally for a year or so (as if we aren't doing so already!) (since were paying for two bills: electricity,gas,cable,water, council tax for two houses + rent in Norfolk), just so i could complete this rotation.

Such an amazing sacrifice on Adrian's part, just for my career advancement.

I married a wonderful person.


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Adrian's reasoning: the short term sacrifice will lead to a more long-term advancement.

I keep repeating that in my mind. Just in case i get scared and bottle it out.

But no. I wont.


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New position means no annual holiday leaves until after 6 months.

This is my biggest sacrifice of all.

I am thankful that my brother and his girlfriend are kind enough to postpone their wedding to next year for mine and Adrian's benefit. Such selfless people, my brother R and his girlfriend S. But my brother has wonderful plans for the following months so he has his hands full.

I am sad that I am foregoing going home, and I am officially breaking my being-home-in-the-Philippines-every-calendar-year-rule but in the current climate of employment in the UK, id sure miss my job if id lose it.

This has been the BIGGEST reason stopping me from taking on this new job. But back to Adrian's statement, its just a short-term sacrifice.

The person who said being an adult is easy was a liar.


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whats the news on your part,my loves?

in absencia

so many things have happened between now and the last blogpost, you would not believe it.

i want to write them down, and organize my thoughts, but the mind is willing and the body is not. cliche yet so true. i have been working long hours with the present work to finish my hours, so i can start at the other place, and doing a hudred and 1 things at the same time,that im beat at the end of the day.

right now, im preparing for a birthday/goodbye party for tonight..my inlaws are coming tonight. next week my friends. we came home late last night from a full day of driving back and forth to norfolk looking at some properties we 'might' rent and went to drop my official documents at the hospital at the same time. the day before, i was working from 7AM til 5pm got home, cleared our loft and went grocery shopping and cooked a storm for two (am more hungry than ever).

i would be in joan river's 'worst stressed' list this year, i have a feeling.


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PS.its September already? where did the days go?