New bargain finds!

Four years ago I discovered Divisoria--not Tutuban but the real Divisoria with the pasilios and the busy streets and sidewalks and the large pedicabs and the constant whiff of wet market+mud+rainwater+a little bit of garbage.

I shopped there for my wedding stuff--the textile, beads, candles, ribbons, accessories. I also shop there every last week of November/early December for Christmas gifts and wrappings. On some months of the year I go there to shop for cheaper stuff (i.e., stuff I could have bought at the department store but did not because of the fact that I can buy it cheaper in Divi). On some weekends I go to the Divisoria market to buy our seafood and vegetables (and ox tail and ox tripe for kare-kare, with ground peanuts so I don't have to use Mama Sita's!). For Lia's birthday stuff, I also went to Divisoria. At times, I drop by nearby Ongpin St. in Binondo to buy hopia. I also take some occasional stroll down the jewelers strip (I actually bought two pairs of earrings for Lia there).

Last week, though, I went with my mother to Quiapo. We bought Excellente ham, of course, and hopia. But what made my day was this shop in Villalobos St.--Wellmanson. They had a store in Divisoria but this one in Quiapo is just--heaven for beadmakers! They had walls and walls of stringed beads and stones and strings and accessories (and they were all so organized, my O-C self couldn't help but appreciate). I bought some P800 worth, and when I got home, I was able to string up about 11 necklaces of different designs (which Mama will bring to the US as gifts to her amigas). I just couldn't get enough of them, so I returned to Quiapo yesterday (in the guise of buying seafood and meat and vegetables in the market). I bought P1300 worth (and I feel so guilty having bought that much) and I still haven't finished with stringing everything.

I'm so the bargain-hunter these days! Is this what happens when you're a wife and a mom?

:)

Where do I go from here?

Okay. I admit: when I chose my course in college I did not exactly think about what I would end up to be. I did not even think about how much I will be earning. It was just--it was what I wanted.

When I got out of college I found a job where I got to apply what I learned: I wrote, I edited. I was happy that I did find such a job. But then of course I wanted to learn more, grow more with my career, so I tried out writing for the Web. I spent three years doing this, and so far, it was the best three learning years of my life.

After writing/editing for the Web, I tried a little of marketing communications. Which I did not learn much, and I did not enjoy much (well, maybe because the company closed down and I was not given enough opportunity).

And then I was hired as a Web editor. I was thrilled! However, my first two months were spent--just researching, researching, and writing down my ideas for the Web site I was going to manage. And then when relaunch time came, there was much work for the programmers; they weren't able to completely achieve the requirements for a long, long time. So, the Web was on hold for a while.

While I wasn't doing any Web work, I "moonlighted" with the Content Team...helping write content and reviewing theirs. I eventually got more involved with this team than the Web site. However, I was still bent on working on the Web and I expressed this to my boss, which was just fine with her.

And then...just recently, we had a sort of a re-org. I found out that I was being pulled out from Web, and that they were making me Content Supervisor. I also found out that I did not have any much choice because (a) the new Web editor position has new requirements which I cannot fulfill (background in local/international music scene), and (b) I was already doing supervisory work anyway. That means, I'm pretty stuck. It's fine in a way because there are opportunities where I can move up, but...honestly, I'm still happier with Web work. And I had sort of planned to work on Web for at least the next 5 years of my life (if I were not to fulfill my other dream--that's another story).

So...where do I go from here?

We'll see.