On Child Custody

Do you need more information on child custody laws? This is not only for those who are undergoing court battles against child custody but just for all of us to understand the necessary information about it. You can even share these information to someone who might need it in the coming days.

Too Late to Buy Sunglasses?

I already have a pair, I have been using it for years but now I want to buy another one.

So I looked for my Belle De Jour Organizer where I have some discount coupons to use when my younger sister told me that it is too late to buy one.

I know it is now May, and here in the Philippines, it also marks almost the end of summer. My sister told me that I will not make use of it that much because it will be rainy season soon.

But I beg to disagree. In my opinion, sunglasses should always be part of my daily wear as I would use it whenever I go out in the office in the morning (after the shift). I have read a lot of online articles as well that sunglasses can prevent my eyes from the long-term affects of sun damage. Of course, I won't appreciate it that much today because I do not see the effects yet, but I don't want to take risks.

Anyway, to make this long story short, I will just buy a pair next week even if my sister would tease me after that. Maybe I'll just buy her a pair instead. What do you think?

Mom's Moments with Me

I already greeted my Mom this morning but today, I want to make this short post about my Mom and why I am grateful for her love.

When I was a little girl, I came to know my Mom as a disciplinarian. She would always remind me to act appropriately, give courtesy to others and just be a good girl all the time. At that time, it seemed that she single-handedly did everything for me, as my chef dad is always away for overseas work.

I even remembered how she would ask me to sing and talk to my Dad as she held the radio close to me to record my voice. So whenever we had those recording sessions, I would have to stop playing and do it. Only when we're through that I will be allowed to play with the other kids again. :)

When it comes to budgeting, she has her own way to do it. She would prefer to allocate just good enough budget for food to keep us healthy, but she would always tell us not to leave food on the plate (literally). She would always remind us to only eat what we can consume and not to waste food because it can also mean wasting my Dad's time and effort in his work. And that is something that I am doing until now, something that I can pass on to my kids as soon as I have one. Aside from that she would always impose for us to take care of our things so we don't need to buy one, talk about being frugal. :)

We had our misunderstandings over things especially as I grow older, but that's normal. I will tell you more of my Mom in my next few posts, but for now, I would like to share with you how thankful I am that I have my Mom with me. :)

Happy Mothers Day to all Moms, bloggers or not. :)

Any Plans for Mothers Day?

Have you had something in place for Mother's day?

When I was young, I remembered giving my Mom a card with my own masterpiece (yeah, I'm good in drawing 'stick men'). I would sometimes cut out some colored papers and stick it on the card for an added touch.

As I grow older, I learned to give my mom a variety treat. I would give her gifts like perfumes, clothes, some household items, even flower pots (because she likes gardening as well). I'm glad that she liked it, especially because the money that I used to pay for it came from my own pocket and not from my parent's allowance anymore.

I would've given her some more expensive treats, but knowing my mom, she would love to just keep the money instead of taking advantage of some short-lived luxuries. That's one unique thing about her that I would love to do as soon as I become a Mom myself.

So now, I am thinking of what to give her for Mother's day. Can you suggest some good treats that I can give to her?

Jamie Pugh: A Different Kind of Dad

Jamie Pugh had my heart today. :)

And why not, this Dad proved the world how important it is to live the dream. Yahoo did not post his video yet, and a lot of people have yet to see how good he was.

Do a favor for me, please listen to his audition piece in Britain's Got Talent, he sang Bring Him Home (Les Miserables).





I can say that he is a different kind of dad. If a lot of dads would be the one to push the dreams of their kids, in his case he gave himself a push to conquer his fear.

I just learned from Jamie Pugh's fansite that his wife died in her 20's making him a young widower and father to his kid. Now that he got a new partner, he is starting to recover and build his life again.

I wonder how he is at home, being a singer dad. :) I would love to hear Jamie make it to the finals. I am not sure if Jamie will read it, but if you do, I wish you the best of luck! :)

Dad Watching Pacquiao-Hatton Fight

I remembered watching some of Manny Pacquiao's fights especially when he was just starting to get notice on national television.




That's one of my shared hobby with my Chef Dad. We love to watch shows on free TV while sharing our opinion on certain topics. This includes preparing the snacks we have to consume :)

I did not have the chance to chat with my dad days ago before the fight that is broadcasting on national TV here in the Philippines. But based on our previous habits, he will make it a point to watch the fight, even if he's now in Bermuda.

I could just imagine his cheering moments while watching Pacquiao's fight (especially if he's so into the fight).

How about you? Have you watched this fight with your family as well?

Photo credit: Pasky 29

Happy Easter!

Today marks another Easter Sunday and I am very happy.

Why happy? Because this also marks another day for me to appreciate my unseen blessings. Today I am going to give you a hint on those things I am thankful for:

• I am alive and well.

Everytime I woke up, I sometimes missed to thank the Lord for the sound sleep even if it was only for a few hours (because of my shifting schedule). So today, I want to thank him for a peaceful sleep and I will try to do this more often.

• I still have my family

We're only a small family. But since my Dad wasn't here, I am thankful that all of us are fine and we hardly get sick. I am hoping that this will continue, to have a healthy and loving family as I grow older and have my own family too in the coming months.

• I still have my work

With everyone worrying about job loss left and right, I appreciate this job that I have in the call center. I can use my skills in a positive way and be productive in my own right. I can help the family in paying the bills and I can have some for my wedding budget and other needs. :)

How about you? What are you thankful for this Easter Sunday?

Looking for a Great Car Deal Online

We seldom talk online via Skype because I am very busy with my call center work.

That's why I am glad to talk to my dad right now via Skype. He wants me to see some of the car makes he wanted to buy as soon as he arrives.

He saw some ads of Honda Accord while my fiance and I are looking for Nissan Exalta STA. My dad showed me only a number of links because the rest are not updated anymore. Maybe those cars were already sold, anyway...

He just reminded me to get a driver's license because that was one of my overdue commitments to him. He just wanted to make sure that I can drive that car as soon as possible. Also, I guess part of the reason that I wanted to have another one is that I just cannot drive our Space Gear. I find it hard to drive the car because of the gear being located in a different place than where you would normally find it.

Mom's New Hair Do!

My mom rarely gets to style her hair.

Why? That's because she wanted to always sport a clean and simple look. So she only calls on her favorite friend / hairdresser once in a while.

Just like today. She needed Tita Linda's service because we will go to a debut party later. I'm so excited because I'll get to have my free hair blow dry service courtesy of my mom.

I'll have to charge the batteries of my digicam first and will share with you the photo invite that we received days ago. :)

Why Every OFW Needs to Know How to Chat

If you're here in the Philippines you will get to know a lot of families who had a parent or both parents working as an OFW.

With that you will also get to expose yourself that an incomplete family setup is just ordinary. Seeing your parents every two, three or five years is just the usual setup for families who depend on the earnings of their OFW parents for a living.

But with some families who have older folks, it is usually their eldest son or daughter who shoulders the responsibility of working outside of the country to provide for their needs.

I know better because I've been a chefs daughter for over 28 years. Before, I usually see my mom writing endless letters to my dad and waiting for days, even weeks for his reply. In the course of my parents exchanging letters, I was able to save some stamps which made me possible to have my mini stamp collection.

With all the online messaging services going on, I now see how my parents are very excited to see each other on yahoo messenger everyday.

But before that happens, my mom tried her best to learn the basics of using the computer. I usually write the step by step instructions in Tagalog so she can best understand what to do. Now, my mom can log on to the computer, use the Yahoo Messenger service for the video and Skype to talk to my dad.

I really saw how they were able to sustain their relationship because of the chat and endless calls online. So if you are a part of an OFW family or you're the one who is working away from your family, I would advise you to start learning how to chat and use these other helpful online messaging service to keep you connected. This will also avoid the 'homesick' feeling that OFWs feel out of missing their families back home.

Happy Birthday to our Chef Dad!

While I'm writing this post I know that my dad got a hold of the extreme magic sing that my mom sent him for his birthday. I bet he'll use it as soon as he has the 'free' time to belt out his favorite songs. I just hope that the neighbors won't mind hehe.

Anyway, I wrote this post as well to greet my dad a Happy 54th Birthday! When I arrived home this morning, I saw my mom chatting with my dad and his friend. All these while my mom is using her other hand to hold the phone as she was chatting with Tita Lyn, her friend. Now my mom knows how to multi-task online. I wonder if she also would like to be in a call center. :)

So there, I just greeted my Dad and I excused myself because I really have to rest my tired eyes. Being awake for almost 25 hours is no joke.

So to my Dad, I hope you'll have a great day. We miss you! :)

The Chef Wants Extreme Magic Sing

We all love to sing. It is a generalization. Even if you do not sing with the complete and accurate lyrics, we are still 'moved' especially when we hear a melody that brings back memories.

And my dad is no exception. In fact, the Chef asked for an Extreme Magic Sing for his birthday present.

And why not? He would always sing his heart out whenever he's here on vacation. I grew up listening to his rendition of his favorite songs.

And before I knew it, I was humming those old songs as well, trying to be his singing duet :)

Speaking of magic sing, we have an old unit here, complete with chips (storage device for the songs). But since my dad wanted the newest model, my Mom will be more than happy to buy him one. :)

Missed Dad this Day

We both love the boob tube.

That's something my Dad and I share in common. We both love to hear news and other public affairs programs. While watching these coverages closely on the screen we exchange our opinions about the subject and that is the start of endless conversation about the subject.

If Dad was here yesterday, we could've watched Obama's speech together. We could've talked about it while waiting for our lil sweet snack treats from Mom. :)

Chef's Daughter's thoughts on a Sunday

The holidays allowed me to have a break from work and I really love the time given to me to spend with my family. It was a much needed rest and if you're like me who works in a call center, working in different shifts then you can best relate on what I'm talking about.

I also had a chance to chat with my father, having an OFW dad for almost 28 years is no joke. Of course he went here for vacation but that's about it. He still has to go back, if not for his work we won't be enjoying the little comforts we have now.

Tomorrow, I'll be back in the corporate world, which is good. I miss working for some time. :)

Photo Credit: Fletchy182

Pictures of Mama's Friends and (some) Relatives

I dug some more pictures on my file and here's what I got. These pictures were taken on December 1, the day we celebrated the Feast of San Roque. She said 'cheese' with some of our neighbors and her friends.



Here's a collage of (some) relatives that visited us during the day. I hope Dad will get to see these pictures soon. :)

Mama's New Year 2007 - 2008 Pictures

I'd like you to meet my mom. She has been very busy throughout the holidays. My Mom loves to prepare food to us and of course to Dad as well, whenever he's around on vacation.



Before the year 2008 finally bade goodbye, I took this other picture of her sitting with her lucky elephant on her new granite table.




Now let's come up with a comparison. I searched her pictures the same date last 2007 with Ann and me.


More pictures to come, as requested by my Dad. :)

Early to Bed

It was fun yet tiring Christmas here.

My mom usually prepares everything. From the Christmas dinner down to entertaining the relatives that visit us over the holidays.

Just like what happened yesterday. There were a number of relatives who went here aside from some of our god children.

All that while attending to our lil store that made my mom too tired thats why she just decided to sleep early.

Christmas Gifts

I know I've been a good girl this year, so I hope to have some gifts from here hehe :)



My mom would love to wrap all the gifts as she always have the list as a guide on who deserves what. Usually, she starts with wrapping all the gifts for her loyal customers then do the same for her endless number of god children.

Preparing My Next Few Posts

I am doing the following as I'm preparing for my next few posts for this blog:

• Take pictures of everything in the house (Christmas tree, gifts, frames, etc.)
• Save pictures in my personal folder for editing
• Download Photoscape so I can write some labels for the pictures
• Write some more posts before I tell my relatives about it

By the way, I also came up with this blog to reach out to our other relatives. So if you are one of the Ocampos who were from Bulacan, Pampanga and Pangasinan area, I'd love to hear from you. Who knows, you might be one of our long lost relatives :)

Welcome to The Chef's Daughter

Thanks for dropping by on my first post here. Welcome to my online home. :)

Just when I realized that I am counting almost a year before I live a simple married life, I immediately felt the need to leave a mark online. I know that this is something that my family will read in the coming days and I would like to keep this page as long as I live.

Feel free to visit anytime to know more about how was it living the life of a Chef's daughter. :)