Gabfest

It is so good to be able to talk to somebody who’s going through the same things as I am right now. Last week, I met up with my friend Jem in Makati. She used to be my gimik, shopping, lakwatsa and eating partner in Singapore. We resigned within a few months of each other for the same reasons: mommy-hood was calling.

Anyway, we had a late lunch at Italianni’s. The food was great but the conversation was the best. The last time we saw each other was at my son’s christening and I was too busy doing the rounds so I didn’t have time to really chat with her. We had a lot of catching up to do and that’s exactly what we did.

She updated me about our mutual friends from NKF and the latest gossip, hehe. Then we began swapping stories about the joys and pains of being first-time moms. We talked about how our priorities have changed, how we now think twice before buying anything especially for ourselves. We end up asking, “Do I really need this?” whereas before, if we liked something, we’d purchase it in a snap. And then there’s the luxury of taking a long bath *sigh*. These days, 10 minutes is considered a treat. There are days that we skip on the hair conditioner to save time. I used to scrub every other day but now it’s once a week, sometimes even once in two weeks. Going out now needs to be planned around the baby and whether there’s anyone available to babysit for a couple of hours. That day, Jem brought her little girl with her. She actually encouraged me to bring Jeolo along also but there was no way that I was taking him along with me from QC to Makati while commuting. I’d have been nuts to do that! And then, there was this sense of relief to be talking to someone without feeling that I was being judged about those times when I feel my patience wearing very thin because Jeolo is being extremely difficult. Those days when I’ve only had three hours of sleep because he kept me awake the whole night and then in the morning wants to be carried around the whole time. I’m tired, sleepy, my back hurts, my nerves are frayed and I’m ready to scream my head off. It’s a relief because she has those moments, too and she understands where I’m coming from.

It was a little sad that the day had to end but I missed my tiny imp and I wanted to be home before 6pm. We did promise to see each other again before Jeolo and I leave for Riyadh. And it’s wonderful to see that our friendship has extended farther than our contracts have.