Jay Lagare – Page 119 – Tech and Gear

Work-Life Balance

By Jay Lagare on Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Some people would call it Life-Work Balance but does the order really matter? It’s a balance after all :P

There was a time when I spent a lot of time at work. Even overnights. And there was a time, when I expect people to spend a lot of time at work. Even overnights.

Not anymore. When Jeanne was born my perspective changed. These days my ideal day would be:

6 hours – sleep
1 hour – prepare for work
1 hour – go to work
9 hours – work + coffee breaks + lunch
1 hour – go home
6 hours – remainder

Work and work-related time is 60 hours per week. Which leaves, not counting sleep, 66 hours per week for yourself: sports/hobbies, spending time with family and friends, etc. That seems balanced enough. But really it’s still not.

General

Bonding

By Jay Lagare on Tuesday, May 17, 2011

I was out sick yesterday, so I was down and in bed for most of the day. Not that I was able to sleep or rest much because Jeanne, when she’s not playing with Steph, would come around and play with me. But no, I’m not complaining.

Later in the afternoon, I took her with me for a quick foray into the grocery. I wasn’t able to buy everything I needed because she got bored sitting on the cart and wanted to walk around. She even helped push the cart. It was slow going so I decided to cut short the trip as I still wasn’t feeling too well.

General

Baby’s Day Out

By Jay Lagare on Saturday, May 14, 2011

Michelle was off to an office summer outing at Montemar, Bataan. Family members were invited but I figured Jeanne would have more fun at Megan’s Jollibee Birthday party so I decided to stay behind along with Jeanne. In addition, Auntie Tita invited us for lunch to celebrate Christian’s birthday. James piped in that it’s going to be a joint celebration. Looked like it was gonna be a full day!

Almost as early as Michelle got up, prepared, and left for Montemar, I also got up and prepared. I knew it was going to be a hectic day, so I showered and prepared my baby bag (a re-purposed Crumpler camera bag) while Jeanne was still asleep. She woke up soon after. I entertained her with toys and books while I prepared breakfast of baked potato with butter and a sprinkling of salt. Yummy! Jeanne thought so too and ate almost all the half I gave her. Then I gave her a bath and dressed her up for going out.

General

Bonding

By Jay Lagare on Wednesday, May 11, 2011

Last night, Michelle was off with her officemates to tour their onshore manager who is in the country for a visit. Jeanne and I were with each other from about 8:30PM onwards as Lola and cousin Steph, who were with her the whole day, had to go sleep. We played till she eventually got tired/bored. She wanted milk so I prepared a bottle. But it’s not the kind she wanted and she cried and cried. After some time crying, I tried giving her the milk again and this time she took it and drank it till she finally slept only shortly interrupted when Michelle arrived.

General

Mothers’ Day French Toast

By Jay Lagare on Sunday, May 8, 2011

Happy Mothers’ Day! It’s the day for mommies so I cooked up a special breakfast: French toast with syrup, Vienna sausages, Moka coffee for myself, and orange juice for Jeanne and Michelle who don’t drink coffee. Yummy!

4 slices loaf bread
2 eggs
Pancake syrup

To make the batter, beat the eggs in a bowl in a until smooth. Some people would add flavorers here such as milk and cinnamon but since it’s me, you can expect a simplified version :P Put a pan or skillet in low to medium heat and add a slice of butter. Spread thoroughly. For each slice for loaf, dip each side in the batter. Immediately put in the pan and brown each side. Serve with syrup and Vienna sausages.