Went to a newborn turtle release today! ... Ale and I each released 2 baby turtles...Now we have 4 additional reasons to love the sea!!
"sponsorship" costs $1 (meaning: watching the little ones get released is free... if you want to actually hold the little one in your hand and put it in the sand, it costs $1... SOOO totally worth it!!!) Here´s a picture of our first 2 little ones racing towards the waves! (I have to remember to check the batteries next time!)...


You have to place the little ones in the wet sand, not in the surf, otherwise, they won´t recognize the beach when they come back, in about 15 years (IF they make it!) ...
These are "golfinas" and, they grow up to 70 cms (2.3 ft) and can weigh up to 40 kilos (88 lbs).

Talk about advance planning! Her birthday is in JUNE!!!

She decided she wants a pool party (yep, it's about the right age for pool parties).

And, now, she wants a luau-themed pool party.... who knows what she may come up with in 6 months!!

Oh, well. That'll give us time to look around, get some ideas, find the most inexpensive ways to implement them... plus, with a pool, you really don't have to do much in the way of entertaining!

Ok. In light of the latest development with the car, I need to revise the list (not that there'll be much to cut, rather, it will grow longer, because I forgot to add Ale's teachers!)

1. Ale - new bike - No change, as this didn't include cash
2. Sis- I an aromatherapy massage!- again, no cash involved
3. Niece- no idea yet
4. Nephew- no idea yet
5. Nanny and family- pending
6. My best friend's son

7. Ale's teachers (about 7 gifts) No problem, a couple weeks ago I had decided to give them boxes of baked goodies and, had actually purchased some very nice Christmas tins at the Dollar Store ($1.25 each)... I don't really need to buy anything extraordinary to make some mini-brownies, almond bars and alfajores...

This is what the repair will cost... that, plus 5 days of cab fare to pick Ale up at school... I'll call the cab company and ask them to give me a special discount (it's quite a normal thing here, actually)... but, still....

Again, God anticipates my needs...there go the $700 from an additional translation at the beginning of the month, for which I'm still awaiting payment.

(hopefully, it'll get paid before Saturday, when the car will be ready, if not, I'll have to charge it then repay it... $300 of course, will be paid in cash from my EF)

((sigh))

... it figures, I started replenishing my EF (put $300 in it) and, now the car broke down again!...We'll see how hard the EF gets hit...I just hope it doesn't get wiped out completely!!!

Oh, well, at least I have $300 in cash, if needed.... ((sigh))

the dubbing company's got a new customer!!
That means more work!!

My sister has started doing translations for them, too... she got 2 scripts for this month... we'll see how it goes...

Well, gotta go, it's 11:57pm and, I'm sleepy!!

Just wanted to share!!

I managed to find some blouses and t-shirts to donate. I also found 4 pairs of shoes in good condition...not like new, but, good (they don´t fit anyone I know, so I just kept them in the back of my closet, but never got around to putting them in the car--as I could then have given them to one of the many poor people I encounter around the city). We generally give Ale´s old clothes to Nanny's granddaughter, so she didn´t have much she could donate, except some underwear.
We packed the whole lot and Ale took it to school. They will collect stuff and then take them to one of the aid centers in the city.

So many people were left destitute and, now we have a cold front (well, cold for us!) coming over the weekend...

Internationally, if you want to donate, you can do it through

1. Ale - new bike - I think I can get (at least most of) the $$$ via gift certificate from the hotel where our visitors stay.
2. Sis- I think I have enough points left over for an aromatherapy massage!
3. Niece- no idea yet
4. Nephew- no idea yet (am I a horrible human being for wanting to buy him something he can't possibly sell?)
5. Nanny and family- pending
6. My best friend's son

That's it, my list is very small!
Hmmmm. I think I should add myself to that!
7. a book (have a couple in mind)

El Salvador is one of lonely Planet's Top 10 best places to visit!!

I couldn't quite believe it when I saw it in the local newspaper, but, here it is!

Ale called this afternoon complaining of a headache and, I told her to take her temp. She was ok, but, called me later on to say she did have a high fever... I called the Dr.... he said to give her some acetaminophen, some ibuprofen and give her plenty of electrolites....He said to watch her closely for any other symptoms and we should know what it is in a couple of days.... I so hope this is just a "false alarm" or something like that...

If you do, you'll love alfajores. I made my first alfajores last weekend. Alfajor is a traditional arab cookie, which the Spaniards brought to the Americas! YUM!
they are extremely easy to do, but, oh, so sweet and sinful!
Ale loves them, and so do I. I had never tried to make them, though, but, on Friday I looked up a recipe on line and then bought all the ingredients on Saturday.
Now, no one makes Alfajores like my friend Katya´s... hers are like a piece of heaven that practically melts in your mouth! So thin and delicate! Mine were thick, not at all like hers...but, the flavor was right! So, now I need to practice some more until I can make them thin and luscious!

Thought I´d share the recipe here!

ALFAJORES
Ingredients :
1 ¾ cups sifted flour
¼ cup cornstarch
¾ cup butter or margerine
4 tablespoons pulverized sugar

1 tablespoon cold water
Manjar blanco (see recipe below)


Instructions:

Put the butter, flour, cornstarch, water, and pulverized sugar in a bowl. Mix with a fork or whisk. Finish working the dough with your hands, until the dough is smooth.

Roll with a rolling pin on a floured surface. Cut circles with a cookie cutter.

Put cookies on a greased cookie sheet and bake in pre-heated oven [350° F (175° C) ] for 12-15 minutes.

Take out of the oven and cool them.

To make the alfajores, take a cookie, spread manjarblanco over one side and, cover with another cookie. Sprinkle with pulverized sugar.


MANJARBLANCO:
Ingredients :
1 can of condensed milk (397 g - 14 oz)


Instructions:

Place the can (closed) of condensed mik in a pot and cover it with water. Boil for 2 hours if in a conventional pot, or 45 minutes in a pressure cooker.
Cool the can completely before opening.

Hers is just fine at the moment, but, I don't think it'll fit in 6 months, so, I'm starting to look for knitting patterns on line so I can start making her a new one.
I made the one she has now and, she's so proud of it!!

Of course, I have like 1100 other projects that I haven't finished/started... but, I think I'll give this one priority starting in December!

eh? we don't "do that". My tree is the same every year, it has been ever since I got married in 1992. Then, I got the tree when hubby became the ex. I have lots of ornaments in all colors. I really don't like that "current" of changing the colors you use on the tree every year according to fashion... (not to mention this year is blue and silver, not pink!)

So, this year Ale wants the tree decorated in pink....(?) I have no idea where she got that from and, no, I don't plan to buy new ornaments (and, definetely no plans to get rid of the old ones, either)....At most, if she wants to do that, she can sort through the boxes and choose the pink ones and leave the other ones out. I may also get her a can of pink spray paint and let her spray paint some of the older spheres (red and green, which I use as "fillers"), and, maybe let her use pink ribbon to tie the white spheres... I may also buy her a couple of sheets of pink foamy and let her craft some new ornaments, but, that's about it!!

Well, Ale was complaining today about not being able to go downstairs to play ... clear indication that she´s feeling better.She has a follow up appointment with the pediatrician on Monday.
.. I am still coughing, and it hurts a lot, but, it´s not as painful as before and, I can sleep! I had to go to the office today (Dr only gave me 2 days at home), so, what else could I really do?
I asked about the party and was told about 50 people showed up (really good, considering we invited 86 people with 5 days notice!) 42 RSVPd, which is amazing, really... so, eventhough there were a few glitches (the caterers had problems trying to get in! Thankfully, I had gotten their cellphone number "just in case", which means THEY had MY number, too! so they called me, I called my boss, he called security, things got sorted out somehow!....phew!) but, all in all, it seems things turned out alright. Considering I had a gravely ill child and was sick myself, I d say it was a huge achievement!!
Well, believe it or not, is 01:46 am here already, I DO need to go to sleep!(coughing fits have been keeping me awake!)
good night, everyone!

Well, Ale "graduated" from just lying in bed watching TV to coloring and crafting, so she must be feeling better (she does look happier, too!) I, on the other hand, spent a terrible night coughing last night, so I went to the doctor today... I got antibiotics and some awful brew that is supposed to make my phlegm go away! (I sure hope so, it tastes bad enough! yuck!) Since I´ve just started with the medication, I really don´t expect to see much progress until tomorrow morning. Oh, and the dr. said I should stay home today and tomorrow. So, I won´t be going to the office until Friday.... but, of course, I AM working! (the office´s 2nd year anniversary party is TODAY, the final approval to hold the party came last Thursday, and we sent out the invites on Friday....which means I have been contacting caterers and such from home!) I do hope everything turns out ok, I´ve done my best, considering the circumstances... I really hope it doesn´t rain tonight, that would REALLY spoil things! (fewer attendees!)... oh, well, THAT is definetely out of my hands!

Ale seems to have caught dengue fever again. I HATE mosquitoes!

It is more dangerous this time around, because it could turn into hemorragic dengue if you've already have it.

Her platelets are at 127,000 (normally, the minimum is 150,000). She's at home today, on fluids and vitamin C. We need to do another blood test tomorrow, if she is anywhere near 100,000, she'll have to be hospitalized. Did I mention I hate mosquitoes?

I'm trying to stay calm, I managed to keep her out of the hospital the last time, I'm hoping, with God's help, to keep her out this time, too!

Well, Ale just called and said: The car stopped. Er... she means they were driving and the engine stopped, completely... so... now, to take it to the workshop

this isn't finance related... well, perhaps a bit... "we" just bought a new car!!! ("we" being the office!) It is such a big relief, because, I was given the challenge on 8/28 to make this purchase happen before the closing of the (US) fiscal year 2009... our deadline was 9/22 ...
After many setbacks and running around (with people here saying we needed x,y,z documents and headquarters asking us why we needed x,y,z documents and such)... the final authorization was given yesterday (9/22)!!! YAY!!!... I was really worried, because a lot of this really did not depend on me, but, I knew I would be seen as the most likely "culprit" if this didn't happen. (the thing is, if we couldn't make it come out of this fiscal year funds, we wouldn't get the funds next fiscal year, so, no car!!-- talk about pressure!!!)

So, today, I'm happy!

Oh, to make it finance-related: this was my largest-ever purchase...I've never bought anything THAT expensive, not for the organizations I've worked with, nor for myself!! It was kind of scary!

For some people in my country, this is the road they must travel to get to school, or to get healthcare...




And, even parts where it looks gentler can be so slippery, this 4X4 got stuck!! The people in the picture are putting additional rocks on the road to try to give it some traction!!



No, I haven't been there... These pictures were taken by a colleague during their latest trip (yesterday!)

ok, this has NOTHING to do with finance, but, I'm sitting at our desk (used to be my father's, now it's our collective desk) at home and, I found this picture of Ale at the Museum of Anthropology...

what´s funny about that? Well, she's standing in front of a red wall with 6 wooden masks, the kind used in traditional folk dances...


I'm sitting in front of a red wall with 6 wooden masks, the kind used in traditional folk dances!!! (not IDENTICAL masks, but, certainly similar!)

I use the term "area" loosely. I don't have data about the crime in specific area that I live in, but, the data for the country says a lot...

as per the last census (2007), ES has 5.74 million inhabitants. Last year, statistics said there were 10 murders per day, on average. That means there were well over 3,000 murders in 2008. This year, the numbers are still in dispute, but, it is said to be between 12 and 13 - that's DAILY.

Las week, there was an article in the newspaper about how much we pay for security and, although it did not mention specific dollar amounts, it really got me thinking...because, the writer mentioned how we don't even think about this as an extraordinary expense anymore. And, he's right.

He talked about how all new housing developments are enclosed communities (like mine), with an armed guard at each door (like mine, montly cost per house is $15), with designated entrances and exits (like mine), with houses with bars on every window (like mine) and with prohibitions to set up businesses in them so as to avoid traffic of unknown persons (not in mine, but, I've seen neighborhoods with signs stating that businesses are forbidden, and, I've also heard about communities where you need to have 2 written recommendations from homeowners to be allowed to buy or rent!).

Now, if your house is NOT in a gated community, it is most probably surrounded by a BIG wall, complete with electrified razor wire AND an armed guard.

We pay for all this, yet, we don't really "see" it... that is, we are so used to it by now, we don't consider it extraordinary.

We also pay more for transportation because public transportation is dangerous. (over 320 bus drivers have been killed for refusing to pay "rent" to the gangs- that's what they call it, it's money the bus owners or bus drivers must pay the gang to be able to operate on "their" streets) That, of course, doesn't mean the people riding the bus won't get mugged, it just means they won't get killed (as long as they "willingly" surrender their possessions) and the bus won't get burnt.

Not that you are immune if you ride a car, though, both my niece and my best friend were robbed at gunpoint while waiting for the traffic lights to turn green at different points of the city! Niece had to give them her watch and earrings, friend had to give them her cellphone... Oh, and there HAVE been people killed just for freaking out and NOT surrendering their cellphones!

Ever heard of an "express kidnapping"? They take you on a tour of different ATM's so you may withdraw money from your accounts for them... NICE!

Years ago, before ATM's, they'd target family groups and, they would drive to the bank so you could cash a check while they held your family in the car... so, my Mom taught me to write down all my checks, but, never the balance...to this day, I balance my checkbook at home, in a notebook, rather than in the checkbook!

I also signed up for the debit card that only lets you withdraw $150 in cash every 24 hours...

I've been thinking about all this a lot lately, and, I've come to the conclusion that I live as a hostage!!!

don't worry, it was planned for!

At the beginning of the year, I decided that I was going to buy myself a new wardrobe for my 40th birthday. I was either:
1. going to lose enough weight, or
2. accept the fact that I'm not a size 6 (or even 8!) anymore....

Of course I would have preferred to go with the first option but, oh, well...

first, I made a list of what needed to be updated. (5 pants, 1 dress, 4 shirts) Then, I decided on a ceiling for what I realistically could/wanted to spend on all that. ($250) THEN, I waited....

the week after my birthday, the stores went crazy! Gotta love mid-year sales!


I decided to go to the local dept store, as they do have a very nice selection and, I have their purchase card and, their offer was 45% off "yellow tag" (already discounted prices) if put on one's store card. I spent $170 and, managed to find 4 pants, 5 shirts (1 was not "included", but I just couldn't resist it, I can wear it to the office, but, I can also wear it with jeans for the weekend!. I'm still "missing" 1 pair of pants and a dress (thinking of maybe having a seamstress copy my favorite dress, in my size!...that is not really expensive here!) AND, I still have $80 for those missing items! YAY! (oh, and the purchase card was paid in full)

Also, just wearing my size makes me look thinner, because I don't look like a badly wrapped tamale!

Yay! My house fund is over $500 now!!!

she crawled into my bed at 1am. (she NEVER does that unless she REALLY feels bad). I took her to the Dr's this morning. It's just a common cold.

I just have to say, I feel sooooo grateful that I was able to just TAKE HER to the doctor and not worry about how to pay for it (had cash!!) or for her medicines (cash, again!!)

So, this was money that was allocated to paying taxes (in August), so, now I have to find a way to earn more to "replace" it, or, work the budget for the next 3 months to adjust for it (less "fun" or "clothing" money, for example), but, nothing like taking money allocated for rent and/or utilities.

Come to think about it, I do have a (very small) emergency fund, about $300, and the whole trip (dr + meds) will be about $100 (I still have to get 1 medicine, which the pharmacy didn't have this morning)...

See? this is a HUGE, HUGE, HUGE change for me!!

I feel soooo grateful (yes, I know I already said it, but, I DO feel the need to repeat it!)

Ale and I went to get her school supplies. Instead of getting just what the list said, we got dozens (or half dozens) of everything: lead pencils, colored pencils, highlighters, erasers, pencil sharpeners. I estimated a total of $50, and was surprised that the total was $58. But, then I remembered we had added a Spanish-Spanish dictionary (one that has more words than the one I bought 2 years ago, when she started school), which cost $6.00, so, in reality, I was only over by $2.00! (and those were a couple of notebooks we had not found previously).Soooo....she should now be set for the whole year!

my boss and I were summoned to a special office budget-review exercise.
This was over how we get billed for certain services.
At first, he wanted to know if he REALLY HAD to attend (generally, he asks me to look at the invoice, then tell him if everything is ok so he can sign!)... I just told him if they had sent invites to both of us, that probably meant they DID need him to be there.

At the beginning, they just asked answers to see if we understand the system, then questions to see whether the info they had is accurate according to those parameters.
It must have surprised the people at Finance that, for most of the questions that arose, he would just look at me for an answer (for my grade/level, this would technically not be part of my job description. It would be "above" me, so to speak, to deal with budgets).
It must have made him feel glad that I knew the answers, and that not once did Finance correct me (so, he now knows I do understand the system! He trusts me, but, now he has CONFIRMATION that this trust is not misplaced!)
So, I earned some brownie points today! YAY!

*************
Edited to add that the Finance Manager has a low opinion of me due to a problem we had in the past, so I guess this also helps in that respect, as she saw today that I'm NOT a scatterbrain and that I actually KNOW what I'm doing!

Ale announced over the phone...

So, how do you plan to pay for it? I said.

I don´t think that was the answer she expected.

I just paid my taxes and my translation cheque is late, so, I have the amazing amount of $5 available.

And, no, I don´t think she should be asking for credit (either from the little store two houses down or from the people at the Martial Arts Academy where she is attending summer school).

So.... I guess I´ll have to wait until I get home to see if she´s come up with a plan!

so here's ONE picture....
This one would look soooo cool in one of those "fake" magazine covers, don't you think?

Anyway... for the time being, it's my new favorite! ROCK ON!

...delegation is a wonderful thing!

I asked the nanny to chop everything I needed for the chicken spread... I instructed on her how to cook it and then showed her how to puree it in the blender... ta-da! the chicken spread was ready...

This morning... asked niece to make the sandwiches... ta-da! I gained about 2 hours of time to work on translations!!!

This afternoon is "lost" to work, though, since, really, there is NO WAY I´m going to miss Ale´s Bday party!!!


by the way, here´s the guitar I made her for her rock star costume...isn't it cute??





I´ll post pictures of the bday party over the weekend (don´t think I´d be able to log on again until then!!)

Saludos!

They just gave me the "go ahead" to translate the other 9 documents for that huge company!!! YAY!!!....

...now... how do I clone myself?? ;P