Life is what you make it...

Dare to Live the Dream

2012-01-22T18:24:00.003+08:00

"No dreamer is ever too small; no dream is ever too big."

I grew up in a home where dreams were encouraged. I may have brought along the dreamer in me as I was growing up. I also learned that the way a person looks at dreams also mature with them. The younger me would have thrived in waiting for things to happen, content in just feeling good when other people achieved theirs and wishing...wishing very hard that mine would come true, one day.

As I was growing old, I kept dreaming of a better place, a better life, a better me. Each morning I wake up and ask myself, is this the life I am meant to live? And each time my heart would say no, there must be something more, much much more than what is right now.

It's not that I was disappointed with the kind of life I have. Oddly, it took very little to make me very happy. But there was this small piece of me that says I could make things even better, that I could raise the bar another notch. So I went through life searching for this. This something that would add meaning to my life.

At a very young age I learned that money does not make the world go round, sure it could jazz it up a bit, but the real ticker, my mother taught me, was love and family. If you had that, wow, you were rich, rich in what mattered most in life. No matter how fat your paycheck may be at the end of the day if you have no one to share it with, it didn't really matter much. That lesson, I kept close to my heart.

And so today, I want to share with you some tidbits I learned along the way.
1. Life doesn't stop when you reached a certain point in your life; like marriage, having kids, or getting a promotion. Make these experiences your wings, to soar higher, to share more of yourself, to give some back.

2. For my married friends, having a family shouldn't be an excuse to stop dreaming. Dreams are for everyone. Get one and make it come true.

3. Don't be too hard on yourself when you make mistakes. Smile, relax and most of all learn to laugh at yourself. Stand up and get back on your feet again, this time you know better.

4. Always give back to life the blessings you have received. Don't be afraid to share. There is more where it came from, much much more.

5. Don't feel guilty when you sometimes just want to sleep all day and do just nothing. You work very hard, you deserve the break. And sleep helps you regroup, regain your strength and allows you to dream some more.

6. Despite your busy schedule, always schedule time to call or visit your mom and dad. Remember, when you were younger, you were their world...and they never stopped thinking that, even if they already have grandchildren. Give back the time and love they showered you then. Your love and time may mean more than you think.

7. Take time out to take care of yourself. By doing that you can give more and be more to others.

8. Hugs will never be out of fashion. Hoard it, store, get it at every opportunity. We need loads of these no matter what age we are in. I am guilty of hoarding every chance I get... it is an elixir that cannot be found anywhere.

9. Respect other's opinions, although it sometimes differ from yours. You may be surprised to learn something new by just listening.

10. Love with abandon, never hold anything back. The chance may not present itself again. Don't let fear hold you back. So what if it's not reciprocated, it is yours to give. Enjoy each moment, seize every opportunity. Time could be a friend if you use it wisely.

I realized I have learned so much the days I was away. Although I loved to write about my life, I also learned that I must live it first before I could write much more.

I miss all my blogger friends. I hope to read about your life more each day too. Have a blessed 2012.

The Power of The Hug (Repost)

2011-04-10T09:56:00.004+08:00

This is a post I made back in 2007. I still believe in its power. Read on and enjoy.
The moment I came out from my mom's womb the first thing that I received from the angel who was to be my mother, was a hug. The second her arms closed around my wriggly fragile body and as she kissed my little button nose, I knew I was loved. All throughout my life, my parents' hugs assured me that I was safe and loved. So I went through my life confident that I can do anything and be anything I wanted. And as I grew up , I seem to be needing a lot of those warm hugs to make me feel better. When I fall and graze my knee, when I spill milk on the floor, when I just feel a little blue, a hug would make me feel better. When I got a little older I became a little jaded and concerned with propriety. I began to think that big girls don't need hugs, it was a sign of weakness - I wanted people to know that I am independent and strong. However, when I was having a bad day and there was too much pressure in school, all of it will fade away as soon as my mom would give me a hug... just like the old times.

I give and get hugs from my daughters all the time, when they have their arms wrapped tightly around me, I feel that it is me who gets healed in the process. Here are some quotes about hugs:

A hug is like a boomerang - you get it back right away. ~Bil Keane, "Family Circus"

Millions and millions of years would still not give me half enough time to describe that tiny instant of all eternity when you put your arms around me and I put my arms around you. ~Jacques Prévert

You can't wrap love in a box, but you can wrap a person in a hug. ~Author Unknown

Hug Department: Always Open ~Author Unknown

I love hugging. I wish I was an octopus, so I could hug ten people at a time. ~Drew Barrymore

Arm ourselves for war? No! All the arms we need are for hugging. ~Author Unknown

A hug is a handshake from the heart. ~Author Unknown

A hug delights and warms and charms,that must be why God gave us arms.~Author Unknown

A hug is the shortest distance between friends. ~Author Unknown

A hug is a great gift - one size fits all, and it's easy to exchange. ~Author Unknown

A kiss without a hug is like a flower without the fragrance. ~Proverb

Received this video in the mail, it's about Juan Mann who's giving out Free Hugs all over the globe. Loved it! Never wait until tomorrow to hug someone you could hug today,because when you give one, you get one right back your way. Hugggsss to all of you.

Don't Worry Be Happy

2010-06-01T23:25:00.004+08:00

aughter. That is something you'll notice as soon as you go inside my house. My kids laughing at something their dad did or said. My girls being tickled by their dad on weekend mornings or something good on TV. or a book they were reading. Reminds of the laughter that resounded my parents house when my siblings and I lived there.

Don't you always hear that phrase "laughter is the best medicine"? That is soooo true. At work, my staff are happy people. You hear them laughing most of the time, they are working and laughing and somehow the pressures of our daily grind seems manageable and bearable. I was reading Bo Sanche'z blog yesterday and I got this message "Go ahead. Do the most important thing in the world. Build your relationships. And be happy."

Remember no matter how hard life is right now, no matter how dark and grave the future looks, there is always time to laugh and be happy.

“Laugh as much as you breathe and love as long as you live.”

Something New

2010-05-30T22:51:00.006+08:00

tart of the week again and I just had to share this new stuff I learned today. Pretty neat huh? If you want to have some on your blog please drop by www.dailydropcap.com. Jessica Hische is amazing!

On Being a Mom

2010-05-30T15:25:00.006+08:00

This is a belated Mother's Day post. I couldn't help but post it as it has moved me in ways I could not even begin to tell you.

You see motherhood has taught me soooo many things. Flexibility, I thought my heart was only capable of loving one but magically my heart can love many and have room for more. It has taught me patience as you may all well know. It has taught me how to use my strength well and much much more. Loving is the most important lesson of all. Read on.

The Girl I Used to Be
Author Unknown

She came tonight as I sat alone,
the girl I used to be,
And she gazed at me with her earnest eyes,
and questioned reproachfully,

Have you forgotten the many plans,
and hopes I had for you?
The great career,
the splendid fame,
all the wonderful things to do?

Where is the mansion of stately height,
with all of its gardens rare?
The silken robes that I dreamed for you,
and the shining jewels in your hair?

And as she spoke,
I was very sad,
for I wanted her pleased with me,
This slender girl from the shadowy past,
the girl I used to be.

So gently rising,
I took her hand and guided her up the stairs,
Where peacefully sleeping,
my babies lay, innocent, sweet and fair,

And I told her that these are my only gems,
and precious they are to me,
That silken robe is my motherhood,
of costly simplicity,

And my mansion of stately height is love,
and the only career I know,
Is serving each day in these sheltered walls,
for the dear ones who come and go,

And as I spoke to my shadowy guest,
she smiled through her tears at me,
And I saw the woman that I am now,
pleased the girl that I used to be!

Not too late I realized that I could still be more that I can be. For mothers after all are capable of so many things. Mixing family and career is hard but with the love and support of my family I realized I can and still could be more than just me.

I could still reach the stars if I wanted to, go to the places I've dreamed of. Becoming a mother makes the experience all the more exhilirating because now the pleasure is not just mine to experience; now I can share it with my precious gems, my family.

Be true to yourself and be proud that you are mothers!

A Very Romantic Valentine's Day

2010-02-14T19:00:00.006+08:00

A belated Valentine's Day post.

Last February 12 hubby surprised me with a very romantic dinner. It was in a wine cellar restaurant. He had it all planned out. A bouquet of flowers were delivered to my office during lunch and then he said nothing in the car on our way home. We usually watched a movie on Friday nights, but that night he didn't ask if I wanted to see a movie. I thought it odd, but I also thought that maybe he felt a bit ackward because we had a small fight.

The Friday night traffic was ruining my mood actually. I wanted to get home early, we had a lot to cover the following day. PTA meeting at school, two birthday parties! Ahhh, just the thought makes me feel soooo tired already. All of a sudden he makes a sudden turn into this snotty-looking restaurant. I was aghast almost. Why??? I turned to say. And he had this ridiculous smile on his face. Surprise! Let's have dinner. And I went, "Dinner? Whaat? Here? Why this place looks expensive! A winery for petesakes!" I stumbled out of the car and followed him inside. Wine was strewn all over the place. Then a lady greeted us, "Sir, I thought you'd never come." They know each other? How? Hmmm, so he was here before? It seems the man planned this well. We were shown inside the wine cellar room, exclusive, dimly lit room with a table for two. Expensive wine surrounded us. The waiter went in and asked if we wanted wine and hubby said thanks and asked if we could have a moment alone. To say that I felt like a foolish teenager on my first date was an understatement. I was tickled pink!

I was blushing and he was smirking like a cheshire cat after licking a bowl of milk. "Happy Valentine's Day," he says, "Are you okay? It this okay?" I wanted to play hard to get. But I couldn't stop the smile that mirrored his from cropping up my face, even if my life depended on it. Of course I was okay, I was more than okay. I was happy! We had the place all to ourselves. We had wine, Italian food and just simply had a good time. Haha! Foolish man, I thought after 12 years he still manages to make me fall in love with him over again. After dinner he took me for a walk along the bay and then we had coffee. The man knew how to date! LOLz! Kidding aside, my hubby was always romantic and that's one of the things I love about him. I was happy to note that all this time, having two kids and all, still the love has not changed, in fact, has grown deeper and stronger.

Each day I thank God he gave me a partner who knows how to love. But don't you think that our marriage is perfect. We have our moments and our ups and downs as well, but I guess we know how to keep the love burning, we work at it each day. I can see the way my daughters look at the two of us when we hold hands or when hubby steals kisses playfully while they cheered on, they feel secure that their parents love each other. I am glad we can give that to them.

Some unsolicited advice, that worked for us:

1. Always make time to date. Just because you go home to the same house and sleep in the same bed does not mean that you have to stop dating. Make sure to fit in alone time with your spouse no matter how hectic your work life is. Hubby and I always go out on Fridays, to watch a movie or have dinner. Just the two of us.

2. Communicate, communicate, communicate. Hubby and I always make an effort to talk things through. That way we can clear things out, no grey areas...only clarity. Be truthful at all times. Trust is fragile, once broken you may not get another chance.

3. Take care of each other. Just because you take care of the kids does not give you license to neglect your husband's needs. My mom made sure I learned that lesson well. It's a work in progress but I always think of my hubby's needs as well as my kids as equally important.

4. Make your home a sanctuary where he can relax and recharge. Give the guy his own space to do his manly things. In the same way that you need to have your girl's day off, a man needs one or two :)Believe me he'll appreciate you more.

5. Love, love, love. Be affectionate and showy. Hold hands, kiss, cuddle. And never stop till you're too old to do it. The very essence of the relationship. When you have love, everything follows. Ann Landers say, If you have love in your life it can make up for a great many things you lack. If you don't have it, no matter what else there is, it's not enough.

There are no established set rules really only guides. In reality only you know what will work for you two. But the thing is dear, always make time for love. It's the secret to a long lasting marriage.

Love is patient, love is kind.
It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.
It is not rude, it is not self-seeking.
It is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.
Love does not delight in evil, but rejoices with the truth.
It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
Love never fails.I Corinthians 13:4-8

Making It Happen

2010-01-31T18:31:00.017+08:00

What the mind of a man can conceive and believe, it can achieve ~ Napoleon Hill

I missed you guys so much! I missed bloggerville, I missed writing. Where did I go? Well, after that storm in September I received a "wake-up call". It was sooo powerful that I had no choice but to heed it.

During the time that my family faced possible death, I realized that for the longest time I weaved a lot of dreams but I never made time to actually make it happen. All of a sudden I became aware of all the things that I wanted to do in my life. The plans and aspirations that I made for myself are soon fading into oblivion because I have not made any move towards achieving it.

I froze! I couldn't believe I wasted so much time doing nothing towards that goal. I felt like a fool waiting for that apple to fall from the tree; I thought that by just wishing for the apple, it would make it fall on my lap, ready to be eaten. I forgot that I needed to plan and do something before that apple becomes mine.

I raced against time. I read books, attended seminars and got a chance to talk to some very successful people, as if they were sent to me by fate. I didn't waste time anymore. I decided to make all my dreams come true, one at a time. I opened my rusty closet of dreams and looked inside. The hardest part was something I hadn't expected. Knowing what I wanted. I thought I knew. I thought I am living my dreams already. I thought I was on the right track. But to my surprise, I wasn't. All this time I had set aside things that I really wanted to do and did other things that I thought a responsible adult should be doing. I traded a lot of my dreams for practical ones. I was failing myself slowly but surely.

I came across this wonderful e-book by Bo Sanchez just the other day. The book was called "How to Know if Your Dreams are God's Dreams". You too can grab this e-book at his website. I strongly advise that you grab it just about now. That e-book is sooooo powerful. It made me realize a lot of things in my life.

I learned how to determine what I desired most in my life. This first step needs a lot of thinking and soul-searching. But I promise you once you have determined this part...you are set for life. Second is believing it can happen, that you could make it happen. Last is taking action, as Albert Einstein so aptly put it “Nothing happens unless something moves.” I am on my way to fulfilling the last part, I am now moving towards my goals. That was why I have been away. I started my own online store last October. I didn't realize that I can sell. LOLz! I was becoming a businesswoman! Another dream of mine is to have an article published in one of the leading newspapers in the country. I am on my way to doing that as well.

So what were the desires that I have uncovered you ask? Well, here's what I have discovered so far. One, I wanted to get rich. I wanted to travel all over the world. I wanted to visit sooo many places, do the things I wrote down in my list of 1001 things to do before I die. I wanted to live in Paris. I want to taste that famous bagel in New York, I wanted to go to the Louvre Museum, I wanted to see Florence. I want to go to Italy and taste the most expensive cheese called Parmagiano Reggiano. I wanted to meet Ina Garten and Giada De Laurentiis. I wanted more time with my family. Oh boy, I want to do soooo many things.

What am I getting at? My friend, life is short. Are you sure you really want to waste it with feelings of fear of failing, bitterness and envy? Are you sure that you want to waste it doing something "safe" because your dream requires some form of risk-taking or sacrifice? My friend there is no time to waste. Decide today to become the person you always wanted to be. And make "it" happen!

I was particularly struck by this quote from Benjamin Disraeli. He said, "One secret of success in life is for a man to be ready for his opportunity when it comes." Carpe Diem!

Enjoy Life While There is still Time

2009-09-28T22:41:00.004+08:00

The video above maybe a little graphic. Viewer discretion is advised.

I want to share with you the recent happenings in my country and my personal account and experience of the terrible flood the hit us.

It was raining non-stop since Friday evening. Hubby and I were watching TV and heard that Pasig was flooded. That was where my younger sister and her husband was living. I texted her and asked how things where in Pasig since they were also living with my bro-in-law's grandma who is 87 y/o. She replied with exclamation points "Hanggang ankle na inside the house!!!" (the water is up to my ankles!!) and that was the last time I heard from her.

I was texting here the whole afternoon and way into the evening. No response. I thought it odd that she won't reply to me and even when my mom and dad texted her. I felt that something was wrong.

What happened next was excruciating. News flash of ranging waters in Pasig and on different parts of Manila was shocking to say the least. How could this be happening. I was scared for my sister and her family. They lived in a one-storey house, with an old woman who is blind in one-eye. Where will they go? Are they still alive? Those where the thoughts that ran through my head. I've been calling their cellphones the whole night, but it was out of service. Panic and hysteria were bubbling inside my head. The storm and the fear that is forming inside my chest was devastating. Where they still alive?! I hoped so, I really hoped so.

I talked to my brother-in-law's younger sister; she told me the last time they talked to them was around 4pm Saturday. They urged them to transfer to an abandoned apartment in front of the house because it had a second floor. Then after that no news. Each hour that passed, fear and terror crept into our hearts. My dad did not take it well, he passed out. His blood pressure climbed high, he was beyond consolation. So is my mom.

No one could help us. The rescue was a slow, pain-staking process. The night passed and we wondered if they were safe, if they had food, if they were alive.

The following day, Sunday, we waited for news. There must be something, anything! But none came. It was after lunch already, I was sitting infront of my laptop with tears running down from my eyes as I frantically researched for agencies that could help us. It was getting dark again, still raining. Another night, not knowing if they were okay, if they were even alive. I posted messages in Facebook and waited for news. But still no news if there was any rescue going to happen. We called everyone we knew, all the government agencies, anyone who can help, strangers. But no one could help, all the government agencies were deployed, all we can do was wait...and hope that they were still alive.

September 27 4:47pm, my sis-in-law got a message from them, they were alive! Thank God! But they were stuck in the 2nd floor of the apartment, cold, no food and no idea if help was coming. That gave us hope, they were alive. We will move heaven and earth to get to them even if we had to swim there ourselves.

And as if, our prayers were heard and now being answered help started coming. A lot of people from Facebook responded to my urgent request for help. People we didn't know volunteered help, provided contact nos. of people who could. The phone rang non-stop relatives offering help came in. But still we couldn't do anything. The water was too high, we needed sophisticated equipments to get to them. If only there were more rubber boats available, if only we could get there faster, if only help was sure to come. We couldn't do anything but wait. Wait for any good soul to tell us that they will get them not minding the danger. My sister had hypoglycemia, her grandma was sickly.

After waiting for almost 2 days already, finally a break! People from Red Cross and the Armed Forces of the Philippines are going to get them. It 12:30am September 27 Monday. Riding 1 of the 4 rubber boats deployed for the whole City of Pasig they came back to our waiting and longing arms. Rescued at last.

My sister's account of what happened brought goosebumps in my arms, people wailing at night in the dark asking for help, asking for food, but they couldn't do anything...the water was high, way past the one-storey roof. There were dead bodies, mothers who gave birth prematurely, sick people in respirators who lost their lives due to hypothermia and because there was no electricity the respirators could not work anymore. No words could describe the devastation, the agony, the loss that people felt. Still even as I write this people are still on top of roofs, people are still starving waiting and hoping for help, people have lost their loved ones, people have lost their means to live.

A lot of properties were lost and damaged, cars, gadgets and clothes lost all at once. But these are only material things. Maybe it's time we invested in something that cannot be damaged, something that won't be affected by the strongest typhoon or disaster ... love for God and our
fellowmen.

An eye-opener for me...a message so simple...enjoy life while there is still time.

Thank You

2009-08-27T18:49:00.000+08:00

For each new morning with its light,
For rest and shelter of the night,
For health and food,
For love and friends,
For everything Thy goodness sends.

Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882)

Today I want to thank you Lord for giving me another year of life.

Thank you for my dad and mom who are always there to support me and love me and my family through thick and thin.

Thank you for my siblings, my brother and his family, my sister and her husband. I love them all.

Thank you for my husband, who constantly makes me feel that life is worth living, who always makes me smile and laugh. Whose craziness makes me forget the bad times. Whose love I would always cherish for the rest of my life.

Thank you for my lovely daughters Pia and Zoe whose mere existence brings me soooo much joy and happiness. They give me a reason to live each day and want to be the best mother they could ever wish for.

I also want to thank you for giving me so many friends whom I can count on, who I can laugh with and cry with and get crazy with. Friends who are there in the best and worst times of my life.

Again I thank you.

Begin Today

2009-08-10T22:21:00.009+08:00

I find it ironic that I am turning another year older in the next few weeks and I cannot say that I have a fool-proof plan for my future. Something that every responsible adult should have before they charter the many oceans of life.

I sometimes live for today and am guilty of leaving tomorrow to God. Don't get me wrong, I am not totally irresponsible. I have life insurance policies, a pension plan, a good health care plan and a few investments. Nothing ludicrous but a little nest egg for my family in case I become permanently err unavailable. But one must also realize that when you leave tomorrow to God, that means you are in charge of what happens to you today.

Being in charge of today is a big responsibility, because what you do today affects future plans and future realities.

Each day I struggle to live my life to the full. But oftentimes I think I fail to make the most of it. Each working day I think I miss out on the most important moments of my kids life. I content myself into looking at their day from my nanny's recount and stories, from my mom's loving eyes and through my dad's adoring stories. I would call home to check if there are assignments to be done and school supplies to buy and if the kids had preferences for tomorrow's snacks. It was the only way I could be there for them during the day that I am working.

My five-year-old daughter now knows how to contact me at work and what time she would call. There are times when I wasn't able to answer her call because I was in a meeting she would leave messages in my answering machine...and I would feel guilty as hell. Some mornings she would be grumpy when I wake her up and hurry her to the bathroom to give her a bath, she would tell me "why are you always in a rush mommy?" - I wanted to tell her because I want so much to be the one to go to school with you and your sister. To wait for you when you get home and cook your lunch, do your homework and play with you after school...but I can't so I just have to content myself with the few minutes that I can kiss you and give you a bath and I can comb your hair and blow small kisses before I rush yet again to work.

Life is a series of compromises for me. I win some, I lose some. And for each moment that I spend away from my family I want to make sure that I spend it wisely. I count the seconds, the minutes the hours that I would go home and embrace my babies again. Here's something that I love to read whenever I have bad days. I keep it tucked away somewhere for me to read. Here goes:

If you woke up this morning
with more health than illness,
you are more blessed than the
million who won't survive the week.

If you have never experience
the danger of battle,
the loneliness of imprisonment,
the agony of torture or
the pangs of starvation,
you are ahead of 20 million people
around the world.

If you attend a church meeting
without fear of harassment,
arrest, torture, or death,
you are more blessed than almost
three billion people in the world.

If you have food in your refrigerator,
clothes on your back, a roof over
your head and a place to sleep,
you are richer than 75% of this world.

If you have money in the bank,
in your wallet, and spare change
in a dish someplace, you are among
the top 8% of the world's wealthy.

If your parents are still married and alive,
you are very rare,
especially in the United States.

If you hold up your head with a smile
on your face and are truly thankful,
you are blessed because the majority can,
but most do not

If you can hold someone's hand, hug them
or even touch them on the shoulder,
you are blessed because you can
offer God's healing touch.

If you can read this,
you are more blessed than over
two billion people in the world
that cannot read anything at all.

You are so blessed in ways
you may never even know.

“love life, engage in it, give it all you've got. love it with a passion, because life truly does give back, many times over, what you put into it” ~ Maya Angelou.

In case we forget, we can always begin living today.

A Heart of Hope

2009-08-05T14:47:00.005+08:00

Today our former President Corazon C. Aquino was laid to rest. The country mourned the loss. After fighting for her life, the cancer won. Before she died she shared a most wonderful prayer. A prayer for a happy death. I remember my dad's elder sister who shared with me a similar prayer.

Prayer for a Happy Death
By Corazon Aquino

Almighty God, most merciful Father
You alone know the time
You alone know the hour
You alone know the moment
When I shall breathe my last.

So, remind me each day,
most loving Father
To be the best that I can be.
To be humble, to be kind,
To be patient, to be true.
To embrace what is good,
To reject what is evil,
To adore only You.

When the final moment does come
Let not my loved ones grieve for long.
Let them comfort each other
And let them know
how much happiness
They brought into my life.
Let them pray for me,
As I will continue to pray for them,
Hoping that they will always pray
for each other.

Let them know that they made possible
Whatever good I offered to our world.
And let them realize that our separation
Is just for a short while
As we prepare for our reunion in eternity.

Our Father in heaven,
You alone are my hope.
You alone are my salvation.
Thank you for your unconditional love, Amen.

This prayer was published in the Philippine Daily Inquirer last July 10, 2009.

I also want to share this beautiful song composed by M. Franciso SJ, it's called "Your Heart Today"

“Love comes to those who still hope even though they've been disappointed, to those who still believe even though they've been betrayed, to those who still love even though they've been hurt before.”

If I was 17 Again

2009-08-02T16:45:00.012+08:00

It seems like ages ago when I wore my college uniform, I was in all white. I had a hard time keeping it that way as I made my way to the University, it always rained and my pencil-cut skirt seemed to manage to rip itself up to my booty. Good thing I have my mini sewing kit tucked away in my bag. I was the only girl in the last row and I'd hate it when the boys would snicker and made fun of me.

I also wondered how I was going to cram all those medical words and chemical equations in my tired head and keep up with my professors. Flunking is never an option. We started out as 46 students in our class and sometime before the last semester ended we were trimmed down to 32. Fourteen students either dropped out or was forced out. Getting good grades and not flunking my subjects were all that was on my mind - err and also how to rinse out all the chlorine and drying my long black hair after of swimming class --- aaarghh! that was probably one of the hardest part of college life. LOL!

And then there was Medical School. That was the ultimate goal. Boys were just not an option at that time, although there were a lot of good-looking medical students in my building. There just wasn't time for that. I could barely look up while I walked to my classes! My books were sooo darned heavy. All those subjects with "-ology" in the end. I had tons of those.

So today, I was thinking and looking back (one tends to do that a lot when one gets older I guess) - I wondered what would I tell myself if I had the chance to talk to "me". And I figured I had a lot of things to tell myself. I made a little list.

1. Relax - I was a little uptight at that age, I did not socialize a lot. Well partly because my dad was a little strict and secondly I was not so into it too. I was a little hard on myself then. I was always in a rush.

2. Listen to your mom and dad when they say that "Time is Gold". Procrastination in any stage in life is never good.

3. Don't be in a hurry all the time. Enjoy the moment and savor every little experience you get out of life. Who knows you might need to pick that memory out at a later time. I guess this happens when you don't get lesson no. 2.

4. Save, save, save. Save your allowance for important stuff. Something that could enhance your self-esteem. Avoid spending your money on non-essentials like make up or gadgets.

5. Don't be in a hurry to grow up. Your time will come. Enjoy the moment while someonelse is in charge of paying the bills. Growing up means more responsibilities and that includes paying bills. Being young and learning the ropes will build your character. Be friends with people who are independent, they have a lot of experiences to share.

6. Don't get credit cards. If you know how to spend your money wisely and you can live within your means, then for goodness sakes don't get that credit card. If your spending gets out of control - you could head to a financial meltdown in the future. Trust me steer clear.

7. Soak up all the wisdom the elders are imparting to you. Listen to dad's talk on choosing well whether he's talking about finding the right partner in life or choosing the right friends. He will also say "never giving up your ideals". And then there's mom's words on managing your time well and the wisdom of loving with all your heart but always leaving something for yourself "just-in-case".

8. Be confident. Don't be easily intimidated by other people. They are also afraid of new things just like you. They just know how to hide it better. Believe me I met a lot of people like this and they also have high positions in the corporate world.

9. Love yourself. Don't let others walk all over you. You have your own identity and your own special talents and gifts. Learn how to use it and it will serve you well. That hobby may make you a millionaire someday. Remember those who know their passion, never had to work a day in their lives.

10. Trust God and your family. They will love you unconditionally whether you have "unclear" skin, wavy hair, a fashion disaster or a social outcast. They will love you no-matter-what. And you know after all these - their love is all that matters.

We may not be able to turn back the clock and be 17 again but hey we were able to taste the elixir of life. It's our turn to guide that someone who is lost and finding themselves amongst crowd.

And in the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years. ~ Abraham Lincoln

What Matters Most

2009-06-20T22:50:00.004+08:00

I wrote this post years ago about my wedding day and my dad. Because it's father's day I wanted to share it again.

Have you heard the song "what matters most" by Kenny Rankin? I love that song. I requested my dad to sing that song for me on my wedding day. I was so excited when he agreed, however when THE DAY came, he kinda chickened out. Instead a string quartet played the song while I was walking down the aisle. my eyes were so misty, i couldn't see a thing. in my mind, it was my dad who was singing for me.

I asked my dad why he backed out. He told me he felt so emotional that he couldn't even speak. the lyrics were simple, the message was clear. this song somehow depicts my farewell bid to my childhood. it was like saying, "mom and dad, the days that I spent with you had been sweet and unforgettable and now as I enter my new life I would like to thank you for the wonderful childhoold that i had, it will be the foundation i'll use to build my own family.

Thank you for showing me how to love unconditionally, that kind of love is very hard to come by. Thank you for teaching me that it did not matter that our lives were not so perfect as long as we were happy there was no problem greater than that. Thank you for letting me discover myself and teaching me to love the "me" that i found staring back in the mirror. Thank you for loving me in the good and bad times, just knowing you are there for me helped me become strong. thank you for being there for me as i learned to stand on my own and experience life. and thank you for opening my eyes to the world, letting me know that who I am and how I deal with other people will determine how happy and successful my life would be.

you both taught me it did not matter that loving someone could sometimes hurt so much you ached all over, what mattered was I was capable of loving - not all people have that gift. =) here's the lyrics of the song. hope you like it too

It's not how long we held each other's hand
What matters is how well we loved each other
It's not how far we travelled on our way
Of what we found to say
It's not the spring you see, but all the shades of green

It's not how long I held you in my arms
What matters is how sweet the years together
It's not how many summertimes we had to give to fall
The early morning smiles we tearfully recall
What matters most is that we loved at all.

It's not how many summertimes we had to give to fall
The early morning smiles we tearfully recall
What matters most is that we loved at all.

What matters most is that we loved at all.

I love you soooo much Dad - Happy Father's Day!

incidentally the picture in this post is not my wedding picture but that of my sister's. i love this picture. from left to right, that's my hubby, me, my mom, my sister, my dad and my brother. the flower girls are katrina and pia.

I would also like to say Happy Father's Day to hubby - the most wonderful dad to my precious daughters. Thank you for coming to my life.

Totally My Girl

2009-06-10T00:27:00.008+08:00

The other day my ten-year-old daughter Ysabel asked me. "Mom, is it okay if I blog just like you?" I didn't hesitate and told her "Sure! wanna do it now?"

My eldest daughter is into books and she loves to write too. I cannot even begin to tell you how much she loves books. Whenever we go out she would always ask me, "Mom, I did very well in my exam, will you buy me a book?" And just like that she has started her book collection. It's something her dad and I support with all our hearts.

During Christmas when most children would ask for toys, the latest gadgets my eldest daughter would tell her godmothers and godfathers that she would love it so much if they bought her books for Christmas. And she was wise too, she would ask her godparents and grandparents different books so she would be able to maximize her growing wish list. This way no books were bought twice! Attah girl!

Together we designed her blog. Of course it has to be pink and there has to be a ballerina there. She also wanted to showcase the books she already have. We are still in the process of designing and I was amazed at how well she has envisioned what her blog would look like. She wrote the contents of her blog, even her profile description. She was funny and funky at the same time. She asked for my help to check her grammar and how she wanted her post to look like. And I enjoyed helping her do it.

I wanted to encourage her to write because I think this is a place she can develop herself to her full potential.

So to my sweet daughter, mommy supports you all the way. Keep on writing love. If you want to check out her blog please don't hesitate here's the link Totally Me

No Boundaries

2009-05-31T19:03:00.006+08:00

One evening on the way home, hubby and I were having a discussion about relationships with people. We were talking about people who became close to us, became part of our daily lives and all of a sudden they say goodbye and we get hurt - almost betrayed. I told him maybe I shouldn't care so much, maybe I shouldn't be so attached, maybe if I don't get too close I'll survive. He says, I was going about this the wrong way. He said after all this time I still don't get it.

I get hurt because I always think in terms of forever.Well maybe he was right. I do tend to believe, well hope actually that good times...could last forever, I couldn't help it. Who wouldn't want something good to last a lifetime? Why couldn't it last a little while longer? That's why I fear death so much because that puts a period on my existence, on the existence of the people I love and care about. I remember my dad telling me I shouldn't fear it, one's existence does not end in death...if you loved the person deeply enough...then love transcends even in death. And he says death will come, that is certain. :( But until then there is only thing that stand between me and my happiness - ME. Because love has no boundaries.

I guess that was why I was particularly struck by a song written by Cara DioGuardi, its called No Boundaries. I loved the lyrics of the song so here I am sharing it with you.

seconds, hours, so many days
you know what you want but how long can you wait
every moment lasts forever
when you feel you've lost your way

and what if my chances were already gone
i started believing that i could be wrong
but you gave me one good reason
to fight and never walk away
so here i am still holding on

with every step you climb another mountain
every breath its harder to believe
you'll make it through the pain, weather the hurricanes
to get to that one place
when you think the road is going no where
just when you almost gave up on your dreams
they take you by the hand
and show you that you can
there are no boundaries

i fought to the limit to stand on the edge
what if today is as good as it gets
dont know where the future is heading
but nothing is gonna bring me down

I've jumped every bridge
I've run every line
I've risked being safe
i always knew why, i always knew why
so here i am still holding on

you can go higher
you can go deeper
there are no boundaries
above and beneath you
break every rule 'cause there is nothing between you and your dreams
there are no boundaries

“I have found the paradox, that if you love until it hurts, there can be no more hurt, only more love.” ~ Mother Teresa

are you willing to take the risk? to LOVE without boundaries?

Before I was a Mom

2009-05-09T11:11:00.003+08:00

Before I was a Mom

Before I was a Mom -
I slept as late as I wanted and never worried about how late I got into
bed. I brushed my hair and my teeth everyday.

Before I was a Mom -
I cleaned my house each day. I never tripped over toys or forgot words to
a lullaby. I didn't worry whether or not my plants were poisonous. I never
thought about immunizations.

Before I was a Mom -
I had never been puked on - Pooped on - Spit on - Chewed on, or Peed on. I
had complete control of my mind and My thoughts. I slept all night.

Before I was a Mom -
I never held down a screaming child so that doctors could do tests...or
give shots. I never looked into teary eyes and cried. I never got
gloriously happy over a simple grin. I never sat up late hours at night
watching a baby sleep.

Before I was a Mom -
I never held a sleeping baby just because I didn't want to put it down. I
never felt my heart break into a million pieces when I couldn't stop the
hurt. I never knew that something so small could affect my life so much. I
never knew that I could love someone so much. I never knew I would love
being a Mom.

Before I was a Mom -
I didn't know the feeling of having my heart outside my body. I didn't
know how special it could feel to feed a hungry baby. I didn't know that
bond between a mother and her child. I didn't know that something so small
could make me feel so important.

Before I was a Mom -
I had never gotten up in the middle of the night every 10 minutes to make
sure all was okay.

Before I was a Mom -
I had never known The warmth, The joy, The love, The heartache, The
wonderment or the satisfaction of being a Mom. I didn't know I was capable
of feeling so much before I was a Mom.

Happy mother's day to my beloved mom, who always inspire me to be a good mom myself. I love you sooooo much. To all my mommy blogger friends - Happy mother's day to you all!

Touch and Go

2009-04-10T18:24:00.005+08:00

Yesterday afternoon I went to my aunt's funeral. She's my mom's older sister. I remembered her as someone who was jolly, always cracking up jokes and taking me to places. I remembered how she always sided with me when I didn't want to have my long black hair cut during summer vacation. It's been a long time since I last saw her and it was sad that when I had to see her again it was at her funeral.

When I got to their place I felt really nostalgic, I remembered their place quite differently back then. I remembered it as a huge playground, where every nook and cranny was a magical place of make-believe. Now, my little playmates had kids like me, but their kids were older...their kids had kids of their own! I also saw my cousins, former playmates I seldom see anymore. And to my chagrin, I was informed just today - that I am now a grandma! Whoa! Good thing my grandson was sooooooo adorable that I forgave my niece for making me a very young grandma. Hehehe.

I was silent during the drive home, I couldn't help but think about the past and the present and how they are so intricately woven to how my future would be like. Life is so fragile, sometimes it's hard to hold on to it, it's always touch and go. I was sad to know that I wouldn't see my aunt anymore, but I was surprised at how strong her presence had been imprinted in my life; and somehow it comforted me to know that she will never really be gone nor forgotten in my heart.

Here's an old song by Rupert Holmes I heard on the radio the other day. A super dooper oldie. It tells how life couldn't last forever but promises that love could make it worth while. I'd like to share with you the lyrics.

Nobody said that
Life is always fair
Sometimes it clips your wings
While you're in mid-air
But there's a thread
Between your life and mine
And when you're losin' hope
This rope won't unwind

Hold on tight
'Cause life is touch and go
It's sink or swim
But never doubt
If you're out on a limb
I'll get the call
To break your fall
I'll never leave you
Even when life
Is touch and go
Or hit and run
We'll never break
If we take it as one
I'm here to stay,
I pray you know
I'll never touch
I'll never touch and go

Someday you'll find
There's nothin' in the night
That wasn't there before
You turned out the light
Straight from your mind
The monster 'neath your bed
The voices in the hall
They're all in your head

Hold on tight
'Cause life is touch and go
It's sink and swim
But never doubt
If you're out on a limb
I'll get the call
To break your fall
I'll never leave you
Even when life
Is touch and go
Or hit and run
We'll never break
If we take it as one
I'm here to stay,
I pray you know
I'll never touch
I'll never touch and go

When you feel lost
You're only spun around
Tumbled and tossed
But never run around
Life is a townful
Of strangers at best
I'll help you home
God help the rest

Hold on tight
'Cause life is touch and go
It's sink and swim
But never doubt
If you're out on a limb
I'll get the call
To break your fall
I'll never leave you
Even when life
Is touch and go
Or hit and run
We'll never break
If we take it as one
I'm here to stay,
I pray you know
I'll never touch
I'll never touch and go

Life is touch and go
It's sink or swim
But never doubt
If you're out on a limb
I'll get the call...

That it will never come again is what makes life so sweet. ~ Emily Dickinson

Breathe Again

2009-04-07T18:52:00.006+08:00

The past few months have been terribly busy months for me. It feels totally wonderful having time to sit infront of my laptop and write something down. I missed Bloggerville soooo much. It's so good to breathe easily and not make life-altering decisions even for just a little while.

I have been in this constant tug-o-war between my work-life and family-life. I feel like I've been crossing too many bridges and shaking too many hands of late. The good news is I got a promotion! An unexpected prize for all the times I had to be away from my daughters. Another thing? It's summer time! My kids are now on vacation and that means beach time, swimming and travel! The crux though is, how do I squeeze in all these things in my busy life? Sigh.

Time magazine says the most important commodity today is "work". I am thankful that both hubby and I still have our work. I used to hate the corporate world, probably because I have this obscure picture of myself as a domesticated wife, raising my kids and running my home. Something I perceived as simple, do-able, easy. But then life has something else in store for me. I didn't know that I could juggle too! I was surprised to know that I could be a manager and be a mom at the same time and do good at both. The thing that I used to hate is now a challenge for me. I want to be good at it everyday. I have now shifted from mommy books to books about leadership. LOL! I am now friends with authors like Jack Welch, Warren Buffet, Stephen Covey, Robert Greene and of course John Maxwell.

My planner is my bestfriend, she manages both my work and my family life. Without her? I would be lost and clueless! If someone stole her, I'd pay the ransom instantly! Haha! I found it hard at first, I have met and dealt with some very hardened people but I have finally learned to adjust and not lose myself in the process. Some people could be very cruel. You could be friends today and enemies the next. You could be swallowed alive and not know it. Ahhh, enough about that. Today I promised myself to learn how to breath again. To enjoy this HOLY WEEK with my family doing simple stuff. Breathe in and out. That's my goal. Here's a quote that caught my eye today, hope you guys like it.

This is the beginning of a new day.
God has given me this day to use as I will.
I can waste it or use it for good.
What I do today is important, because
I am exchanging a day of my life for it.
When tomorrow comes,
this day will be gone forever,
leaving in its place something
that I have traded for it.
I want it to be gain, not loss;
good not evil; success not failure;
in order that I shall not regret
the price I paid for it. ~ author unknown

Breathe my friends and always make time for life.

Love Sweet Love

2009-02-11T21:29:00.003+08:00

Okay, it's just two days till Valentine's day and yes - I still wonder what hubby has in store for me on that day.

After all these years it's really sweet that he still comes up with some tricks up his sleeve during that day. And at the office, I am always the envy of the girls, married women too, because hubby always sends me the biggest bouquet of flowers. I would always blush a bright red color whenever the security guard would come over my table to deliver the flowers. The girls and even the boys would stand up and ogle. Some of my married colleagues would complain that their husbands aren't as sweet anymore.

My male colleagues would always wonder how hubby was able to buy the nice ones since they would always be sold out this time of the year. Hubby would say smugly, "it's because I planned ahead." Well you can't help but admire a man with a plan like that, can you?

Here's a re-post of a poem that hubby wrote for me way back when he attended a training workshop. They were asked to listen to a song and the song they were listening to evoked memories of me walking down the aisle and how he felt while he was waiting for me walk towards him to the altar.

Walking down the aisle
feels like a child getting a candy
the joy, the bliss, the happiness
is beyond what words can explain

Each second of waiting
seems like waiting for eternity
each step is like a loud clanging of bells

As the woman of your love and life comes near,
your heart pounds,

ready to explode

Like fireworks on New Year's Eve
the feeling flows
like a raging water
flowing from the heavens

To Hubby ~ I love you, for putting your hand into my heart and passing over all the foolish, weak things that you can’t help dimly seeing there, and for drawing out into the light all the beautiful belongings that no one else had looked quite so far enough to find ~Roy Croft

Happy Valentine's Day to my girls, my mom an dad, my brother and his family, my sister and hubby...and to all my lovely friends here in bloggerville! I wish you all LOVE sweeeeeet LOVE.

Do You Still Dream?

2009-01-29T20:36:00.002+08:00

I woke up one morning and felt a little odd. I used to remember all of my dreams vividly, like I was watching a movie in my head and in technicolor! That morning I felt like I had a dreamless night, like my dream bucket was empty. Nothing spectacular, no splashing colors. It was a bit on the gray side. Like I was in a super massive black hole. Was I still dreaming? I asked myself and figured maybe I am. But what were they about? I don't remember anything.

Hmmmm. I mulled over it a little bit more as I was headed to the office. Usually, there was something I wanted to buy, or some place I wanted to go, or something I wanted to do. But that day? Nothing. Caput! And I couldn't say that I was breezing through life content with everything. Well, come to think of it, maybe I am content. But no, something was missing. I couldn't quite put my finger on it. The pull, the thrill...the passion? For a panic-stricken moment I thought, had I lost it? My dreams? Gone?!

Squishing my mind a bit more, I tried to think about something that I wanted so terribly right here, right now? Thinking still. Hmmmm....Shaking my head in frustration and chagrin - all I could come up with, was an utterly neurotic un-funny girlish answer, err Edward Cullen (the Twillight guy)?Huh! Rolling my eyes. What was that? I thought frustated. That was utterly uncreative of me. But you see, there was a sense of emptiness creeping up behind me.

Where was all the introspection? The deep answers to my life's purpose? Well, I guess I still know my purpose in life. And yup, I still have that whole list of valid reasons to wake up each morning tucket away in my brain, but - but...but what? It was faintly frustrating, like I was missing something but I don't know what it is yet. Acck! I guess I should let it go for awhile. Maybe it will dawn on me. I sure hope so. I remembered someone told me never ever stop dreaming. Is that what's happening? I ran out of dreams to dream?

In life, many thoughts are born in the course of a moment, an hour, a day. Some are dreams, some visions. Often, we are unable to distinguish between them. To some, they are the same; however, not all dreams are visions. Much energy is lost in fanciful dreams that never bear fruit. But visions are messages from the Great Spirit, each for a different purpose in life. Consequently, one person's vision may not be that of another. To have a vision, one must be prepared to receive it, and when it comes, to accept it. Thus when these inner urges become reality, only then can visions be fulfilled. The spiritual side of life knows everyone's heart and who to trust. How could a vision ever be given to someone to harbor if that person could not be trusted to carry it out. The message is simple: commitment precedes vision. ~ High Eagle

So tell me? Do you guys still dream? What do you guys dream about?

Begin.Grow.Flow

2009-01-07T18:09:00.001+08:00

The new year started with a bang as usual. My family watched the fireworks display and welcomed the new year making our own noise in our bedroom verandah. It was drizzling so we were not able to stay outside so much. I had a terrible cold that day, my husband had a slight fever and my two daughters had cough. Haha! And you might think that a little thing like that would stop us from greeting the new year as loudly as we can. Not!

As usual I make a quick recap of the year that was and I could not help but smile, frown and feel sad at some events that took place in my life. It was the life I made, the life I am continuously weaving. What I am really surprised about is how much my daughters have grown and I am still amazed at how much they know when I start to compare my life as a child then.

With them around, now I have no control over my own stuff. As soon as I get home, my five-year-old would ask if she could tinker with my iPhone and my ten-year-old would ask permission to use my laptop. Whoa! There goes my short moments of err "away" time, I think groaning. Now I am forced to content myself to read. I call it invasion! They have dominated even my moments for a small recreation. And I guess, that's my bit about my lack of, err, new posts here. LOL! I frowned a little as I think about that. Should I have been sharing er make-up lessons with them? Aaacck! I am afraid I would probably disappoint them in that direction. Lipstick is the only make up I have in my bag and a colorless lip gloss which does not constitute much. And I somehow felt a bit satisfied that they would grow up like me, no frizz no frill type of gal. LOL!

I am also amazed at how much my eldest daughter loved to read. She devours books and craves them by the lot. She sometimes reads three books simultaneously and would you believe she has started to read the Twillight Saga as well! Hmmmm....now she's asking me to download audio books so she can listen to them in the iPod. I always think better that than something else. My little five-year-old is into drawing stuff and making up stories in her little notebook. She also plays some kids games online (don't worry with parental guidance) and I am amazed at how she can outplay me with the new games. I envy them with all the choices they have now. LOL!

I watch contently the little bubble of happiness that is my family. My husband who is always there, ever supportive and ever loving. My mom and dad, always there when I needed them, never stopping to love me and my family. My siblings and their kids all make my life simply worth living for.

This new year, I have vowed to make new beginnings, grow a little more (probably not vertically but in some aspects in my life), and go with the flow.

HAPPY NEW YEAR to you all!

Happiness is an "inside job"

2008-11-30T22:36:00.011+08:00

I am in a panic mode.

Christmas is a few days away and I am not ready to face it. All of a sudden, I felt like Mister Scrooge reincarnated. I was thinking all sorts of things. I love to go shopping but just thinking about the effort to wrap up all the gifts makes me feel so exhausted. The Christmas dinner, each year? I would search my cookbook and come up with holiday treats that I could do with the kids. Now I don't have any idea what to cook. I have no excuse, I am not prepared for it. I had no time. Aarrrgh!

I felt bad for the kids. I felt so much like a bad mom, too busy with the career and neglecting home. That's not how I envisioned my kids would see me. I am in a rut.

So yesterday, hubby and I, together with the kids and the nanny set out for a day of Christmas shopping. I know what you're thinking - christmas shopping with the kids?! What was I thinking about? Hehe. Well, that's me hitting two birds with one stone. I wanted to be with the kids...but I am pressed for time, I needed to go shopping otherwise no gift-giving on Christmas. Sigh. Good thing my nanny was there to help me out. So we set out to dive into hidden treasures for the "perfect" christmas gift.

Before we set out to go shopping, we had mass at the Greenbelt Chapel. I loved hearing mass there, it was solemn and condusive. The kids were having fun...I felt peace somehow. That night I received my perfect gift. A message from above.

The homily was very good. The priest said, "Happiness, is an inside job." That caught my attention. I listened intently as he says that during Christmas we, at some point, put on a facade that we are the "saviour" ready to save the world with our own version of "giving". We set out to paint our houses, spend so much on gifts - most of the time overspend, we lavish our houses with ornaments and we pretent that we have it all covered...we pretend that "this" was what Christmas was all about. He says that Christmas is not that at all.

He says, we should not put so much guilt and weight on our shoulders -just to please other people. That way, we lose the spirit...we lose the gift of giving because it becomes automatic to give in that way. Sometimes, we should allow ourselves to feel the happiness and let the spirit of Christmas overpower us. Because that was what He wanted us to experience. The joy that comes with the remembering His birth. During Christmas He wants us to feel like a child again, anticipating His coming, as he brings His gifts of love. I don't know why, but I felt relief.

This season, I think we should all learn to relax a bit and just enjoy the experience. Forget the things we have to do and accomplish. It all starts inside, that tingly feeling we get in our chest as our hearts burst with love and happiness. Let's make it happen, let LOVE come from the inside then out.

“There's more, much more, to Christmas than candlelight and cheer; It's the spirit of sweet friendship that brightens all year. It's thoughtfulness and kindness, It's hope reborn again, For peace, for understanding, And for goodwill to men!”

Merry Christmas to you my dear dear friends! I wish you all good things and blessings all year round.

My Secret Place

2008-11-24T16:30:00.002+08:00

Some of us, if not all of us, at some point in our busy lives have secret places where we relax and decompress. A sacred place not for everyone to see. This place is quiet and soothing, surrounded with all things fresh and good. Well I went to that place today.

Today I took the day off, I have not done that for some time now and it felt good taking it slow for a change. After the kids went to school this morning, I grabbed the chance to go back to sleep. Snuggling back down into the warm covers felt soooooo good. When I woke up I had breakfast and then coffee. I went back to bed and did absolutely nothing. It was exhilarating.

I went to this secret place in my mind where everything was okay. I wanted to empty my mind somehow so I can fill it back up with new things. It seems to have been filled with soooo much work lately. Sometimes I am too tired to do anything and having the kids around takes away the tension. And of course hubby is always there to pep me up. But sometimes, you gotta go to a place where you get to be just yourself . No commitments, no decisions to be made, nothing just BE.

I guess it worked because I felt very relaxed. After awhile I opened the television and watched cooking shows. Haha, I really love doing that. My daughter always ask me why I watch Giada or Ina Garten and yet I don't really cook full course meals. Opppps, now don't get the wrong impression. You wonder now, who cooks for hubby and the kids? Haha, well I guess that's where my mom and nanny comes in. Well, I do cook occassionally, but mostly breakfast and dinner. I will not be able to do the things I do at work and get to play with the kids if I don't have a great support group - and I am blessed that I have them.

I really miss you guys, I hope to visit all of you very soon. In the meantime, I leave you something to ponder on. For those weary souls...read this and be comforted.

The Lord is my Shepherd = That's Relationship!

I shall not want = That's Supply!

He maketh me to lie down in green pastures = That's Rest!

He leadeth me beside the still waters = That's Refreshment!

He restoreth my soul = That's Healing!

He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness = That's Guidance!

For His name sake = That's Purpose!

Yea, though I walk through the valley of t he shadow of death = That's
Testing!

I will fear no evil = That's Protection!

For Thou art with me = That's Faithfulness!

Thy rod and Thy staff they comfort me = That's Discipline!

Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies =
That's Hope!

Thou annointes t my head with oil = That's Consecration!

My cup runneth over = That's Abundance!

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life =
That's Blessing !

And I will dwell in the house of the Lord = That's Security!

Forever = That's Eternity!

Do not ask the Lord to Guide your Footsteps if you are not willing to move your Feet. Peace to all.

The Grass is Always Greener...

2008-09-26T22:01:00.011+08:00

Do you often catch yourself thinking how some people are luckier than you, how they are well-off, how some of them had better opportunities, better jobs, better lives. We are always unconsciously comparing our lives with theirs. And often times we find ourselves lacking in something, one way or the other. And that feeling of inadequacy leads us to a place called dissatisfaction. And this dissatisfaction leads us to an unhappy life.

If we always thought that way we will never live up to it. There would always be something missing. Something lacking. And that, for me, is a total waste of our precious time. I am guilty of wanting, wishing and dreaming of better things for me and my family. But opposed to comparing our lives to others, hoping that our lives could be better is not bad...not bad at all. Did you know that how one feels and how one sees things in their life is all a matter of one's perspective?

Let me tell you a story about "Perspectives" I received on e-mail. I posted this years ago and up to now I still think it important. Always seeing the good side of life has it's pay off. So here it is.

One day a father and his rich family took his young son on a trip to the country with the firm purpose to show him how poor people can be. They spent a day and a night in the farm of a very poor family. When they got back from their trip the father asked his son, "How was the trip? "Very good, Dad!"
"Did you see how poor people can be?" the father asked.
"Yeah!" "And what did you learn?"

The son answered, "I saw that we have a dog at home, and they have four.

We have a pool that reaches to the middle of the garden, they have a creek that has no end.

We have imported lamps in the garden, they have the stars.

Our patio reaches to the front yard, they have a whole horizon.

When the little boy was finishing, his father was speechless. His son added, "Thanks, Dad, for showing me how poor we are!"

Isn't it true that it all depends on the way you look at things? If you have love, friends, family, health, good humor and a positive attitude toward life, you've got everything!You can't buy any of these things. You can have all the material possessions you can imagine, provisions for the future, etc., but if you are poor of spirit, you have nothing! Author Unknown

Allow me to finish the sentence in a different way..."The Grass is Always Greener .... when you toil and water it with passion and love.

always remember, Life is what you make it...

Happy weekend guys!

Offline Messages

2008-09-18T22:12:00.010+08:00

These past few days I have been "offline" figuratively and literally from Bloggerville and boy how I miss you guys soooooo much. The net connection in our area has been down for three weeks now and I was almost going insane without it.

The funny thing, though, in these last three weeks I was surprised to notice that I have accomplished a lot of things outside the net. One, I get to sleep early...I guess for lack of better things to do. I get to have a lot of play time with the kids, brush their hair and then put them to bed. After that I get to lie down with a very good book or watch television or a new DVD. At first I was fidgety but as the days went by I got used to it. I survived!

Hubby and I started reading this book by Donald Trump, called Think Big and Kick Ass. What a title huh? It's Donald's version of The Secret. It was surprisingly a good book. His goal was simple enough...but everything he did was BIG! I got to reflect a little and tried to look at my life through Donald's eyes and boy I could almost hear him say, "Sweetie? When are you gonna start living that life you were always dreaming of?"

Hmmm, that got me thinking. What kind of life was I leading right now? Was this the dream life I thought a lot of when I was little? It's not that fabulous but it's not that bad either but is this as far as I was prepared to go? Somehow I felt a little inadequate. It seems like I had not exerted that much of an effort really to be good at my job. I felt like I just did what I was told to do. Do this report, train this people, talk to this client, attend this meeting, make sure everything is up and running. Those words sounded like commands given to a robot. And that robot was me. Did I make a difference in my people's lives? I hoped so.

A light seemed to have been turned on inside of me. I wanted to be good at my job. To be successful and for me to do that I got to love what I do and I have to become good at it. You guessed it right now I am driven. Each day I go to work wanting to change things for the better.

They say sometimes...you just have to take one more step to close the distance. Let's take it one step at a time.

Thanks guys! Hope to visit all of you very sooon.

Bring it on!

2008-08-23T15:07:00.005+08:00

Did you ever have days when everything seemed to pale in comparison with what you were feeling inside? Perhaps you were having a terrible morning and somehow missed seeing how that little rosebud you have been watching for some time now has finally bloomed into a beautiful pink rose. Or how brilliantly dazzling blue the sky was and how the sun seemed to shine straight at you as if putting you in a stage with a spotlight. People were sending you smiles but you were sending it back with a huge frown of worry in your face.

I have had those days myself. And at the end of each one, I realize that things were not so bad, I often regret how I wasted those precious moments being upset. I will be celebrating my birthday in a few days and I looked back and saw my life has changed a lot since my last birthday.

Aside from being another year older, I have realized that I am more courageous now to meet life head on. Before I thought life is just around the corner...waiting...for me. I was wrong. Life does not wait for no one. It's a choice you make everyday. So today I am changing my blog title. Hope you agree with me when I now say...LIFE IS WHAT YOU MAKE IT.

Let me tell you a story of how someone's life changed because someone helped him see.

A blind boy sat on the steps of a building with a hat by his feet. He held up a sign which said: "I am blind, please help." There were only a few coins in the hat.

A man was walking by. He took a few coins from his pocket and dropped them into the hat. He then took the sign, turned it around, and wrote some words. He put the sign back so that everyone who walked by would see the new words.

Soon the hat began to fill up. A lot more people were giving money to the blind boy. That afternoon the man who had changed the sign came to see how things were. The boy recognized his footsteps and asked, "Were you the one who changed my sign this morning? What did you write?"

The man said, "I only wrote the truth. I said what you said but in a different way." What he had written was: "Today is a beautiful day and I cannot see it."

Do you think the first sign and the second sign were saying the same thing?

Of course both signs told people the boy was blind. But the first sign simply said the boy was blind. The second sign told people they were so lucky that they were not blind. Should we be surprised that the second sign was more effective?

Moral of the Story: Be thankful for what you have. Be creative. Be innovative. Think differently and positively.

Live life with no excuse and love with no regrets. When life gives you a 100 reasons to cry, show life that you have 1000 reasons to smile. Face your past without regret. Handle your present with confidence. Prepare for the future without fear. Keep the faith and drop the fear.

Sometimes the most beautiful thing is to see a person smiling! And even more beautiful is, knowing that you are the reason behind it!

John Maxwell once said, "Your attitude determines your altitude." Obviously he was on to something.

Happy weekend to all of you.

And now she's 5!

2008-08-18T20:10:00.000+08:00

I look at my little girl and I couldn't believe my eyes. She's all grown up and has a mind of her own.

She likes to dress up and put on accessories. She loves the color pink.

She is sweet if she sets her mind to it and very very playful. She is very meticulous and likes to draw pictures and makes stories.You can never fool her, she knows what you're up to. Well her nanny knows only too well. LOL!

Happy birthday sweetheart! Mommy and daddy loves you very much and Ate Pia too!

Isn't it Ironic?

2008-08-03T19:16:00.005+08:00

This is not your typical slow Sunday. I got to think about a lot of things today. Some of them pretty heavy stuff. I couldn't help but think that life is full of ironies. Just wanted to share with you a message I received this week. Read them very carefully.

Today we have bigger houses yet smaller families
More convenience, but less time

We Have More degrees, but less common sense
More knowledge, but less judgement

We have more experts, but more problems
More medicine, but less good health

We spend too recklessly
Laugh too little
Drive too fast
Get too angry too quickly
Stay up too late
Read too little
Watch TV too much
And are less considerate

We have multiplied our possessions, but have reduced our values
We talk too much, love too little and lie too often

We have learned how to make a living, but not a life
We have added years to life, but not life to years

We have taller buildings, but shorter tempers
Wider roads, but narrower viewpoints
We spend more, but have less
We buy more, yet enjoy it less
We have been all the way to the moon and back

But have trouble crossing the road to meet our neighbours.
We’ve conquered our outer space,

But not our inner space
We’ve split the atom
But not our prejudice

We write more, learn less,
plan more, but accomplish less
we have learned to rush, but not to wait,
we have higher incomes , but lower morals
We build more computers to hold more information, to produce more copies
But have less personal communication

We are long on quantity,
But less in quality
These are the times of fast foods and slow digestion
Tall men and short character

More leisure but less fun - more kinds of food - but less nutrition
Two incomes - but more divorce
nicer houses - but broken homes

That is why I propose, that as of today, you do not keep anything for special occasions, because every day you live is a special occasion.

Search for knowledge, read more.

Sit and admire the view without paying attention to your needs.

Spend more time with your family and friends , eat your favorite food and visit the places you love.

Life is moments of enjoyment and not just about surviving.
Drink from the finest crystal glass.

Do not save your best perfume or aftershave but use it every day.

Remove phrases like “one of these days“, “someday” and “not now” from your vocabulary
write that letter you thought of writing “one of these days “
Let’s tell our families and friends how much we love them.
Do not delay anything that adds laughter and joy to your life .
Every day , every hour , and every minute is special.
As you do not know if they will be your last.

Ralph Waldo Emerson once said "So much of our time is preparation, so much is routine, and so much retrospect, that the path of each man's genius contracts itself to a very few hours."

Being a mom I am sometimes stuck in routine and most of the time in preparation, definitely in retrospection...Mr. Emerson is right it's time to change the way we see life.

Dear Life

2008-08-01T20:35:00.010+08:00

My two precious daughters got sick this week. You would think that nine years of motherhood would have prepared me for this but sadly, no, I was not.

It started with a simple fever on Monday evening. I was not worried then. I knew how to handle fever. Sponge baths, ice pack on the forehead, monitor the temperature, paracetamol every four hours. I have done it many times before. Tuesday morning, my little girl Zoe has a slight fever too. I wanted them both to stay home so the fever won't progress but my eldest daughter pleaded that she didn't want to miss anything in school. Sigh, I told the nanny to stay a little longer than usual in school to make sure that both are okay. I went to work but decided to take the afternoon off so that I could make sure that the kids are okay.

When I arrived home I was surprised to see my mom and my sister in our room fuzzing over my eldest. As I entered the room I noticed how my mom looked. She was panicking. She looks like this when she's worried. "What's her temp?", I asked. "105.8 F", my mom whispered. I was shocked! I quickly changed clothes and took my daughter to the bathroom and gave her a cold bath. My heart was beating fast. I was the calm one...but all of a sudden I was thrown aback. The whole time her temperature only went down to 105 F. Worried was too light a word to describe how I was feeling. I called hubby and told him we might have to bring both the kids to the hospital.

We stayed in the hospital overnight then. We were sent home when their temperatures got down to normal. Their blood tests were normal. However, the evening the next day my eldest had high fever again. My medical background told me I had to bring her back to make sure that it was not Dengue Fever . Waiting for the result was killing me. It was like waiting for my sentence to be served. I told hubby and my daughter that I wanted to go to the chapel. I prayed with all that I am worth. And told my daughter to do the same. She smiled at me, "I already prayed mom. He already heard us."

It amazed me how certain she sounded when she said that. I banked on her faith. And I was not disappointed. She was negative for Dengue Fever. I felt as if the large knife that pierced through my heart was suddenly removed and I could breath again. I kissed and cuddled them both through the night and held their hands while they slept. If anything happened to them, I would die.

I would give everything up in a split second, even my life, just so my children could live. I realized even more how precious each moment with them counts. If only I could keep them in my pocket and take them wherever I go each day, I would.

Here's a nice quote from an unknown author that really touched my heart. Hope you like it and remember life is too precious to waste on hate, anger and pride. Love life and it will love you back.

"This is the beginning of a new day. You have been given this day to use as you will. You can waste it or use it for good. What you do today is important because you are exchanging a day of your life for it. When tomorrow comes, this day will be gone forever; in its place is something that you have left behind...let it be something good." ~ Author Unknown

Just Chillin'

2008-07-20T10:30:00.002+08:00

It's amazes me how music could spice up a movie and give it emphasis somehow. Just imagine if movies didn't have OSTs (official sound tracks). Say the movie Friday the 13th or Jaws without those heart-stopping moments that were empasized by simple notes and music. Dull right? Everyday I listen to music and I imagine that each day a new soundtrack of my life is being played. And funny how the song "Just Another Manic Monday" seem to play by itself all week long! LOL! And how odd that when my boss calls out for me to go to her office, I seem to hear those two notes from the movie "Jaws" as I approach her office. "dum dum, dum dum". Like I was about to devoured by sharp teeth. hehe.

I couldn't possibly last a day without music. I have it in my ear as soon as I go mobile on my way to work. And when I arrive at my desk I have to have music while I start reading my mails and sign some documents.

These past few weeks have been terribly busy ones that I was not able to update my blog or visit my favorite blogs at all. Ever since school started for my kids I have been on my toes as early as 5:30 in the morning. My youngest is not a morning person so I have to break her in for the day. I wake her up with kisses and hugs. At first it was quite a struggle for both of us but lately she's starting to wake up on her own. I would be giving them both a bath, it's funny how our bath times have suddenly turned into sing-alongs. Hehe. We sing "I like to move it", a song from the movie Madagascar and the kids will start to laugh and actually move it. hehehe.

This weekend I just chilled here at home well almost. Saturday I attended my nephew's amazing first birthday party. It was the first time that I attended a kids party with a Starbucks booth, a dog show and two mimes mesmerizing the guests! It was something unforgettable to say the least. And the food, for the adults we had tasty adults food but the kids buffet table had gourmet kids food! Haha. There were chefs preparing different ice cream concoctions and dessert stuff. It changed my idea of a kiddie party for life! hehe.

And so today is Sunday, I slept in. Lingered over my breakfast, well brunch actually. And then had time to really drink my coffee. The song I am playing right now?

Wanna know what I love to listen to all the time? My kids' laughter, they're simply music to my ears. I can't seem to get enough of it. It's something I want to hear all day long. It somehow tells me they are happy being with me.

Have a fantastic Sunday everyone!

I Think We've Got Something Special

2008-06-25T00:49:00.003+08:00

Infatuation is when you think he's as sexy as Robert Redford, as smart as Henry Kissinger, as noble as Ralph Nader, as funny as Woody Allen, and as athletic as Jimmy Conners. Love is when you realize that he's as sexy as Woody Allen, as smart as Jimmy Connors, as funny as Ralph Nader, as athletic as Henry Kissinger and nothing like Robert Redford - but you'll take him anyway. ~ Judith Viorst, Redbook, 1975

This quote maybe a little outdated but I found it funny and so very true. LOL! Well anyway, hubby and I bonded with some of his old high school buddies last week. One of his close friends got back from the US so the "barkada" (friends) decided to troop to their place to catch up on old times and talk about their new life in the US. And yes, to also take a peek at the two new additions to the family.

All these years (geez has it been 11 years already?!) and it seems like nothing much has changed. The men (there were six of them) would group together to talk shop or whatever it is that men talk about. Hehe. Which I found out, were not really quite as different to what we, women, talk about. LOL! And we, the wives, formerly the girlfriends, would also pull up chairs and huddle close together to talk about err this and that.

When we were younger, that was when hubby and I were still dating, the topics ranged mostly from what movies we watched, where we go on dates, beauty tips, love tips and so forth and so on. Then as the years went by, one by one each couple would get engaged and then we talk about "the proposal", compare engagement rings and re run "how he proposed" and of course talk about "the wedding plans". Then after the wedding, there were baptisms, first birthdays, seventh birthdays, Christmas parties and parties - just because.

From silly boyish and girlish dreams and talks I noticed that we all have grown so much more mature. Now we were talking about investments, travels, our kids' education, our kids tuition fees and school. I found it really endearing that we may walk or talk differently but deep inside we have not really changed a lot. I love the way hubby would always reach for my hand, entwine his fingers in mine whenever we stand close together and the way he would kiss it absent-mindedly as he talked. The way he would pass me by and rub my back and drink from my glass. The way he would always present me as his "ex-girlfriend" to everyone and when they would raise their brows he would say, "and now my wife" and make everyone laugh.

Comparing our lives with his friends, ours may not be as rich in travels, not as elaborate, not as complicated, but boy! it sure has lots of love and laughter! And you know I think we really got something special. :D

This post is for my sweet hubby:D No occassion...I just felt I needed to thank him for making me love life. Here's a funky love song by Usher...it's for all you hopeless romantics and cynics. Enjoy!

Now there's four of us holding hands...now that's really special don't you think?

Thanks to You

2008-06-13T22:39:00.004+08:00

My dad with my mom.

"A real friend walks in, when the rest of the whole world walks out".

That's how I feel about my dad. For me he is one of the "bestest" friends anyone could ever hope for. He always had his own way of teaching us things and I could not even begin to tell you how many of my traits are somewhat replicas of his =). When I was just a little girl I remember waiting for his car to come in the driveway and I would be running to him because I know, like always, that he has something special for me.

He drove us to school from the time we were just toddlers up to the time I was in the university and up to the time I graduated. He waited, patiently, for me while I was on duty from the hospital, he drove through strong typhoons, storms, earthquakes and any calamity just to get to me. He and my mom waited in baited breath as I was taking my professional board exam and celebrated with me, like crazy, when I passed it! My gosh! He even drove me to my first job interview and waited until it was finished!

I love you dad sooooo so much! And thank you for always being there for me and my family. Here's a song I'd like to dedicate to you, a summary of my thoughts and feelings for you. I hope you like it. Mwah!

Thank you for teaching me how to love
Showing me what the world means
What I've been dreamin' of
And now I know, there is nothing that I could not do
Thanks to You

For teaching me how to feel
Showing me my emotions
Letting me know what's real
From what is not
What I've got is more that I'd ever hoped for
And a lot of what I hope for is
Thanks to you

No mountain, no valley
No time, no space
No heartache, no heartbreak
No fall from grace
Can't stop me from believing
That my love will pull me through
Thanks to You

There's no mountain, no valley
No time, no space
No heartache, no heartbreak
No fall from grace
Can't stop me from believing
That my love will see me through
Thanks to You
Thanks to You

For teaching me how to live
Putting things in perspective
Showing me how to give
And how to take
No mistake
We were put here together
And if I breakdown
Forgive me but it's true
That I am aching with the love I feel inside
Thanks to You
Thanks to you

"A truly rich man is one whose children run into his arms when his hands are empty." -- Unknown

P.S. Happy Father's Day also to my lovely husband. You're the greatest dad I could ever hope for to father my kids. I love you so much! And to my brother too.

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY TO ALL MY BLOG FRIENDS WHO ARE FATHERS!

Risky Business

2008-06-08T22:52:00.000+08:00

Last Friday hubby and I went to our friends' house, they are getting married tomorrow. And I am really excited for them. You see, they lived together for twelve years now and finally after all this time - they're getting married! We're ecstatic to say the least.

Hubby is going to be the best man. A small party was thrown for them by some friends. After dinner all of a sudden the table was cleared. The bride took out three decks of cards. "Let's play a game!", she uttered. I looked at hubby and he looked back at me. Suddenly everyone at the table was looking at me, "Common' Lisa, try it!". I was shaking my head. "I errr don't know how to gamble," I said shyly. Hubby whipered in my ear, "Go ahead, try it. If you don't like it, you can always quit." Not wanting to be a party pooper, I hesitantly joined the game. There was money at stake, to make it more fun they say. Thirty minutes into the game I was hooked! LOL! At first hubby was my guide he read my cards and he teaches me how much to bet. But when the stakes got higher he let me decide if I still wanted to gamble or stop.

The game was a revalation. I realized I was NOT a gambler. Ha ha! I only took calculated risk and I only bet what I have and can give up and nothing more. I was amazed and awed at the way the other players were risking everything they got (well the bet at least) for the game. And I can't help but think in the game of life how much was I willing to gamble?

Earlier that evening hubby and I got a chance to talk to the groom's parents. I knew them for a long time now but it was the first time that I had a one on one talk with both of them. Our friend's dad was really cool. He took things lightly. I can just imagine if it were my dad he'll probably freak out if I didn't get married and just lived in with a guy! You know what I loved about the whole conversation? It was the way they both reminisced their wedding day. He recalled it to be something simple but sweet. "It was not elaborate", he says, "but I remember that day vividly." There was so much love in the way they finished each other's sentences and stories. I felt envious at the way they joked and teased each other. I was looking at hubby and wondered if we will be like that when we grow older. I hope so!

This is my salute to our friends(whose names I won't mention). It has been a risky twelve years but finally you have come to this moment when you have played all your cards right and realized it was never how many times you won or lose...but it was how you played the game.

Love is a gamble, sometimes you win, other times you lose. But no matter what your cards are in this gamble, whether cloves, spades, or diamonds, remember-never ever play with the heart.

Give Peace a Chance

2008-06-01T12:36:00.003+08:00

My family and I went to the mall yesterday to buy school stuff. As expected it was crowded with moms and kids doing last minute shopping. My husband and I were sooooo amazed at the number of choices presented to us just to buy something as simple as school shoes, rubber shoes, school bags???!

It was a battle with the senses and the conscience as well, LOL! I wanted it to be something durable but funky, something classic but not so outdated, of course the bags have to be pink! Sigh, that helped narrow down some of the choices somehow. But then I couldn't help but envy the girls for all the cute-sie stuff they had to choose from. Hubby, being an expert in checking durability and the practicality of it all - helped choose the bag for my fourth-grader. They actually debated with the salesperson on some features. LOL! I steered away from the scene and grabbed my kindergarten to choose a bag for her. It was easy enough - something pink, something Barbie. Done.

Buying the shoes? Well that was surprisingly a breeze. After a few hours, we were done with our shopping. We wanted to hear the anticipated mass at 5pm. So all five of us, including the nanny, run off to the chapel to hear mass. It was a an hour of peace with the Lord and I wanted to savour each moment of it. It hit me, here I was worrying about bags, shoes and school stuff while other people are fighting a much much bigger battle. Peace.

I don't know why but everytime I hear this song during mass it makes me teary-eyed. It's a simple song that spoke so much of our desires and yearning for peace. And as I sang the song during the mass yesterday I surprisingly sang it with so much emotion. It's called One More Gift. Here are the lyrics:

ONE MORE GIFT

If there’s one more gift
I’d ask of you,
Lord it would be peace here on earth
as gentle as your children’s laughter
All around, all around

Your people have grown weary
Of living in confusion
When will we realize
That neither heaven is at peace
When we will live not in peace

Grant me serenity within
For the confusions around
Are mere reflections..
Of what’s within..
What’s within in me?

If there’s one more gift
I’d ask of you,
Lord it would be peace here on earth
as gentle as your children’s laughter
All around, all around

When the power of love overcomes the love of power the world will know peace.
-- Jimi Hendrix

We must want peace to have peace. Let's give peace a chance.

Promises that Keeps

2008-05-25T17:03:00.004+08:00

Lately I have very busy getting on with my life. Work takes up most of my hours and my days and as a mom it pains me that these long hours are taking me away, literally, from my children. Sometimes I have to take home some work, just so I could be with the kids longer.

There have been very disturbing things happening not only in my country but also all over the world. The recent typhoon in my country which ruined homes, the devastating earthquake in China and also the typhoon in Myanmar to name a few. Whenever I hear about these things I worry for my children and the people I love.

For the longest time I have this fear of being far away when my children needed me. Like working at the office or I was sent away on a business trip and I won't be able to come save them right away.

I remembered being on duty in the hospital during a disaster. I had no choice but to stay at the hospital and finish my shift as there are patients who also need my help. I just had to content myself calling home every hour to check if all was okay.

Recently I read about this sad story of a 4-month old baby who was saved after the Sichuan earthquake, the child's mother protected her by covering her with her body, she was even able to nurse and feed her even if rocks were heavily weighing her down. A cellphone was placed inside the baby's wrap, there was a message typed there and it says, " Dear child, if you survive, please remember, mommy loves you...forever."

It is at times like these that I cling to His promises...true promises that keeps.

When you say...

“I can’t solve this ...”

God tells you

“I will direct your path”

(Proverbs 3:5-6)

When you say...

“It’s impossible”...

God says,

“Everything is possible”

(Luke 18:27)

When you say...

“I feel all alone...”

God tells you

“Never will I leave you;
never will I forsake you.”

(Hebrews 13:5)

When you say...

“I can’t do it...”

God tells you

“I can do everything through him who gives me strength.”

(Phillipians 4:13)

When you say...

“I don’t deserve forgiveness...”

God tells you

“I have forgiven you”

(1John 1:9 – Romans 8:1)

When you say...

“ I am afraid...”

God tells you

“Do not fear, for I am with you;
I will strengthen you and help you.”;
(Isaiah 41:10)

When you say...

“I am tired...”

God tells you

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest

(Matthew 11:28-30)

When you say...

“No one really loves me...”

God tells you

“ I Love You”

(John 3:16 – John 13:34)

When you say...

“ I don’t know how to go on...”

God tells you

“ I will show you the path”

(Psalm 32:8)

When you say...

“What path does God have for me...?”

God tells you

My beloved son
( 1 Timothy 2:5 – Acts 4:12 - John 3:16)

On Being Alone

2008-05-20T21:48:00.004+08:00

When I went home this evening it was raining. I thanked God I was already inside the bus when it poured. We did not bring the car today, I commutted home. And as expected when it rains there is traffic. As I stared blankly outside the glass window I noticed a man who had on dirty clothes was sitting in a make-shift bed staring blankly infront of him. He looked cold and lonely and suddenly I felt sad for him.

I thought, why was he alone? Did his family abandon him? Or did he ran away? Did he have food? Traffic was a standstill so I was able to look at him more closely. Like always, I started to imagine myself in his shoes. People were walking by, not even giving him a second look. It was pathetic. If it weren't raining hard I would have gone down the bus and given him some alms or maybe something to eat. How lonely he must be feeling not being able to talk to anyone, no one to share his aches and pains. Nothing to live for, really. What story does he have to tell?

I don't know but I always have this soft spot for old people and for children. There is this old woman who I see everyday on my way to work, she is probably around 70 years of age and she is very thin and pale. The first time I saw her I don't know what came over me but I opened my bag and pulled out all the sandwiches I prepared for myself that day and gave it all to her. She was surprised when I handed it on her palms and I was only a few steps away, when I looked back she was already devouring the sandwich as if she has never eaten in days. That broke my heart. I said to myself, what if I gave her a little something to eat each day I pass by?

So the next day, I brought some bananas with me and handed it to her, like always I would look back and I would see her already eating the food. Hmmm, I said to myself should I go a little further and give her some canned goods? The next day when I passed by she was not there. My heart skipped a bit, did something happen to her? Why wasn't she there? On my way to the office I kept thinking about her. The following day she was there! I almost hugged her with delight, instead I gave her a hundred bucks (well pesos in our currency). Her eyes popped open! I wanted her to go home and rest like grandmas are supposed to do and not sit there in the hot sun all day waiting for someone to help.

In this day and age, it's so hard to keep a pure and good heart. There are a lot of things that stop us from helping other people. Cynicism, fear of being fooled, fear of being rejected. But sometimes you just have to let go and let your heart decide. Who knows you could be saving a life.

“What we have done for ourselves alone dies with us; what we have done for others and the world remains and is immortal.” - Albert Pike

Happy Mom's Day!

2008-05-11T23:50:00.003+08:00

Today is Mother's Day and like always I planned to do something special for my mom on this day. I planned to have lunch with her today and probably have a massage with her at the spa, or even go shopping. I also wanted to give her some time away from her worries and her daily chores. I wanted her to feel like a queen, even if it were for just a day. And I guess I was also secretly hoping, hubby had something planned for little-old-me!

About three days ago, my husband's aunt died. She was someone close to him, to us. She was the one who gave him away on our wedding day because hubby's mom and dad have passed away already. He had to help take care of some loose ends, his uncle was working in South America so it will take sometime for him to get home. I did not mind that he had to help out. His cousins were all girls and they were still young and innocent about these things, having had some experience when his own mom died he knew what needed to be done. So we ended up spending most of our weekend at the funeral and at the kitchen cooking up food for some guests and family members.

I felt a little sad because we were not together today - as a family and I was not able to treat my mom out on her special day. Nothing happened as I planned. Today I prepared a meal for 16 people for lunch and for dinner. I gave my kids a bath and dressed them up. I made sure that things were running smoothly in the house as we had unexpected visitors coming in and out from the wake. Hubby's uncle arrived today, he had to go to the airport to pick him up. I cleaned the extra room to have them temporarily stay there for the duration of the funeral.

All in all, what I did today...is what I do best...mothering! Ooooops forgot to mention, out of the so many things I planned that did push through? I had lunch with my mom - one on one, in her kitchen, nothing formal...just me and her talking about nonsensical things while she does what she does best also...fuzz and take care of me.

I love you Mom, happy mother's day to you!

Happy mother's day also to all the moms in my blogroll and also to those dad's who act as both mom and dad. I salute all of you!

Beach Time!

2008-04-28T23:26:00.004+08:00

It's summertime here and I am probably as excited as my daughters at the prospect of going swimming, whether in the beach or in a pool! LOL! In the shops you'll see all sorts of swim gear displayed, swimsuits, floaters, sunscreen. My country is known to have some of the best beaches in the world! We have 7,107 islands, so no wonder I love water so much hehe.

I also love this time of the year because I get to have some bonding time with the family. I would always plan swimming activities all throughout the summer. The sun shining down on your well-oiled skin while you are sipping a tall lemonade and just simply dipping your toes in the water.

I remembered I learned how to swim when I was four. My cousins and I got tired of waiting in the sidelines, we wanted to immerse in the cool blue waters. I knew I probably drank about a pool of water (LOL!) but geez I was pretty determined. I wanted to learn to swim that day and I didn't want to go home without actually learning. And I did! My mom was pretty amazed and scared at how determined I was to learn. By the end of the day I was plunging in and out of the water and I would never forget how good that felt.

Here's a video of some of the cool places and the best beaches here in my country. I hope you will enjoy this as much as I did. And out of the 7,107 islands sadly I was only able to visit around 3 or 4. But I am planning to see more and more each year.

MABUHAY! as we say it here.

Have a great summer guys!

A Gift

2008-04-22T22:17:00.005+08:00

Today is Earth Day and I thought I could give something back by sharing this wonderful message I got from reading the book The Secret by Rhonda Byrne.

It's a video of daily affirmations that could help you get some positive things into your life. Some find it a waste of time but personally I think it's one of the best gifts life has to offer...and it's free! All you need is an open mind.

Today is the beginning of my new life
I am starting over today
All good things are coming to me today

I am grateful to be alive
I see beauty all around me
I live with passion and purpose

I take time to laugh and play everyday
I am awake, energized and alive
I focus on all good things in life
and give thanks for them

I am free at peace and one with everything
I feel the love, the joy, the abundance

I am free to be myself
I am magnificence in human form
I am the perfection of life
I am grateful to be...
ME.

Today is the best day of my life!

It's not to say that we have ignore the bad times we experience in our lives, because I also believe that it is getting through these times that helps mold us into better and stronger persons.

However good or bad a situation is, it will change...and if you want to keep it better all the time then choose to make it so.

Love life...it's the only one you've got!

Wait No More

2008-04-05T13:35:00.009+08:00

Opportunities wait for no one - not if you're busy, not if you're absent, and certainly not if you're afraid. - The Philippine Star

As I was growing up I certainly had a lot of influences in many aspects of my life. My mom and dad were my teachers in the School of Life. I was taught that life's opportunities are not handed to you in a platter, it is up to you to make things happen.

Well it was not always easy for me to do that, in fact, up to now I still am not so aggresively pursuing the things I want in life. For a long time, I was only a spectator in my life. I was guilty of leaving things to fate. But life has taught me otherwise. If I wanted to make things happen, I have to move...and move NOW!

A few days ago my daughters performed in their school's elementary graduation ceremony. Eventhough my kids were not among those who were going to graduate I couldn't help but feel teary eyed when the graduation March started to play and the young graduates walked along the aisle. It was as if I was suddenly transported back in time. I was reminded of my own graduation.

I remembered feeling euphoric and so ready to take on the world. I wanted to become a doctor and having been accepted in the best Med School in the country was really mind-boggling! I thought I was on the right track, my life was in sync with my goals. But towards my pre-med course graduation my life turned around. I realized becoming a doctor might not be for me. It entailed time and dedication and you have to be in the best of health. I went on 24-hours duty in the hospital.When I was doing my intership at various hospitals I got sick...almost all the time. But at least I was still in the same field of helping people get well. I took the next best thing.

I was lost after that, the path that I have chosen for myself as young as 3 years old suddenly toppled over. I had to find my way back again. Since I psyched myself to work in the hospital, I had a hard time envisioning myself doing something different. I thought I was going to fail myself and my family. Miserably.

Not! I decided that I could either mope around jobless for the rest of my life or find something I could be good at aside from becoming a doctor and actually get paid! Well it did not happen immediately, like in the movies. But what was more important was IT did happen! It took a lot of my time, a lot of my patience - not to mention my mom and dad's hehe - but it happened. I discovered I could be good at something totally different - like officework and actually excel at it!

As to becoming a doctor, well I play that role a lot of times with my kids and sometimes to my mom and dad. I make sure that they are in good health 100% of the time and I take good care of them when they get sick 24/7. And getting "thank yous and i love yous" in return was surely worth more than money could ever buy.

Interestingly our company's battle cry this year is very interesting and inspiring. Just five words but it could change the way you see your life.

OUR TIME IS NOW. BELIEVE.

It's up to you.

To be a Woman

2008-03-23T22:22:00.000+08:00

There is eminence in being a woman. And this trait is propelled by her desire to live her life to the fullest, setting her goals while being mindful of her surroundings; achieving her dreams without abandoning an attitude of just taking care of herself.

To be a woman is to recognize success with humility, to face challenges with generosity of spirit, to conquer the world with magnanimity.

In her everyday endeavor, a woman uses her heart to discern what is best for her and for the people she loves; her mind, to pre-gauge the impact of her choice; and her soul, to keep her afloat with all the things life has to offer. ~ Bum D. Tenorio Jr

Don't you think that was a pretty good description of us women? I don't think I could add anymore to that.

This is my salute to all the wonderful women of the world. I salute all my women friends, my grandmothers, my sister and most of all my mom.

I postpone death by living, by suffering, by error, by risking, by giving, by loving. ~ Anais Nin

Holy Week

2008-03-20T23:31:00.003+08:00

This Holy Week I was once again immersed in our family tradition of the "Pabasa" (the Passion of Christ is sang by believers). Here's a picture of our Nazareno (Jesus carrying the cross). The Nazareno, "Mamong" as we so fondly call him was owned by my family for more than 150 years already. It was passed on from generation after generation and we still continue to do this tradition until today.

It starts Holy Wednesday when we would prepare the Karosa where the statue of the Nazareno is held together with Simon carrying a big black cross. A "live" station of the Cross is commemorated along the streets.

When I was much younger the whole clan, mostly the female ones, would be busy in the kitchen cutting away vegetables, peeling potatos, washing plates and kitchen utensils. The kids would be assigned to put sampaguitas in long sticks for the karosa. The male members of the family would be busy preparing the sound system and the altar where it will all happen. Everyone has a role to play, no one was left out, even the little ones. I remembered looking forward to this time of the year because it was also a time where I would meet my cousins again and we would have a great time.

Many people would come over my grandmother's house. Mostly people from the church, our parish priest, bishops, nuns and yup even politicians.

After the karosa has been decorated and the 14 miniature crosses distributed to other houses after the mass our family will be hosting the yearly "live" Station of the Cross along the streets. Before we walked barefoot along the streets as a form of sacrifice. But I guess things have changed a lot as well.

It was was more real to me back then, His passion and His pains. The Holy Week when I was little was more holier than it is now. I remember my grandmother and my aunts teaching us, mostly six-year-olds how to cook, cut vegetables and become very helpful in the kitchen. We were taught not to play, not to laugh so much and be very quiet mostly all throughout the week - as a form of sacrifice.

Today I saw the week as a respite from work, when I could clean the house, remove stuff from the refrigerator, spend time with my family and catch up on some reading and probably watch some DVDs. If my grandma and aunts would see us now they would probably turn in their graves at the way we spend the "HOLY Week". But then for me being with the family is a Holy time. It's a time where I remember that this is the reason why I am alive, the very reason I breath and the very reason why I want to wake up and face the day again tomorrow.

"It is not how much you do, but how much love you put in the doing."

Hope you guys have a peaceful Holy Week.

Simple Truths

2008-03-09T17:14:00.005+08:00

Life is rather like a tin of sardines - we're all of us looking for the key. ~ Alan Bennett

Got this from my sister and thought I should share them with you.

I Believe ...

That our background and circumstances may have influenced who we are, but we are responsible for who we become.

That no matter how good a friend is, they're going to hurt you every once in a while and you must forgive them for that.

That just because someone doesn't love you the way you want them to, doesn't mean they don't love you with all they have.

That true friendship continues to grow, even over the longest distance. Same goes for true love.

That it's taking me a long time to become the person I want to be.

That you should always leave loved ones with loving words. It may be the last time you see them.

That you can keep going, long after you think you can't.

That we are responsible for what we do, no matter how we feel.

That either you control your attitude or it controls you.

That heroes are the people who do what has to be done when it needs to be done, regardless of the consequences.

That money is a lousy way of keeping score.

That my best friend and I can do anything or nothing and have the best time.

That sometimes the people you expect to kick you when you're down, will be the ones to help you get back up.

That sometimes when I'm angry I have the right to be angry, but that doesn't give me the right to be cruel.

That maturity has more to do with what types of experiences you've had and what you've learned from them and less to do with how many birthdays you've celebrated.

That it isn't always enough to be forgiven by others. Sometimes you have to learn to forgive yourself.

That no matter how bad your heart is broken, the world doesn't stop for your grief.

That just because two people argue, it doesn't mean they don't love each other. And just because they don't argue, it doesn't mean they do.

That you shouldn't be so eager to find out a secret. It could change your life forever.

That two people can look at the exact same thing and see something totally different.

That your life can be changed in a matter of hours by people who don't even know you.

That even when you think you have no more to give, when a friend cries out to you, you will find the strength to help.

That credentials on the wall do not make you a decent human being.

That the people you care about most in life are taken from you much too soon.

That life is more precious than money will ever be able to be.

“Dream as if you'll live forever, live as if you'll die today.” ~ James Dean

Away from Home

2008-03-07T02:44:00.004+08:00

It's 2:44am. I have been tossing and turning in my hotel bed for the past four hours. I have been sitting up, fluffing my pillows, pulling up the bedsheets, pulling down the bedsheets, getting into various angles and position but I just can't seem to find the perfect spot. It's not happening. Arrrggggh I give up! I just can't sleep. Why oh why didn't I bring my laptop with me? I am soooooo longing to be in my bed right now. I miss my disorganized room, those familiar homey sounds, I miss my daughters, I miss my honey, I miss home.

I stood outside the small verandah in my room overlooking the streets. The city looked quiet and sleepy. Boy! how I long to be asleep myself. Maybe it was the capuccino I had earlier in the evening at Candy's Resto. As pretty and huge as my hotel room may seem, it only makes me long more and more to be in mine (sigh). It's hard enough being away from my kids over night and since my flight was cancelled due to bad weather I had to stay here another day. Poof! Don't get me wrong this is not really a bad place to be. On the contrary it was surprisingly a very happening place.

I had the best two nights in the city. The first night our host took us out to dinner at this place called Sentro 1850. It was a cozy restaurant, nice ambience and the food was delicious! Not to mention affordable too! I felt bad not having brought any camera with me and I was a little too shy to take pics of our food for my blog using my cellphone. I ordered this shrimp chili pasta and I loved it! They had huge servings. We also had baked mussels with melted cheese on top, crunchy squid and this huge crab salad with mango and wasabe dressing. After that, we were taken to Cafe Berde at the Mallberry Suites, I had espresso macchiato con tsokolate. It was simply the best!

Espresso Macchiato

Crab Salad in Wasabe Dressing

On the second day, since our flight was cancelled we had to stay in our branch office and become useful and err productive. We were not on vacation and having our flight cancelled does not give us the liberty to become tourists. We were there to work. But when the evening came it was time to have fun again. We were again invited for dinner. We had a great time at this chinese restaurant called East Wok, eat-all-you can chinese cuisine and then we had dessert and coffee at Candy's. I had this most delicious capuccino with a dash of cinnamon and this amazing cake called Tartufo - the outer part was chocolate and inside there was ice cream and nuts. Heaven was all I can recall feeling and tasting. Here are some pics I got from the web as I was not able to take some of my own.

Tartufo

Capuccino with a dash of cinammon

Apart from missing my family sooo sooo much it was not such a bad time to be away from home.

"To get away from one's working environment is, in a sense, to get away from one's self; and this is often the chief advantage of travel and change." ~ Charles Horton Cooley

Sunday Mornings

2008-03-02T18:23:00.006+08:00

I was supposed to watch the Maroon 5 concert come Wednesday (March 5) at the Araneta Coliseum. I have waited for months for my favorite boy band to visit my country, but sadly I have to go out of town on a business trip on the day of their concert (sigh). So I guess I would have to bid Adam, James, Jesse, Mickey and Matt good luck and I am very sure they will rock on that day!

Don't worry boys...I Won't Go Home Without You.

This is also re-post of a previous article I wrote way back in 2007.

I love Sunday mornings. It's lazy, it's lethargic and absolutely fantastic. It gives me a brief respite from the hustle and bustle of motherhood. I get to have a late breakfast, linger over my coffee, and wonder how I'll spend my sunday afternoon. Probably tinker away in my laptop and update my blog.

This particular song by Maroon 5 is from the album "Songs about Jane" pretty much describe how today feels.

Here's the lyrics of the song, you might want to sing along.

Sunday morning rain is falling
Steal some covers share some skin
Clouds are shrouding us in moments unforgettable
You twist to fit the mold that I am in
But things just get so crazy living life gets hard to do
And I would gladly hit the road get up and go if I knew
That someday it would lead me back to you
That someday it would lead me back to you

That may be all I need
In darkness she is all I see
Come and rest your bones with me
Driving slow on Sunday morning
And I never want to leave

Fingers trace your every outline
Paint a picture with my hands
Back and forth we sway like branches in a storm
Change the weather still together when it ends

That may be all I need
In darkness she is all I see
Come and rest your bones with me
Driving slow on Sunday morning
And I never want to leave

But things just get so crazy living life gets hard to do
Sunday morning rain is falling and I'm calling out to you
Singing someday it'll bring me back to you
Find a way to bring myself back home to you

And you may not know
That may be all I need
In darkness she is all I see
Come and rest your bones with me
Driving slow…

Lovely jamming with yah guys! Will catch you another time.

The Talk

2008-02-27T23:07:00.005+08:00

A suburban mother's role is to deliver children obstetrically once and by car forever after. ~ Peter De Vries

Okay, so I guess it's inevitable and yup the moment finally came. I felt all gooey and antsy inside. It felt like a million butterflies suddenly decided to take up a rent-controlled lease at the upper east-side of my tummy. Did I look green? Probably. Were my palms sweaty? Leaking, dear. Can I do it? Doubt it. Should I? There is no better time than the here and now. Was I going to faint? Ahhh, most likely. It felt like I was going to deliver the most important speech of my life and dear me, I think I'm going to puke!

It was the moment moms and dads are dreading. It was time to talk the talk. About the birds and the bees and err if kissing could make you cough up babies. My nine-year-old daughter was looking at me strangely with raised brows, as if saying, "Well?". I swallowed hard.

I remembered the very same talk I had with my mom way back then. I thought she was going to faint too! She looked so uncomfortable and green that I wanted to spare her the trouble. You see for the longest time I thought I was err a-sexual (neither a boy nor a girl) but my mom thought it was time for me to realize that I was different from my brother and cousins. And that it was not appropriate for girls to outrun the male members of my family in a race and that it was totally unbecoming of a young lady to be better in skateboard and go-carts and yup even archery! No no no! It just wasn't done.

So I had to sweat it out in that wooden chair while my mom, struggled, ever so poorly to explain to me the wonders of the female body. When I told her, " I got it covered mom, you don't have to tell me anymore." She looked relieved and yes dear folks, scared! I looked at her eyes and read her every thought. How come she knows already? Who taught her? Does she--? Did she--? LOL! And before she suffers a heart attack, I told her "Mom, our science teacher told us about it. Don't worry I'm cool with it." It was only then that she breathed a sigh of relief. "Well okay, just let me know if you have any questions okay dear?". She kissed my forehead and ruffled my long black hair. Ahhh it was over.

"Mom?" my daughter's voice brought me out of my reverie. Here goes nothing! So I proceeded to tell her about er the wonders of the female body and her eyes were growing bigger by the moment. Nope, I did not tell her specifics. I just told her how to take better care of herself in case the time comes. And as I was talking to her, in a level that she will understand I begin to feel comfortable. My great love for her, took over. I wanted her to know as much as her little nine-year-old mind could fathom because I wanted her to be safe and ready for anything. Armed with information, well not too much information, but valuable ones. It was done I made it! LOL! And I did not faint.

I hugged her tight and she hugged me back. Awwwww! My little girl is growing into a young lady. And all of a sudden I feel sooooooo old and ancient.

A little girl was asked where her home was, she replied, "where mother is." ~ Keith L. Brooks

I love you mom!

The Power of Prayer

2008-02-22T20:55:00.007+08:00

"Seven days without prayer makes one weak." ~ Allen E. Bartlett

The family I grew up with is a family that prays a lot. No, they are not saints! It's just that I grew up knowing that prayer can sometimes - move mountains. As soon as my kids could speak I taught them how to kneel down and put their palms together and utter a prayer. Just like what my mom did when I was still a child. A prayer when I wake up, a prayer when you have meals, a prayer when you go to school, and a prayer before bedtime. And then studying in an all-girls Catholic school well, you can just imagine how many prayer times we had back then.

When I grew up, prayer has comforted me when I was weak and down. It has made me strong and brave too in the midst of aggression and I have uttered a lot of prayers of thanks for all the blessings that came by in my life. This is another e-mail that I received a few days ago, that I loved reading. I hope you will love it too.

SPECIAL GROCERY LIST

Louise Redden, a poorly dressed lady with a look of defeat on her face, walked into a grocery store. She approached the owner of the store in a most humble manner and asked if he would let her charge a few groceries.

She softly explained that her husband was very ill and unable to work, they had seven children and they needed food.

John Longhouse, the grocer, scoffed at her and requested that she leave his store at once. Visualizing the family needs, she said: "Please, sir! I will bring you the money just as soon as I can." John told her he could not give her credit, since she did not have a charge account at his store.

Standing beside the counter was a customer who overheard the conversation between the two. The customer walked forward and told the grocer that he would stand good for whatever she needed for her family. The grocer said in a very reluctant voice, "Do you have a grocery list?"

Louise replied, "Yes sir." " O.K" he said, "put your grocery list on the scales and whatever your grocery list weighs, I will give you that amount in groceries." Louise, hesitated a moment with a bowed head, then she reached into her purse and took out a piece of paper and scribbled something on it. She then laid the piece of paper on the scale carefully with her head still bowed.

The eyes of the grocer and the customer showed amazement when the scales went down and stayed down. The grocer, staring at the scales, turned slowly to the customer and said begrudgingly, "I can't believe it."

The customer smiled and the grocer started putting the groceries on the other side of the scales. The scale did not balance so he continued to put more and more groceries on them until the scales would hold no more.

The grocer stood there in utter disgust. Finally, he grabbed the piece of paper from the scales and looked at it with greater amazement. It was not a grocery list, it was a prayer, which said:
"Dear Lord, you know my needs and I am leaving this in you hands."

The grocer gave her the groceries that he had gathered and stood in stunned silence. Louise thanked him and left the store. The other customer handed a fifty-dollar bill to the grocer and said;
"It was worth every penny of it. Only God Knows how much a prayer weighs."

"God warms his hands at man's heart when he prays." ~ John Masefield

Marriage Advice - The 50/50 Myth

2008-02-17T21:55:00.010+08:00

Love at first sight is easy to understand; it's when two people have been looking at each other for a lifetime that it becomes a miracle. ~ Amy Bloom

Okay, so Valentine's Day came and went and I was not in the least bit surprised to hear some of my married friends lament that they did not do anything romantic on that day. Well, do you see the photo above? That's the bouquet of flowers that my hubby sent over to my office on Valentine's Day! I was sooooo tickled pink with it. I felt so loved and cherished. He took me out to dinner near the bay...just the two of us. And it was sooooo lovely to note that he can still come up with romantic ideas after ten years of being married to each other.

I received this in the e-mail a couple of weeks back and I thought I should write it down here for all my friends, married or not. This sure is an eye-opener!

Would you get frustrated after a long day at work and
as you arrive home you discover a house in total chaos
with your spouse sitting down with kids reading a book?
You've worked hard all day giving 100% to provide for
your family, can't she AT LEAST give 50% and keep the
house clean!

Would your response be different if your wife was
pregnant with twins and needed to rest most of the day?

Or have you ever asked your husband in a frustrated
tone to mow the jungle in the back yard only to
discover he had gotten up early that morning and spent
5 hours helping a friend in need move? Did you
complain that he's not doing his share in the family,
or quietly pitch in to help with the lawn?

_________________

Are We A Team?
_________________

When we participate on any team, the efforts are rarely
equally divided. For example, there may be 10 people
on a soccer team, but they all need to give 100% to win
the game, not a 10% effort.

The same is true if we work as a team on a project at
work. Based upon our skills and expertise, each team
member may carry a heavier or lighter assignment.
However, to be successful in the project, we each need
to give 100%, or our best effort, to produce the best
work product.

So it would be logical to assume that in marriage
relationships we would realize that it's never 50/50
just because there are two of us.

Sure it would be nice to draw a line down the middle of
the house and say "you clean that side and I'll clean
this side."; or do half of the laundry or mow half of
the yard. However, that is a bit ridiculous to try and
manage, let alone consider.

Then why do logical couples sometimes get caught in the
trap that marriage is a 50/50 relationship?

________________

Give Your 100%
________________

It's critical to realize that sometimes one gives 40%
and the other 60%. Other times both give 100% and so
forth. What may be a 100% effort for me on a bad day,
would be a 30% effort on a good day. The point is to
give all we can and communicate to our spouse if it's
going to be a "lean" or "queen" day.

On "lean days", our spouse will be better able to
understand their need to pull a bit more of the load,
or to not get frustrated if some of the load isn't
carried at all.

On "queen days", our spouse will know they can count on
us to accomplish certain things with ease. The key is
communicating if it's going to be a "lean day".

________________

The Next Level
________________

To take it to the next level, consider the peace,
contentment and appreciation that will flow in a
marriage where we are more concerned with the needs of
our spouse than our own needs.

I'm a mother of 5 kids, so my day starts very early
making lunches, getting my teenager to an early morning
religion class, having my personal devotional and
exercise time and then get the rest of the brood up at
6:10 a.m.

My husband gave me a wonderful gift a while ago. Since
I don't work on Fridays, he decided that Friday would
be "Mom's day to sleep in."

He gets up early to do all the "Mommy Duties", and
cooks a great breakfast for the kids. (Which Mom only
cooks on standardized testing days at school) They
wake up to the smell of sausage cooking and a dad they
don't normally see much of until the evenings.

The first week the kids were absolutely shocked...their
faces were indeed a sight to behold. As this special
day continued week after week, they began to get a
knowing smile on their face as they got ready quietly
so that Mom could sleep in and get much needed rest.
They not only saw, but participated in this family
gift.

Yet, this was not just a gift for Mom, it was a
wonderful gift for our children. It spoke volumes of
the love and care that husbands and wives desire to
show to one another.

_________________________

What Gift Can You Give?
_________________________

Not everyone has the time, or opportunity to change
roles on a weekly basis. However, there are many
opportunities to give both small and large gifts of the
heart to our spouse.

It's especially fun if you give a gift by doing
something that your spouse would normally, or
"traditionally" perform.

Ladies, the next time the shower drain is running slow,
how about getting on your rubber gloves, removing the
drain screen and getting the goo out of the drain.
(Especially since most of the goo is trapped because of
your hair.)

Men, when one of the light bulbs above your wife's
vanity burns out, take the time to notice and replace
it for her...without being asked. Besides, she's just
trying to look more beautiful for you.

Think of the welcome surprise by the person who
normally makes the bed each morning if they came out of
the bathroom to discover that the bed was already made
for them.

If you normally leave before your spouse, wouldn't it
be a simple, yet an appreciated gift, to scrap ice off
their car windshield?

These acts, though seemingly small, are HUGE in the
relationship bank and will pay great dividends daily,
weekly and for a life time.

So don't get sucked into the myth that marriage is a
50/50 deal. It's 100% all the time, and well worth the
effort. ~ Norie Hoover

Gifts of Love

2008-02-12T23:46:00.000+08:00

love is a treasure
for which we can never pay...
the only way to keep it
is to give it all away - THE GIFT OF LOVE

I remember when I was a little girl I loved walking along gardens. It got me excited picking up petals, unusual leaves, weird stones and sometimes small fruits or wild berries. Oh and yes! I would catch dragonflies and lady bugs, it usually makes my mom groan when I get home with them LOL!I would put them all in a box and call them my treasures. I would keep it near my pillow and wait till morning until I could play with them again.

The next day the petals would all be dried up and of course, the dragonflies and the ladybugs would be dead but I don't know it just made me happy to go back again and look for these silly treasures. Now I could not recall what games I used to play, but I remembered pretending those things were real. Yeah, I know, those were the days...silly ones really. But I could not forget how happy I was when I was playing pretend. My mom and dad always told me I had such vivid imagination.

Today, I still like picking up things. Nope! not petals, nor dried leaves, nor strange-looking stones, well okay, a couple of dragonflies and ladybugs here and there - but only because I wanted to show them to my kids! LOL! These days I love to pick up quotes, beautiful words and nuggets of wisdom, if you must. From books, movies, poems, newspapers, sermons from the priests when I go to church, talks with my friends, wisdom from my mom and dad, lines from movies and other people. I guess from just about anything and anywhere and anyone. I have journals with quotes that catch my eye. If you noticed, there's always a quote at the beginning or end of my posts. For me, those few lines speaks volumes of experience and memories.

Tonight I was able to watch a very good film it's called The Ultimate Gift - if you guys haven't watched it, it's a must see. And for those who already did, I hope you liked it too. It's a story about the death of young man's very wealthy grandfather. He anticipates a hefty inheritance instead his grandfather gives him a crash course on life through twelve tasks a.k.a. "gifts" sending him to a journey of self-discovery.

As for every film that I watched, even if some turned out to be crappy ones or a knock out bestseller I always try to get the good lessons or nuggets of wisdom from it, if any. And this film I got twelve gifts. Here they are:

1) The Gift of Work
2) The Gift of Money
3) The Gift of Friends
4) The Gift of Learning
5) The Gift of Problems
6) The Gift of Family
7) The Gift of Laughter
8) The Gift of Dreams
9) The Gift of Giving
10) The Gift of Gratitude
11) The Gift of a Day
12) The Gift of Love

The gifts are simple ones really, most, if not all of them we already have. I guess putting them into good use is what will make it work for us. But I think the last one is the most important, for it was the love of his grandfather that made him realize something he could never have discovered alone...the gift of love.

Valentine's Day is not only for lovers alone. It is a day we celebrate love in all it's form.

Happy Valentine's Day my dear dear friends!

The life of a Juggler

2008-01-27T14:51:00.000+08:00

Last night when I was finally able to put my feet up and lay my head in my pillow, I did a quick re-cap of my life as a working mom. And I cannot help but visualize myself as a juggler.

It is only on weekends that I get to have some down time and just concentrate on being a mom, a wife and err a blogger. LOL! While we were cleaning the room and arranging books into two new bookshelves we bought to organize the kid's library, I came across this January 23, 2006 issue of the Time Magazine. The topic caught my eye, "How To Sharpen Your Mind". I set it aside for my bedtime reading and proceeded to do my other tasks.

This morning I was finally able to flip through it and gosh! there were a lot of interesting topics there too! The article "Help! I've lost my focus" written by Claudia Wallis and Sonia Steptoe really got me going. It was a look into a typical day in the life of Hollywood producer Jennifer Klein. I found a lot of things we have in common and I'm sure a lot of mothers and fathers out there could relate as well.

Here is a view of my typical work-day:

@ 5:30am - Open the water pump and get the hot water running. Hurry back to bed and catch another 30 minutes sleep.

@ 6:15am - Wake up! Kiss hubby good morning to wake him up and go over to my daughter's bed and kiss her good morning too. Dash downstairs fix breakfast, arrange the kids' sandwiches and drinks and also sandwiches for hubby and myself (no breakfast for me @ home since there's not much time)

@ 6:45am - Take a quick shower! Usher my sleepy daughter into the bathroom to give her a bath (it's quicker that way) and get her ready for school. Yes, she has a nanny but this is something I wanted to do for my daughter since I won't be with her the whole day. (I guess I wanted her to remember that her mom is here for her no matter how busy she is.)

@ 7:00am - Turn my daughter over to her nanny to have some breakfast. Again, dash upstairs fix the beds, take out my clothes from the closet and lay hubby's clothes in the bed too. Then as quickly as I can, get dressed, grab my youngest daughter's things for school. Bark out instructions to my nanny for my daughters' lunch and dinner and schedule at school. And then rush off for the office.

@ 8:30am to 5:30pm - Gulp down my coffee and sandwich in my work area (that is if I'm lucky and not called into a meeting). And gosh, I cannot even begin to describe how my day goes by in the office. It is sometimes a blur to me.

It is mostly spent answering e-mails, talking to angry clients and agents, editing letters, signing this and that, negotiating at meetings, mentoring my staff, checking and monitoring if all is going well as scheduled, talking to my boss, meeting with people from other departments regarding on-going projects. Call my mom and my nanny to check on the kids. Call my hubby, just to say hello and "I love you" (need to hear that everyday so I can survive the rest of the afternoon). And yes, manage to squeeze in lunch and another coffee break in the afternoon. And then the whole thing starts all over again.

Ahhh, they say that is a life of a multi-tasker and yes we parents are jugglers in our own little way. In the same article I also found psychiatrist Edward Hallowell's "A Multitasker's Glossary" very interesting. Here are four new words I learned from him.

screen sucking - wasting time online long after you have finished what you signed on to do.

frazzing - frantic, ineffective multitasking, typically with the delusion that you are getting a lot done. The quality of the work, however, is poor.

pizzled - how you feel, when someone you're with pulls out a cell phone or BlackBerry and uses it without an explanation or apology. A cross between p___ off and puzzled.

doomdart - the internal distraction of a forgotten task that pops into your mind when you are doing something else. A side effect of frazzing.

Staying focused on one thing at a time is something we parents, especially working moms, find very hard to do. That is why I think it is very important to have time away or even down times at work to renew and recharge oneself, otherwise we might end up burned out and too busy for our family. The reason why we are working so hard in the first place.

“Time is free, but it's priceless. You can't own it, but you can use it. You can't keep it, but you can spend it. Once you've lost it you can never get it back.” ~ Harvey MacKay

So, let's spend it wisely!

Big Bang World Record

2008-01-26T22:54:00.005+08:00

So, my good friend Colin tagged me yet again with this record breaking link-building meme. It's quite increadible really!

*Start Copy Here*

You do not have to be tagged to play along. This game is simple and so are the rules.

Copy from *Start Copy Here* through *End Copy Here*

Add your site(s) to the list. Just be sure to post at each site you add.

Tag or don’t tag, your choice, however, the more tags you create the bigger the list will grow.

Let me know your blog’s name and url by leaving me a comment HERE. I will add you to the master list. (If you would like the scroll box code, leave me your email address and I will email it to you.)

Come back and copy the master list back to your site, often. This process will allow late-comers to get as much link benefit as the first ones in.

1-Attitude, the Ultimate Power 2-Juliana’s Site 3-Rusin Roundup 4-Grow Rich Along With Me 5-Comedy Plus 6-lynda’s loft 7-Amel’s Realm 8-MAX 9-Speedcat Hollydale 10-Mariuca 11-Complain Complain Complain 12-Mariuca’s Perfume Gallery 13-Life Is A Roller Coaster 14-Sugar Queen’s Dream 15-First Time Dad 16-Life 17-My Life 18-The Painted Veil 19-My Thoughts 20-DatCurious.com 21-Little Aussie Cynic 22- A Nice Place in the Sun 23-DatMoney.com 24-The Down Side OF Up 25- Ladyjava’s Lounge 26- Cat Tales 27-moms…..check nyo 28-Colorado Baby 29-It’s a Woman’s World 30-ENLIGHTENED BITS 31-My View of “It” 32-My Reviews and Finds Along the Way 33-Our Hep Chat 34 - Rantings of a Woman 35- The Callalily Space 36- Mom Knows Everything 37- Hazel 38- Chronicles and Tales Unlimited (RED) 39- From the Mouth of Jabber Jaws 40- Sunny Side Up Foodie & Lifestyle 41-Carmel Corn 42-Daily Stock Picks 43-The Whole New World 44- Wifespeak 45-Slavery Bliss 46- Rooms of My Heart 47- Unpredictable Life 48- My Life, My World 49- At Your Service 50- All About Ebay 51- Everything Amazon 52- Turn On, Tune In, Drop Out 53- My So-Called Site 54- New Wife Blog 55- It’s not the way 56- Nick’s Bytes 57- My Scratch Pad 58- Choc Mint Girl 59- Life Is Just Around the Corner… 60- Amori, poseia, art… virtuali by Hanna 61- Maryannaville 62- monaco - monaco’s 63- Nyumix’s Blog 64- read my mind - my keyboard monologues 65- Shower You Children With Love - The Right Way 66- Secret Agent Mama 67- Pinaymama’s Diary 68- Answers to the Questions 69- Work of the Poet 70- A Total Blog 71- My life, my hope, my future 72- NORTE 73- A Window to Our World 74- Life as a Mom 75- FIELD OF DREAMS 76- lisgold 77- See Me for What You 78- Caught in The Stream 79-Pinay Mommy Online - My Home 80-I’m Running To Win Two 81-CRUEL VIRGIN 82-Garden of Moments in Blog 83-So Cute 84-Love Everlasting 85-WeLcOmE To My CriB 86-WELCOME TO PINAYSMILE’S JOURNEY 87-Ice’s Icelog 88-Jenny’s Wandering Thoughts 89-Hobbies and Such 90-Sweet Paradise 91-Mommy’s Gibble Gabbles 92-Rusin Review’s 93-My Small World 94-Little Peanut 95-Online Ramblings 96-My Mood My Feeling 97-BLOG it with ALLEN 98-Entertainment World 99-Let’s Go Singapore 100-Firelynx 101-Catsy Carpe Diem 102-Every Beat Of My Heart 103-Always Da Fresh Princess 104-Listening.. Learning..Living 105-All About Mars 106- Syii From Afar 107-Some Thoughts I Have 108-From Here and Beyond 109-My Paid To Blog 110-Scholarship Corner 111-Cell Phone Review 112-“Apples of the Eyes” 113-It’s All About Play 114-The Luttrull Journey 115-RennyBA’s Terella 116-Unchained Melody 117-Out of the Blue 118-The Lure Of the Unknown 119-Maricel’s 120-my blog 121-Spiff, the Spaceman 122-Living Well 123-The Dog Log 124-Catnip Corner 125-A Piece of Idea 126-Observations From the Back 40 127-Poetry by The Redneck Gypsy 128-Odd Facts 129-Juliana’s Lair 130-My life is murphy’s law 131- lisgoldsmemoirs 132-My memories, as time goes by 133-Somewhere over the rainbow 134-Blogging by Sandee 135-Our Journey to this so called life 136-Idaho Daily Photo 137-Memories that Never Fades.. 138-Anything goes 139-Your Caring Angels 140-Little Paces 141-Laketrees 142-PoeARTica 143-fracas 144-Just FraCas 145-Archies Archive 146-Growing Up Together 147-A Woman’s Diary 148-Mother’s Got A Dot Com 149-Close To You 150-Hot Shit Form Here 151-Astro Galaxy 152-Detector 153-Beauty is in the eye of the beholder 154-My Life is Peachy 155-The Down Side of Up 156-Magical Milestones 157-In Search of Life 158-RebelationsdotNet 159-Jen Jen’s Place 160-Mimi Writes… 161-Strange but true 162-Depois de minha viagem 163-Your Perfect Wedding: 164-Make Money Online 165-Primitive Ornies and Bowl Fillers 166-Vegetarian Diet Lifestyle 167-Looking Out For You 168-BENOLSATUEM 169-OtherSide 170-Hacko’s Site 171-where was I 172-Making Money Resources 173-text’s Site 174-Movie Corner 175-Rahasia Bisnis Internet 176-Online Dating Tips 177-Beauty Kissing Tips 178-Forex Trading Tips 179-Singapore Tour Guide 180-PPC vs PTR 181-Indonesian Film 182-Adsense Success Stories 2008 183-Bali Tour 184-Paypal Indonesia 185-Review Bisnis Internet 186-Blog Daniel Scardua 187-Much of a muchness 188-Gagiers Amazing World 189-Clumsy Mommy 190-Leaotheblogger 191-PBDesigns Reading and Crochet Blog 192-Gagiers Striking Zone 193-DrowseyMonkey 194-Yesterday Today n Tomorrow 195-Auntie Dar’s Life 196-Sky Windows… 197-Filippino Life Abroad 198-Leao the Blogger 199-Zoop’s Rantings on Life 200-My Journey 201-A Sweet Taste of Life 202-This is a Miracle 203-Lavanderia Virtual 204-COLORADO COWGIRL IN UPSTATE NEW YORK 205-Dating Profile of the Day 206-my wooden robot 207-My World 208-urban : trendy : lifestyle 209-Lucel Juliana’s Library 210-Cooking Momster - My Life Journal 211-Anggie & Jeremy boy Online Journal 212-‘Doc Doc Doc’ 213-Transforming My Life 214-Gratitude Journal 215-Simplydunn.net 216-emila’s illustrated blog 217-AZZY’S BLOG-A-ROONIE! 218-MAMABLISS’ TREASURED MOMENTS 219-The Sky’s the Limit 220-PROJECT HEAVY TRAFFIC 221-just another ordinary story.. 222-Samuel Rolo 223-The end mission! 224-R S S Submissions 225-Laice’s Pics 226-Health and Fitness 227-Brainybimbo 228-Journey with WaterLearner 229-Zoop’s Rantings on Life (at Blogspot) 230-Ivan Girl 231-Tour the Tabon Caves 232-Book Calendar 233-Love me. 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*End Copy Here*

I hate to tag anyone in particular, so if you guys want to join please let me know and I'll add you in my list.

Weehee!

The thin line between Love and Hate

2008-01-22T22:24:00.000+08:00

“Love me or hate me, but spare me your indifference” ~ Libbie Fudim

I was tagged by my sweet friend Sameera who did this tag so beautifully. We are suppose to list things that we hate and love. So here's my list of ten:

"So much of what we know of love we learn at home."

I

the way my mom and dad brought me up
the way my hubby reaches for my hand as soon as we stand next to each other
my daughters and would do anything for them
people who have the courage to make their dreams come true
italian food and would love to visit Italy some day
coffee and could not last a day without it
listening to music any chance I can
to collect pens, notebooks and planners
Paris and would love to retire there some day
to read inspirational books and take whatever lessons and teachings I could get from it.

"It is better to be hated for what you are than to be loved for what you are not. "~ Andre Gide

that I could not be with my kids all day
people who waste their time hating and bad-mouthing other people
people who abuse their authority and power and belittle other people's hard work
people who hate others for no reason at all
waiting
it when I get home and see my daughters already sleeping without being able to say goodnight
violence and killings
insensitive people
people who don't respect and take care of their parents
war and weapons of destruction

And now to tag other people =). My dear friends you have the option to do or not to do this tag. I hope you would choose the former - it would sure be lovely hearing what you have to say. So here are the victims err people I tagged:

If you love the life you live, you will live a life of love.

Of Hopes and Dreams

2008-01-19T14:18:00.003+08:00

"What is now proved, was once only imagined." - William Blake

That phrase caught my eye today and it got stuck in my mind all day. Big things often start small, it often starts in the backs of our mind. A secret wish, a hope for a better and brighter future, a dream, we at one time, thought was unattainable. Elusive.

But you know what? It was because someone dared to dream that one day we won't have to use candles to light our houses, that the light bulb was invented. And because one man dared to dream that he could connect and contact people anywhere in the world, that we now have telephones. And because one man dreamed we can listen to quality music, watch our favorite movie without needing to bring the DVD and CD Player anytime, anywhere, the i-Pod was invented! LOL.

So many things were made possible because people dared to dream. And probably the most important part, they had the courage to make it come true.

When I was a little girl, I often day dreamed of becoming a doctor, meeting my Prince Charming and marrying him, have kids, a house, a car and one day retiring in Paris. You might say those were simple enough dreams and totally attainable. But to a little girl like I was then, those were big ones.

Well, I almost became a doctor, I married my Prince Charming and had beautiful daughters with him too! I have a house and a car and I'm on my way to the last part...retiring in Paris! hehe. And you know, all throughout my childhood and even today, there was never a time that my mom and dad told me that those dreams were unattainable. They often told me, "If you believe in it, you can make it happen."

“Have faith in your dreams and someday your rainbow will come smiling through. No matter how your heart is grieving, if you keep believing, the dream that you wish will come true.” ~ excerpt from the song A Dream is a Wish in Your Heart

Ain't no mountain high enough

2008-01-15T23:12:00.001+08:00

I remembered a time when I was watching a movie at home with my eldest daughter. I think it was the movie "The Day After Tomorrow". We were in the part where Jake Gyllenhaal, playing the son of Dennis Quaid, was stuck in New York and the storm was coming. My daughter asked me if that happened to us will I come and get her and brave the storm? I told her, if I had to move mountains to get to her --I will...and that is a promise!

I guess, we, parents have tried to move mountains, in one way or another, for our children at least once in our lifetime. Those mountains could be in forms of small problems our little angels encounter in their daily life or it could really be a problem as tall as Mount Everest! But we know if the need arises we will conquer our fear of heights and brave the mountains. They only had to holler for help.

I guess this role of mine extends to the office as well, I handle 12 people each day and sometimes I feel as if I am sitting atop a mountain looking at the big expanse of water and land checking if they are lost and going the right way...a lifeguard of sorts? LOL!

But there are times when it gets lonely up there and I get lost too! I look around and no one is there sitting beside me. I guess it is at moments like these that I look up and see that someone "up there" is smiling down, watching ME at the big expanse of water and land, checking if I am lost or if I am going the right way...my personal "life" guard and He says..."I will keep you safe, I love you." And I feel better all of a sudden.

I want to share with you a song, me and my daughters love singing. And each time we do this song we also dance and sing like this. A rendition of a scene from the movie...Stepmom by Susan Sarandon and Julia Roberts.

And for those of you who want to sing along, well come and join us!

Listen, baby
Ain't no mountain high
Ain't no valley low
Ain't no river wide enough, baby

If you need me, call me
No matter where you are
No matter how far
Just call my name
I'll be there in a hurry
You don't have to worry

'Cause baby,
There ain't no mountain high enough
Ain't no valley low enough
Ain't no river wide enough
To keep me from getting to you

Remember the day
I set you free
I told you
You could always count on me
From that day on I made a vow
I'll be there when you want me
Some way,some how

'Cause baby,
There ain't no mountain high enough
Ain't no valley low enough
Ain't no river wide enough
To keep me from getting to you

No wind, no rain

My love is alive
Way down in my heart
Although we are miles apart
If you ever need a helping hand
I'll be there on the double
As fast as I can

Don't you know that
There ain't no mountain high enough
Ain't no valley low enough
Ain't no river wide enough
To keep me from getting to you

Don't you know that
There ain't no mountain high enough
Ain't no valley low enough
Ain't no river wide enough

Enjoy!

life happens over coffee

2008-01-11T22:18:00.000+08:00

Today is my dad's birthday. My sister and I decided to give my dad a small celebration at home. I volunteered to buy two dishes for dinner and the cake. Although the celebration was set for dinner I decided to leave the office around two pm so that I can have some alone time. I have always wanted to have coffee by myself and just simply hang out. Something that I have not done in a long long time. It was really a rare opportunity to breathe and exhale all the stress in my life and just be myself. It was a moment to collect my thoughts and not really think about anything at all.

So there I was sitting in the corner table, my Starbucks planner and pad in front of me (see actual photo above). I took out my i-pod to set the mood. I took a sip of my mocha frappuccino. Hmmmm heavenly. I don't know why but my frap tasted a tidbit better than the usual. Figured, it was probably because I was really tasting it now, not just gulping it all down hurriedly. As I looked outside the glass window I noticed that the sky was getting a little darker. Looks like rain. Hmmmmm a lovely addition to my already lethargic mood. I was really loving it! This is certainly a feeling I could really get accustomed to! LOL!

They say life happens over coffee...and you know what? the way I'm feeling right now...I think they could be right =)

P.S. and Happy birthday to you dad...I love you sooooo soooo much =)

New Year's Resolution or Not?

2008-01-10T22:38:00.000+08:00

The christmas tree has been put away. All the gifts under it have been ripped open. Moms and dads all over the world had their pockets and wallets challenged last season. Santa went back to the north pole for a vacation but I heard that he has also been busy blogging =). Cakes and cookies have been eaten and they probably went straight to our hips to create flabs! LOL!

What have we learned from the past year? Do we have plans to change our ways and come clean this time around? Well my good friend Colin tagged me with this New Year's Meme. So here goes: