First post in 2014

My Firsts on the first week of the first month of 2014

January 1:

v      First Breakfast       -  way back my single days New Year's eve is not complete without a dozen doughnut and this has been a consistent thing for me.  As time moved on and as I try to reminisce the past 9 NYs right now, oi!  My bad!  I lost the consistency but I'm glad there were in betweens and I'm just too happy we had it as we waited for 2014 to come in.  The breakfast tradition is back ...

v      First Mass              -  the family was complete as we heard the 1st mass of the year at Our Lady of the Nativity Parish.

v      First Freebie claim -  thanks to BPI.  We had free burgers, chickens, burger steak, and sundaes (not in the pic).  What a way to the start the year ... more food to share with the family and not a single cent spent.

v      First Mall & store   -  Banilad Country Mall.  Jollibee food for the freebies and it was like a Jollibee hopping moment.  From Jollibee Country Mall to Jollibee Banilad branch and at Gaisano Talamban.  Why?  Because only 3 BPI transactions can be claimed per store per day.

 First Outburst       -  our printer broke and I need to print our tickets.  Argh!  Tsk tsk tsk.   

January 2:

• First Good Samaritan      -  Frustration was already at all smiles on me in the morning of January 2nd as I went from one internet shop to another.  I can't have my documents printed for reasons of:

o        the internet shop is no longer of business

o        the internet shop has no bond paper

o        the internet shop has no printing service

o        the internet shop is the same as ours, the printer choked and died.  Sad and frustrating!

Lito of Globe SM Cebu!  I was too grateful, too relieved when I saw him at the store because I saw hope and help on my minute despair.  I Thank God for Lito and Globe because I was able to claim our reduced travel tax with the prints.  A Good karma happened, was is?☺.

§          First Money spent  -  Php 15.00 for a parking fee ☺.

§          First Candles -  it was my first visit to Sto. Nino after months from being away.  It was a brief stop but the happiness inside me was way beyond description.  I lit candles and prayed for thanksgiving and continuous blessings.

January 3:

Ø      First Flight/Aircraft          -  Air Asia Zest -- Z2 187

Ø      First Meal in the sky - Php 168.00 for an Uncle Chin's Chicken Rice. 

Ø      First Meal in KL      -  chicken nuggets, burger and fries at Mc Donald's.

Ø        First Household chore     -  wiping off 2013 dusts ☺. 

Ø      First Home Delivery         -  Domino's chicken and pizza.

Ø        First and longest time ever not to cook(since being a home maker) - It was all take away food.  We never had a home cooked meal from the time we arrived in January 3 to January 6(except lunch).  Blame it to laziness and still on vacation mode ☺. 

January 4:

• First snack house            -  Crazy Potato
  
• First Japanese Resto       -  Goku Raku Ramen house
• First Korean TV series      -  Arang and the Magistrate (finished: Jan. 7 3AM)
  

January 5:

First Offense                   -  I am not taking it lightly and I have no valid reason to cover up for my negligence and laziness.  I have committed my 1st Offense to my duties as a Catholic, I missed the 1st Sunday mass of the year and my boys missed it too. 

January 6:

First cooked meal  -  I can't call it a real home cooked meal because it was just a canned corned beef and rice for lunch then blanched a broccoli for dinner to match the KFC chickens ☺.  No brainer but still presence of mind was needed.  I can't afford to start a big fire☺.  Can you?! ☺.

January 7:

First real home cooked meal     - for the first time and at last I had the energy to start cooking from scratch.  It was my first to prepare a pak choi.  Thanks to Chris (carribean.pot) and youtube. Voila! A sautéed pak choi.  The heat from the dried chilli's might went overboard but still I liked it.  I didn't take a picture but next time I will.  Jack said it was not pak choi but onion hahaha because the ring onions over shadowed the pak choi.  I matched it with minced beef minced steamed rice.  Cooked the ground beef with yellow capsicum, carrots, onions and green peas.  It became a steamed rice when I dunked my rice to the minced beef soup ngee hehehe.

Slowly, I am regaining my momentum as a home maker.  This is usually me when I come from a break or when friends and families come for a visit and go home,  I feel emptiness inside me and all I want is to hibernate and hibernate until I can swim back to my old self and do my normal grinds.  Sigh! 

I hope you have your own set of firsts too.  May God bless us always as we continue to sail on and thank you so much for continuously reading my update page -- my way of keeping in touch!           

Last Tuesday and last day of 2013

It's the last Tuesday of 2013 and one by one I hear firecrackers booming from a distance. As we await for the rise of 2014 there are still last minute carollers singing their hearts out and I'm sure like my Mother is busy preparing for the New Year's Eve meal. Hehehehe me?! Busy tinkering the keypad to finish this last post for 2013.



A lot of NEW thoughts are swimming in my thoughts but I am not making any resolutions for the new year. I choose to look up, look within, and look forward. The detractors, manipulators, movers and shakers will continue to live around me. How my 2014 will turn out to be will depend on how I will handle every passing situation. I'm past the adjustment period, past the "testing the waters" frame and past denial stage. 2014 is a full-pledge Reality :)!







Cheers to 2014:
- for more blessings.
- for healthier body and sound mind.
- for a happier and calm state of heart and thoughts.
- for a stronger family bond, tighter friendship ties, and deeper faith in God.
- for more love, respect, and understanding of ourselves and with our loved ones.

How fast I may run in 2014, may I always find time to slow down and appreciate everything in life --- the joys and its shortcomings. And I hope you will too. Hiyaaaa!!! :)

2010 to 2013

2010 - the year when another re-organization happened in our Department (way back when I was still an employee).

2011 - was the year when I decided to take a major decision. This was the year when I had a real argument with myself, thought things over, prepared, created a new mindset as reality struck and finally I gave up to the whole idea of asking for signs. I instead took the liberty to create a different basis of reasoning or dependency of when and why to give up my career.

2012 - the year when the final decision was nailed and stamped. As Khaled Hosseini quoted on his book "Of all the hardships a person had to face, none was more punishing than the simple act of waiting."  It was indeed an agony to wait hehehe.

2013 - is the year of executing the years plan. I slowly moved away from the daily normal life and savour every bit of the remaining work experiences in between my whims and whining. This year is like opening a box where a joker springs up and .... Surprise!! It has been from one surprise to another, some are expected and some are simply jaw dropping. There are tearful moments out of sheer happiness and tearful moments from complete exhaustion and frustration. There are points of giving up but more bullets to just keep on-going. I lost financial figures but gained more lasting and precious moments with Jack and Z. Through and through, my heart is overflowing with gratitude and praise. In the next 23 hours, 2013 shall excuse itself and before it does let me shout these words .....

THANK YOU SO MUCH LORD FOR:

our families, our friends, the strangers met along the way, the readers, the opportunities (to read, travel, give & receive, communicate) and to everyone else who has touched my life. 2013 has been a great test of my character, a year of humbling experiences, additional roles, and a year of heartbreaking news.



Thank you 2013 for everything! Good Morning! :)

From our family to yours

To all our relatives and friends both near and far a Merry Christmas to all of you!  May goodness and peace fill your hearts.  To God be thy glory!  

Home Sweet Home

Coming home for the Holidays is in every Filipinos heart regardless if it means bringing home more bacon or just oneself.  We love to come home because we want to be with our families and friends as we celebrate Christmas and New Year.

As the flight booking is completed there is no looking back and officially, countdown begins. Last minute purchases are unavoidable, packing becomes a challenge and what's more the unending cycle of packing and unpacking to avoid excess baggage episodes at the check-in counter.  But who says it's a new issue?  If ever I will have a New Year's Resolution, on top of my lists would be -- 1. Pack lightly. 2. No more last minute purchases.  Hahaha is this like asking for the moon to come down? ☺ 

Thank God for the safe travel and we're Home Sweet Home!  We're back to our roots and it feels so good to be cradled back in the arms of our family.  How I miss the comfort of my bed, the snoopy linens and my room.  Oh!  Now that I'm back, I am ruining the room's tidiness but I so appreciate the new light, it's a lot cooler now than before although it's dimmer but I am too happy to complain.  Naks!  Home is a lot noisy since we arrived but with all the laughter and innocent giggles it's both a feat and a blessing.

After a few days from touchdown one by one Zs' to-do list are checked and done.  Do you want a copy of his list?  Here's a glimpse ☺:

1. Pancake and hotdog for breakfast on arrival date.
2. Chorizo
3. Jollibee
4. Pork adobo and the list goes on.

One at a time I have met my friends and marked x my list too.  Our lists differ but as each bullet list is crossed out, each item shines like a star that brightly lit our hearts.  They are like magic beans that we now eagerly collect which we may one day scoop out to give us energy in the next year's adventure.  As for Jack, he is at his own pace and heart content -- no pressure, no list, just calm and relax as always.

I am happy to see the upgraded traffic lights in Mandaue, the on-going road widening at Canduman, the newly opened establishments and restos, the rising buildings, and the great number of church goers during the Misa de Gallo.  What blows me away are the long queues at the taxi stands and the pressing and torturing traffic jams. I can't believe how populated Cebu has become both people and vehicles.  We used to reach Ayala Center in 30-45mins from our house but now it takes us 1 hour 30 minutes and the jam is everywhere. Even riding a jeepney is a struggle.  What the!  Partly could be of the season!?  The good thing is I don't drive but I have to give my travel time a great ample of time.  And oh another thing which I don't find too friendly is the sprouting of gasoline stations especially along Canduman and Talamban.  Scarey!  Don't you think so?

Again, it's good to be back!  Home Sweet Home Cebu, yahooo!!

First on First

        There are reasons why some things have to happen and why certain rules have to change.  The reasons may not always present immediately but when it do it helps one to widen more his or her way of thinking.

        I was emotional (not that I cried) but worry and inconvenience were the apt words to describe my feelings when I knew that the previous school of Z decided to change the communicants grade level.  Traditionally and based on experience it is in Grade 2 that the Holy Sacrament of Communion is to be received but they changed it to Grade 3.

        Since we moved out, the idea of Z receiving the First Holy Communion as a group was dismissed.  I did fear that Jack and I will not be able to execute what is expected of us as Catholic parents.  Good thing the fear is now a thing of the past.  I am so thankful for my Papa Lito and Mama Lucy for the help they have extended to us.  My Father has been our source and the ultimate mover and shaker for Z to have his Catechism and Confession yesterday.  Today at the Misa de Gallo, Z had his First Communion.  Thanks to Ms. Lory Angot as Zs' Catechist and Fr. Lito of Our Lady of the Nativity Parish in Canduman for allowing it to happen.  This is Ms. Lory's first time to arrange a special Holy Communion and this is also a first time for the Parish to hold a special Holy Communion request. 

        Z might have not celebrated it the traditional way but having done the tradition of receiving the 3rd Sacrament is what truly matters.  His journey as a Catholic still goes a long way and as parents it is our duty and responsibility to ensure guidance and observance of the Catholic traditions. 

Let us have a quick review ☺ on The Seven Sacraments of the Catholic Church:

1. Baptism
2. Penance or Reconciliation
3. Eucharist or Holy Communion
4. Confirmation
5. Matrimony
6. Holy Orders
7. Anointing of the Sick

T1 is Out

It's time to celebrate and relax as Term 1 is out -- Officially!  

I'm far and beyond super happy.  Five o' clock morning alarm is on ceasefire, yehey!  I'm sure Z owns this day and he owns the bigger chunk of the happiness.  All his hard work has paid off.  He also got good reviews from his Teachers that truly inspires us his parents to also do more for him.  Unlike his previous schools, there is no class ranking and no Grading Period Average.  Certainly, we are very happy with his performance in T1.  I think Z and I need to dance more while Jack and Z need to play chess more too hehehe.  

Thank you God for this and Thank you Z for exerting all the efforts to do good and be good at school.   Good Job Z! 

Happy Parents :)