Moscow Surprise!

       Two nights ago, my hubby mentioned, " How about Russia for our 4th anniversary?, i have always wanted to go there." I was surprised because i was only thinking and actually asking him that we go to Malaysia and Singapore for the celebration cum honeymoon. My initial reaction? - Of course i uttered a big YES or should i say a HUUUUGE YES. I believe he is pretty serious on planning the trip. His dream was a european tour and i am just lucky i can tag along.
       So now i am working on the assignment he gave me: To get in touch with our russian friend Lena and Roma (whom we met in Pearl Farm in 2008) in Moscow and ask for their assistance and recommendation as to the hotel we will stay in. And as for my self-made assignments, check the chances or perhaps severity of the snow from November 8 to 14 and of course making a list of things to do and  places to visit in that country -  first in the list is the Red Square.
      I am definitely looking forward to this date.

Loving AMAZON.COM

       I am not really an online shopper kind of girl for many reasons, few of those reasons are: (1)   i find products on line expensive; (2) i can't be sure of the quality; (3) it will take time for the products to arrive. Been okey with shopping in the mall from time to time but when my hubby introduced to me AMAZON.Com, everything changed. My husband has been shopping at that site for so long now and i after i knew about it soon i found myself surfing the site and checking things that i would like.  Realization came to me that the prices are just reasonable as when you are shopping in  the mall or scouting for a good discount, the quality is good as i can tell in the two rubber shoes i bought ( sketchers and K.Swiss) and the dresses my husband bought as well.

       What amazes me even more about amazon, is that the products arrive fast.  I can't remember anymore how many times me and my husband shopped at amazon online and surely the items we picked  arrive at the time they were expected and sometimes even earlier. The latest i bought from the site is the Shirley Bassey CD collection which i have been looking for quite sometime now, good thing i was able to find it at AMAZON. I am so happy. Happier that it came early. Oh how nice is it to sing along with her songs while driving, i like it so much!

       There are still a lot of things i can think about  that i would want. But for sure, when i am ready to shop, AMAZON.Com is going to be my first destination. Trust me everything can be found  in that site, as in e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g..

       Now i am thinking to buyyy.........hhhmmmm???? Can you guess what i am thinking? I am thinking of buying my husband a new luggage, since he travels from time to time, and so that i can stuff a lot of shopped items in it when we go visit the US. How about that?

       Happy shopping people!

       

Baby Trick 101

       After the church mass, the pastor announced the children's recital scheduled 7pm today. Seeing the said activity twice for the last two years, which i pretty much enjoyed,  i decided to fetch my 2 year old niece so i can bring her tonight to watch the presentation. After succesfully convincing her that i will let her watch as many Dora Dora the Explorer dvd's  she wants if she would only come with me, i tuck her at the backseat and put around her the safety strap, and oh i gave her milkies to eat so she would behave as i  drive. Then we got home. We were already watching movies and eating when she suddenly remembered her dad whom she is fond calling as "pappie or puppy", whatever. So to  divert the topic and make her forget about it, i told her so many lies.. ( white lies ) hahaha, i did that just to make her stop whining about her dad, or else i will be stressed!!!. So here are the tricks i said and made:

1. i told her we will go to Jollibee when she wakes up ( no filipino kid will refuse to this offer)

2. i will carry her on my bike basket ( which she likes so much)

3. i will le her play with stupidoo ( our dog)

4. i made her iced tea, and lastly

4. i will take her to the mall...

       I am not so sure how effective my tricks are for other babies, but these are effective on my niece, as a matter of fact she is in deep sleep right now...zzzzzzzzzz...i took a pic of her sleeping.. so cute

      And this is how she looks when not sleeping...this pic was taken at the back of MOA last May 20, 2010.

       Cute, isn't it?





Done: May 30, 2010

She is missed!

       Its been a week since i came back from Manila with my younger brother and his family. From that time we have been doing family bonding every night at my parent's house and have dinner there. Our eldest sibling and his family are also there which leave us with one missing person - my sister. Hmmm,  where is she? She has been terribly missed. Family talks over dinner makes the simple foods turn into  a food for the Gods. Its lovely indeed to have your family around sharing and feasting on the blessings. Yes we have been doing that same activity every night without my sister. She is in Manila right now, working her ass and preparing for her future too. And how i wish she could be here with us right now, or even one night out of 7 nights a week...uhhmm so missed her..

       I am so proud of my sis because she had attained so much in life, she is industrious as an ant, soft as a dove and strong as an iron. Earlier this year, she again had her second surgery on her ovaries - this time the doctor took awa y the remaining ovary that was left from her first cut. It must be terrible for her because the things that incapacitates a woman to bear a child is no longer within her. I feel so sorry for her and i pity her. But then I always trust the Master dessigner of our lives and i cannot question why this and that happened to her. My faith tells  me that everything has  a reason, those reasons may not be revealed now but surely they will be in the near future and you can't say anothing but "now i know".

       Needless to say, we are having a good quality time with the whole family. My sis may be phyically absent but she is always in our hearts, and when she comes home for a vacation we will surely make it worthwhile. May our family be blessed until the end of our lives!

Done: May 29, 2010

Word War in Blog-go-sphere

       So yesterday was a rainy day, but the rain did not stop us ( Lainy, Lira and me ) from seeing each other for the first time. Lainy is a schoolmate back in college and Lira who now lives in the US is taking a short vacation here with her husband and kid. We accidentally met at the hotel where they stayed earlier that afternoon so meeting her at JB highway was not really an "off thing" feeling like that of  meeting somebody for the first time. Oh before i forget, Lira is such a nice and simple woman-- bloody filipina! ( Hooray to that!)

       Since the three of us were so called "generals" we got along pretty well. We sat, ate, chatted about a lot of things, you know what happened when all "tirangs" meet, whewww! its going to be a blast - like never ending conversations, one topic connecting to one another  to another and another and another. There were quite a few topics that we have discussed aside from some personal stuff, but  one of the topics that particulary catched my interest is the word war that happened in the world of blogging between a good friend of mine and another woman ( will not mention their names). I was a little confused and lost in the conversation so i just asked Lainy to send me the links so i can review them when i get home.

       An hour after we said goodbyes, i find myself reading terrible, horrible, deplorable and hell i dont know how else i would describe the  comments  posted  by a visitor in my friend's blogsite.  After reading all of those exchange of comments ( nice, rude, calm, religious, arrogant, legal, etc ) i came up with two words to describe it - HOLY CRAP! I can't believe ( but i guess now i am starting to believe) how big wars arise from small misunderstandings.Really. It just turned out into a big battle. We fight our own battle - everyday. But what i learmed from this is  to fight your own battle and to keep in mind how to win or loose such battle. Winning a battle, if you have the right strategy is easy, but i also learned that loosing one is easier. Why? because you are doomed to lose and always in the pitfall if you fight like a whore...

       Good thing my friend did not stooped down to her level and stood by the essence of the word "professional". And the winner is .......................

Done: May 29, 2010

Shirley Bassey Fanatico

       Guys, have you ever wondered why the old songs are better than the songs we hear now, somehow? In my personal opinion, such is due to the fact that the singers in the past put more emotion and sensitivity in the songs they create. Thus  they are called classic - famous  then and still  famous  now.

       Late this afternoon after the last group who defended their thesis were done, i went to buy a birthday cake for  my niece who turned 4. After having dinner i drove home and found a package waiting for me  right after i have opened the front gate. The "not so smart" post man, who i guess is well versed already that i get packages few times a month, just left the package there or better said "threw in the package" while i was out. I said " threw in the package" for 2 reasons: one - my front gate is locked; and two- my front steel fence is high and he can't just jump over , lay the package on the paved alley to the main door  and then jump over to get out of my property, huh. weird ...Nevertheless, my closest suspicion was he just threw it in without even a bit of tact. I also have a japanese spitz who would roam around my lot and would bite into anything it would come across with. Good thing, he did not touch the package. A star for you stupidoo ( that is the name of my dog).

     The sight of the package made me wonder, who would have sent me such. I was talking to my husband few days earlier that the amazon ( the site we use to order stuff from) would be able to deliver the Cds he bought by March 25. To my surpise, i saw the Amazon logo on the box and hurriedly grabbed it to open. It were indeed the Shirley Bassey CDs.. How i love to listen to her songs. Yes, they are  oldie, as in certified old songs but as i have said they are full of emotion. The intensity of the voice and the weight of the message revealed in every song just leave me in total awe.  I am just as happy to have few of the best CDs she came up with.  I was young then when i started singing her songs, i would listen to battery operated radio and i would memorize the lyrics, until i get familair, then very familair after some time.

       Now i am singing, not as good as Shirley though, but emotionally and sincerely as if i am singing to the man i love  who is just in front of me. When i become a mother, i would sing these same old songs to my kids to tuck them to sleep.. i just wish they will have a good night afterwards..hahaha..."Diamonds are forever, forever, forever.."

      To Shirley, thanks for all the songs you made, songs you sang and song you gave meaning to. It has been my pleasure to be one of those who found comfort in your songs..

      

Cheers to the raise!

       It has been two week since my husband got  promoted and until  now i still feel the excitement and happiness it brought as well a some uncertainties. I am definitely proud of him for the promoion which is of course ver much deserved by him. He has been working very hard and i am flattered that he was noticed. I remember those nights that his call would come late or worse not come at all due to a lot of work he has to do  and bunch of reports to make.

       Happiness is always the feeling when there is some nice things  happen - and it always calls for a celebration, eh! Yes, i celebrated his success in my heart and meekly thanked the Lord for another blessing.

       But now we are talking about the unsure R&R ( which was originally set for March 20). He said he is not sure if he can get that date because he was transfered to the international camp in Baghdad along with his promotion and that he has to somehow get himself very familiar with the new base. Yes, i understand that pretty well, i just can't contain my excitement to see him gain be it this march  20 or a little later.  

       Although it is uncertain when it comes to date - its absolutely certain that we will have this much needed R&R very soon and i will just be here..........waiting.

       Cheers to life and to success!

For Future Investment

       Less than a week ago, a friend of mine told me of some residential lots for sale in a subdivision located in Klinan 5, Barangay Mabuhay. What made me very interested and eager to get one was the price which is very affordable. This is how affordable it is  - 42 thousand pesos for every 120 square meters of lot. Add 15 thousand pesos for the processng of title. Put a 5 thousand deposit, sign the contract to sell, take the payment receipt and wholah!!!- you are off to go and start your monthly amortization the month after for 3 year....yes, you heard me right, for three years, isn;t that very easy and affordable? I thought so too.  The 15 thousand processing fee was equally distributed into ten months which is added to your monthy amortization, so expect that your due for the first ten months will be a little higher - but sure its okey.  Interest for the capital is only 6 percent per annum and whever you have fully paid before the three years term - you can always be charged only with the applicable interest. Sounds just fair, eh!

       

       I went to the site and checked the place and this is how i will describe it.:

      - in higher elevation that you can over look part of the city

      - air or wind is good from the hillside

      - in the exact opposite direction is the magnificient Mount Matutum

      - what makes it very nice and ideal for investment is that it is close to the diversion road..

    - and take note development  and infrastructures by the local government in  few years will be in Mabuhay area..

       So i tought, why not invest in lots ? Anyway they don't get spoiled and they even apprecaite as years pass by. I can put there apartments in the future which i can rent out and so easy money - you will have monthly collection  wtihout so much hassle.

       I am just happy that when i relayed my idea to my husband, he was very supportive. So i wasted no time, though i spend a day inquiring at the responsible government offices for this matter and it turn out let say satisfactory ( that is because  they are still in the process of having the mother title subdivided). Then i went on to sign the "contrat to sell" and put my deposit.

       Hmmmmm, how i wish tomorrow is already the last month of the 3rd year - so i can say " Yes, I made it!" hahaha, just being silly - but there  is a good truth in it. Thanks for he news and thanks for all the provision that i have received.

       Enjoy the night.   :)

There's a reason for everything.......

  

      My husband's last R&R for 2009 started November 8 and lasted until December 5. We intended to be together to celebrate our 3rd year anniversary and his birthday which came 7 days after our anniversary. Months before his arrival, I have frequently been visiting my gyne for some check ups and preparations in  the hope that we can successfuly conceive this time. Just like any other couple, we desire to have a kid, or should i say kids. Yes, we are no different. In the past three years, I have been longing to have our firs baby  and evey time i get my period or pegtest indicates "negative", I would just lay in bed in frustration. A few days delay in your monthly visit makes you somehow excited and crazily anticipate that you are on your way. But period would still arrive. Negative, negative, negative. How frustrating, indeed.

       For this R&R, my hopes are high, he is staying for 28 days and I will be in my fertile period during his stay.  Then, I missed my period on the expected day, then on the next day, then on the next. I have been rejoicing silently, hoping and crossing my fingers that this is it. Until it startred - I had spots, I bled. Still not convinced, I took a quick pregnancy test and it was again, negative. I became weak, cried and thought of so many things. I was asking what was wrong. I have been sad for a couple of days or more.  My husband would always cheer me up saying, "it will happen in due time", and my simple reply would be, " I'm old, I'm 30, I'm old."

        But everything changed. After the car accident  I got involved with more than a week ago, I realized a lot of things. One is that maybe, JUST MAYBE, God did not allow me to get pregnant becuse i will be in the car crash. If i was pregnant that time,  I could have a miscarriage during the impact - I would lose my baby, and that would be a very terrible, terrible thing to happen.  And the ultimate reason - its not yet the right time. God is good, cause now i am still alive and can have many chances of getting pregnant. Everything happens for a reason. The "have not gotten pregnant" , the "accident", - they all happened for a reason. It was God's way to tell me that there is time for everything. This I learned.

       When we ask something in our prayers, God answers  - and his answer is either Yes, No or Wait. I know He will give us the desire of our hearts, I just have to wait. I just have to be patient, as the saying goes "patience is virtue".

Forgive and Forget

    

      How many among us still believe and follow the saying " Forgive and Forget "? Are you one of those who does? Well, it is the topic in today's sermon in church. Qestion is,  what is there to forgive and what is there to forget?

      As human being, its natural that we don't forgive easily. It takes time. Some people do it faster then the others, some would cling to it for a while and there are some that spend a century before they can forgive, some even take a lifetime. The principles of christianity dictate that we should forgive  not only those who had sinned against us, but also we should forgive ourselves. Yes, we are sinners and that is the reason why God is here to cleanse us.  We should forgive ourselves for all the sins we have done ( intentioanlly of unintentioanlly), for  all of our wrong actions and for all evil thoughts. And when we forgive - forgive honestly. Honest forgiving is the only way for us to go on  with our lives without being held up or tied up into some chain.

     Forgetting, on the other hand, calls for a closure of something unpleasant and this requires the participation of the mind and the heart. We should only forget those things and events that would bring us bad memories, hatred, jealousy, envy, etc.  Keeping unpleasant things in our hearts and minds prevents us from moving forward with ease. Life is a journey that we should take, thus we should be moving forward in life. Would it not be a lot easier if we move forward without bringing a heavy luggage? Bring only happy memories - those are weightless and will not be a burden to you. But it does not stop here, we should be addicted to forgetting, in other words let us forget habitually -as in,  let us make forgetting a habit -  a darn good habit.

       Life is so short and so precius to be wasted. Let us live our lives to the fullest  and move forward faithfully. We can only do that when we learn to forgive and forget. But remember that when you forgive -  FORGIVE HONESTLY, and when you forget - FORGET HABITUALLY.

         Happy Sunday, everyone!

  

Sisters all the Time

People would think we are twins, but we are not. She was born 14 months ahead of me and has a bit bigger physique than i have. Aside from a little body difference, we have almost the same physical features that even our neighbors for more than 20 years find it hard to identify who is who. What makes people think we are twins - is our ability to speak, act and laugh like the other. Nothing can be wackier than me and her in a gimmick together.

Grace, my sister, lives in Makati City, but she came home to celebrate new year with us. We were surprised that she will spend 10 days with us, knowing that she hates the sunny weather and that she usually spend only 2 to 3 days with us in every vacation. I was happy she will be staying longer but little did we know that she has brought with her a sad news. Her doctor advised her for a second operation in her ovary due to ovarian cysts. I can remember in November 2008 when she was first operated. I flew to Manila to be with her in the hospital and to take care of her. I thought it was the end of her suffering, but it was not.

She came home sad, not knowing what to do, where to go and where to get the same amount of money she spent for her first operation. We talked, we discussed and somehow came up with something. Though its not gonna be easy, i am sure we can surpass this as family.

So i thought, spending quality time with her would help. We took a road trip to Koronadal City, bought fruits she likes so much along the road, went to the foot of Mount Matutum to visit the flower plantations, watched movies together, went shopping together and even renewed our driver's license together. We are that close. We had fun, we had double fun. She even told me she does not feel the pain now that we are together ( i hope she will not feel it, ever! )

Two days more and she will be off to Manila and we don't know when we will see each other again. To make the most of her stay, we went to get foot massage and facial cleaning. After some much needed pampering we checked the newest pizzeria in town. Pizza tasted great but what made it greater is the good-looking manager who seemed to be attracted to her. That nice looking guy came to our table several times ( which is not necessary at all) and asked a couple of questions, then another question and then another. I learned the following morning they exchanged friendly messages. I am just as happy that she does not think of her operation as much as when she is with us than when she is in Makati. But reality bites, i am certain that when she gets back to Makati she will be thinking of it again.

Although i feel sad, i am sure i was able to make the most of her stay. That i had made her happy is already an achievement. It is still 3 months until the second operation and many things will happen still in that length of time all i pray is a miracle for her so that she does not have to go through it again.

To a sister that i love so much - just be strong. I am just here.

The IGACOS Experience

Much as i had fun while i was in another place i had so much fun too when me and my loving husband took a 6- day vacation at Pearl Farm Resort, IGACOS ( commonly known as the Samal Island ). The place is at the back part of the island and i must say that it is so C-O-O-L there. I would encourage you to go and pay the place a visit, you will not regret it.

From the day we arrive, the marina crew, the ferry people and the island welcoming group were so warm and accommodating that worrying about your stuff is a strange word. They take care of everything. After arrival we took a tour of the place and its so amazing, food is great, service is very nice plus they have weekend activities which you will enjoy. Pictures of the place are uploaded in one of my albums in my friendster account, and you can check it to see for yourself.

One thing worth mentioning - - - -pretty, pretty beach.

Being a beach bum myself, in the scale of 1 - 10, i would rate the Place 9. Only nine because they did not allow us to wreck dive because we only have open water certification. They require a master diver certification for that. My husband was so disappointed cause he was excited to see a japanese ship wreck from WWII. I guess we will enroll for master diver certifcatoin sometime.

Have a great day guys!

Perseverance, contentment and gratitute

Can anybody tell me the meaning of the words perseverance, contentment and gratitude without necessarily seeking the help of a dictionary? When will the people learn to persevere? When will they learn to be contented? and When will they be grateful?

People are unfair sometimes, and yes even some members of your own family are unfair. Been there. Done that. Felt that. oohhhh its so funny familiar, yet true.

You make sure everyone is happy, to the point that you forget yourself sometimes. But why is it that people notice your one shortcoming and forget the bunch of goodness you have done? And why is it that they would make it sound that you are “bad” after not doing one thing obviously and usually expected from you? Why? Have i not provided enough? Have i not provided well enough? Does anybody really think i am a problem-free kinda woman??wheeewww!

Noone is spared from having problems, that i believe. Even the richest man on earth has problems of his own. I have problems too but i have my ways to solve it. We should persevere, we should work, we should prepare for the uncertainties the future brings so that when we are in need we can provide ourselves- exhaust our resources- without relying on anybody.

Living in contentment is living within your means. It is not necessarily comfortable though. It only means that we should live with the things we need. Should there be extra, like a couple of so called “likes” and “wants” consider it a bonus but never consider them ” extra needs” or you will end up with a long list of extra needs..know what i mean?

Be grateful - in what you have, in where you are and in what you are into. Not only that, also be grateful with what you don’t have, in where you are not and in what you are not into…why? because in life there is always two sides - the well-defined side and the vague side. Whichever side you are, there is always a reason, an explaination. God always makes sure you are in the well-defined side and that alone is one great thing that we should be grateful of. When we are in the vague side, its only a prequisite for us to learn, realize and apppreciate when we are already in the better side.

To make it short: work hard ( or even harer ), live simply, give thanks.

I am grateful i grew up with strong will, with substance. Being a feisty capricorn, i strive, i survive. I play competitively ( with mind and body in combo). .. so cheer up pips.. Viva Femme Fatale….

Viva to life!

Strawberry Surprise in Tropical City

It was July this year when i sowed some strawberry seeds which we got from the States. It was kinda weird idea to plant it ’cause you know, its Gensan - its forever summer here - and knowing that strawberries only grow in cold places, e.g. Baguio in the Philippines and of course some foreign cold place, it seems impossible ( like swimming across Atlantic Ocean ).

The seeds did germinate after a couple of weeks, i just had to maintain the moisture it needed based on what i learned from my reading about growing them. Weeks turned to months and after several months- i got a wonderful flower that houses a tiny yellow strawberry fruit inside. I can’t believe when i saw it first so i have to make a closer look to make sure i was not deceived. But yes, it was inside a flower and now that the petals are starting to wilt, the tiny fruit can be seen without necessary scrutinizing the plant. I am happy….proud of myself of this wonderful achievement. I just don’t know if it will successfully give me the first red berry though, but i am hoping it will. I will give the plant the same nurturing hands until the fruit is ready to pick..What is promising about my strawberry plants is that they are very healthy with lush green leaves. I will just have to be on guard for the ants or rats who will try to steal my first berry.!….

I will let you know guys whatever progress there is..

Cheers!

Just Got a Huge Gift

Yesterday was terrible and horrible but it was a miracle. It was four days before my 30th birthday. We sent my sister to Davao airport on her way back to Manila and after that the journey back home started. I can still remember how i swerved the steering wheel, how i held on tight to it, and how hard i stepped on the brakes to stop the car. The Hyundai SUV i was driving took a little more that 180 degrees turn off the road, hit a concrete barrier and cut down a good tree. As i was thinking of that thing that every driver evades on the road, i pulled all my strength and tried really hard to prevent the accident from happening, having in mind the other two lives i am carrying. After we skid and bumped and turned and bumped again, i found myself holding tight to the wheel-even tighter, face down. A moment passed after we came to a stop, i lifted my head, saw the windshield covered with branches of the tree i hit and saw my hood popped open a little, steam coming out of it. I immediately checked on my mother who was sitting at the back and my father who was sitting in front. As other motorists stopped and came to check who was hurt and offered help, only then that i realized I just had an accident - we just had an accident.

We all got out of the car and carefully checked ourselves for possible wounds, damaged bones or bruises - there was none. The radiator broke and bent, lights shattered, oils and water leaking, and some more crucial parts damaged that i have to call for a towing truck to bring the car back to the city. As usual, police came to investigate (which by the way was very helpful), and i got invited to the police station for the blotter report. When i came back to the site, the tension subsided.

Everything happened so fast, so fast that i lost account of what happened during that time.

As i stood near the big tree, which is by the way is just next to the tree we hit, i had a moment to reflect and realized that we are beneficiaries of a miracle. We came out bruiseless after the severe impact. I was driving towards the south direction but after the accident the car was facing the north, can you imagine that? Thank God - he was there to preserve our precious lives. Some said we were lucky, but coming out bruiseless and breathing is more than just lucky, i call it miracle and miracle happens, indeed.

We arrived home late at night, tired and scared and God knows what else. Words were not enough to describe that kind of feeling. As i sat on the couch, tears rolled down my cheeks, everything started to sink in my memory in its second-by-second account and everytime it flashes back in my mind, it leaves me a violent and irregular heartbeat. I am horrified thinking of the other worst things that could have happened. Now i just have to deal with my trauma which i wish will end soon.

I am just so thankful that our lives were spared - to me, it was already a huge birthday present.