FaMiLY BoNDiNg iN ThE MaKiNG

Time flies so fast. Last January, we went to Baguio for our first vacation for 2013. Now, we are planning on another one. Sounds really exciting!

My brother will be taking a vacation (he works in KSA) and will be arriving by March 6.  As early as now, our family is already planning a family bonding to make his vacation worthwhile. For this month, we are looking at a beach swimming. There were a lot of disagreements and exchange of ideas regarding this, but in the end we always come to a common decision.

Since it will only be a day tour due to limited time, we are choosing between Subic and Bataan. However, a friend of ours told us that he went to Camayan Beach Resort recently and it has a clean beach area. With that, we decided to give it a try.

For now, we are into the planning stage. It will only be around 2 weeks before our target summer get away. I will post our pictures soon!

January 19 (Saturday) Day3 - This was supposed to be our last day, but we decided to extend for another night. This was the day of baptismal for my god daughter, Sofiel. We woke up early for breakfast because we need to accomplish a lot of things for this day. Phoebe picked us up at the hotel at around 9 o'clock in the morning to bring us to their home. My friend welcomed us into their home for another night. That morning, she was heading to school for a Family Day, but changed her plans. Instead, she went with us to the church for the baptism. At around 10:30, we were already at St Joseph The Miracle Worker Parish

After the nice ceremony, we headed to the reception called South Drive Manor. The food was great and the place is nice. It was like being close to nature.

with Phoebe at the reception

After a sumptuous lunch, we headed back to their house for a quick rest. At around 2 o'clock, our new friend, Kuya Chris picked us up and we visited Ben Cab's Gallery located in Tuba, Benguet.

This was a new place for us, but we really enjoyed the view and the artifacts inside. 

After a tiring tour, we went for a nice dinner at Ketsup Food Community. We filled our stomachs with some good food from Happy Tummy resto

After a nice meal, we all had a short walk while the cold air brushes our faces. That was really a cold night!

At around 6 o'clock the following morning, we were already heading back home. This Baguio vacation was not a usual vacation since we tried a lot of new things and it was indeed an adventure.

January 18 (Friday) Day 2 - We woke up early at around 5 o'clock in the morning since we planned on taking a walk around Burnham Park. I was so excited to feel the cold morning breeze, so we went out at 6 o'clock. As we entered Burnham Park, the cold breeze greeted us and touched our cheeks. So, I told myself " I miss this feeling and I've been longing for this for years."

After a nice picture with our hotel on the background, we continued walking to look for new things inside the park. There's not much of changes, but it's good to see this...

 (Burnham Park under major renovation)

Then, we continued walking and taking pictures as we pass along nice views. After a few minutes, people start to arrive for their daily dose of exercise. 

 (Taebo session in progress)

While watching them, we noticed something new to our eyes.

 (Hubby eating strawberry taho)

At around 7:30 in the morning, we decided to go back for breakfast. Then, we headed to my alma mater (SLU), to visit a person, who helped me tremendously during my college days. We invited her and the whole family for dinner as a way of showing my gratitude for being helping me without asking anything in return. Of course, I did not fail to visit the university chapel, where so many memories were made.

Since it was only around 9:30 in the morning, we decided to visit the market place to buy some "pasalubong" for the family. As usual, we did not miss buying brooms, coffee, strawberry, choco flakes, and a lot more. After that, we headed back to the hotel to prepare for our Treetop Adventure! It was indeed a nice experience :)

After this exciting adventure, it's time to go back to the hotel and rest. We arrived at around 5 o'clock in the afternoon, so we took the time to rest and prepare for the scheduled dinner.

I owe a lot to this family. They are one of the people, whom I will never forget.

We shared a simple dinner and after that, a cup of hot coffee filled our stomach. Taken at Cafe by the Ruins :)

After having endless laughter and stories, we retired for the night. At around 9 in the evening, we all decided to rest. This night was one of the best! 

Once we arrived at our hotel room, I still felt hyper that I could not sleep early. I was so happy to see these people after several years. I hope I made them all happy :)

First Adventure for 2013

In the past year (2012), hubby and I worked hard to earn a living. As for me, I was busy doing online jobs in order to raise funds for our house construction and hubby was working overtime just to satisfy all our needs. Though 2012 has been tough, it was a blessed year for both of us. During this year, we were able to get a small house in Angeles City (through Pag-ibig Fund) and had a chance to get a second hand car. All these happened through our combined efforts just to  have a better life. In fact, we were so thankful and grateful that we accomplished all these in the same year. Our combined monthly income increased, so it was pretty easy for us to save and plan for the future. 

Due to the hard work and sacrifices that we did, I decided to take a break and enjoy life. In the same year, a friend, who is currently working in Singapore asked me to become a godmother to her baby girl. Since she is a native of Baguio City, she decided to have the baptism in her home town. When I learned about this, I was pretty excited because I have a chance to take a short vacation. At first, I was quite unsure if hubby would want to go with me. When I first told him about it, he was totally undecided due to his work and schedule. Despite that, I still hoped that he can go with me.

Two weeks before the baptismal, hubby decided to go with me. But then, he had a demand. Yes, he was quite demanding! :) He wanted to stay in a nice hotel and most of the expenses to be shouldered by me. At first, I had second thoughts, but when I realized that it can be a nice and romantic getaway, I agreed right away. Preparations were made, and I put my reservations to Hotel Veniz, after several days of looking for cheap, and nice accommodation.

January 17 (Thursday) Day 1 - Hubby worked the night before, so I decided to wait for him at the Dau terminal. At around 9AM, we were already seating comfortably in Victory Liner bus 1265 bound to Baguio City. I've noticed several improvements in this bus and some of these are : flat screen television, wi-fi spot, newer buses, friendly staff, and comfortable travel. At around 2:30 in the afternoon, we were already in our hotel room. 

Unfortunately, hubby got sick due to fatigue and his health condition. At around 5 o'clock in the afternoon, he was chilling and his temperature was so high. I decided to go out to buy him some medicine and dinner. On our first night in Baguio, I let him sleep as long as needed to get well. I had dinner with Phoebe and my new friend, Kuya Chris, who works for BENECO.

Since hubby was sick, I also decided to retire early for the night. At around 11PM, we were both resting. But before I slept, I told him that he should be feeling better in the morning since we have so many activities to do.

ReLiEviNG aN oLD PaSSi0N

Blogging is an old love of mine. I started writing for my personal blog, which soon became a living. Because of my passion for reading and writing, I learned to write about different things that I find wonderful and amazing.

Since I did online jobs, I came to neglect blogging. Though this is a favorite hobby, it came to a point when I totally forget about it. There were times that it flashes into my mind, but with my busy schedule, I had no choice but to set it aside.

Right now, I can say that I really missed it. Blogging is one of the things I do to relieve stress and sadness.  It gives me so much joy especially when people find my blog entries inspiring and helpful.

At this point, I am promising to find time for my personal blog. I may not post entries on a daily basis, but I will do my best to update it as often as possible.

I am really excited since I got some adventures to share starting January. I hope I can re-live by blogging days.

For now, let me welcome back myself! :D

aM i rEaLLy BacK???

Time flies so fast and I didn't notice that I totally forgot about my blog...It's been a while since I had a post and I feel guilty about it. Well, a lot of things happened to me that's why..

After my five months of stay overseas, I finally went home to hubby. My stay there was very memorable and I never had any regrets. A lot of things happened to me and those will remain in me as long as I live. I met several friends and enjoyed having them around...

When I came back, I was thinking what to do. I didn't have any idea how to pick up the pieces I left and what to do next. I didn't want to go back to the call center world by choice especially if given another opportunity. Though my seven years of stay in the call center was rewarding, I would prefer to do something different by this time...

Hubby wanted me to stay at home and if given the chance, maybe just work somewhere near. During the first few weeks of staying at home, I really felt bored since I didn't know what to do. Hubby was so supportive of me, but still I felt some emptiness inside me. As I recall, I never dream of being a full time wife. For me, I always wanted to be a working wife and a working mom when the right time comes...

When hubby and I talked, I asked him what he wants for me. I asked for his thoughts on what I should do to my life. Maybe, I was still clueless that's why I need his opinion..But then, I was happy with what he told me..

He prefers that I should just stay at home and continue with my home based job. That was actually a good idea! From then on, my life had a new direction and I thank hubby for that.

Now, I am satisfied with what's happening to me. I am earning while at home and I feel some sense of fulfillment. I owe everything to the Lord and part of my success is being offered to my inspiration-beloved hubby.

I learned a very important lesson with everything that happened to me. I felt that GOD never abandoned me when I need HIM. I felt HIM working into my life and without HIM, I would have never done all of these...

To you our Creator and Savior, I thank YOU for everything. We lift everything to YOU.

SeNtoSa TiMe!

the lady life guard who doesn't know how to swim!

the father MerLion!

with my new friends while watching Songs of the Sea

with Rey and Riza


breath taking skide ride

ViSitiNg NiCe pLaCeS

a very amazing creation! the sounds travel til the other side of it



nice spot in Marina Bay

With my long time friend, Marne. She spent some time to bring me to nice places like Marina Bay.

FrieNds...FrieNDs..FrieNds!!!

This is Cheryl Lou who is my first friend on this trip. I met her at DMIA and we became friends instantly. She is so nice and really told me a lot about SG life. Because of her, I got some pictures before boarding the Cebupacific plane.


These are my circle of friends at my first job - AX Communications. I really enjoyed my stay because of them. We really had a lot of fun times and now I am missing them all :(

My FirSt SteP in SiNGaPoRe

March 26, 2011 - My first step in the MerLion City was made. This was my first time to go out of the country and it was really memorable. I traveled alone and was very clueless on what lies ahead of me. But my strong motivation was with me all the time and really made strong.

At around 4PM, my friend Realee picked me up at the Changi Airport. I can't hide the admiration I felt with the place since everything is amazing! Singapore is a very nice place to visit, a conducive place to work and a great place to stay. How I wish my husband was with me during this trip. :(

It's been more than three months now and this blog post was way too late. But, as they say it's better to be late than never, right?

aM i GettiNg ExCiTeD???

In about 40 hours, I will be in a plane going to Singapore for the first time. This is something very new to me due to several reasons : First, it is my first time to go out of the country. Second, it is only now that I get to travel alone which is thousands of miles away from home. Third, it is a rare opportunity to be totally independent most of the time. My hubby and I have thought of this for a very long time since it is a very big decision to make and we have weighed the pros and cons of it carefully. Though it would be very difficult for both of us, we just thought of the greater opportunity we can get if I will be blessed with a job there. Yes, it is indeed a big gamble if you are going to look at it. But, how can we succeed without trying and sacrificing, right?

As I leave hubby, a big adjustment should be made. We have to both do our part to keep our love alive despite of the distance. When we made this decision, I kept on praying every single day for GOD to guide and give me strength. For HIM to grant my request and be able to start a life that I have been praying for. A life which a lot of people will benefit.

I hate saying good byes so I want to just say " See you, later" instead. Whatever happens to me in SG, I will keep you posted. I just hope and pray that it will be a success. May the force be with me! :-)

SaVoriNg the ReMaiNiNg DaYs

Few more days and I'll be arriving in a foreign land for the first time. Actually, I am having mixed emotions since I'll be doing it alone and I have no idea how it will go. However, due to practical reasons I am ready to make some sacrifices. But despite of this fact, I am happy and touched since I am having more bonding moments with my good friends. Just last week, I was able to connect to some old friends from AOL. I haven't seen these guys for more than 2 years now so I really became excited to see them. They came all the way from Angeles City just to meet me. In addition to that sacrifice, they have paid for everything as their treat to me. I am really so lucky!

with Mariz, Bianca and Glecie

After the yummy lunch, another friend of mine happened to be in SM as well so we decided to meet. She was my former office mate from my recent job. Since we are still full, we just had a sweet dessert. I am glad that she enjoyed the sweet crepe which is her first time to try.

with Anne at Crepes and Cream

the evidence that she enjoyed her crepe

BirThDaYS, BirThDaYS & MorE (Part 3)

Finally, here are the pictures taken during the last day of my birthday celebration. I was so happy since my close friends were complete. My best friends from my previous job and from high school were gathered together. As always, hubby prepared something special for me. :)

Siomai, chicken pasta and maki

the complete gang

Guys, thanks for spending some time with me on my special day. I always enjoy every moment we are together. You are my friends for life! Love you all :)

BirThDaYS, BirThDaYS & MorE!!!

As promised on my previous post, I am now showing you our early summer get away as our joint birthday celebration. Last March 7 was the birthday of my brother in law, Jojo. Since it was the most convenient day for all of us, we had an overnight stay at Villa Alfredo's. (Part 1)

Loving their Jacuzzi. The water is not lukewarm though. But it still feels good.

Enjoying the nice garden :)

of course I shouldn't forget a picture with hubby

On the day of my birth -March 9 we went home to my parents for a simple celebration
(Part 2)

my simple cake


mom just cooked spag and pancit guisado (i forgot to take a pic of the turon)...Yummy!
... as for the third day, it's coming up soon! ...

FoR a ChaNgE

After a few months of battling whether to have a hair cut or not, I finally gave in! I am the type of person who seldom have a haircut since my hair grows very slow. They say that our hair should grown half an inch every month. So, in a year it should have grown by 6 inches. How I wish that's the case for me. Unfortunately, it's not. I often get envious to women who have long black and thick hair. Whenever I grow it longer, it is getting dull and thinner.

Few weeks ago, hubby and I went to Marquee mall for our bonding time. Before we went home, we passed by a spot where the sunset was so nice. We decided to take some shots and of course, me being the model. But then, he noticed that I was having a bad hair day so he teased and laughed at me. Since then, I told myself that I will be having a nice hair cut soon. Few hours ago, I was with my family at SM City and we passed by Ricky Reyes Salon. I told myself that this is the right time. I should try it to see for myself. I was having second thoughts but at that time, this is the only salon I saw. So, I still went on. The haircut was kinda costly but since it's my first time, I just didn't mind it that much. In fairness, I was happy with the result! The hairdresser even advised me not to let my hair grow beyond my shoulders. According to him, I should always have a layered cut and that, I have a nice hair.

Thanks Vivar for my new hair!

(front view)

(back view)

aNotHer YeaR of ThaNksgiViNG

Few days from now, I will be celebrating my 30th birthday! I can't believe that I will soon be leaving the 20's age. Time flies and so our age. But, does age really matter? For some, it is a big deal but for others, it is just a number. But, whatever you believe in what's important is how we live to it.

Last year I was blessed by having a 3-day celebration and for this year, I am even more blessed! Since there are 4 of us in our household who will be celebrating their birthdays for this month, we decided to have a one day grand celebration. It will be held at a resort somewhere in San Fernando and we decided to have an overnight stay to make the most out of it.

We are all excited since we haven't done this in a while so hubby already filed his 2 day leave so he will be having a 4 day vacation. For sure this will be a great bonding moment for all of us. As early as yesterday, we have written down all the things we needed as well as the expenses. A detailed plan was set so that it will be a perfect get away. For now, this is all I can divulge but I promise a lot of pictures will be posted soon.

BesT ThiNgs iN LiFe

As they say, some of the best things in life are free. For me, one of the best things I have are my true friends. I have known these guys for several years now and it always feels good whenever we are having a get together. It maybe an expensive dinner, not quite expensive gimik or even a "jologs" night out but it doesn't matter as long as the people are still the same.

Few days ago, Au texted me saying .. " Mama, I'm on leave on Monday. Let's have some fishballs and one day old chicks." At first, I was surprised hearing that from her since she is a very successful career woman working in a multi national company in Ortigas. I never thought that she still misses eating street foods. As a "probinsyana", of course this is something normal to me and I immediately asked "Where?" but deep inside me, I am hoping that she won't say " Sa tabi tabi lang." lol ... Luckily, she has no idea so I was the one who suggested a place which is clean and in a safe location. So, we landed to ...


We really had a great time eating fish balls, squid balls, kikiam, orlian and sharks fin. It was just a very simple eat out but the memory was really unforgettable. Mixed with different stories to tell, we laughed our hearts out. It seems like we haven't seen each other for quite a while (the truth is, we just had a pre-Valentine lunch last Feb 13). I am really proud to say that, our barkada is one of the best and we always have fun wherever and whenever we meet.



After the simple merienda, it was running late so one suggested that we have dinner. We chose a cheap place which is actually like a carinderia but their bbq was so good. Mely's is located just infront of Partyplace. We had chicken and pork bbq, chicken ass, sisig and few bottles of beer for hubby and Au's bf, Whip. Before 10PM, we all decided to retire since Ca's hubby is going to work at 10PM (she wants to see him first before he leaves for work) and Au still needs to wake up early for work the following day. It was really really fun! All I can say is, let's do this more often, guys!

It's BeeN 40 DaYs ...

Baby, it's been 40 days since you joined the Lord Almighty. As they say, you now leave the earth permanently. That means, Mommy and Daddy will miss you forever. You know, it is still painful for Daddy and Mommy (specially me) knowing you won't be back anymore. But with just a prayer, my longing for you decreases. I am sure that you are now happy in heaven and that makes me at ease. I just hope that you tell Papa Jesus to let me see you even in my dreams. Just once please. Even for just a while, I would be very thankful.

As you know, I was not able to see your pretty face when I gave birth to you. I just don't know why. Even when you were blessed, the priest did not allow me to. And when we were about to take you out of the hospital, the nurse advised me not to open you up. Whenever I think of what has transpired, I realize a lot of things. So, I thought that GOD made it that way. In that case, the pain I feel will not be too heavy to carry.

Baby, don't ever think that Mommy did not take care of you. I really did my best and you know how much I like you. I waited for you so long and I won't let you go. However, things happen for a reason that we do not have control of. Things that only GOD knows why it should happen. Since we are not there with you, Papa Jesus will take care of you. Also, some of our relatives will watch out for you.

So, for now we won't say Goodbye rather, See you later. I know that in time, we will be together. To my daughter - Adrianne Jasmine, mommy loves you so much. Don't worry, you will have a baby sister/brother at the right time.