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lunch at banana leaf!

Last Saturday, I rendered overtime and joined at the HR planning workshop. Though I don’t have an overtime pay, I never had a second thought when our HR head texted me to join – 1) because my schedule was free 2) because I miss the group – sa PAHRDF training kasi namin yon na hindi na natapos-tapos kasi nagpalit kami ng bagong administration and 3) because our trainors/consultants are very kind kaya nakakahiyang magsabi ng “NO”. In fairness, super alaga kasi kami ng aming consultant eh.

Anyway, our consultants treated us lunch at the banana leaf.

Here’s what we had:

complimentary appetizer

roti canai



laksa soup


stirfry leaves


phad thai


char kway teow


pandan chicken


grilled pork

sago pudding in Thai pandan leaf

Not in the photos is the Nasi Goreng. Naubos na sya before ko pa makuhanan ng picture eh.

We were so full that day, super sulit na rin ang inovertime ko. Hehehe.

Banana Leaf
2/F The Podium
Ortigas Center, Pasig City

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Grateful Friday!

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Today, I am very grateful because….

… I already got my Philhealth forms and other requirements needed for my reimbursement of expenses from the hospital where KA got confined. After two weeks of waiting, finally my papers are ready to be filed at Philhealth office.

… I already paid the cash I borrowed and used for KA’s hospitalization. OMG, it gave me sleepless nights because I am force to pay it as soon as possible.

… My family & friends are in good health and safe.

… Tomorrow is no work day so I am not obliged to wake up very early. Though, I am still undecided whether I am going to stay home or go malling/window shopping. *wink*

… Today, I am happy, relax, contented and feel so blessed. I am really enjoying a worry-free day today.

Now, I am spreading some positive vibes here. Have a wonderful & blessed weekend to all. God bless!

“Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall”.
~Confucious~

“Reflect Each Day On All You Have To Be Grateful For
And You Will Receive More To Be Grateful For”.
~Chuck Danes~

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a birthday post!

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While some people are afraid of the thought of turning a year older, there are some people who are excited to turn a year older and still looking forward to all the blessings waiting them ahead.

I am one of those persons who excitedly looking forward for new things waiting for me as I unfold another chapter of my life.

Looking back, when I am still a little bit younger, I am always awed of those people who became successful as early as 25 years old. And I dreamt of becoming one of them when I reach such certain age.

But where I am today? Today, at 32, I am officially out of the calendar but hey I am still in the lotto. Lol. Seriously, at 32, I am still too far from counting million or even thousands from my own account. Despite all the hard work and determination to succeed, here I am today still breaking my arm and leg to conquer everything in finding something to feed my family.

I haven’t travel to any place outside the country yet but I’ve been to some beautiful places here in the Philippines.

My 31st year was one of the toughest years in my life but I am proud to say that God never abandon me. Despite all the challenges and the not so good things that happened to me, I know I have a lot of things to thank Him. I have my very supportive family, a loving husband, a smart & healthy daughter, a comfortable place to live with and good health. I also have my job that pays me enough to cover my bills and some more to buy things that I want. And I have a lot of friends, including those that I’ve only met online, who are always there to support me through thick & thin.

I know I should already done things more than what I did, traveled more to different places, acquired more than what I just had and be someone more successful than who I am today.

But this is not the end of my journey; I am only just a halfway through. And in due time, I know I am going to get to a place where I should be. Happy Birthday to me!

“The road of life twists and turns and no two directions are ever the same.
Yet our lessons come from the journey, not the destination.”
~Don Williams, Jr~

“Let you mind start a journey thru a strange new world.
Leave all thoughts of the world you knew before.
Let your soul take you where you long to be…
Close your eyes let your spirit start to soar and
you’ll live as you’ve never lived before.”
~Erich Fromm~

“To get through the hardest journey we need take only one step at a time,
but we must keep on stepping”
~Chinese Proverbs~

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at five years!

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"The kind of marriage you make depends upon the kind of person you are.
If you are a happy, well-adjusted person,
the chances are your marriage will be a happy one.
If you have made adjustments so far with more satisfaction than distress,
you are likely to make your marriage and family adjustments satisfactorily.
If you are discontented and bitter about your lot in life,
you will have to change before you can expect to live happily ever after."

(Evelyn Duvall and Reuben Hill - - When You Marry)

Five years. Yes, we’ve been married for five years now!

At five years, I learned & fully understand that a husband-wife relationship is very much different from a boyfriend-girlfriend relationship.

At five years, I already understand why our parents always remind us that before going into this relationship, we must be financially, emotionally, physically and spiritually prepared. In other words, both spouses must already enjoy their singlehood to the fullest.

At five years, we still stick to our agreement not to say too negative things against each other that a simple sorry / hugs and kisses cannot heal. Better yet, manahimik nalang!

At five years, our greatest joy and achievement so far is having our precious daughter.

At five years, despite our personal differences, we are trying everything to become a better couple & parent to our kid.

I know this marriage is still too young and will definitely have a very long way to go, a lot more of adjustments to go thru and some more arguments/disagreements to solve. But through thick & thin, we will continue to hold on to each other, will conquer everything in the name of love and will make this relationship work till death do us part.

Happy 5th Anniversary to my dear husband.

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happy birthday papa!

I am just so grateful for having you as my father
Thank you for all the support that you have given to me
Thank you for trusting me
Thank you for guiding me
Thank you for all the kindness and care that you gave to me
You are truly a blessing for me and for all my siblings
For us, you are the best father in the whole world
I love you Papa.
Happy-happy Birthday to you!

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August 2010: Inspirational Quotes!

The man who thinks he can and the man who thinks he can't are both right. Which one are you?
~Henry Ford ~

An apology is the most courageous conversation we can have with ourselves.
~John Kador ~

When we were children, we used to think that when we were grown-up we would no longer be vulnerable. But to grow up is to accept vulnerability... To be alive is to be vulnerable.
~Madeleine L'Engle ~

How long should you try? Until.
~Jim Rohn ~

You can move through life seeing nothing as a miracle, or seeing everything as a miracle.
~Albert Einstein ~

Clean out a corner of your mind and creativity will instantly fill it.
~Dee Hock ~

To be rich in admiration and free from envy, to rejoice greatly in the good of others, to love with such generosity of heart that your love is still a dear possession in absence or unkindness - these are the gifts which money cannot buy.
~Robert Louis Stevenson ~

In most cases, we show a kid that there is a trusted adult in their lives that care about them and they just might look to a brighter future and make more good choices than bad.
~Bike Cops for Kids ~

Our very lives depend on the ethics of strangers, and most of us are always strangers to other people.
~Bill Moyers ~

Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.
~Leo F. Buscaglia ~

You cannot solve a problem with the same mind that created it.
~Albert Einstein ~

The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and all science.
~Albert Einstein ~

What sunshine is to flowers, smiles are to humanity. These are but trifles, to be sure; but scattered along life's pathway, the good they do is inconceivable.
~Joseph Addison ~

How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.
~Anne Frank ~

Death is not the greatest loss in life. The greatest loss is what dies inside us while we live.
~Norman Cousins ~

There is no delight in owning anything unshared.
~Seneca ~

The giving of love is an education in itself.
~Eleanor Roosevelt ~

I've learned that finishing a marathon isn't just an athletic achievement. It's a state of mind; a state of mind that says anything is possible.
~John Hanc ~

A ship in harbor is safe, but that is not what ships are built for.
~John A. Shedd ~

Bread for myself is a material question. Bread for my neighbor is a spiritual one.
~Nikolai Berdyaev ~

Let us be silent, that we may hear the whispers of the gods.
~Henry David Thoreau ~

We worry about what a child will become tomorrow, yet we forget that she is someone today.
~Stacia Tauscher ~

You must trust and believe in people or life becomes impossible.
~Anton Chekhov ~

The most important adjustment to be made is not in the thermostat but in our own view of what constitutes comfort.
~Steven Cox ~

Men do not quit playing because they grow old; they grow old because they quit playing.
~Oliver Wendell Holmes ~

The answer lies within ourselves. If we can't find peace and happiness there, it's not going to come from the outside.
~Tenzin Palmo ~

Faith is not something to grasp, it is a state to grow into.
~Mahatma Gandhi~

Mother's love is peace. It need not be acquired, it need not be deserved.
~Eric Fromm ~

In a time of destruction, create something.
~Maxine Hong Kingston ~

We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.
~Will Durant (translation of Aristotle)~

Simplicity is making the journey of this life with just baggage enough.
~Charles Dudley Warner~

Dengue fever hits my precious KA!

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It is very sad to say that no matter how I tried my best to protect her from getting sick, dengue carrying mosquito was still able to bite her. And I hate you so much mosquito!


KA’s fever started last Thursday evening. Then on Saturday afternoon, I noticed some red dots in her face that made me panic. I immediately brought her to the hospital. Undergo some laboratory test and found out that she was indeed positive for a dengue.


It was her first time to be admitted in the hospital and that made me worried a lot. Aside from the fact that I don’t even have money to pay the hospital bill, I also knew that it will be very difficult and very much painful for all of us especially for my little one.


My heart crushed every time the nurse gets blood from her for some laboratory test. KA got phobia also that every time she saw nurse coming, she immediately asked, “Ano gagawin mo sa akin? Hindi mo ako tutusukin?”


We stayed in the hospital for 3 nights and 2 ½ days (that’s from Saturday night until Tuesday noontime) just to make sure that she will be very much okay.


But I am still so glad that we were able to address the problem before it aggravate to a much serious case. And I am also glad that the staffs of H Ville Hospital in Montalban, Rizal were accommodating and kind. Though there were some problems and instances that were so irritating, I must say that the overall services that they offered were still good. And I thank all those hospital staff who attended to our needs.


Now, I would like to remind you guys to take extra care. Dengue season is here again and that dengue carrying mosquito might just around the corner. Be safe everyone!

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