picture 04: orchids

BABY KC

It was on January 23, 2012, Monday, Chinese New Year, at exactly 11:50 am, a healthy 6.6 lbs little baby girl named KC was born.

The contractions started at 5:30 in the morning with 4 minutes interval. I was admitted at the lying-in clinic at exactly 8:00 am at 5 cm, suffered the labor without anaesthesia (that’s my choice kasi ayaw ko pa matulog) for 2 hours, until my ob-gyne checked that I was already 8 cm. Brought to the delivery room at exactly 10:00 am and finally gave birth at 11:50 am.

Guys, thank you so much for your prayers and let’s all welcome baby KC here.

My Birthday Prayer and Wishes

Thank you, Lord, for another year of life that you gave to me.
Thank you for the husband who is always there for me through thick and thin.
Thank you for the daughter who never fails to amaze me
and always keep me inspired to move on with my life.
Thank you for another blessing that is now inside my womb
and soon to come out to give more meaning to my life.
Thank you for my family who never fails to show some love and care to me.
Thank you to all my friends (including those online friends)
who never forget me and always understand me.
Thank you for all the people who remembered me today
by sending messages and good wishes via text, facebook,
email and of course greeting me personally.

Thank you, Lord, for all the experiences that you gave me this past year.
Thank you for the success that will always be happy memories for me.
Thank you for the failures that molded me to be stronger
and drove me to come closer to you.
Thank you for all the happiness that gave me time to celebrate.
Thank you for all the sadness that reminded me of my weaknesses
and made me realized that I really need you.

Forgive me, Lord, for all my shortcomings.
Forgive me for all the chances that I failed to take
and for all the opportunities that I missed this year.

As for my birthday wishes for this year, safety and good health for all my loved ones,
A safe pregnancy and a normal and healthy baby to come out next year.
And for the material things, Lord you’ve already know that for the past year
I am so dreaming to have a laptop/netbook and a new digital camera.

Lord, please give me more strength to face all the challenges that lies ahead of me.
Please help me in the days ahead that I may make this year the best year for me yet.
That this year may bring good credits to me,
happiness to all my loved ones and joy to you oh Lord. AMEN.

Revisiting 2010 and a hopeful start for 2011

Before I finally close my 2010 chapter, please allow me to look back once again.

First, I’ll evaluate my 2010 new year’s resolutions, wishes and wants and tell you what happened.

♠ Go on diet and discipline myself to have a daily exercise – Sorry but I failed to do this. Eating and sleeping became my outlet whenever things went wrong rather than ranting and ranting which will just make the situation worst.

♠ Spend more quality time with the family –whenever times permit me to do so, I always stay with my family and spent quality time with them especially with my daughter. We got lots of bonding time last year.

♠ Visit my parents & siblings as well as my in-laws in the province as often as possible – Ohh…ohh…I haven’t travelled this year. I miss them so much but my schedule doesn’t permit me to visit them. Sorry folks, may this 2011 be a little bit friendlier for us than last year.

♠ Read more books – oh yeah! Of course, I was able to accomplish this one. I’ve done reading 6 books by Sidney Sheldon, 3 books by Mitch Albom, 2 books by Nicholas Sparks and 5 ebooks by Ruth Ann Nordin.

♠ Save up for the future and for KA’s schooling needs – Sorry but with all the financial trouble that I went through, saving up for her schooling needs became impossible for me. I am just lucky to have enough money to cover all our expenses. But hopefully this year, everything will be much better.

♠ Blog more often –Though I did not update my blog as often as I want, I think it is still reasonable to say that I was able to maintain my blog last year.

♠ Save more to buy car and start a business –No saving for that car that hubby and I wanted. But towards the end of the year, my sister and I were able to start the business that we planned to do.

♠ Buy a laptop –ooh…oohh again. No laptop for me yet.

♠ Enroll for a refresher course or to driving class – My time and my financial conditions does not permit me to enroll for a refresher course last year. And as to that driving class, I am no longer interested. After I witnessed the accident and saw the driver died on the spot, I decided not to pursue to enroll in any driving class.

♠ Reconnect with friends and former classmates – sad to say, I did not exert an extra effort to reconnect with them. I only contacted my former teachers and exchange some updates with them.

Next, let me share to you 5 things that hurt me and made me worried a lot but at the same time made me keep quiet just to make things easier for everyone:

♠ The transition period at work.
♠ The controversies faced by our office.
♠ The financial crisis that we went through.
♠ The dengue that hits KA.
♠ The accusation of some military men to my brother as an NPA informant.

Then, of course, if there were lots of not so good things happened, there were also good things that I should be thankful for 2010 and here are few of them:

♠ I am thankful for my good health.
♠ I am thankful for the full support that my husband gave.
♠ I am thankful for my daughter that never fails to cheer me up.
♠ I am thankful for the understanding and love that my family showed.
♠ I am thankful for lots of friends including those online friends who were there to support me morally, spiritually and sometimes financially.
♠ I am thankful for I still have my job and my boss picked me again to be his support staff.
♠ I am thankful for all the gifts that I received this year.
♠ I am thankful for all the books that I had read and for those waiting in my shelves to be read.
♠ I am thankful for all the strength and for surviving lots of challenges that I encountered.
♠ Above all, I am thankful for God that did not abandon me and never gets tired of me even if sometimes I forgot to talk to Him.

Finally, as much as I love writing my resolution, for this year, I don’t want to make a list of the things that I want to happen or accomplish. I just live my life a day at a time. And will enjoy everything that comes along my way, face all the challenges that I will encounter and above all trust God with all my heart for I know He always has a good reason for everything.

I believe and I know it in my heart that 2011 will be going to be a better year for all of us. So friends, I wish you all the best for this year. Let us always keep the positivity in ourselves alive! A prosperous 2011 to all!

at five years!

(source)

"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.

happy 3rd birthday KA!

Today is your 3rd birthday already. Time flies really so fast! Soon, magiging dalaga ka na anak. I just hope that you’ll stay as sweet as you are. Papa & Mama wish you all the best that life could offer.

This beautiful poem is for you:

Happy Birthday Dear Daughter
By Judith Pleasant

You are a special daughter
who means so much to me.
The day you were born,
there wasn't a lovelier sight to see.
I am glad God gave you to me.
Your love and devotion
has been my reason,
to get through many tough times,
and through many seasons.
As you have grown up,
your beauty shines through,
with a wonderful smile
that shows the real you.
You have a heart that is
made of gold
and I know it will stay that way,
as you grow old.
You make me proud
that you are who you are.
The bond that we have
will keep us close,
and no matter where you are,
you won't seem far.
The closeness we have
will never depart,
cause there is so much love
that connects you to my heart.
I am glad my daughter,
that you are mine,
because having you in my life
makes my sun shine.

Happy 3rd Birthday KA! We love you so much. *mwuah*

Happiness is…

Gratefulness is the key to a happy life that we hold in our hands,

because if we are not grateful,

then no matter how much we have we will not be happy

-- because we will always want to have something else or something more.
~David Steindl-Rast~

There is only one happiness in life, to love and be loved.
~George Sand~

Most people are about as happy as they make up their minds to be.
~Abraham Lincoln~

Though we decided to just stay at home to avoid the traffic outside and the crowds rushing to the malls, we make sure that we spent quality time as a family. We played, we watched movies and we had simple foods on the table as well.

Hubby also surprised me with this beautiful roses and chocolate, and that made me the happiest wife in the world.

KA was very happy too. Aside from all the attentions that she got from me and her papa, she also received this red rose and chocolate. Happiness talaga!

How about you? How's your Valentine's day?

my new baby!

Ladies and gentlemen, I am proud to present to you my new baby.

Tada….


I am so excited to use it na and upload more pictures here in my blog. But please excuse me for a while coz I have to familiarize this first. I still need to read and understand the manual at baka ano pa mapindot ko dito. Hehehe.

happiness...

Happiness is for having this “Breaking Dawn” book of Stephenie Meyer to complete my twilight saga collections.

And I bought this using may Laking National points. Wasn’t that cool?

*************************************

Gratefulness is the key to a happy life that we hold in our hands,

because if we are not grateful,

then no matter how much we have we will not be happy

-- because we will always want to have something else or something more.

~Brother David Steindl-Rast ~

************************************

TODAY!

{photo via}

Today is a special day for me.

Today I celebrate my birthday.

Today I want to thank God for all the blessings that He showered upon me. My life is not perfect because there were moments of struggle and sadness but it molded me into a better person.

Today I want to thank God for my wonderful family, my fantastic friends, my loving husband and my smart daughter.

And today I want to say happy birthday to me!

Some reasons to be grateful today!

Gratefulness is the key to a happy life that we hold in our hands,
because if we are not grateful,
then no matter how much we have we will not be happy –
because we will always want to have something else or something more.
~Brother David Steindl-Rast~

Let us rise up and be thankful,
for if we didn't learn a lot today,
at least we learned a little, and if we didn't learn a little,
at least we didn't get sick, and if we got sick, at least we didn't die;
so, let us all be thankful
~Buddha~

Despite the very busy schedule that I have and the biggest challenge that was given to our family these days, I know I have a lot of things to be thankful today.

That today is Friday, last day of work for this week. I still have a lot of things to accomplish and the boss is still out of the office, but I think I can finish everything before I go home later this afternoon.

That tomorrow is another weekend. I am going to spend it with my daughter who wishes to be at my side all the time. But I really can’t because I have to work in order for us to live.

That on Sunday, I am turning a year older again but I still don’t have any plan on how and where I am going to spend my special day.

That I still love my work and I am happy in the company where I belong despite some challenges that we are facing right now. Election is just few months away and that only means that we are going to have a new boss again.

That my family together with the in-laws is still holding on and keeps on supporting each other especially this time that one member of the family is very sick and just given 6 months to live. We are still hoping that God will grant our prayers to add a few more years for him to live and be with his children.

That I have friends that never fail to make me smile and keep me inspired to move on with my life. Friends that remind me that life is still fair no matter what challenges come along my way.

Let us be grateful to people who make us happy;
they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom.
~Marcel Proust~

Saying thank you is more than good manners.
It is good spirituality.
~Alfred Painter~

We can only be said to be alive in those moments
when our hearts are conscious of our treasures.
~-Thornton Wilder~

Thank you LORD. Thank you everyone.

HAVE A WONDERFUL WEEKEND.

4th year...

{via}

Come, let's be a comfortable couple and take care of each other!
How glad we shall be, that we have somebody we are fond of always,
to talk to and sit with.

~Charles Dickens~

We come to love not by finding the perfect person,

but by learning to see an imperfect person perfectly.

~Sam Keen~

A successful marriage requires falling in love many times,
always with the same person.
~Mignon McLaughlin~

to my beloved husband, happy 4th wedding anniversary! i love you so much........{hugs}

thank you very much Jo!

It was last week, at the middle of my very busy and problematic schedule when a surprised package from Abu Dhabi arrived.

I was so excited and opened it right away. I almost forgot that I am betting my deadlines.

Here’s what I got:
OMG, I can’t believe that I finally have a copy of a new moon and eclipse books. Not only one but two of my wishes were granted. It really made me very happy.

Jo, I know I can’t thank you enough for these. You are so kind and generous. And I must thank God that He lead me to find a friend like you here in the blogosphere.

Thank you so much Jo. May God continue to shower you with more blessings so you can continue to make other people happy.

what's keeping me busy?

I have several ideas playing in my mind yet I can’t write it right now. It is because I have so much work to do. And I am still thinking on what to do first. It is the result of being away from work for almost two weeks.

Aside from my work, I also have personal things that really keep me busy. I have the baby and husband to take care. I have the new house that still needs some cleaning and organizing and everything. I have plurk that needs regular update so that karma will not go down to zero again. I have this blog that was ignore for such a long time. I am also busy reading my new books.

And oh speaking of books, I would like to take this opportunity to thank princess_dyanie for granting one of my wishes.

Here’s what she gave me:

Dyanie, thank you very much.

What else? I am also a little bit depressed. As of today, I haven’t talk to my family in the province. Their cellular phones are still cannot be reach. I miss them and at the same time I am so worried about them because of the typhoon that hits our province.

How about you? What’s keeping you busy?

welcome to our new home!

hey guys, i know i owe you the pictures of our new home. the house that gave me sleepless nights. mahirap at magastos pala magpagawa and that really made me crazy. being an ordinary employee eh wala naman akong maipagmamalaki. hindi pa sya talagang tapos but we decided to stop the constructions and moved-in.


halina, silipin natin ang aming bagong tahanan.


here's now the front view.



the gate is still unpainted until now. and the developer disapproved my request for the refund of our construction bond because we haven't paint it yet. i told them that i am requesting for a refund so i can buy paint pero hindi umobra. hehehe. wala lang gusto ko lang din magpasaway sa engineer.


let's go inside. but please pay some respect to our guards so you'll be safe.


first to paopao, the kulit dog. K.A. gave that name to him. mahilig syang kumahol and sobrang makulit.



and he's friend siber. he is actually my sister's pet. unlike paopao, siber is very tahimik. hindi sya kumakahol but beware dahil sya ang higit na mas matapang.

and of course please don't forget to say hi to our hostess, K.A., sya ang mag entertain sainyo.part of our terrace/balcony. the rooms. the one which is partly open is our room and the other one is my sister's room.

sarap matulog noh? lika dito sa aming kwarto.

and kapag medyo nakaramdam ka na ng gutom, ito naman ang aming munting kusina.

that's it guys. wala pa kaming masyadong gamit. and i think it will takes few more years bago kami makakumpleto. nasa probinsya pa halos lahat ng gamit namin yong gifts during our wedding and we still don't know kelan namin maitransport dito sa manila.

gifts from an angel…

Yes! You read it right.

An angel from Iloilo City sent me a wonderful gift surprise. Redlan sent me a package early Monday morning last week. It made me so excited the moment the LBC personnel handed me the package. Precious gifts that I never expected to receive for no special occasion.

They were beautifully wrapped. At first I don’t want to open them and all I want is to display them on my desk. The wrap itself made my heart jumped with so much joy.
And the gifts inside even made me happier of course.

He is a genie that I am looking for and truly an angel sent from above. He granted one of my wishes listed here.

Redlan, you really made me happy. You are so generous. And I know I can’t thank you enough for these gifts, for the friendship and for everything. I am so lucky enough to find a friend like you.

Thank you so much!

letter to K.A.

Dear K.A.,

Two years ago, you were born to saw for the first time the light of the world.

We could hardly believe that our little angel were finally right before our eyes after nine months of waiting. It was so amazing!

You made us the happiest person in this world.

You were so tiny and fragile then. We were even afraid to carry you then.

We couldn’t stop staring at you. You really look so adorable.

We were so amazed at how we have created you such a beautiful baby.

We guarded you zealously.

We could hardly sleep because we wanted to watch over your every move. We wanted to attend to all your needs as soon as possible.

Happiness overwhelmed us every time you opened your eyes and seemed to look at us. Even though we knew you couldn’t see us yet, we wanted you to know and feel that we are always around for you.

We didn’t want to leave you. We were scared to leave you home to your nanny during the times that we need to go to work.

We played with you and sang you songs. And we wished you could talk, walk and play with us.

As you grew older, handling you became more and more challenging for us. And yet we are learning lessons from you.

We wanted to mold you into a best daughter.

Days passed by. And you are growing so fast.

Now you are two years old already. Yet you still amaze us in so many ways.

You can now walk, run, talk and play with us. You even know how to dance, sing and imitate what we are doing or talking. You already know how to make sumbong, answers to our simple questions and count 1 to 10.

You are now more assertive. And seem to know what you want. Yet we know that you are still our pretty little baby.

We are so happy whenever you reach for us, kissed us a lot every time we arrived home and let us carry you as well.

We pray to God that you’ll grow up to be a God-fearing lady. We also pray that you be blessed with good health, sharp mind, loving heart, success and happiness all the days of your life.

And pray that God will grant us more years to come so we can be there for you.

We love you so much K.A. We are so proud of you!

Happy 2nd Birthday to you!

Love and care,
Mama & Papa

Thank you and updates!

Thank you so much for the prayers and all the positive vibes that you shared with me. They helped me a lot!

Thank you also to all the people who helped us in renovating our house and to those who trusted us by lending us some financial help.

***
The house blessing was held yesterday. And we are moving in to our new home this coming weekend.

Again, thank you very much for all your support and prayers. I’ll have my regular updates soon.

gratitude monday!

When we were children we were grateful

to those who filled our stockings at Christmas time.

Why are we not grateful to God for filling our stockings with legs?

~G.K. Chesterton~

*****************************

As each day comes to us refreshed and anew,

so does my gratitude renew itself daily.

The breaking of the sun over the horizon

is my grateful heart dawning upon a blessed world.

~Adabella Radici~

***************************************

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~

*********************************

Today, I am grateful for:

♠ a Monday morning that signals the beginning of another blessed week

♠ a hubby who kisses, hugs and loves me so much

♠ a pretty baby who called me mama, smiles, kisses and hugs me first thing after she wakes up

♠ a family who continues to support me in everything

♠ a job that allows me to do what I want

♠ an in-laws who help us and support us in all our endeavors

♠ friends who remind me how blessed I am.

♠ and these awards from a loveable online friend JavaQueen: Thank you so much sweetie. I would like to pass these awards to all my friends listed in my blogroll.

What are you grateful for today?

personal highlights 2008

{photo credit}

It’s my first time to look back and write about the personal highlights for the past year just for the purpose of reflection and memory keeping.

First Quarter

♥ Since my mother left us when I was only 11 years old, I don’t have any chance to meet my cousins and uncles/aunties on her side except for her younger sister who became K.A’s first nanny and her younger brother who accompanied her in the house on the day that she bid goodbye to us. I knew them by their names but I do not have any idea on how do they look like. Last year, marked the difference because I was able to see their pictures for the first time. I was able to talked with them too because my mother gave my number to them and I was able to know them better. Though I haven’t met them in person, I know that someday soon we are going to visit them.

♥ My mother visited us for the first time here in Manila and stayed with us for few days.

Second Quarter

♥ My father and my brothers also visited us and stayed with us for a week after my mother’s visit.

♥ K.A celebrated her first birthday last April.

♥ I was inspired and decided to continue my blog last May.

♥ My auntie, K.A’s first baby sitter left us and made us miss her so much.

♥ We found another baby sitter for K.A. That made me paranoid for the first few months. The time for adjustments for all of us.

Third Quarter

♥ I got my first Nokia camera phone as hubby’s birthday gift to me. And at the same time, my mother-in-law traveled just to be with us on my birthday.

Fourth Quarter

♥ After 64 years, I mean, more that a year of waiting, our housing loan was finally approved. But I still don’t have the house key. The key turn-over ceremony and the orientation will be on Saturday, January 10.

♥ My family informed me that my younger brother is going to get married this coming April 2009.

I'm thankful to God for everything.

Now, I am starting my life for 2009 with lots of hope and love in my heart.