"i'm just sharing, by far, my best miracle that made me have more faith in god. truly a demonstration of god's power and love."
the lord's amazing grace has touched my heart and our lives. i was never expecting any miracles to happen this big to us, but it did and i would like to share it to you.
the 2nd week of may was a critical week for us. it would determine whether nixon would still enroll in his school for the next term. it would determine whether tita juvs would need to find a new employer. it would determine whether i and my kids would go back home to pinas and i would have to look for a job there as well. it would determine whether dadi and ice should move out of our condo if that happens. it could affect both our families back home in pinas. and among other things, it would affect our savings for the future.
a week before that, ice, our housemate, and i had a chat. i told her the things that were bothering me and how it would affect everyone including her. she showed genuine concern and we both had a moment of prayer. she was doing a pray over for me. she asked god to give us strength and wisdom to withstand our trials at this time. she asked that my application be picked in the lottery and that i would be able to find a job that would best fit our situation and needs. and i told her that maybe even one request would be enough for us. ice said something that striked me a lot, she said, "god is a powerful god and he is a good god so if we need anything, we can just ask for them all.
guess what, last may 8 at 11:45pm, a call came in to tell me the news that my application was picked in the lottery and that the processing will now continue and i just have to wait til october for the papers to come out. i was jumping with joy when i knocked on ice's room that night even if she was already asleep. that same day also during the afternoon, i had a interview meeting with an agent who would find me a suitable job here in sg.
the following day, may 9, he emailed me about an interview with a prospective client and gave me the details. on may 10, i went to the interview and i was offered a job on the spot. that night i went knocking on ice's door again to tell her that it does happen. that god is really a powerful god and he granted all our prayers. it was also my sis berna's birthday so i called home and greeted her and told them about the good news. i thanked them also for praying for me and my family.
then on may 11, my previous agent texted me and told me that my documents and refunds were ready for pick-up. god is really good. he knew that we needed that extra money so come monday morning, may 14, the last day of enrollment, i was able to pay for nixon's tuition for the next school term. i can also send financial help to my siblings back home for their school tuitions.
god is good all the time, he never ceases to love us even in our most darkest hour. after realizing things about life, i never lost hope and i believed that god is going to provide and answer our needs. he will never abandon us, he may seem distant but he never forgets. he may not give us answers immediately, but he fulfills his promises in due time. praise god for he is the almighty father. thank you very much for all the blessings.
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
fairy tales
i grew up with believing so much with a 'fairy tale' perspective. my idea of life was that there would be a really major obstacle that would greatly affect me and after defeating my foes, there will be a "happily ever after" scenario. eventually there would be other decision making challenges in the future but after conquering that major obstacle, the upcoming challenges would be lighter.
as i come of age in my twenties, i began to wonder where is that "happily ever after" thing going to happen to me. i mean i keep hitting on, for me what seems to be, my major obstacleS but it's not getting any lighter. then just recently, i started realizing that life is not like the one's we used to believe in fairy tales.
life is a continuous struggle to live and let live. dadi nino helped me through with that enlightenment. it's a process of learning and realizing your goals as you gain your wisdom. you make decisions and priorities according to people who will be affected and how it will make you grow as a person. so now, i don't ask dadi every now and then the question, "when will the struggles end?". i know now that life isn't life without the everyday challenges that we have to live by. the decisions, whether big or small, is always there to keep us into the action of life. we just have to mentally take down notes and learn from every experience. :)
as i come of age in my twenties, i began to wonder where is that "happily ever after" thing going to happen to me. i mean i keep hitting on, for me what seems to be, my major obstacleS but it's not getting any lighter. then just recently, i started realizing that life is not like the one's we used to believe in fairy tales.
life is a continuous struggle to live and let live. dadi nino helped me through with that enlightenment. it's a process of learning and realizing your goals as you gain your wisdom. you make decisions and priorities according to people who will be affected and how it will make you grow as a person. so now, i don't ask dadi every now and then the question, "when will the struggles end?". i know now that life isn't life without the everyday challenges that we have to live by. the decisions, whether big or small, is always there to keep us into the action of life. we just have to mentally take down notes and learn from every experience. :)
Thursday, May 17, 2007
teachers-parents day
yesterday i just attended nixon's teachers-parents day. it's when the parents go to their kid's school and learn from their teachers what their child's been up to during school days. anyway, i didn't bring nixon along anymore because he might feel restless and play around while i talk to his teachers. it's my first time to attend this, it's nixon's first half year in school and i'm both anxious and excited.
i talked to his english teacher first. he was very impressed with nixon, he asked him early on during his first days in school if he was from america because his slang and diction was different. and nixon told her yes he was from america! my gulay! heheheh.. i just explained to her that he usually watches nickelodeon and disney channel, thats where he gets his english 'twang' when he speaks.
she told me also that nixon learns very fast but sometimes tends to talk in class when she's explaining but the wonderful thing is, everytime she asks him for an answer, he gives the correct answer even if he's not listening. bwahahahaha! *kakaibang talent yan anak*. she also said that nixon is very organize as a leader on their table. when they have activities, he does his work well and doesn't get distracted with the other kids. he's good with numbers and colors also. and the very nice improvementof his was that he can read! before, he just memorize the stories...now he can actually read! her teacher told me that she has flashcards of sentences and he could actually read them perfectly.
then i had a chat with his chinese teacher, she told me that from a kid who doesn't have chinese learnings from the beginning, nixon was very good. he was a fast learner. his teacher would call nixon's classmates for recitation and he would whisper the answer if his classmate can't answer mwehehehe! she told me that maybe he could develop his mandarin more by taking special classes since he's not practising at home *i think i should take the classes with him as well hihihi*. and nixon was telling his teacher that he has a sister *he was actually pertaining to tita juvs and tita isa*.
awww you really make mami proud nixon =) sorry, i just can't help but brag about my son's achievements =)
i talked to his english teacher first. he was very impressed with nixon, he asked him early on during his first days in school if he was from america because his slang and diction was different. and nixon told her yes he was from america! my gulay! heheheh.. i just explained to her that he usually watches nickelodeon and disney channel, thats where he gets his english 'twang' when he speaks.
she told me also that nixon learns very fast but sometimes tends to talk in class when she's explaining but the wonderful thing is, everytime she asks him for an answer, he gives the correct answer even if he's not listening. bwahahahaha! *kakaibang talent yan anak*. she also said that nixon is very organize as a leader on their table. when they have activities, he does his work well and doesn't get distracted with the other kids. he's good with numbers and colors also. and the very nice improvementof his was that he can read! before, he just memorize the stories...now he can actually read! her teacher told me that she has flashcards of sentences and he could actually read them perfectly.
then i had a chat with his chinese teacher, she told me that from a kid who doesn't have chinese learnings from the beginning, nixon was very good. he was a fast learner. his teacher would call nixon's classmates for recitation and he would whisper the answer if his classmate can't answer mwehehehe! she told me that maybe he could develop his mandarin more by taking special classes since he's not practising at home *i think i should take the classes with him as well hihihi*. and nixon was telling his teacher that he has a sister *he was actually pertaining to tita juvs and tita isa*.
awww you really make mami proud nixon =) sorry, i just can't help but brag about my son's achievements =)
krabi, thailand trip
our krabi trip was booked around last january so we were looking forward to it since then. it's gonna be our first time to step into thailand. we were informed that it's far more quiet and tranquil than being in phuket so its really a vacation that me and dadi are looking forward to... no kids for three days hehe! but of course, we had some company of good friends: michelle *aka ami*, kati *aka kulet*, blessie *aka eram* and blessie's big bro and mom. our flight going there was smooth and on time.
on our first day, since we only arrived around 4pm, we decided to book our activity for the following day (the island hopping trip) and search for a nice spa haven. we got ourselves a cheap four island tour that includes snorkling and swimming *it's time for me to conquer my fear with boats and snorkling mwehehehe!* that night we looked around the shops and restos and walked along the side of the beach. we found ourselves a nice buffet resto and i enjoyed the kebabs so much and the ginger ale. then on our way back, we found a nice spa and we booked a slot for the following day after the island hopping.
the next day we were up early to get our delicious breakfast buffet meal and the lorry-jeep (it was a big truck open on the sides like a jeep with a roof) fetched us for our island trip. we rode a speedboat and i was really feeling ok with it. when we went to the island where we're suppose to have our snorkling, i was nervous because they just have to drop us in the water. good thing there was dadi beside me. we weren't able to watch many fishes because most of them were near the cave in the island and it was tiring already to paddle our way there then back. we decided to get back on the boat and there, my giddiness attacked. i was in a sour mood and was wishing we could just leave the other snorklers in the water hahaha! so when we got on the next island, i just laid flat on the sand for a while to take off the heat and swaying of my senses. after a while, we enjoyed the warm clear waters and the small fishes were swimming with us. we had lunch on another island and had fun photoshooting some monkeys. after that we went back already and rested for our spa session that night.
we decided to eat our dinner first before proceeding to the spa. the pineapple rice was sumptuous and the red snapper dish was fabulous. we enjoyed the veggies and squid and fresh buko juice also. afterwards, we proceeded with our spa sessions and it was so relaxing and soothing to the senses. dadi has his first spa experience *bravo bravo!* and he just had a foot massage. would you believe the he dozed off! my goodness, i was having the deep tissue massage and wouldn't go to sleep because i was worried that dadi wouldn't be comfortable. good thing we were on the same room hehehe. after our spa, me, dadi, kati and blessie waited for michelle to finish then we went out again to check on some souvenirs to take home. we had a furnace cooked pizza and a cup of coffee and juices. it was an enjoyable evening.
our last day on the island, we did a little more going around and shopping around for pasalubongs. our van came in early so that we could look into the city for more items. we got into a mall and i saw dunkin donuts and immediately bought a dozen! hahaha obviously i missed those donuts. then we went to the airport and our flight was delayed an hour and a half because of the heavy rain. the result: a bumpy and irritating flight. the pilot made sure we got home fast and i wasn't really enjoying the roller coaster ride. finally back in sg, kati and michelle went with us to terminal 2 to ride an mrt back home but ate at burger king first. blessie and her mom and bro went home earlier.
the vacation was totally a welcome break and we enjoyed spending time with our company of friends. it was relaxing and the weather was kind enough to shine on us during our stay. =)
on our first day, since we only arrived around 4pm, we decided to book our activity for the following day (the island hopping trip) and search for a nice spa haven. we got ourselves a cheap four island tour that includes snorkling and swimming *it's time for me to conquer my fear with boats and snorkling mwehehehe!* that night we looked around the shops and restos and walked along the side of the beach. we found ourselves a nice buffet resto and i enjoyed the kebabs so much and the ginger ale. then on our way back, we found a nice spa and we booked a slot for the following day after the island hopping.
the next day we were up early to get our delicious breakfast buffet meal and the lorry-jeep (it was a big truck open on the sides like a jeep with a roof) fetched us for our island trip. we rode a speedboat and i was really feeling ok with it. when we went to the island where we're suppose to have our snorkling, i was nervous because they just have to drop us in the water. good thing there was dadi beside me. we weren't able to watch many fishes because most of them were near the cave in the island and it was tiring already to paddle our way there then back. we decided to get back on the boat and there, my giddiness attacked. i was in a sour mood and was wishing we could just leave the other snorklers in the water hahaha! so when we got on the next island, i just laid flat on the sand for a while to take off the heat and swaying of my senses. after a while, we enjoyed the warm clear waters and the small fishes were swimming with us. we had lunch on another island and had fun photoshooting some monkeys. after that we went back already and rested for our spa session that night.
we decided to eat our dinner first before proceeding to the spa. the pineapple rice was sumptuous and the red snapper dish was fabulous. we enjoyed the veggies and squid and fresh buko juice also. afterwards, we proceeded with our spa sessions and it was so relaxing and soothing to the senses. dadi has his first spa experience *bravo bravo!* and he just had a foot massage. would you believe the he dozed off! my goodness, i was having the deep tissue massage and wouldn't go to sleep because i was worried that dadi wouldn't be comfortable. good thing we were on the same room hehehe. after our spa, me, dadi, kati and blessie waited for michelle to finish then we went out again to check on some souvenirs to take home. we had a furnace cooked pizza and a cup of coffee and juices. it was an enjoyable evening.
our last day on the island, we did a little more going around and shopping around for pasalubongs. our van came in early so that we could look into the city for more items. we got into a mall and i saw dunkin donuts and immediately bought a dozen! hahaha obviously i missed those donuts. then we went to the airport and our flight was delayed an hour and a half because of the heavy rain. the result: a bumpy and irritating flight. the pilot made sure we got home fast and i wasn't really enjoying the roller coaster ride. finally back in sg, kati and michelle went with us to terminal 2 to ride an mrt back home but ate at burger king first. blessie and her mom and bro went home earlier.
the vacation was totally a welcome break and we enjoyed spending time with our company of friends. it was relaxing and the weather was kind enough to shine on us during our stay. =)
our bungalow room in ao nong resort krabi
o ha, they have chicken in mcdo krabi!
watching the sunset along the beach (sweet! dude!)
to the batcave!!!
group pic :)
enjoying the clearwaters (clear coz there were no swimmers around except us hehehe)
dadi: o ha kaya nyo to?
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
historical malacca
last april 14 we also visited malacca in malaysia. the bus got us there at around 1pm so we had a quick lunch at the mall where rice were in 'rounded ball' servings. but it taste good and the roasted chicken was heavenly! afterwards, we went to the historical place itself via a public bus. that experience was scary. i stayed at the backseat with teenagers smoking like hell. the summer heat was piercing but good thing was the trip only took around 20minutes to get to the ruins.
at malacca proper, we were introduced with pink buildings, pink gates and by golly, even a pink church! the flowerbeds were very pretty and vibrant. the ruins were very fascinating. our friends enjoyed shooting pictures everywhere. of course i was happy and excited for dadi who had his first exposure using his new dslr camera *hoorraay!* so even if i wasn't in the mood to pose, i tried to exert the best effort i can to make him satisfied with his shots.
at the end of the day, we went back to the same mall then had a nice meal at A&W. i was so ecstatic with happiness knowing that they had a chilidog in the menu! of course it should go with a large rootbeer float on hand hehehe! we rode the bus going back to SG around 6pm and it drizzled along the highway. everyone were dead tired and sleeping. we got home happy and exhausted from the trip but it was fun being with our friends.
at malacca proper, we were introduced with pink buildings, pink gates and by golly, even a pink church! the flowerbeds were very pretty and vibrant. the ruins were very fascinating. our friends enjoyed shooting pictures everywhere. of course i was happy and excited for dadi who had his first exposure using his new dslr camera *hoorraay!* so even if i wasn't in the mood to pose, i tried to exert the best effort i can to make him satisfied with his shots.
at the end of the day, we went back to the same mall then had a nice meal at A&W. i was so ecstatic with happiness knowing that they had a chilidog in the menu! of course it should go with a large rootbeer float on hand hehehe! we rode the bus going back to SG around 6pm and it drizzled along the highway. everyone were dead tired and sleeping. we got home happy and exhausted from the trip but it was fun being with our friends.
group pic in malacca upon arrival
souvenir and hat hunting (mainit talaga pramis)
the pink church
coming down from the ruins uphill
aawwwww
wow jump shot
recounts
ok, so i haven't been blogging lately ever since we got back from our pinas vacation. i guess my mind was in a wreckage and still is at the moment. however, i'm now coming out of my shell and expressing my thoughts. i'm just gonna give a brief backgrounder of what has happened to our family lately.
our 1week pinas vacation
i was really looking forward to this because the last time i went home was august2005 so it's almost 2years! *as if pinas is so far away hehehe* anyway, we were saving so much for noah's coming and our supposedly wedding this december. oh and by the way, our wedding is postponed until further notice.
so going home was more on catching up with families, friends and relatives. also it's noah's 1st time to show himself up to the whole lee and garillo clan so that was really something that everyone looked forward to. it was scorching hot in pinas and being in tarlac was like being heated in an oven toaster as in! hehehe! in manila, well it's somewhat bearable but we took a cab to almost all our destinations.
we visited our favorite megamall *which we don't consider our favorite anymore.. i don't know what happened to that place. it was under construction when we visited it so it kinda lost its touch in our hearts*. we also checked out mall of asia, we wanna know whats the fuss about this mall. we never had the chance to exactly know why because just going around two buildings made us tired to the tiniest nerves and we gave up. then we tried to visit greenhills shopping malls, unfortunately that time all tiangge we're going about with their monthly stall rotations so we just ended up going to robinsons galleria. not really that bad because we used to watch movies here most of the times. it was also dadi's 1st time to eat in terriyake boy and we really enjoyed it.
my friends and i decided to meet in the makati area so it was also a chance for us to visit sm makati *di naman kmi msyadong mka-SM ano? hehe*, glorieta, landmark and greenbelt. we weren't able to explore glorieta and landmark anymore. we had dinner at wendy's *yum yum bacon mushroom melt combo* then had coffee at seatle's best in greenbelt. i told my friends to let us give in with our taste buds since we missed the fastfood and coffee back home.
our kids enjoyed playing along with my sis kobe and bro jason. kobe and nixon made up for time that they were separated. on the other hand, noah was kinda difficult to feed and was losing weight. i guess he got stressed up from the heat and attention. lastly, we had our last minute shopping and grocery at sm north edsa. this mall is the nearest to our place so i know the shops by heart. we watched a movie here also, imagine the price difference! we ate at my favorite resto, sbarro, and tasted my fave cake and spaghetti in red ribbon. *sobrang pig out bwahahah!*.
leaving behind my family again was painful. my mom was into tears not only for me but for the kids as well. she really miss them a lot and would like to take care of them but unfortunately, my siblings need her more. as usual, queues and check-in with the pinas airport was tough. it almost took us two hours to finish and wait for the plane. we saw some familiar faces who were on the flight also.
all in all, it was a fun, sizzling hot, and fulfilling vacation. hopefully we'll have time to go back and have another get togethers with other friends that we missed out.
our 1week pinas vacation
i was really looking forward to this because the last time i went home was august2005 so it's almost 2years! *as if pinas is so far away hehehe* anyway, we were saving so much for noah's coming and our supposedly wedding this december. oh and by the way, our wedding is postponed until further notice.
so going home was more on catching up with families, friends and relatives. also it's noah's 1st time to show himself up to the whole lee and garillo clan so that was really something that everyone looked forward to. it was scorching hot in pinas and being in tarlac was like being heated in an oven toaster as in! hehehe! in manila, well it's somewhat bearable but we took a cab to almost all our destinations.
we visited our favorite megamall *which we don't consider our favorite anymore.. i don't know what happened to that place. it was under construction when we visited it so it kinda lost its touch in our hearts*. we also checked out mall of asia, we wanna know whats the fuss about this mall. we never had the chance to exactly know why because just going around two buildings made us tired to the tiniest nerves and we gave up. then we tried to visit greenhills shopping malls, unfortunately that time all tiangge we're going about with their monthly stall rotations so we just ended up going to robinsons galleria. not really that bad because we used to watch movies here most of the times. it was also dadi's 1st time to eat in terriyake boy and we really enjoyed it.
my friends and i decided to meet in the makati area so it was also a chance for us to visit sm makati *di naman kmi msyadong mka-SM ano? hehe*, glorieta, landmark and greenbelt. we weren't able to explore glorieta and landmark anymore. we had dinner at wendy's *yum yum bacon mushroom melt combo* then had coffee at seatle's best in greenbelt. i told my friends to let us give in with our taste buds since we missed the fastfood and coffee back home.
our kids enjoyed playing along with my sis kobe and bro jason. kobe and nixon made up for time that they were separated. on the other hand, noah was kinda difficult to feed and was losing weight. i guess he got stressed up from the heat and attention. lastly, we had our last minute shopping and grocery at sm north edsa. this mall is the nearest to our place so i know the shops by heart. we watched a movie here also, imagine the price difference! we ate at my favorite resto, sbarro, and tasted my fave cake and spaghetti in red ribbon. *sobrang pig out bwahahah!*.
leaving behind my family again was painful. my mom was into tears not only for me but for the kids as well. she really miss them a lot and would like to take care of them but unfortunately, my siblings need her more. as usual, queues and check-in with the pinas airport was tough. it almost took us two hours to finish and wait for the plane. we saw some familiar faces who were on the flight also.
all in all, it was a fun, sizzling hot, and fulfilling vacation. hopefully we'll have time to go back and have another get togethers with other friends that we missed out.
nixon trying the poso (artesian well) in tarlac for the first time
noah enjoying nixon's old mini car
our dog in pinas, hoover
Monday, May 14, 2007
mommie day
i think this is my happiest first mother's day that i'm going to remember. it was the first mother's day that my eldest son, nixon, was aware of... i mean he understands the importance of this day so to speak. and i was really happy when he told me, "mommy, happy mother's day" and he smiled and gave me his first mother's day art project. aawww i was so proud of him. it was neat and pretty done with my favorite color.
dadi gave me an ergonomic pair of shoes... hehehe i'm really so happy! now i don't have to worry walking to office with foot aches. it was actually bought on the spot, i was just looking at the sale of ergo shoes and was interested on the brown reddish ones. they were pretty and i tried a pair. dadi came in the store and he just told me point blank, "mami, why don't you buy it for yourself. it's on me.". wow, it was really wow! i was speechless!
then we had dinner, we brought the kids along and tita juvs. then we went outside to the lawn and the kids just started running in the grass and looking at the fountain. we enjoyed looking at them crazily running after each other. it's a priceless gift to a mom looking at her children growing in harmony together. it was indeed a memorable day.
dadi gave me an ergonomic pair of shoes... hehehe i'm really so happy! now i don't have to worry walking to office with foot aches. it was actually bought on the spot, i was just looking at the sale of ergo shoes and was interested on the brown reddish ones. they were pretty and i tried a pair. dadi came in the store and he just told me point blank, "mami, why don't you buy it for yourself. it's on me.". wow, it was really wow! i was speechless!
then we had dinner, we brought the kids along and tita juvs. then we went outside to the lawn and the kids just started running in the grass and looking at the fountain. we enjoyed looking at them crazily running after each other. it's a priceless gift to a mom looking at her children growing in harmony together. it was indeed a memorable day.
my first mother's day present from nixon
Sunday, May 13, 2007
last day
april 25, 2007, at exactly 6pm my computer in the office prompted me to log off from my workstation. i don't have access anymore to the TSO and lotus notes... it was my last day in the office. i had finally finished my 2year leg with HDB and as most of them say, I'm free.
being with HDB was not that awful really considering the fact that my bosses were a bit indifferent unlike the usual office environment back home in pinas. work was ok for a career mom, pay is relatively ok considering there was no overtime. and best of all, it was my first time to be exposed to mainframe programming and i was able to survive it. so leaving behind my desk was not that sad even though i was preparing myself for some few days/weeks at home tending to the kids. it's a relief that i would be able to spend some quality time with my kids and myself.
of course the hardest part was leaving behind my good friends whom i've been with through good and bad in HDB... the chatroom which was a part of our daily routine and our lunch togethers... the bullying, the case 1 case 2 games, the i'm-thinking-of-something game, the name-that-song game, the name-that-movie game... andami! heheheh!!! those were the things we do when boredom kicks in or sleepiness or when we hit deadlock with our programs. ptv4 people made HDB stay bearable and joyful hehe.. i miss you guys, ptv4 rules! =)
being with HDB was not that awful really considering the fact that my bosses were a bit indifferent unlike the usual office environment back home in pinas. work was ok for a career mom, pay is relatively ok considering there was no overtime. and best of all, it was my first time to be exposed to mainframe programming and i was able to survive it. so leaving behind my desk was not that sad even though i was preparing myself for some few days/weeks at home tending to the kids. it's a relief that i would be able to spend some quality time with my kids and myself.
of course the hardest part was leaving behind my good friends whom i've been with through good and bad in HDB... the chatroom which was a part of our daily routine and our lunch togethers... the bullying, the case 1 case 2 games, the i'm-thinking-of-something game, the name-that-song game, the name-that-movie game... andami! heheheh!!! those were the things we do when boredom kicks in or sleepiness or when we hit deadlock with our programs. ptv4 people made HDB stay bearable and joyful hehe.. i miss you guys, ptv4 rules! =)
PMS team mates
ptv4 ladies and bogs
that signature pose hehehe
more of that signature pose
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