timely coincidence

i just remembered.. i was suppose to blog about this incident last month. remember our nice driver/tourist guide from bohol? mang jun? well, we suddenly remembered to send in some 'tip' for his generosity during our trip to bohol. we weren't able to hand him some token of gratitude because we were expecting that he'll be the same driver who'll take us to the ferry terminal to cebu. unfortunately, he had another appointment so we were taken by another guy. so we decided to deposit some amount in his bank account during our remittance trip to LP.

i asked for his bank details, and told me how thankful he is. his exact words were, 'ma'am, siguro po hulog kayo ng langit sa akin. kasi po nasa ospital po ako ngayon, bukas ako discharge. buti na lang po may dumating na tulong pinansyal galing sa inyo. god bless po at maraming salamat!' *ma'am, maybe you were sent by good fate. i'm currently confined in the hospital and will be discharged tomorrow. good thing you're financial aid was in time. god bless and thank you!*.

it really sent chills to my body and i was so touched by this incident. truly, another one of god's mysterious ways.

a101-ers

ava, mae and me

mae, carlos, ava and me

it's been a while since we got to spend time together. the last time i've been with ava was 5years ago... when christen left for the states and i went to sg. we had karaoke and beer at kbox in greenbelt. while mae has been here in sg for more than a year already, we haven't gotten the time to chit-chat and catch up. same goes with carlos who has been here since last dec07 and gerome, who got here a few months after i did.

ava made it a point to have a one day stopover here in sg going to penang just to be with us. isn't that sweet! even if we haven't been communicating for years, she still contacted us and i was honored to have her stay in our house even for just overnight.

ava and i go way back in our 1st day registration in college. we got into mapua and was scheduled to register to acknowledge our slots as comp eng freshmen. she was the only person in the room who i thought was nice and pretty so i sat beside her and we kinda got along. we ended up as classmates for class a101 coe freshman year. mae, carlos and gerome were also part of the class. sadly, by 3rd year majoring, ava shifted to ie and mae to ece. but we still see each other, but not that often.

so when ava announced that she'll be coming by, i was so happy! and more so, she was getting married this october! bad news is, i won't be able to make it... good news is, we were still able to spend time here in sg, so i kinda made up for it. another good news was that carlos' wife and baby will be staying with him come september, while mae and chris will be having their church wedding come jan08. i'm so glad we were able to spend time together. gerome couldn't make it but then of course he tried.

strolling down memory lane

this was one of my faves during my college years. i guess it's the message and the beat of the song.

People say that together we were both sides of the same coin
That we would shine like Venus in a clear night sky
We thought our love could overcome the circumstances
But my ambition wouldn't allow for compromise

I could see in the distance all the dreams that were clear to me
Every choice that I had to make left you on your own
Somehow the road we started down had split asunder
Too late to realise how far apart we'd grown.
How I wish I, wish I'd done a little bit more

Now " Shoulda woulda coulda," means I'm out of time
Coz "Shoulda woulda coulda", can't change your mind
And I wonder, wonder, wonder what I'm gonna do
"Shoulda woulda coulda" are the last words of a fool

People ask how it feels to live the kind of life others dream about
I tell them everybody gotta face their highs and their lows
And in my life there's a love I put aside, cause I was busy loving something else
So for every little thing you hold on to, you've got to let something else go

[Chorus]

Fool if I would now forsake the opportunities are fate
I know I'm right where I belong
But sometimes when I'm not so strong I..

the hubby meme

Got this tag from janine, medyo long overdue na din hehe.. here goes mine

How long did you date? hmmm we didn't actually date kasi we were very good friends back then so everytime we go out, its like meron kang alalay kasi nakakalungkot mag-isang mag-malling hahaha

How old is he? turning 32 next month

Who eats more? pareho (para fair hehe)

Who said “I love you” first? ako ata hihihi

Who is taller? sya po, your honor

Who sings better? ako ata? hehe (or mas vocal lng ako, in short mas mahilig ako kumanta ng walang hiya!)

Who is smarter? aba syempre ako! (pro minsan sya)

Whose temper is worse? ako (aminado)

Who does the laundry? si tita juvs :D

Who does the dishes? si tita juvs kasi masyadong masipag e

Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? ako hehe

Who pays the bills? both of us

Who cooks dinner? madalas si tita juvs padin, pro ako din minsan pag weekends

Who drives when you are together? wala kaming ida-drive hehe

Who is more stubborn? Me

Who kissed who first? ahhh sabay?

Who is the first to admit when they are wrong? sya kahit di tlga sya may kasalanan heheh

Whose parents do you see the most? mine kasi pag umuuwi kami ng pinas, sa manila kami nka-stay. nsa tarlac family nya.

Who proposed? di na uso sa min ata ung ganun hehe

Who is more sensitive? ako

Who has more friends? ako din hehe

Who has more siblings? ako

Who wears the pants in the family? pareho kami nagsusuot nyan hehe.

That was fun! If you think it was, too, and you want to blab about your husband, go ahead and grab this! I’m passing on this tag to these married ladies: faye, twix, sookie, pazette, carola, lengirl, trina, and kendz. :)

to daddy dearie...

...happy 3rd year anniversary. =)

makes sense

"love is not a feeling, it's an ability"
- marty, bf of cara

excerpt from the movie 'dan in real life'
=)

may27, day2 in bohol

The following day, we had garlic rice, tocino and fried bangus with coffee and local chocolate tablet. We lazed around the beach the whole day and took lots of pictures. Good thing we’re here on a weekday so not much people are present. The water was warm and clear. Even if we were surrounded by small bangkas, we didn’t mind dipping into the water and feel the healing waves behind our backs. I think from the shore, you can walk up to 100meters with the water just on your waist! It was amazing! I thought that somehow the waters would be deep, but good thing it wasn’t so we had plenty of space to swim in. And the best thing was that I learned to do floating and a little backstroke… hehehe!

After a while, we strolled along the beach and took some pictures. It was almost sunset, and the kids in the neighborhood were playing around the beach. For dinner, we were served with lechon kawali and chopsuey then we strolled along the beach again and rested on the duyan (hammock) on the tree. It was a quiet night; dadi and I had a nice time talking about things and the latest happenings in our lives. We talked about the kids and our plans for them. We went back to our hut afterwards and started packing for our next day trip to Cebu.

may26 entry.. bohol part2

The ride to the Choc Hills took a while; it’s in the city of Carmen. Going up the viewing deck was very challenging (more than 200steps I think), but when I saw the view, it was worth it! I love the hills, they really look like nice gigantic chocolates laid down on a field. The scientific story goes that long time ago bohol was submerged with ocean water and volcanic eruptions in the water, with flowing lava that mixed with salt water, created those lumps. As the years passed, lands showed up then the pouring rain helped in contouring those lumps into pretty hills. Previously, the natives call it Carmen Hills. But when the Americans came, they said that those are chocolate hills shaped like the Hershey kisses so now its called Chocolate Hills. Some legends say that there were two giants that build them up while others say they were created by enchantments of the land. All together, there were 1,678 hills in those lands… huwaw!!!

We passed by a butterfly reserve hut owned by a 27year old lady from New Zealand. Imagine, a girl that young was an environmentalist and chose to live a quiet life in the suburbs of bohol and established this butterfly nursery. His caretakers and gardeners toured us around the place and gave a lecture on the difference of moths and butterflies. Then we went to visit a hanging bridge, which unfortunately was under repair so we just took pictures at the mouth of it. We also visited an old house, the Clarin Mansion, which was turned into a museum upstairs and café downstairs. I like the ambiance of the place as it was so relaxing. The lady who toured us around the house told us that the owners were one of the oldest politicians in our country. One of the sons was the 1st president of the senate house during the American regime.

Our last stop was at the tarsiers reserve. Tarsiers are believed to be part of the mammal family and are said to be the ‘smallest monkey’. Their eyesight is not that good during daytime but they are best onlookers at night. Obviously its due to their big bulging eyes. They are joined by the lemurs in the reserve, but during our visit, they were lazy and sleepy hanging on the tree branches. After all those visits, we headed to the resort in Panglao Island that was across Tagbilaran City. It’s connected through a bridge and the island has small population with only two towns in it.

We rested through the night and had a wonderful dinner. Our menu consisted of the island delicacy, beef bita-ug and fried spring chicken cooked in local ways.

may26 entry.. bohol

Our first day in bohol was dedicated to sightseeing and tour around the nice places in the area. First stop was at the Sanduguan monument that commemorates the blood compact tradition when the Spaniards came to our country. It was said that during old times, our ancestors would require the ceremony if you have intentions of making friends with the tribe. We stopped by an old and gigantic banyan tree (balete tree) inside a mansion of a german folk who started living in bohol during his retirement years. The tree was 100years old; he bought it together with the land where his mansion was built. Next stop was Baclayon Church, which was believed to be one of the oldest churches in the Phils. There was a mini museum upstairs, a grotto and bonsai garden at the back and a school beside it. The inside of the church itself was breathtaking! I had chills when I stepped inside and all visitors were respecting the solitude. Now I understand why some couples choose to get wed in this church. Another church that we saw was the Cathedral of Sta. Monica, which was also an old church with Spanish-like structure.

We had an early lunch, 11am at the Loboc river where we ate inside a floating restaurant. Of course my nerves were killing me, I have issues with the waves and boats/ferries that’s why I didn’t eat much. I was surprised, though, that when the floating resto started moving, the cruise along the river was pleasant and soothing. The air breeze was so cool in my face and the serenading voice of manong was calming. We stopped for a while at a barge with teenagers and old folks who sang and danced in different songs using guitars and yukulele (small guitars). We even joined them for a while and the Koreans who also watched them joined in the fun. Getting back, we went to the man-made forest area along the highway going to Chocolate hills. During the 1950’s, the governor passed a law requiring citizens of bohol to plant trees on the 3hectare land.





you may view more pictures in our multiply website. =)

may26 entry

*my first thoughts when we started our trip to the visayas region...*

i thank god that our flight wasn’t delayed… i thank god for the safe and smooth flight… i thank god for the nice weather as soon as we landed in Bohol… i thank god for the kind and reliable driver… i thank god for all the wonderful creations that we experienced going around Bohol… i thank god for our peaceful resort… i thank god that I was with my sweet and loving husband as i discover His great wonders.

back again, and nag-eemote

hello we're back! *para bang kanta ng boy band ang subject title? hehe*
kwento ako sa inyo ng details ng trip namin to manila sa next entry ko. inaayos ko pa kasi ung sobrang daming pictures namin from the trip. but let me just blog about my feelings right now...

as i was putting my two little boys to sleep, i was seeing their faces together with dadi and the rest of ptv4 in the airport waving their goodbyes to me and hugging me... tears just suddenly rolled at the corners of my eyes. i'm counting the weeks now... everytime na maiisip ko na malapit ko na sila iwan for some time, i can't help but cry.

never

i will never heed nor attempt to befriend that person anymore... it proves to say that that person is not worthy and is totally and absolutely superficial. i'm letting go of our so-called friendship. period.

counting d days - 10days!

yehey! i'm counting the days when we can finally go back home to pinas and enjoy a 2week vacay! this is the longest vacation we'll have after more than 3years here in sg. and the best part is, we're going island hopping!!! sobrang exciting! dadi and i are going to bohol, cebu and boracay for 3 days each! yiippeee! thanks of course to our friend ulrik, who introduced our ever reliable travel agent, melynn. we'll be spending our 1st three days at panglao island in bohol, including tours in chocolate hills, tarsiers reserve and loboc river. then we'll be ferried to cebu for a tour around cebu city and mactan. finally we'll be flying to boracay where we'll be meeting some of my friends from accenture and my best bud from high school, jeng. we're scheduled to flyback to manila on jun1.

i just can't wait to have a break hehehehe.... btw, the thing that i've been waiting for almost a year now is finally over. i'm so happy it's finally over and now i'm ready to move on to the next phase. =) will tell you more about it on my next entry. but for now, im so excited to go home!

missing u

i've been missing my blog for almost 2months now... and i really hate it coz i've so much thoughts in my mind that i haven't 'unloaded' yet. and promise, as soon as i have sorted things out in my busy schedule now, i will off load all thoughts that i should've shared with you guys. i just need some time to filter out the stress, fats and cholesterol and laziness in my system hehehehe!

so for those tags i've received, promise they're on top of my list. and i've got loads of good and bad stories to share. *wink*

baby alexi...

welcome to the christian world dear baby alexi beatriz! =)
baptismal date: 06 April 2008
thanksgiving: 12 April 2008
you may view more delightful pics here.

alooohhaaa!

i'm back, good thing work nowadays is tolerable *i think* so i can go back to reading my books and blogging of course. presently, i'm finishing the 3rd installment of the dark materials series. (for those of you who's not familiar, it's the northern lights series or as the movie had it, the golden compass.)

before i go on, i'd like to include in my entry the 2nd birthday celebration of my noahby last feb15. yeah yeah, its so late already. it was just a plain and simple celebration with the blowing of the candle in the cake and a quiet dinner at home. nevermind the valentine coz i spent it blowing my brains out in the office. its a leap year as well,some friends and i had a simple dinner at a new restaurant in raffles mall. nothing fancy, food was ok and doesn't really have that wow factor. we met hanipay's sister apple and welcomed her here in sg.

by end of feb to early march, everything just came by like a blurr because overtime work was inevitable and i couldn't even keep track of time properly. anyway, i was still able to squeeze in a little time to go and buy myself my own 1st camera! wiippeee! after 7years of working, i finally got my own digicam hehehe! got it from the IT show in suntec. originally i was eyeing on a new macbook for my own personal use but unfortunately, dadi and i agreed that my camera is much needed in the future events of our plans. we'll be watching maroon5 tomorrow at kallang stadium and of course its difficult to bring dadi's dslr, yehey maroon 5 live in sg!!! my 1st ever concert show to watch after 29years hehehe *oo na sobrang oa na hihi* i'm so excited to finally see the vocalist adam levine.

we also plan to go island hopping in pinas when we go home for our 2week vacation. that too has been booked already yiippee! we're off to pinas on may23 then flyback june7. dadi and i will drop off the kids then transfer to another plane for our cebu-bohol-bora trip. this one i can't wait to experience! as in finally we'll be able to have a vacation by ourselves, the two of us enjoying the sun and the views across visayas hehehe...we haven't arranged on our cebu-bohol-bora trip yet, hopefully the weather will be great and airfare will be cheap. we're also training for a running marathon, the singapore passion run, come june8 so dadi is training me for the 5km run *oo na, fun run lang sya.. keber e first timer po! hehe pagbigyan na!*

btw, i'm now doing a regular hosting job every sunday at the arena in clarke quay for the pinoy sunday entertainment show. it's organized by our friend ulrik and his colleague, ronald. it's like a variety show with bands and live performances. the audience can participate and jam with the bands and join the contest. april will be a busy month as there will be a pinoy amazing star contest coming up. its sort of like american idol style with the elimination and judges and voting thru sms. please do try to come down on sundays if you're in sg and watch great pinoy talent.

eram's sister, debbie, and niece, sam, also came for a week's vacation. we saw them on the eve of their flight back to manila. we had some coffee at citylink after ami and i went to the chinese temple in bugis to seek some 'divine intervention' hehe.. then we celebrated ami's birthday at our pinoy sunday show in the arena last march23. o diva, sosyal!

ayun so that's how life is at the moment. happy easter! =)

*i have to blog this right away, as in ora mismo when i had this conversation with nixon*

nixon going to bed and hugging me...

nixon: mami, something happened to me today...

me: what is it baby?

nixon: somebody told me i'm sexy boy

me: who said it??

nixon: *covering his face with his palms* lincoln did!

*lincoln is his bus buddy and school mate*

me: *trying to recover* why did he say that!??!

nixon: i don't know what he was thinking

me: how about you?

nixon: i don't know what to think also

*moment of silence*

nixon: mami, i have an idea! i'll just ignore him!

me: absolutely!

*kailangan ko na ba ikwento ang birds and the beast 101 sa anak ko!??!*

btw, my nixon has another friend besides lincoln... his name is benjamin.
o diba sosyal! may nixon, lincoln at benjamin franklin! hahahaha!

hay kahit sobrang pagod ako sa overtime for the past 2weeks, nawala ata
lahat ng sakit ng ulo ko! hahahaha

looking forward

i can't believe it that 2007 went by in a breeze. i have a 5year old kid now and noah is turning two on feb2008. i've survived the year working at sgx and still trying to conquer the odds of my career path. we were able to do some clutter organizing and hopefully our rent won't go up in the next few months.

right now i'm so happy to finally do some things that i promised myself i'll get back on. i've found my right pace in jogging so i'm very happy joining dadi during his evening jogs. i've also started reading again.. right now i'm burried with northern lights, the 1st of three books of the golden compass.

dadi and i watched the movie on the last week it was shown here in sg and i was so angry at him that night becoz we were late. good thing there was a book sale at carrefoure so dadi was kind enough to search for all three books. i was so ecstatic becoz i was really anxious to get a copy of all three.

don't ask me about my yoga class right now becoz i can't find time to squeeze it in in my ever so busy work schedule and my muscles are aching so bad lately. i really must book myself for a deep tissue massage.

nixon has started back in school as kinder2 and all he can say whenever we ask him how school was is that its fun! noah is more active and curious each passing day. dadi has moved to the tampines office from millenia walk so i'm officially missing him.

hoping for the best this 2008!

noche buena

our house warmly welcomed some of our friends for the noche buena feast last dec.24. it was my first time to cook and prepare roasted chicken, fortunately it went well and i complimented it with some steamed veggies. of course ham and grapes would always be served, then the ever famous sopas, bistek and fish escaveche, and our favorite puto. after dinner, we exchange gifts, watched a movie and some picture takings.

please visit our multiply site, i've uploaded the pics there.

late dec2007 posts.. KL trip

swamped with so much to do's last dec2007, i wasn't able to blog about how we got through til new year. the highlight of our christmas was our trip to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia with the kids and tita juvs. i think it would be a shame not to be able to see the KL twin towers which is just some few hours from SG.

we decided on it last minute, actually a week before our target date. out of so much stress and boredom, ate vi and i decided to check on KL trips and fortunately we were able to get a booking at people's park chinatown. it was a great deal, 164sgd each for 3days, 2nights to legend hotel including breakfast buffet and tickets to ride the eye of malaysia.

our trip was 12.30pm so we got there at KL almost 7pm already. we checked in and had dinner at mcdonalds *talaga namang mcdo pa din* then we let the kids rest first while we adults went to chinatown. the place was really pretty at night with lots of bargain hunters scattering around.

the next day we had early breakfast and proceeded to KLCC to catch the trip going up the KL towers. unfortunately we got there late so we just took pictures outside and look around the mall. then we went to times square with the kids while ate vi and kiko strolled around putrajaya. we decided to meet afterwards and have dinner at times square. it gave me a bugis-like feeling going around the building with lots of stores each floor (note: bugis is a big shopping place here in sg). i got so tired with this place, as in! lots of sales and so many shoppers. eating at kenny rogers was disappointing though. when ate vi and kiko arrived, we went to the theme park and the kids really had lots of fun!

on our last day, we went to ride the eye of malaysia in the morning. good thing the place wasn't crowded but the heat was exhausting. nevertheless, we enjoyed the experience and then went back to the mall near our hotel to do some last minute shopping and lunch at KFC. our bus arrived on time and we got back in SG saturday night.





more pictures here