imagining

Our house now is not exactly our dream house. Whenever we think of ourselves getting established in life, we envision an orchard living.

(photos taken from www.panjeetapales.com)

The image of having my breakfast with a view of my garden is one of my long term plans.

(photo taken from www.panjeetapales.com)

 I like a house with high ceiling and wooden floor. I wish I were one of the grandchildren of President Ramon Magsaysay. I would definitely have a very happy childhood in this house.

(photo taken from www.chuvaness.com)

and lots of windows like this:



do you feel the energy flowing so freely?
(www.daphne.ph)

The truth is I am not into modern designs; there is no warmth.
although i love looking at www.jenniepperson.com (only because I am a fan)



(photo taken from www.jenniepperson.com)

I am an old soul. I like woods, cabinets with intricate carvings, elaborate lights, tall candelabra. The house doesn't have to be big because I don't like spending too much on its maintenance.
I haven't thought about our bedroom. The only thing concrete to me is this:



I wish we had a bigger room now so I can bring in this kind of bed, but unfortunately I can't.




our gate must be something like this.

I can dream, can't I?

But for now, I am contented with collecting items that catch my fancy like these:

we also accent our home with lights.

lights on our buffet cabinet

our mini chandelier on the stairways

we spend on lights to make sure everything is coordinated. not so cheap esp. the one on our dining, but it's worth it.

framed photo in our bathroom :)

My favorite. in our service area. (sorry, not clear)

I hope one day we can afford to purchase a real painting.

we don't have much inside our home. i hope someday, I can fill my house with everything that I wanted. :) 

so what are you up to nowadays?

In the office, I am a bum. Literally. When there are no HR issues then I don't get to do anything. HR matters are the only things that I am expected to be concerned about. Actually, this workplace is a comfort zone for almost everyone here. The set up is far from being corporate hence also not competitive.But yes, sometimes I feel some competition with our young bloods here, well, I prefer to look at it as pretty normal for people who are just starting with their career. Naturally, newbies need to prove to the world that they that are better off than the old "decaying" ones (like me?lol). I say, "Go! Life is indeed a survival and if you want to go farther and further, you might as well plant your seeds now. Just remember not to step on other people's toes and never dream of success at the expense of others". Too serious, eh? 

Anyway...  

So what do i do with my time? I surf. Sorry. That is so productive, I know. But what can I do? :) Let me share to you, in case you are interested, the sites that I find useful to waste my time.

I am interested with fashion bloggers, but only those who talk with sense.

1. www.pattylaurel.com

    she is a breath of fresh air and she veers away from negativity. she is not just a fashion blogger, she is also

    a professor (ADMU) and a model.

2. www.kellymisa.tumblr.com

    pretty. it's simply fun to read her entries. she is also a columnist in the PDI.

3. www.jenniepperson.com

    stylist. mom.wife.author. 

4. www.thebaghagdiaries.com

    when i want to dream of bags, i go to her site. i think she spends a lot of her time travelling the world.

5. www.daphne.ph

    i am not sure how to categorize her coz she is a multi tasker. I genuinely enjoy her site and I feel sad when

    she doesn't update.

Lives I am interested in:

1. www.chuvaness.com

    Lately lang I discovered that her family is wealthy.

2. www.manilafashionobserver.com  

    she is based in SG and I get a lot of ideas on baby stuff, shoes, clothes and a lot more.

3. www.realrica.com

    yes, this is the site of former actress, Rica Peralejo. 

4. www.panjeetapales.com

   i read her because she writes differently. most of the time she is deep and really for an average person like

   me, its hard to grasp her thoughts.

5. www.glamomamas.com

   it's Amanda Griffin's blogsite. a lot about moms and sharings.

6. www.kristv.net

To be socially relevant, i read these online:

1. www.inquirer.net

2. www.philstar.com

To entertain myself, these I visit:

1. www.professionalheckler.wordpress.com

2. www.fashionpulis.com

and of course, I am on Twitter. All those tweets that I follow feed my mind, my body and my soul. :) 

learnings 101

This morning, i feel lucky to stumble upon this quote:
(from www.chuvaness.com)

"I am at my strongest when I am able to let go and suspend my beliefs. 

By doing that,I'm leaving myself open to all possibilities."

(Anita Moorjani) 

sino ang napasaya mo today?

somebody on my yahoo messenger had been posting sad status on her ym for days already. i had a hint that her sadness had something to do with her personal life. she is not a close friend but there are times when we chat and share about books and other girl stuff. i also like her coz she is a no nonsense kind of person and very simple and corporate. 

Yesterday, I tried to retrieve from my file feel good messages that she might pick up. I posted this: 

"I have decided to be happy 

because it is good for my health"

and early this morning, she sent me a message saying my status made her smile. So I said, "that's really for you." Oh! that reply made her cry.

As a woman, I could feel the heaviness in her heart and I could imagine the tears flowing down her cheeks. Although her pain may be different from all the pains that I had endured, but for me pain is still pain. It's emotional but it's also in some form physical. When you are hurting, you feel your heart throbbing, you feel your eyes swelling with tears and you feel a lump in your throat that is making it hard for you to swallow.

So I told her that whatever it is that's making her sad, that too will surely pass. 

You see, that girl had been through a lot already and I doubt if there is anything else in this world that can put her down.

The next thing I saw was a status message saying that she has decided to be happy. :) and that made my entire day happy too. 

pUPPY CUT

see who got her new do

that's her favorite spot. on the stairs with the school shoes.

Sarah looks like a pup. 

love her to bits.

PIKO

Just when I was about to feel hopeless about my kids being so drawn to gadgets

I realized I was wrong. After a day of reviewing for their exams Anjo invited the two to play Piko!

Me: You have chalk?
Anjo: I have limestone.
Me: (really?)

Piko is not really dead, is it?

Reality Bites

I don't make New Year's Resolution list. I'm not fond of making any list. That's how disorganized I am. I go with the flow.
But now I will make ONE New Year's Resolution. Just one. And I vow to stick with it.

LOSE WEIGHT.
The first step to lose those fats is ACCEPTANCE. 

Statement of fact:
I am fat.

I have gained 12 lbs. since i stopped going to the gym, and it's already unimaginable for me to have ballooned this way. I can not afford to change my wardrobe! NO WAY MEIN!!! I have other things in my mind where I like to spend my moolah, but not on clothes! just because! Esmyuski!

So I am doing my have to do's and have to buy.

1. Buy yoga mat.
2. Buy a new binder.
3. Crunches.
4. Leg raise.
5. Walking.

Hubby has started doing Kinect exercise almost every night since Christmas vacation. I did once but i got so sore that I almost couldn't move my shoulders.Too much fats accumulation maybe. :( but hubby i can see is doing good with Kinect.
So, pede bang madala ko dito sa Ilijan ang Kinect na yan? Baka pede kong ma short cut ang pag papapayat???

Planning on a major purchase

This is the warning I said to hubby:
"This year, I am going to make my first ever major purchase: an IT BAG."
Well, he said yes. Cool.

LV neverfull bag. i checked the price already.

this is D&G. like LV, its practical to carry.

MK!

YSL. but too fashionable for me.

my ultimate dream: Chanel! but will remain a dream.

If ever, this is my purchase of a lifetime!

What I am believing for in 2013

This is the first time I am making a list.
These I want to happen.

What I am believing for in 2013

1. Me and my family will live in another country of our choice for the next 5 years.

2. My kids will study in an International school. I want them to be more tolerant, to be respectful and considerate of others regardless of race and color.

3. We will have our house fenced and do some renovations inside.

4. We will have bigger car for everyone's comfort.

5. I will learn how to drive.

6. MAC desk top (big)

7. Me and my brothers will receive our inheritance from my father.

8. Everybody will stay safe and healthy.

These I am claiming now.

I am tempted to write alternatives just in case 1-3 won't happen, but doing so means I am defeating my purpose of doing the list. For these things to happen, there should be no doubts, uncertainties and what ifs in my heart.

I am an Ox

One of the many things that my husband and I both enjoy doing at the start of a new year is to check our fortune and direction for the year.I know this is not for everyone, and really, when it comes to belief its always "each to his own". What works for me may not work for others, etc.

Anyway, every year once it becomes available in NBS, we buy Lilian Too and Jennifer Too Fortune & Feng Shui.

Also, I hope  we could push through with our plan to Binondo before Chinese New Year to buy some "cures".

So what does my "future" hold for me this year?

*I was born between Feb.3 1973 to Jan. 22, 1974 and this makes me a Water Ox.

*My horoscope allies are snake and rooster.

  Hubby is a snake and that maybe explains why we complement each other in a lot of ways, especially in the

  way we think and look at things. In the Chinese Zodiac, we belong to the affinity triangle of Intellectuals. In terms of compatibility, we cause good vibrations to flow freely and we enjoy all that we do together, well, except one - he enjoys window shopping, I don't. I want real shopping. :)
I have a rooster figurine on my table all year round.It's in front of my monitor.

*My secret friend is the rat.  This year, the book says anyone born in the year of the rat is certain to benefit me. I joked my husband that I should have the photo of my mother on my table, if that is the case.Seriously, I also need to get a rat figurine and place it somewhere auspicious.

*My astrological enemy is the sheep. If I am not mistaken, my Boss is a sheep, that's why I always remind myself to be  conscious and to be in control whenever I argue with him. My emotions might get the better of me if I don't guard myself all the time.But this year, the sheep and the ox can become  good friends who can benefit each other.

Generally, the book says I am on to an excellent year. I have windfall money coming my way; i will enjoy an abundant and harmonious year. Of course, the book says I need to put enhancers or do activities to "attract" and "energize" the luck, and I also need to get some cures to weaken any threat.

As I have said, this is not for everyone. others find me amusing when I tell them that we cook tikoy on Chinese New Year. :)

So this year, I expect a more colorful Chinese New Year preparations for us. After all, hubby needs it for all his big plans for 2013. 

Pictionary

We played Pictionary.
Abi was the picturist and his papa was his team.
Anjo was the picturist and I was her team
Kuya was the time keeper.

the funniest thing was Abi's competitiveness.
Always wanted a fair game.

After the game

Anjo: Mama, can you "retire" this March
Me: Aha! I know why. So we can play Pictionary during vacation.
Anjo: (Smiling...)

Thank you Ninang Karen for this boardgame. Truly a family bonding!

HAPPY!

Bien - etre!
Finally!

Not just one

But two







Thank you po Cling for bringing these all the way from Paris!

Sorry for the shabby photo and disarray background. Ganyan talaga kagulo ang gamit ko. :)

2013

My Christmas schedule was crazy. Our house suddenly became a convergence point of my relatives on several dates (Dec. 24-25, Dec. 29). Foods, gifts and general cleaning had to be done all in a haste. I never had the chance to take photos, so frenzy. Hubby did, but only a few. Tired, but so happy to be with "family".There is nothing like being with people who matter to us. 

On the eve of New Year while we were busy in the kitchen, my angel suddenly asked me if we would still have visitors the next day. Haha. Only my tita and her driver, I told her. I guess she was already anticipating guests on New Year's Day.
We don't really observe "traditions" on New Year. But we have our own.

Every Dec. 31 at dawn, we would bring our kids to Bocaue, Bulacan, on their house clothes and  giant pillows.

there was "Kapatid" TV coverage on the left. 

major store sa unahan ito. malaki at madaming tinda sila. we bought sparklers here.

McDo after in MOA.

So what did you have on your table? we didn't have much coz we didn't want wastage on the start of 2013.

Fruits are a tradition. For wealth.

Round and sweet. Mayaman na tam-isan pa ang samahan!

more sweets

more circles.Thank you Sir Patrick for the three cookie jars (i finished the lengua de gata)

 every year sticky kakanin. mayaman na, tam-isan na, bonded pa.

we make it a point to be home every New Year. baka daw sa bahay namin pumunta ang malas pag nagpaputok ang mga kapitbahay tapos walang tao sa bahay. 

pero dahil sa mga putukan sa labas, si sarah traumatized.so DJ had to hug her all the time.

Happy New Year to all of us!