The one with trials

I feel for my friend. Her parents are of old age already. They're going through a very tough time right now. Her dad is suffering from lung cancer, part from which mesothelioma can also be related. Her mom has some nerve dysfunctioning and the worst part is that her mom does'nt know about her dad's condition. they chose to keep it a secret since she knows that her mom won't take it easily. Who won't be? It's just so hard to see people being sick, moreso if they are your loved ones. I can't even have the guts to talk to her as I can't find the right words to say and I honestly

I will always pray for this family. That they will continue to see God's goodness and grace amidst this trial. God bless you.

The one with the ark

As part of my birthday celebration, we had a pre-birthday family day out. Simon thought that since simone is fond of animals, he wanted to show what real and live animals look like, not just the ones that simone points out in books or boards. hehe.

We went straight to Ark Avilon Zoo in Tiendesitas Ortigas since it's the one nearest from our place. I also thought that this is different from the zoo that we used to go to when we were kids, yung talagang outdoor zoo which is a good start for simone. hehe.

~ Simone liked the sheep. the minute she heard the sheep went "Meeehhh...", she started looking for the sheep by replying with "Meeehhh..." ang cute!

~ She was super afraid with the orangutan though. as in! the one with pink crocs, ewan ko ba. hehe.

~ She had fun feeding the guinea pigs. she was not scared at all. actually, she also fed the sheep. hehe.

~ She spent ample time sa playground too which we did'nt want sana coz if that'd be the case, we should have stayed in an aircon playgound diba? haha. although, i was able to rest a bit while she was playing in the sand

~ It was hot but not too hot. :)

~ While looking at the pictures, I really can't help but think that I'm sooo fat. hahaha. I know this is so out of context but no new diet pills can make me slim. I eat a lot din e. hay. i love to eat!

The one with birthday pics

~ We wore our new mommy and daughter matching outfits. bought it at Purple candy. really nice. I asked mom in law to make tons of this design. hehe.

~ It was Neyo's first time at Starbucks. grabe, 1month old baby spending the evening at starbucks! cool!

~ Simone and Justin had fun in starbucks. I notice that Simone loves to go there. as in feeling nya playground nya. I guess it's the smell of coffee that makes her hyper. haha.

~ Grannies had a time to catch up. I'm glad we had coffee pa after dinner kasi dun yung kwentuhan talaga. And my dad in law even told me that he had a very good night sleep that night. nakapag unwind kasi. :)

~ Oliver and Jane were stuck in traffic but they managed to eat double time to get the most out of the buffet

~ Simon and Ate Maru were kind enough to let me eat three plates! hahaha. i really stuffed myself. di nila pina-alaga sa ken si simone so each of them were only able to finish one serving lang. ahehe. thanks beh!

The one with wishlist given

If you remember in my previous post, I wrote down a short wishlist of what i wanted for my birthday, and i'm so happy two of those were given to me. The NikonD40 is such a thrill to use. I'm not so much of a gadgety person but I need a more decent camera to help me take better pictures of our decors. And i'm just glad that my husband bought me one. We were choosing between a Canon camera and this one, i'm glad we chose nikon.

The book that i wanted was ordered already, it's always out of stock the reason why i had to order it online. So there, two out of three. Well, the house and lot would have been a great gift too (haha) but i'm sure it will come and God will give us one soon :)

I had a small celebration with my family and Simon's. It was a good evening. We had buffet at Don Henrico's and capped the evening with coffee at Starbucks. We had a good time catching up, chatting and showing off how active our babies are. hahaha. Simone and Justin kept on running around Starbucks like they own the place. hahaha.

I got less number of greetings this year. I don't know if it had something to do with my shrinking circle of friends or that i did'nt treat anyone this year. hahaha. but it's really no biggie. Surprisingly too, I became less and less affected about it. I was greeted by my family and my closest friends and it's more than enough.

Thank you Lord for another year and the journey that continues for the years to come. :)

The one with 2 years and a half

August is always a special month for us and Simone turned 2 years old and 6 months. Time really, really flies so fast and I just could'nt imagine that a year from now, she will go to school already. waah!

She speaks english and tagalog. She answers to conversations. She answers to three questions in a row and these are'nt boxed questions.

She's very much of an achie to Justin and Neyo. Last night, Justin accidentally bit her and she cried so loud but she did'nt throw a hand at justin nor did she get angry at him. katuwa.

She loves to imitate people, what they say, when people sing and she can remember tunes like the back of her hand.

She still loves cars, live animals, balls. I would'nt surprised if one day she'll ask for truck accessories to go with her toys in her playroom. hahaha. But she's all girl don't worry.

The one with it's not as bad

I turned 30 last august 20. (oh, which reminds me, have to change the number on the upper left of this page, harhar) anyway, it was not as awful as i thought it was. I was able to watch an episode from Friends where they all turned 30 and it was so funny I watched it on the eve of my bday. And on some parts, I was able to identify with them when they said that turning 30 makes you sad because you're not in your 20's anymore and that you have to live your life seriously.

My achie asked me how i felt, i said it was ok. and then she followed with, "may family ka na kasi e." siguro nga that's how it is. but whatever the reason, im just sad i can't say twenty plus anymore. just like when i turned 20 when i can't say the word "teen" at the end of my age. hahaha. it's a new chapter, a new phase in my life which i'm excited to journey in :)

And since my metabolism will be slower than before, need those fat burner supplements ASAP. hahaha.

The one with she walked

Last Aug. 1, we had a very busy schedule. I had three parties that day plus a wedding to attend to. I could not miss this wedding as our baby was one of the flower girls. When Onin (the groom) asked us for Simone to be one of the flower girls, we kept on telling them not to expect so much as she's just 2 years old. Out of all the weddings I attended and organized before, the youngest flower girl that i saw walked the aisle was 3 years old. And everybody was telling me to dress in motiff too as I may have the greater chance of accompanying my baby, if we're lucky enough that she'll march.

When we tried the gown on her, she was throwing tantrums already, as in she did'nt want it on her. kaloka! so we thought, "yeah, she won't walk..." after about ten minutes, she got tired of crying and attempting to take off her gown that she stopped and got used to it. Her gown was made by my mom in law, of course. and mind you, she made it in three days lang. hahaha. cool!

So there, while we were in line, she suddenly asked for crackers. and i was, "oh no! if i can't give her the crackers, she will sure throw tantrums" i was trying to call maru but she can't pass since the march started already. and then i told simone, "you know, the crackers are with daddy. you go to daddy and get the crackers" and then voila, she marched! her walk was slow, and she even stopped in the middle, as if knowing what she was doing. She was all-smiles and very behaved holding her basket with her two little hands. hay. im just one proud mom. I saw some cellular phones being taken out and taking some shots of her as she was really a cutie having to walk all by herself.

I love you baby and daddy and mommy are just so proud!

The one with a full life

Everybody's talking about her. Almost all blogs i surf are about how they are all touched with her passing and of her life. And yes, she may have gone up to where she truly belongs, but hopefully, we will always remember the legacy she left....democracy.

In every Filipino life, one has to experience a President's passing. In our case, it was that of Cory's. I may be alive during Marcos or Ninoy's death but since i was just 3 or 4 then, I had no idea of what happened (yeah, you do the math. hehe) And it makes my heart leap and it gives me chill and goosebumps having to see what Filipinos did on their farewell for the most-loved president. A part of me, i should confess, felt shame of not being able to be there in person to experience it first hand. But i prayed for her and the country. I prayed for what will happen in the future. I had mixed emotions. There was fear, hope, love stricken for the Philippines and sadness. I felt really sad and found myself with a bucket of tears for the family she left. I had to cry over and over while watching Kris last speech for her mom and I remembered my mom. I was reminded of how we should always take the time to tell our parents that we love them, to take care of them and always make sure that they feel happy and that they live a full life.

A lot of Filipinos were awakened with their Filipino blood. A lot of us felt the fire of that democracy she fought for. And beinga true Filipino, it is our responsibility now to continue what has been started. To live, in every way we can, the Filipino way...and that is freedom.

To you Tita Cory, thank you. I thank God for your life. I thank God that more than a leader, you were a mother to us all. Salamat.