Babala

(from tumblr, april 11)

Noon: Bawal tumawid dito nakamamatay
Ngayon: Bawal tumawid may namatay na dito

yay!

Si Tisay

(from tumblr, april 9)

maamo at maliit ang hugis ng kanyang mukha. hindi pangkaraniwan ang kulay ng kanyang mga mata, asul ang sa kaliwa at dilaw naman ang kabila. dumating siya sa amin noong nakaraang lunes at hanggang ngayon kasiyahan ang dulot niya sa aming pamilya. hindi na siya musmos ngunit sa kanyang pakikitungo sa amin tila napakatagal na naming magkakilala. dahil ang kulay nya ay puti, naisip ko agad ang pangalan na snowhite. ngunit mas gusto nya ang pangalang ibinansag ng aking tatay — tisay.
si tisay, na hindi namin alam kung saan nanggaling, ang bagong pusa ng aming tahanan.

STOP! Strainer Please!

(from tumblr, april 4)

the battlefield of the mind. this is what i am currently going through. i need to filter all what my mind is taking. entertaining negative thoughts is not healthy. one single negative thought can paralyze me. i need a strainer.

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. - philippians 4:8

there is always a contrary between what the scripture says to what the world says. the way of the world is deceitful. no, i will not fall into the trap! perhaps, based on our current situation, the fulfillment of the promise is not visible yet. but the One who have made the promise is faithful. God is faithful.

whatever is true, is noble, is right, is pure, is lovely, is admirable, if anything is excellent or praiseworthy, i will think about these things.

lord, protect my mind and guard my heart for it is the wellspring of life. amen

I am home

(from tumblr, april 4)

yesterday was my sabbath day. one pleasure of sabbath day is movie time! after 10 years, it was only yesterday that i took time to watch avatar. on a personal note, the story is just like the other ordinary sci-fi films. of course there is a BUT..it was excellently done!

the ending of the story caught me. how could jake exchanged his human identity to become a true na’vi? is it because in the land of pandora, his ambition to walk again became a reality? how could someone adapt a living in a strange land? i just could not imagine. that was a total surrender of the comfort zone!

ala’s blog has introduced me to a different meaning of home.

Home used to be a place. Now, home is person.

i get it. what a quick answer! jake fell in love with neytiri. the beauty of pandora is just secondary. he has found his new home. same with mine. sydney is one lovely city. i have personally experienced its magnificence. anyone can fall in love with it’s unique beauty and living here is one’s realization of a dream. but to enjoy it alone, it’s a different story. like jake, i have found my new home, who happens to be in sydney. i fell in love with cesar. now, home is person. cesar is my home.

though it means living in a foreign country, wherever cesar is, i am home.

“dy, i see you.”

I see you

(from tumblr, april 3)

from james cameron’s avatar. this means “i see the love and your feelings and your soul and everything for me.”

Napagtanto ko na

pagkatapos ng halos dalawang linggo, mas gusto ko ang blogspot sa tumblr :-)

Isa lang

bunso: kuya bili mo rin ako ng modess ung walang wings.

panganay: ilan?

bunso: isa lang

panganay (nasa mini stop, tumawag sa cellphone): may wings lang nandito.

bunso: cge, ok lang.

panganay: ilan?

bunso: isa lang.

dumating si kuya, binigay sa kin ang isang pirasong whisper with wings. haha! ang nasa isip ko ay isang pack.

salamat kuya!

MY bag

i saw this from my teammate, a charles & keith bag..super nice noh?! :-)
then i've read from yenner's blog that c&k is cheaper in singapore.
nang-huhunting ako ng mga taga-shell na pupunta ng sg..

someday, you will be mine (ahihi)

i love US

ang aking pangako

na ang pag-ibig ko'y lagi sayo

kahit maputi na ang buhok ko..

40th day

march 26 marked as the 40th day.

to aid me from the loneliness caused by the long distance relationship and while waiting for that day, for forty days (every once a week) i am writing him love letters and send it via snail mail. how i excitedly watch the post office lady while she paste the stamps on the envelope. she recognized me already. one time she asked "natanggap na nya yung pinadala mo last week?" i smiled back and said yes :-)

i used to writing and sending letters when i was little to papa (who worked abroad since i was 3) and to my lolo, lola, auntie and uncle who are living in the US. that's why i am lola's favorite apo. i still have my lolo's 21 year old letter, his last letter to me before he passed away. oh by the way, today, march 28, is lolo's death anniversary. i miss you lolo and lola..

thankful that there is a nearby post office from our house. it's quite different now. noon, sobrang haba ng pila. nakakainip. but with the high technology today, only a few visits the post office. the place is almost empty.

this task has helped me. i am waiting patiently.

40 days has ended. but i will never stop sending and expressing my love for cesar. even when we're already together.  

because he is worth it.

The blind side

oh how i love saturdays! it's what i call my sabbath day. and for today, i have watched over filmhill the movie "the blind side". such an inspiring story. teary eyed ako while wacthing it. i asked myself, "when was the last time that i became a christian to somebody?"

i am grateful to God for giving me cesar, my family and friends to protect my blind side. and thank you Tatay for you are my ultimate defender!

here are some of the lines from the movie that i liked:

Beth: You're changing that boys life.
Leigh Anne Touhy: No, he's changing mine.

Leigh Anne Touhy: Now, y'all would guess that more often than not, the highest paid player on an NFL team is the quarterback. And you'd be right. What you probably don't know is that more often than not, the second highest paid player is, thanks to Lawrence Taylor, a left tackle. Because, as every housewife knows, the first check you write is for the mortgage, and the second is for the insurance. The left tackle's job is to protect the quarterback from what he can't see coming. To protect his blind side. 

very good job sandra! you deserve the best actress award.

'til next saturday!

iTunes

guess what songs are on my playlist right now?? ah-huh..it's all christmas songs!!

i am focused. by end of this year, i will be with hubby and will celebrate the holiday season together.

i am excited. this year's christmas is different. my first christmas as a wifey.

i am blessed. my family is extended. i don't only celebrate this special holiday with the alhambra's and the lozendo's but as well with the octa's and the carino's.

by faith. soon, we'll be together.

Anong masarap gawin kapag Friday?

e di kumain!

can't help it, masarap talaga tsumibog. i am guilty. but i am happy. it's because of what i call "my happy food". not healthy though.

3pm: ate my favorite chicken ala king at greenwich

4pm: went down to pay my credit card but before i go back, i thought of buying peanuts from 7-11

after one hour, 5:00 pm: nagyaya si tita tonee sa JJ (jollijeep). at 530, tsibog na naman. kwek kwek at cheese sticks

while working, im crunching my happy peanuts

then at 7pm: nagyaya si ayan and ice ng dinner sa chowking. sumasakit ang ulo ko kaya bumaba na rin ako to buy my med. i had my wanton noodles before taking the med.

then again while working, tinira namin yung gardenia tasty ni ayan :-)

pahabol...bago umuwi, nagyaya si ice mag-ice cream sa 7-11.

sira ang diet.

Aussie trip (part 1)

ang utang kong kwento..

sept 25, 2009

mama: may super bagyo raw, tuloy ba flight mo?

i did not pay much attention to what mama said. friday morning seemed to be fine. it was a sunny day and had my last minute shopping in the morning before i prepare for my flight. for the last time, i have looked for gracy's contact lens and hoping that this time it will be a success. pero wala talaga :-( i just bought a new set of earpiece for my ipod. my flight is for about 10 hours and i cannot stand without having music playing on my ears (kahit na paulit-ulit ung songs hehe).

ETD - 20:30..at 330 pm, im ready! exactly 4pm, we left home. papa helped me with my luggage (praying na hindi ako mag-overbaggage) and mama is non-stop with her questions and advices. "anong oras dating mo dun?" "kailan ka babalik?" "ung recipes dala mo?" "kapag nagluto ka, tikman mo tapos pag kulang sa lasa timplahan mo na lang." "wala ka bang dalang jacket?" "hindi ba malamig dun?"

speaking of luggage, i will reveal what's inside of it :-)

1. my clothes
2. my personal stuffs (including the plancha ng buhok ahihi)
3. gracy's olays
4. lanie's anniversary gift for mike, 3 bottles of shampoo ata un pinabili nya kay jazzy
5. 7 pairs of slippers for myla, mike and matt, pasalubong from myla's ate, maricar. i met her in our building a day before my flight
6. then pasalubong for cesar from his family. meron gel, t-shirts and meds. after 30 minutes namin magmeet ni maricar, dumating naman si liezel. medyo tumagal kwentuhan kasi we saw mangie at the lobby

then in my handcarry, there's my camera, notebook, other clothes, mini starbucks city mugs for gian and my pasalubong for cesar, mossimo shirts and superman stuff.

and speaking of mama's advices on cooking, before i left, i asked her to write down for me the recipe for adobong manok, sinigang na baboy and beef steak. when i woke up the next morning, hala! hindi lang 3, lagpas sampu yata ung sinulat ni mama. meron tinolang manok, paksiw na isda, menudo, pansit, spaghetti at marami pang iba! (sobrang naapreciate ko si mama. i love her so much)

lala: ma, uuwi pa po ako.

mama: e sinulat ko na rin, malay mo. iwan mo kay cesar kung gusto mo.

before i leave, pinraktis ko magluto ng adobong manok at sinigang na baboy para hindi naman nakakahiya :-)

at around 530pm, we arrived at naia centennial terminal 2. suddenly, i had a flashback..dati si papa, si lola, si auntie, si uncle, si kuya ung hinahatid namin sa airport. dati wish ko lang na sana ako naman ihatid nila sa airport...mama and papa waited outside the airport. i will just check-in my things then i'll go out again to be with mama and papa for at least few minutes. this is not my first out of the country trip but this one is different..special i must say.


sa pila pa lang, may nakilala na ko :-) her name is martha, she is five years old. she's with her filipina mom, aussie dad and baby brother. they are going back home to melbourne.

good thing that i am 3 hours ahead my flight, kaya though i have an overbaggage of point something, they allowed it! sa bagay, point something lang naman :-) and the lady at the counter did not even care to weigh my handcarry. maliit lang kasi and mukhang hindi mabigat. if she only knew, it's more than 7kgs! after checking in, i went out to see mama and papa. then after few minutes, i kissed and hugged them and said our goodbyes.

papa: "anak, ingat ha." (i love you pa!)

i filled out the form for the immigration and took 3 extra forms for lanie's parents.

while waiting for my flight, since wifi is not working at my area, i decided to just walk around and look for something to eat. then suddenly..waaaaaah!!! naiwanan ko si piglet sa bahay!!! pasalubong ko sana yun for mikee. sigh..(binigay ko na lang kay malaiya pagkauwi ko).

one thing i like about traveling alone is that i get to know other people. i had another 3 conversations with my co-passengers before boarding the plane.

conversation #1 - with a foreigner. he's with his filipina wife..at delifrance while eating. i shared seats with them since it's full packed!

pam: hi, can i share a seat? 

foreigner: yeah, sure. are you also going to melbourne?

pam: nope, to sydney. so you both are from melbourne?

foreigner: i migrated to australia. i am really from....(sorry i did not hear what he said but it's in america). i fell in love with the place so i decided to retire in australia.

pam: oh i see..how's your vacation in the philippines? where did you stay?

foreigner: it's ok. (looks like he's not satisfied). my wife lives in bicol...you have small servings here. the beef, the pork, they are all small. in australia, they have big servings. you will know it when you get there. but the chickens here are big. (hmmm..san kaya un? fastfood ba eto?? i wonder)

pam (ipagtanggol ang pilipinas mode): sir, i suggest that you visit the other places in the philippines. there's a lot more to discover. i assure you, sir, that you will be amazed to its natural beauty. i have been to some of them.

foreigner: we have been to batangas and the beach is good. (ah ok..)..so are you going to sydney for a holiday?

pam: yes, sir.

foreigner: good. i tell you, if you experience australia, you will love it. i suggest that you get a husband there.

pam: thank for your advise, sir.

conversation #2 - she looks younger than me. she's married to an australian who she have met at a bar in manila.

pam: sydney?

pinay: ay hindi, sa melbourne ako.

pam: ah..bakasyon din?

pinay: oo. two weeks lang. pinapunta kasi ako ng asawa ko. lagi rin ako umuuwi ng pilipinas. ayoko kasi dun. malungkot dun. wala naman akong ginagawa. palagi lang kaming nasa bahay.

pam: wala pa kayong anak?

pinay: wala pa nga e. gusto ko na nga rin.

pam: oo mag-anak na kayo. sigurado mala-anne curtis din ung anak nyo (may ganun!)

pinay: oo, artistahin..(we both giggled. then she showed me her hubby's picture). eto picture ng asawa ko. (in fairness, marunong pumili si ate hehe). ikaw sinong pupuntahan mo dun?

pam: friends ko. mga dati kong kasama sa trabaho..

conversation #3 - age, late 40's or early 50's. also married to an australian but they don't have any children.

nanay: san ka anak? magbabakasyon ka?

pam: sa sydney po. opo bakasyon po. kayo po?

nanay: dun na ko nakatira. citizen na ko. pero umuuwi ako ng pilipinas kasi malungkot dun.

pam: san po kayo dito nakatira?

nanay: sa pampanga. sa may magalang.

pam: kilala ko po ung mayor nyo. kapatid po sya ng barkada ko.

nanay: ah talaga? akalain mo nga naman. sinong pupuntahan mo dun? boyfriend mo? pinoy ba?

pam: friends ko po. mga dati kong kasama sa trabaho.

nanay: oo anak. dito ka na lang. malungkot dun. iba pa rin ang pilipinas. mas masaya dito.

whew!! so that's the first three hours of my two-week holiday. different people with different perspective in life.

we boarded the plane earlier than i expected. i chose to be seated at the window side which is not a very good decision! i forgot, matagal nga pala ang byahe..i looked outside. it's starting to rain.

to be continued..

Berry Cheesecake

the ingredients i got from ryan, who i admire when it comes to cooking and baking. it was also him who taught me how to make the refrigerated cake. every lunch break, he shared with me his tips as well as the secrets on cooking.

last friday, after my annual medical exam and before heading home, i went straight to the supermarket to buy the ingredients. i love "marketing" more than "shopping". i really feel good when i do it. but it hurts kapag bayaran na :-)

i was suppose to bring at least two slices of my finish product at the office for the taste test, but timely that uncle ferdie and my cousin, carmela, visited us and mama gladly and excitedly offered my "first-time" berry cheesecake. nothing left for ryan's taste test. sorry..

it passed! to their taste buds :-) but still needs improvement. from the one hour of manually stirring the first mixture, still hindi pa rin pino :(( lesson learned -- it wouldn't hurt to buy a new blender.

personal verdict: taste is good! i will add more cream cheese next time para mas lumutang ung lasa ng cheese.