First Day High...not!

Today is my first day back
At work after 10 months of maternity leave. So what greeted me here: new faces, no allocated workstation and no system access because they deleted mine! Lovely!!!

I hope I'll get my access back tomorrow so I can start working and building my SAP favorites once again. :(

And did I mention I miss my baby girl? Can't wait for 4 pm so I can get my bread and be done for the day.

Happy New Year

Our humble NYE's spread - pancit, roast beef with chips, teriyaki fish, sticky rice, fruits and wine!

Cheers for the coming year!

(No family photo because the little one is sound asleep!!!)

2012: A Year in Review

Best year by far.

We had Arabella early this year. This sweet little girl who is displaying her intelligence early on. She's one smart lady and she is truly the apple of our eyes.

Agie finished his CPA, passed the last three subjects he took in the same semester. Hats off to you my hubby, very well done!!!

Agie became a permanent employee which means Abie can now join their company-exclusive, Montessori-based childcare. Woohoo!

A short but sweet vacation to the Philippines for Abie and I. My Guardian Angel was with me the whole journey, making the travel less tiring and stressful for me. Abie get to see her cousins, aunts, uncles and grandparents and they were able to cuddle her as well.

Life is sweet. Life has been easy.
Thank you God --- you've answered my prayers (big and small) even before I prayed for it. Your generosity and bountiful blessings overwhelms us. We are humbled, we are forever grateful!

This 2013 we pray for good health;
This 2013 we pray for work-life balance;

This 2013 we will share more;
This 2013 we will live more and love more;

This 2013 we will laugh more;
This 2013 we promise to be the best we can be.

Thank you Lord for an awesome 2012, we know 2013 will even be better.

December 27

Is our 4th year anniversary and Abie's 10th month! We are enjoying ourselves here in the Hunter Valley for a much needed break for Agie.

Cheers to more years!!!!

Iremit + Jollibee

I went to Iremit in Blacktown to send some money back home. I could have done the transfer online but because I was in the area anyway, I just went to their office.

While waiting for my transaction to be finalized, I saw this:

I didn't know that they have this service since 2009! They partnered with Jollibee and have a set menu that ranged from Php800 - 1,500. You can choose the package you want, pay it at current exchange rate plus $2 processing fee. They will then transmit your order to the nearest Jollibee branch who will then deliver it if the recipient is in Metro Manila, otherwise they will receive a call for the pickup time/ dine in time if in the province. This is such a brilliant idea, great way to surprise your loved ones!

Perfect timing for me, it's my nephews birthday last Sunday and I forgot to send a present for him. So, I ordered a package for the whole family to enjoy and it only cost me $36.70!

I can't wait for their feedback on Sunday!!!

I love giving surprises. ;)

How I wish we have Jollibee delivery to Australia too. :(

Belated Father's Day Post

2/9/2012

Dear Daddy,

On your first Father's day, Mum and I would like to thank you
... for loving both of us;
... for taking good care of us;
... for playing with me all the time;
... for being the househusband the first few weeks of May;
... for being a good provider;
... for being you.

You are the best Dad in the world for us!

Labinglabing ka namo ni Mum Daddy. We love you to the moon and back.

Love, Abie

Thank you Lord!

You always hear our prayers.

We are forever grateful.

enjoying Yen's bday at Parramatta Park (thanks Chy for the photo)

childcare now assured --- welcome to CA Montessori baby Abie. Your slot is reserved for next year.

what kept me busy this month

7th of May:  We flew to the Philippines to attend Nanay Ine's burial, my hubby's grandma who unexpectedly passed away on the fourth of May;

spent a few days in Bohol after the burial and just stayed at home eating adobong manok nga bisaya!!!

12th of May: Went home to Bukidnon to spend my birthday with my family

14th of May: Happy birthday to me!!! ug ang request nga lechon naa gyud. =)

17th of May: Flight to Manila then to Singapore

21st ofMay: Flew back to Sydney and embraced the cold winter days ahead.

What I missed most back home

 Baby Franz - who's always jumping like a kangaroo, hehe

 Baby Yman - who is very laagan and mag ma-oy ug biyaan.

 Baby Zyka - nga sungit girl, dili magpahold sa akoa when we're about to go.

 Nicole is taller than Jen and I, while Kuya Yuan is making Zyka kulit, hehe.

miss you mom and dad!!!

Next time we go back to the Philippines, it would be a real vacation --- beach in Panglao, Palawan and Boracay, meet up with friends in Manila and of course more time for shopping!!! Now, all I need to do is start saving for this grand trip (plus Europe and NY). Lotto luck, come to me na.

ACN Video Phone - the phone of the future

                                                              (photo grabbed from the web)

I am so excited that finally, the video phone I ordered for my parents have arrived. I cannot wait to call and see their faces while talking to them. I will finally be able to see my nephews and nieces, see them grow up, celebrate birthdays with them and be in touch with them 24/7.


Yes, Sype works the same way as this but with ageing parents who are not so tech-savvy, having to call me using the traditional phone (with a bonus of seeing my face) without ever opening a computer and clicking some buttons is a relief for them. And they can call any ACN videophones worldwide with minimal charges, now all I have to do is convince my Aunt in the US to buy one from my website so we can all be connected.


And oh, did I tell you that my videophone works as a digital photo frame too? Technology really amazes me, things we thought are impossible 10 years ago are now a reality! I could only imagine what is in store for us in the future.

If you want to stay connected with your loved ones anywhere or wants to earn income that could potentially be your ticket to early retirement, let me know and I'll show you the limitless opportunity of ACN.
 

Dear Nicole

A letter I gave to my 11 year old niece who ran for Assistant Secretary in the Pupil Government and lost.

~~~

Dear Nicole,

I heard from you Mama that you lost again in your bid to be your school's Assistant Secretary and that you cried and said you always lose, this being your second time in running for a post. Its okay to cry, its okay to lose. But don't dwell on the negative side, don't think that people do not like you, maybe the other person campaigned more than you did, or maybe the job was really not meant for you and that God has other plans for you.

I, too, experienced the same rejection when I was your age. You lost twice, I lost three times! When I was in 4th Grade, I ran for Assistant Auditor and lost to a 5th Grader, when I was in Grade 5, I ran again for Auditor this time, and lost once again. And finally, when I was in the 6th Grade, I ran for Governor, the highest position in Elementary school. Never mind that I lost the last two elections, it did not deterred me from aiming for the top. I ran again and lost the third time!

I can't remember if I cried, maybe I did cry during my sleep. I felt that nobody likes me and that I shouldn't have ran and wasted money. But you know what, Lolo and Lola were so supportive of me. We went to Kristine's Printing Press and had some bookmarks made at the last minute as part of my campaign material. I know they don't have extra cash then but they made 'utang' to the Valiente's so I can have my bookmarks. I even remembered bringing our Akai Cassette Tape to school so we can practice the dance for our program. I was with great people then, popular students were part of my team. But I still lost.

Losing for a third time was not good for my self esteem and I, too, questioned, why I did not win. It's really heartbreaking to experience these rejections at such a young age. But that is part of the game, someone has to lose and someone has to win. And because it wasn't our time to shine yet, we lost this battle. But I did not dwell on the bad side. I still helped the student government with their projects because that's what I really wanted to do!

You'll experience a lot more rejections, pains and heartaches. But don't use this to pull you down, instead, focus on the things you are good at, like drawing, singing. Soon, you'll realize that there are reasons why you didn't get the post.

When I was in Grade School, I have my own shares of disappointments:

* running for office and losing three times - even in highschool, i ran every year and was only successful during my 3rd and 4th year and then I became the President of the HS Student Council.

* joining the Children's choir because Lola knows Mrs Dacudag. When I was in Grade 5, the Children's Choir were going to join a contest in Butuan so they decided to have everyone audition for a part. Before that I thought I am a good singer but when I didn't passed the audition, I realized I am bad pala. I am sooo yabag mukanta until now. The good thing about it was that the students were away for 2 weeks and I was one of the few 'bright' ones left so I got good grades during the 3rd grading period and the others weren't able to catch up with me. From being a 5th Honorable mention in Grade 4, I got the silver medal in Grade 5 and went to become the Valedictorian in Grade 6 (because the First Honors in Grade 5 transferred to another school, hehe)

*wanting to study at Philippines Science High School after I took the entrance exam. I can't remember if I passed the Mindanao campus or not pero I think I was devastated coz I really wanted to go to school there. But you know what, when I was in College and met the people from the Mindanao Campus, I am glad I did not go there because you are required to study only Sciences in College which by that time I know I am not really good at.

There are a few others pero I can't remember them all.

I know you are talented --- you have a good voice, you're artistic! Maybe you can be an artist. =) Continue honing your talents, join contests, sing, dance, draw whenever you can. One day, you'll thank yourself for pursuing the things you love and being good at it.

Nic, disappointments will always be a part of life. You can't always win every game you play, every contest you join. But what makes the winning and the losing less heartbreaking is your journey. If you give it your best and enjoy the things that happen along the way, it won't matter na if you lose or win, what matters is that you had fun while you did it.

I can almost see myself in you. The adults see so much potential and pushes you to do this and that. Just let them for they know what's best for you. You'll thank them 10 years from now! hehehe.

We love you Nic and be good to your little brother and to your cousins okay? You're the big sister and big cousin now. You have to be a good example to them ha?

Love you.
Auntie Gagang

Random Thoughts for the Day

travel.
I'm thinking of living and working in New York? hmmmm. Maybe just a visit but not really to live and raise a family there.
Palawan and Boracay
How about the May 2011 Europe adventure??? Top Deck tours daw sabi ni Ellyn.

food.
I have my macaron ingredients at home, I just need to buy my piping bag. Time to use my Homeworld gift certificate.
Masterchef is my life for 4 months now, I don't know what I'll do on July 26. Withdrawal syndrome na eto!!!
I need to replicate my banana peanutbutter chocolate cupcakes and this time I will take photos of it. yumyum!

online.
chuvaness
daphneosena
topazhorizon
marketmanila
philstar
inquirer
fb
twitter

work and studies.
August is our yearend, August is the start of the cpa program
bonus in november, results of cpa exam in dec
new year, new work in 2011??? (parang mas maganda pakinggan ang 'new year, new work, new yok' hahaha. but no, I love Oz, US will just be a holiday destination)

family.
miss my hubby and will miss him more next month for an out-of town engagement
talk and text sa Bukid.
need to have a check up to make sure nothing is wrong with me, GPs cannot be trusted, need to go to specialist this time. I wanna have a beybi!!!

television.
Masterchef finals week. I hate curry.
Friends Season 10. I love Rachel, Joey, Chandler, Monica, Ross and Phoebe.
Modern Family. So dysfunctional so loveable.
Don't lie to me. Your facial gestures gives you away.

back.to.work.

Sweet Little Yuan

Facebook status of my sister:

"Grenna was sleeping alone in her bed last night while her Langga carried Yman to sleep. Suddenly, Yuan, slowly went up to her bed and said: "diri sa ko oi!". She just let Yuan slept beside her but Yuan took her hand and held it tight. After 5 minutes or so, her Langga with their Yman opened the bedroom door and said "Go back na sa imo bed Yuan kay mag sleep na si Yman diha". Yuan quietly went back to his bed and said "Thank you Mommy".


naiyak ako, waaahhhhhhhhh


ps... Yuan is 4 years old while Yman is 6 months old.

Andito na si Nanay

Yep, the plane landed safely at around 7:45 am. Thank God for friends na sumundo kina Nanay. Right now, andun sya nagpapahinga sa Chatswood. I'll be picking her up after ofc hours. Then a looooooong train ride to Toongabbie! Tapos sa 24, si mommy at daddy naman ang pupunta dito! Yahoo. Finally, makikita na nila kung ano ang Australia... sana lang di sila ma bore. =)

New Life (Lives)

BABY BOOM IN OZ!!!

All my married friends in Chatswood are having a baby - Ruthie is due to give birth anytime soon... then Noemie is on her 3rd month, and I just learned that Lanie too is preggy! I hope i'll be next, hahaha.

Back home, my elder sister had a miscarriage last year. It would have been her second baby after nine long years but sadly, we lost the little angel (gi wak-wak daw, i dunno). My younger sister also had a miscarriage last weekend. She has been so busy with her thesis in the last couple of weeks. She needed to do some revisions, had to travel to Cagayan de Oro and she's back at work too that her body just didn't cope with the stress level she's experiencing. Sad thing is, she didn't know she was pregnant! She bled on the bus on the way home and thought its her normal period but when tummy ache just didnt go away, they had to admit her to the hospital. After some tests, they said she lost the baby... sad, sad.

But its not all bad news. I also learned last weekend that my sister-in-law, who lives in Butuan, is also pregnant!!! Its her third time but the first two, she also lost it. The first one was due to a miscarriage on her first trimester, the second one, didn't develop well inside the tummy. They did everything they could, went through the pregnancy even if they knew from the ultrasound that the baby only have one arm and one leg and have a weak heart. But during the 8th month, the baby didn't survive. Our little Atasha was born dead and is now in heaven praying for all of us. My sis-in-law is still experiencing difficult pregnancy but she's coping well. They've been waiting for this baby for 5 years and we are all praying for the health of both the baby and the mommy. We all know our little Angels in heaven are looking after the life growing inside Jen's tummy and I just knew that this time around, it'll be perfect. But I still continue to pray for her everyday...

I hope im next in line... :D