A special season's greeting for you all

Life goes on, friends come and go in our lives
We try to survive the challenges in our lives with or without friends
We would be lucky if we found a true friend who sticks with us no matter what

To me, you are always my very good friend even if you never want to be
To me, you are always apart of me that hard to erase and to forget
To me, you are always my strength when I'm down

And so, my dear friends, from across the ocean,
I wish Merry Christmas and Happy new Year to you all...
Maligayang bati and many great things happen in your life.
You will always be in my prayer and I hope u pray for me too as your prayer will keep me safe from harm.
Hoping your brightest wishes come true...
Hoping the new year sparkles for you.

.... in Tagalog

Ang buhay ay nagpapatuloy, mga kaibigan na dumarating at umaalis sa ating buhay
Sinisikap nating malampasan ang mga pagsubok sa ating buhay nariyan man o wala ang ating mga kaibigan
Tayo ay lubos na pinagpala kung tayo'y makakatagpo ng tunay na kaibigan na laging nariyananuman ang dala ng buhay

Para sa akin, kayo ay laging isang mabuting kaibigan kahit na hindi 'nyo ginustong maging para sa akin
Para sa akin, kayo ay laging bahagi ng sinimulan kong buhay na mahirap burahin at kalimutan
Para sa akin, kayo ang laging lakas ng aking kalooban sa tuwing ako'y walang ibang malalapitan

At dahil dito, para sa aking mga minamahal na kaibigan, na nagbuhat sa kabilang karagatan,
Inaasam - asam ko Maligayang Pasko at Bagong Taon para sa inyo...
Maligayang bati at mas marami pang magagandang bagay na mangyayari sa inyong buhay.
Kayo ay laging kasama sa aking mga panalangin at inaasam ko na ako'y isama 'nyo rin sa inyong mga panalangin
Hangad para sa inyo ang katuparan ng inyong mga pinapangarap ngayong paskoat isang nagniningning na bagong taon

Copyrighted on 20th Dec 2009. Please don't use any part of it without my permission.
Many thanks to my Tagalog teacher for helping me to translate my greeting. Maraming Salamat, po!

I won't be home for Christmas

As I'm typing this post; I'm listening to 'Home', a beautiful song by Michael Bublé.

Another Christmas is coming and again I will miss going back home to celebrate Christmas with my family in my home country. I lost count on how many Christmas celebrations I have always been the only one missing. In fact, since I got married 10 years ago, only once I was able to join family Christmas celebration in Yogyakarta where all my family gathered for a simple Christmas dinner.

I don't know when I will be able to bring my little family to go back home again for another simple Christmas dinner now that I stay thousand miles away from them. The plane tickets are getting more expensive especially during the festive seasons. There is also an extra cost of paying an exit tax out of Philippines every time I go out of the country because I am an I-card holder. I also have to match my holiday time with my son's school holiday. I cannot just buy a ticket and fly back home because my presence is needed in the house. There are so many things to consider before I can pack my bag.

But then, since I won't be home for Christmas, I will celebrate Christmas this year in the Philippines for the first time.
It is not a complete disappointment either actually because I stay in Luzon where majority people celebrate Christmas. In fact the spirit of Christmas has filled the air since 3 months ago.

Entering the advent season, I could smell Christmas around the corner already. I see many kinds of Christmas decorations, lights, and banner everywhere. Even in the subdivision I stay, many houses put up different kinds of very beautiful Christmas decorations complete with multicolor lights to brighten up the night as if they joined a competition which house has the most beautiful Christmas deco.

Every night I can hear fireworks far and near. Sometimes if I’m lucky, I can watch the fireworks display from my backyard.

For the first time, I am taking my time to decorate the house I stay with multicolor blinking and steady lights. I am even making my own Christmas tree which is decorated with many hanging origami shapes I made with my children. I hope this way my children won’t break any decorations…:)

I am also preparing many Christmas gifts for the children, for my maid, and also for my driver. My husband has given me a Christmas present but I still don't know what to give to my husband in return. Maybe I will cook a very special Christmas food for him :)

Last weekend my husband and I attended a Christmas family gathering at my son's school. We watched my son performed. He sang and danced with his classmates. Everyone really had fun.

Oh well, I guess I just have to forget the 'going back home' thought and fill my days with great things I can do with my beloved people whom are here with me. I know God will choose the best time for me to go back home to celebrate Christmas with the people I love. The spirit of Christmas around me will help me to feel the joy of Christmas wherever I am.

Counting my blessing

I’m trying to count how many times God’s blessing for me and my family followed us always. Just in 10 days of our holiday trip to Malaysia, God’s hands have played part in many ways of saving our lives where ever we go.

First, we got our business class tickets for free by exchanging with our frequent flyer points. To be able to fly back to Malaysia, is already a privileged for us and even better with a business class seat… : - )

Second, our flight from Manila to Kuala Lumpur was very smooth. The children were cooperating. They just slept and ate their food quietly.

Third, when we were in Kuala Lumpur, checked in to the hotel, we were given a 1 bedroom apartment with the same price of a double bed room for an upgrade because the room that we booked was not ready. Although it was only 1 night we stayed there, we felt really grateful for the upgrade because I could cook some food for my 1 year old daughter because the apartment had an electric stove, a microwave, a complete set of cooking pot and dining plate plus the cutleries. The bedroom was super big. We were able to have a good rest before we continued our journey to Ipoh the next day.

Fourth, when we were in Ipoh, my husband had a very bad stomach ache. He couldn’t eat anything. But then, our family in Ipoh referred us to a very skillful masseur. After 2 session of medicinal massage, my husband was able to enjoy his favorite Nasi Kandar… : - ) Also, when we were in Ipoh, we could send our dirty clothes to a laundry shop which was quite cheap compared to if we had to ask the hotel to do the laundry for us.

Fifth, when we heard the news about the typhoon Mirinae (‘Santi’ in Philippines) which made a landfall directly to the area we lived in Philippines, we were so thankful that we were not at home at that time because the typhoon was very violent. It brought strong wind and rain which played havoc our neighborhood and uprooted many big trees. The electricity was cut off too. When we were home 4 days after the typhoon struck, we saw many trees uprooted and big glass windows were broken but our house is safe from harm and the electricity was already on.

Sixth, when we were in Kuala Lumpur, God provided us with good transportation by sending us a friend to drive us around so that we could eat our favorite food and went around KL despite the heavy thunderstorm.

Seventh, when we were on the way back to Philippines, our plane flew very fast and we arrived about half an hour early from the arrival time schedule. But then, Manila was just hit by a tropical depression which carried heavy rain and strong wind. We missed it (again). Since the weather above Manila was bad, many planes couldn’t land including our plane. So, our plane just circled above Manila for about half an hour until we were cleared to land. We were so grateful that our plane didn’t have to divert to land in Clark airbase. So, our driver didn’t have to drive too far to pick us up.

So far these are things I can count. I know I am very blessed. You can say I am lucky but I prefer to say I am blessed to be loved by God that much. I prefer not to take my luck for granted for I will lose it right away. Thank you, God, for loving me that much and to protect me and my family always.

The land of typhoon

The land of typhoon, it's one of many names I gave to The Philippines as many typhoons land on the archipelago; at least 20 typhoons a year. Some are moderate and some are destructive typhoons like the two typhoons that have just battered this country: typhoon Ketsana (It's called Ondoy in Philippines) and typhoon Parma (it's Pepeng in Philippines).

Before I moved to this country, I have warned by the locals about the typhoons. I had never experience a typhoon passing through the country I lived in. The closest experience I encountered was when I stayed in Hongkong for a couple of days, I saw a typhoon warning on the TV I was watching interrupting the show. But at that time it was only warning 1 (the typhoon was not severe).
The typhoon fact was one of many factors that made me think twice about moving here, but then I had no choice.

So now, here I am in the land of typhoon. In my 4th month of living in this country, I have been experiencing more than 5 typhoons with 2 very destructive typhoons came one after another.
If you followed the news, you would see how bad the last 2 destructive typhoons have affected every one living in this country directly and indirectly.
When the typhoon Ketsana made a landfall in the country, we didn't expect it would pour so much water from the sky. The number of rain water poured down in 24 hours equivalent to the number of rain water poured down in a month. It hit directly in the heart of Metro Manila areas on Saturday, 26 September 2009.

At that time, in the morning, we were on the way to Alabang (in Metro Manila) to take our children for some fun at the Festival Mall. The rain was not too heavy.
When we were about to enter the toll road, we were warned by the officer not to proceed to our destination because some areas along the toll road were already flooded.
So, we decided to take the children to a nearby mall instead. But then, before we reached the place, again, another officer informed us that the flood water on the way to that mall was very high. He asked us to turn back and go back home. When we drove back home, we were trapped in a traffic jam caused by a flash flood that was pretty deep. We realized that the typhoon was very bad and it was really not adviseable to go anywhere. On the way home, the rain poured down so heavily we couldn't see the road! All we could do just pray so that we could reach home safely.

Thank God we managed to arrive home safely and we quickly turned our TV on to watch the news. Then we knew that we missed the heavy flood thanks to the officer who informed us along the way. We couldn't imagine if we were trapped in the flood with the children.
Praise the Lord my family was not affected directly but for sure the experience taught us good lesson that never underestimate the power of a typhoon and it is never wrong to be too prepared for the worst case scenario.

So, when typhoon Parma made a landfall the following week, we knew we should just stay at home and watch the news. I even had waterproofed everything, moved valuable things to the higher ground, bought food supply, and prepared all the emergency equipments such as torch light and emergency light. We tried to be prepared as much as we could. We pray everyday for God's protection and God does protect us always. Thank you, God for loving us that much. We also pray for the people that are not as lucky as we are. We tried to help by giving some donations as much as we could. Since this incident, I heard many stories about how bad the typhoon can destroy their lives but they just have to get back to their feet as soon as possible to build a new life.

I'm amazed with their spirit. No matter how bad the typhoon battered their lives, they continue their lives with the smile on their face. God bless them.

As I'm typing this entry, there's another typhoon coming our way next week. If you want to follow the typhoon news in the Philippines, you can visit this website: www.typhoon2000.com

Mt. Makiling trip

This tree is called Mickey Mouse tree. Do you see why??...;)

After 4 months living in The Philippines, we are pretty much adjusted to the situation, the people, the culture, the weather, and the food. In fact, many times I kind of forget where I am. In my mind I was in my home country but then when the people started to speak to me, I got my feet back on the ground...:)

Since my son started his kindy school a month ago, I've been very busy helping him catching up with the lessons and helping him preparing things for school projects.
Last Wednesday, he had a school field trip to Mt. Makiling botanic garden, Rizal Shrine, and St. Elena Fun Farm. His daddy took a day off to accompany him. My son is not exposed too much to the nature or to outdoor activities because both my husband and I love the comfort of our home...:D So, I thought this school field trip would be a great experience for my son.
The trip was the whole day. My son left home at 5.15 in the morning. I woke up at 4am to prepare for the food he and his daddy would bring to the trip. I had to make sure they would not go hungry and thirsty.

When they came back home, they told me many fun stories from their trip. My son loved the trip very much though after that he slept the whole day on the next day.

Since I missed the trip, I suggested to my husband to take us to the same places they went. We had visited Rizal Shrine in Calamba last July, so we would not go there anymore. I will post the story about our trip to Rizal Shrine next time I have a chance to post my story. Rizal Shrine is the house of Dr. Jose Rizal, the Philippine National Hero.

We decided to head directly to Mt. Makiling botanical garden (University of Philippines Los Banos is the starting point). We stopped by KFC to buy take-out for our lunch. We wanted to have picnic lunch in Mt. Makiling.

The weather was nice when we arrived at the gate. We paid 10 Pesos each person to enter the botanic garden.
We had our lunch first before we went for hiking. After we were fully loaded, we started our hike to top of the mountain.
My 1 year old daughter really had fun. She didn't want to be carried during the hiking. She happily walked and jumped from one rock to another. She's such a little explorer! She loved to see butterflies, birds, and all kinds of trees. My son also had fun hiking with me. He held my hand and acted as a guide telling all stories about his 1st trip to the same place. He played hide and seek with his daddy too.

After about 4 hours staying there, the weather changed to become very cloudy and rain poured down very heavily. So, we decided to head to another mountain, Taal Volcano in Tagaytay. We always visited Tagaytay every weekend to relax and to attend a mass in Tagaytay church. No rain in Tagaytay but it was colder than in Mt. Makiling. On the way to Tagaytay, we stopped by to buy the most famous Colette's very delicious buko (young coconut) pie. We also stopped on the road side to drink some fresh buko juice, bought a whole trunk of Seniorita bananas for only 65 Pesos. We also bought 9 steamed corns for 100 Pesos.
Before we attended the mass in Tagaytay, we sat down and enjoyed the beautiful view of Taal lake & volcano from the top deck of Starbucks coffeeshop while drinking a cup of cafe latte.

Next weekend we plan to visit St. Elena fun farm to do some fun activities for the children. They can fish, feed horses, etc. I hope the weather will cooperate.

God's beautiful gift

Time flies really fast. Last week my daughter has celebrated her 1st birthday. She was very sick though at that time. She had high fever of 41 ⁰ Celsius and rashes all over her body which turned out to be baby measles. She recovered in 3 days. Now she is up and about, one busy little girl.

It seemed only yesterday I just gave birth to her and posted her baby picture here. I even haven't had time to post any stories about her when she was a baby, and now she is growing up to be a cheeky girl. She can walk and talk. She is very girly and very talkative. She shows a very different personality compared to her big brother. I really enjoy taking care of her as much as I enjoy taking care of her brother.
I am very blessed to have her to complete my life. I have a handsome boy and a beautiful little girl. Both are very smart in their own way.

Unlike her big brother who shows interest in books, computer, and Math, my little princess shows more interest in language and all the girly things such as hair clips, dolls, and flowers. She loves to dance and she hums along with the song :)

She is also more independent than the big brother. By 1 year old, she is able to feed herself while her brother is still fed until now he is nearly 5 years old.
She insists on feeding herself with a spoon. Although the number of rice falling down to the floor is more than the ones go into her mouth, she is able to finish 1 whole bowl of rice with chicken soup faster than me! Oh, she loves to eat vegetables and chicken, by the way. She says "Checken!" for chicken :) and she eats vegetables like eating peanuts :) When she is full, she will show it to me by tapping her belly and refuse to be fed anything.

She is able to drink from a cup since she is 1 month old. I trained her to drink the breast milk from a cup whenever I didn't breastfeed her. So she is able to master drinking from the cup at a very young age. Up to present, she is still breastfed. That's the only milk she wants to drink.
My girl was very happy when she was able to drink using a straw just a week before her 1st birthday. She has been practicing since she was 2 months old.

My little girl is also able to brush her teeth by herself. She is very happy to brush her teeth while I brush her brother's teeth. She will happily show you her 8 pearly white teeth when you ask her to smile.

Unlike her brother who is very friendly and laughs easily, my little girl doesn't laugh so easily. She is more careful towards other people other than those who take care of her every day. She is also more careful in doing things such as climbing and playing. She pays attention more on people's facial expression. Oh, she is also a great imitator She will copy actions, words, and also facial expressions from people she think fascinate her. It's like having a Xerox machine

My daughter’s favorite hangout place is...Starbucks! Try asking her where she wants to have dinner. She would quickly answer you with "Starbucks!" then ask her what she wants to eat. She'll reply you "Checken!" and the problem is, Starbucks doesn't sell chicken

When I'm busy teaching her brother to do his homework or to prepare for exam, she will keep herself busy drawing on the floor or do body painting. She will draw all over her body though I have given her papers to draw. When I shower her, I can even find a picture on her head!

My maid loves to do my daughter's hair with many styles and put on cute hair pins on her head. My daughter is also happy to do it because she knows she will look even cuter.

She loves her big brother very much. She calls him "toto" instead of koko (big brother). She kisses him. She hugs him. She grins from ear to ear whenever she sees her brother. She also loves to draw on toto's legs. Her brother loves her very much too. They seldom fight for toys or for attention.

I can go on and on telling you about my daughter. She’s just so amazing. She’s such a lovely and beautiful little girl. Happy 1st birthday my little princess! Mommy never stops praying for you. Thank you God for this beautiful gift in my life.

Learning Tagalog

I have been having private tutoring sessions for Filipino language with my husband for nearly a month now and we are happy to say that we can understand a lot more words and can make more complete sentences in Tagalog.

We have fun learning the language together as my husband and I always try to compete with each other in understanding the language. Both of us have great passion in learning a new language. For us, it is important to be able to understand what the people talk about so that we can gain more knowledge about them, their culture, & their way of life so that we can interact with them and blend in easily.

My husband knows how to speak many languages very well. When I see him switching languages from one language to another, it's like choosing a language using a DVD remote control... :-)
For him, his knowledge of Spanish and Malay languages helps him in understanding Tagalog words. Many of Tagalog words are taken from the Spanish language as Philippines was occupied by Spanish for a very long time. Many Tagalog words are also similar with Malay language as Malaysian Malays were one of the first inhabitants of Philippines.

For me, though I don't speak Spanish, my knowledge of French and Indonesian languages help me to understand Tagalog words. In fact, some Tagalog words are the same as Javanese language (I found out from my tutor, the Indonesians were also one of many first inhabitants of Philippines) and I get the advantage of it as I can understand Indonesian Javanese dialect too. So, yeah, 50-50 for me and my husband. But when we did our 1st test, I scored better than my husband! That was because my brain is so empty…:D (My husband said if Albert Einstein heard this he would laugh at me because according to Einstein, he only used 5% of his brain when in fact he studied all the time. So, in a way I have admitted that I never study at all…:D).

Oh well, I think my brain has more space than my husband’s brain because I don't work at the office reporting to someone. So it is easier for me to remember things. Besides, I have studied well before we took the test and my husband had no time to study because he was very busy at work.

My husband has been practicing Tagalog with his colleagues and for me, I practice my Tagalog with my driver and my maid. I also get a chance to practice Tagalog when I go to the market and my maid and my driver always come to my rescue with no delay :D

It's great to be able to learn a new language especially with someone equally passionate about it.