I love...

I love the smell of freshly brewed coffee. I love sunsets and sunrises that take my breath away. I love introducing people to new music. I love bone-crushing hugs. I love reading the Bible and jotting down beautiful, uplifting verses I come across in the process. I love sleeping in on a rainy day. I love people-watching from a high place up. I love it when an Eraserheads song randomly comes up in my shuffled iTunes library. I love singing in the shower. I love a light breeze on a warm day. I love long bus rides when I’m not in a hurry. I love walking barefoot through the sand. I love wearing a new outfit for the first time. I love writing to-do lists. I love traveling. I love drinking in teacups with my pinky finger out. I love answered prayers. I love straight lines and even numbers. I love chick flicks that make me go “aww.” I love forehead kisses. I love listening to live music. I love having an extra 20-minute nap in the train on the way to work. I love an organized and nicely-formatted Excel spreadsheet. I love Whatsapp conversations with my sister about anything and everything. I love high-speed internet. I love browsing through greeting cards. I love elderly couples holding hands.

I love possibilities. I love being inspired by something that I have to stop and jot it down. I love waking up at 7 am on a Saturday and realizing I can sleep a few more hours if I want to. I love dining outdoors. I love homemade anything. I love hearing from someone I haven’t heard from in ages. I love the kindness of strangers. I love making someone smile. I love knowing that I have a good book to get back to. I love optimism. I love being in awe. I love taking stolen shots of people. I love standing up for what I believe in. I love surprises. I love talking and talking and never running out of things to say. I love fresh air and natural light. I love browsing through old pictures and reminiscing the moments attached to them. I love knowing for a fact that my family will always be there for me no matter what. I love getting carried away with something. I love to write. I love to laugh. I love to learn.

I love winning board games. I love girls' night outs. I love inside jokes. I love a good Friends, Grey’s Anatomy, or Sex and the City marathon. I love keeping in touch. I love cuddle time with my husband. I love handwritten letters. I love from-the-pit-of-your-stomach laughter that almost brings you to tears. I love loving. I love love.

Five Happy Songs

I've always been in awe at how much music does to a person. It's like it has super powers that could turn your mood around in a snap of a finger. Just hearing a few notes of a song can flood your mind with memories you thought you've already buried deep in the ground. When I'm having a rough day, I turn to these songs for a pick-me-upper.

1. That Fresh Feeling - The Eels

Everything's just light and positive about this song! It's easy on the ears and has kilig-inducing lyrics that reminds me of the early stage of dating my husband <3 You don't have a clue | What it is like to be next to you

2. Walking on Sunshine - Katrina and the Waves

I had this really awesome idea of making this song my phone's alarm tone. It did lessen the sucky-ness of waking up so early on weekday mornings!

3. Better Together - Jack Johnson

This is one of my all-time favorite songs EVER. I love this song so much that we used it in one of the audio visual presentations in our wedding. This song will always make me think of my husband, especially the lines: Love is the answer | at least for most of the questions in my heart | Why we're here | where do we go | And how come it's so hard 

4. Built to Last - Melee

For some reason, the intro gives me a feeling of excitement. I discovered this song when I was single and in a soul-searching phase. It had such a positive effect on me. It made me feel hopeful that someday, I'll find myself being able to relate to the lyrics of the song :)

5. You Make My Dreams Come True - Hall and Oates

This one's a classic! I love how it's a happy, perky song all around. It's almost impossible to not be able to smile even for a little bit when you hear it. It will always remind me of the super adorable Joseph Gordon-Levitt in 500 Days of Summer :)

There you go! I hope these songs somehow gave you a bit of sunshine today :) 

Throwback blogpost

(Posted on my LiveJournal on 29th August 2011)

Friday night, sleep over at Bell's. There were ten of us, sprawled on our own spots all over the place. I knew I fell asleep in the living room, curled up uncomfortably in one of the couches, then later on ended up on the sofa bed. Some four hours later, I heard familiar voices from the dining area and figured the others were up already. It was around eleven in the morning, if my memory serves me right. Still sleepy, I took it as a sign to wake up so we could get moving.

I opened my eyes, surprised to see Erick's face about five inches away from mine, smiling at me.

I smiled at him too. And I wasn't able to wipe off that stupid silly smile until I reached home (and even on random moments until today).

Had lunch and did some household chores with Kat when I got home. A couple of hours later, I received a Whatsapp message from an all too familiar name on my phone--Erick. He wanted me to know that he had a great morning because he woke up to me smiling at him. That message was undeniably cheesy (haha), and it caught me off guard. It made me happy nevertheless.

I've known him for barely three months. The way he came into my life and earned his spot there is a sweet surprise. We spend a lot of time together, we talk all the time, and we enjoy each other's company so much. I have no idea where this would lead to, but right now, he makes me happy in a way that no one else could. I love how he is very vocal about the way he appreciates me (Apparently I make him happy). I almost forgot how this feels like, to be someone's source of happiness.

So yes, I'm taking things one day, one step at a time; seriously trying to guard my heart and go easy on the expectations. A part of me tells me it's about time to "change perspectives"--which I actually prayed for when I was on the verge of losing hope on the other person. I think I'm starting to, and it scares me. I'm really trying to remain hopeful even though I have every reason to feel scared. And I don't want to pre-empt things because, in all honesty, I want to make this work.

-------------------

I was browsing through my old blogs and I found this! It made me so kilig reminiscing those days when E and I were just starting to fall for each other. This is why I try to write as much as I can -- to be able to relive precious moments like this, bringing back almost the exact same feeling I had in that exact moment :)

Moved

And we're done with the 1st quarter of 2015. I did not expect it to whizz by so fast! But I am glad it did because it means the countdown for Christmas is getting shorter. I am very thankful that I got to start the year together with my family in Manila. After two years of not being able to come home for Christmas, I really missed spending the holidays with my family. Time spent with them is always priceless. Gives my heart so much joy :)

We are now a family of 8 :) This was taken on January 3rd, the night before our flight back to Singapore. We had Jollibee chicken joy delivered at home. Family + Jollibee = pure, unadulterated happiness :)

I think I've mentioned it here how going back to Singapore gave me major separation anxiety. E and I were homesick during our first couple of weeks back. All we talked about was how much fun we had, wishing we could have had a longer vacation. Thank God for Facebook and Viber, which keeps us connected to our families even if we're a thousand miles apart.

I just realized that I went through two big moves this quarter. In February, E and I moved into a new flat in Ang Mo Kio (we're sharing the flat with my cousin and her husband). Yes, we said goodbye to Sengkang a.k.a. the best neighborhood ever :( It was just too far from my workplace, not to mention the bus and train fare that exceeds my monthly transpo allowance.

We have too many boxes. This is just two-thirds of them. We had to dispose a lot of stuff that we don't really need.

We were sad to leave Sengkang, but at the same time we're excited to explore what Ang Mo Kio has to offer. It was a pretty big adjustment for me, given that I lived in the purple line for the past 9 years. I have come to love our new parish, Christ the King church. Attending our first mass there made me feel right at home.

I love this charming and cozy church :)

So far, I am loving our new place. I love the privacy and peace and quiet. I love that I live with family -- people who I'm comfortable with --meaning, no need to adjust to strangers. And I love that E and I have our own bathroom. Haha :)

The second big move of the quarter was last March, when our company shifted to our new office. 

I had to say goodbye to my old super spacious desk. 

Boxes galore! I think my team and I packed (and unpacked) 100 boxes. I realized that it's easier to pack than to unpack. 

We had a little party to commemorate our last few days at our old building. Thanks to our big boss for the yummy food and beer! CHEERS!!!! :)

We just had to take one last group photo with the entrance of our old office as the backdrop. I will surely miss this place. Looking at this photo makes me feel so thankful to be part of this family :)

These two big moves made me realize that a certain place is only as good as the memories created in it. There's always going to be a sentimental value in something that you've been emotionally-attached to. It's sad to leave a place you've grown to love, but we can always make new memories wherever we settle. It's like being in a whole new getting-to-know-you stage once again, and that's what makes life more exciting :)

Questions

Today I woke up with an utter feeling of contentment. After prayers of thanksgiving have been said, it got me thinking...

What does it really mean to be content? 

Am I being too complacent? 

Do I dream big for myself and for my future family?

Do I make bold decisions?

Am I a brave risk-taker? 

Have  I become stagnant? (And if I have, is this a disservice to God?)

Is it okay to just bask in the contentment for a while? (And what exactly is the time frame of 'a while'?)

Am I exploring the abundance of options and possibilities around me?

Do I strive to be the best version of myself?

Clearly, this calls for a thorough self-check, stat. I want to be able to exhaust the opportunities for growth and self-improvement being thrown my way, and at the same time allow myself to sit back and savour the present. I need to learn how to strike a balance...

Kitchen Adventures

Our close friends and family know for a fact that in this marriage, it is E who (mostly) takes care of the cooking. I am the self-appointed dish-washer because, well, they say teamwork is key to a lasting marriage. ;-) But you know, I can actually make super delicious scrambled eggs (husband-approved!). Just putting it out there so you won't think I'm completely useless in the kitchen, haha.

Being able to wake up to freshly-prepared meals during weekends makes me immensely thankful to the Lord for blessing me with my husband. I mean, stereotypically speaking, it is usually the women who toil away in the kitchen. And yet I've got this guy who lovingly does it for me. It's one of his ways to treat me like a queen :) One day, while enjoying this act of service from my husband, I thought I also want him to feel the way he makes me feel. From there, I made it a personal goal to learn yummy (and healthy!) dishes that my husband could enjoy. Thanks to Pinterest and my kitchen diva friends, I can now proudly say that I can cook. Photographic proof below (I know I've been successful because my husband requests me to cook some of the dishes again haha):

Angel hair pasta with tuyo and spinach. I used gourmet tuyo (in a bottle) and lots and lots of garlic for this.

Baked honey soy chicken. This one's from Pinterest. I love how flavorful this dish is. It's fairly easy to make too. We ate it as a salad topping, although I can imagine how good it would be if paired with white steamed rice.

Pork steak. I had to ask my dear inay Miles for her recipe because E and I tasted her version one time and we absolutely loved it. I tried my best to follow her recipe to the T coz I was so scared to screw it up. E had three (3!!!!) cups of rice, so I guess it's safe to say that my version was a success :)

Three-cheese fusilli pasta. Okay, this one's a bit of a rip-off because I used ready-made Prego pasta sauce for this. BUT I added garlic, mushrooms, and SPAM cubes into it. Hehehe, am I a good cook or what??? Lol.

Chicken adobo. I used Cat Juan's recipe for this. It's my second attempt to replicate that recipe. I used pork in the first one (it's THE BEST, I swear). Unfortunately, it did not taste as good when I used chicken. Though the husband said it's still delicious.

Chicken spinach. Chicken breast fillet cubes cooked in garlic and butter, plus spinach. Easy peasy dish that can be cooked in less than 30 minutes. 

Roasted broccoli and cauliflower. I'm not particularly a fan of both vegetables, but I when I tried roasting it (drizzled with olive oil, sprinkled with salt, pepper and parmesan cheese), it magically turned into something I can eat everyday. E loves this so much too! The most tedious part is chopping the vegetables into florets. Roasting time is 30-45 minutes. A bit time-consuming, but totally worth it.

Okay, this one is not exactly a dish. It's the breakfast spread I prepared for the husband on Valentine's Day -- toasted bread with sharp cheddar, scrambled eggs, tomato + agurula, bananas, and our favorite Oldtown Hazelnut coffee. I prepared all these while E was still asleep. He was smiling from ear to ear when he woke up and saw this on the dining table. I love surprising him! I need to up my game for the next surprise :)

I wish to be able to add more to this growing 'portfolio' because nothing makes me happier than seeing my husband's eyes light up in delight because of something I did for him. I know that to him, the taste doesn't matter as much as the love and effort that I put into it :)

No Greater Love Than His

photo credit

It still blows my mind how someone could be so selfless to give up his own life for the sake of mankind. I remember watching The Passion of the Christ more than ten years ago. I was bawling my eyes out because I couldn't believe that Jesus went through such kind of sacrifice. The portrayal was so convincing, that I could almost feel Jesus' pain through my skin even if I was just watching it on the big screen. 

He went through unimaginable pain to redeem us from our sins. He died on the cross so we could live and receive God's overflowing grace. It may be overwhelming to be a recipient of such great love, but that's just the way it is -- whether we deserve it or not. Nothing can ever separate us from the love of God. There is nothing I can say, but THANK YOU LORD. It is an amazing privilege to be loved THIS MUCH by You. I pray that I could do something in this lifetime that could make me feel worthy of Your love. Thank You for everything.