I'm a Mommy

It's official. I am now a mommy. I am someone's mother. Wow, it all sounds so surreal to me. Nine months went by just like that, and here we are. I will write about my birth story when we have settled nicely. In the meantime, here are some photos of our daughter (seriously surreal!) :)

Pouting already at 2 days old, hahaha!

Isn't she lovely?

Yummy and pretty Estrel's cake from Ninang Kat and Ninong Christian :)

Aaaaaahhhhh my heart!!!!! So much love!

My husband and I with our little miracle ♥︎

I also want to take this opportunity to honor my husband for the amazing love and support he has showered me with from the day we found out about my pregnancy until the day I gave birth. I really could not have done this without him. 

Thank You Lord for the gift of our daughter Emilia. We are now a family of three :) Praise God!

31 weeks

...and looking like I just swallowed a whole watermelon, hahaha! I've been waddling like a penguin, but the truth is, this is the sexiest and most beautiful I've ever felt (my husband telling me EVERYDAY that pregnancy makes me look glowing accounts for a lot of it, haha). The way this pregnancy is going is too good to be true. Everyday I thank God for this journey that I am loving every single second of.

We went for a 4D scan last week and we're thrilled to see our baby in a more detailed image! 

The sonographer said she could have captured better stills if Emilia wasn't positioned so cozily in my uterine wall. But I'm pretty pleased with what we got - and judging from these images, our little girl looks a lot like her Daddy :) 

So thankful to have scored cheap Singapore Airlines tickets. 17 more days until E and I fly back home! It feels so surreal having to prepare to GIVE BIRTH. I cannot believe that I am THISCLOSE to living my greatest dream - to be a mother. I cannot say this enough: THANK YOU LORD! 

New Rules

Since the day we found out that I'm pregnant, my husband has been super protective of me, to the point of being OA (Hahaha! Peace, my love!!!) -- but adorably so! I totally understand where he's coming from. We have prayed for this baby for a long time, and of course, my husband wants to make sure that we are both doing everything that we can to have a happy, safe, and healthy pregnancy.

Last month, just a week after we found out about my pregnancy, we had a problem with our kitchen drainage which caused leakage on our kitchen floor. I found this note in the middle of the night when I got up to pee. My sweet husband just had to remind me to be cautious in walking to the bathroom. On a separate note, I was delighted to see his cursive handwriting for the first time. Hehehehe :)

And so, here are the new rules imposed by my husband, the soon-to-be strict Dad :)

1. When going to the bathroom, always bring my phone with me. (Because, you know, just in case I slip or see a cockroach, I can call him for help. No need to scream for the whole neighborhood to hear.)
2. When using the stairs, always hold on to the hand rail -- even if it's probably full of germs and bacteria. Which brings me to the next point...
3. Spray isopropyl alcohol all over my hands after holding on to hand rails.
4. Use a mask in crowded places so I won't catch any kind of virus. 
5. When alighting from the MRT, don't join the crowd in rushing into the escalator. Wait until the crowd subsides. 

I think my husband is so cute for being so strict like this. When he knows I'm on my way home, he'd ask for a selfie just to make sure that I have my mask on while on the bus or train. The past couple of months made me appreciate my husband even more. I feel so blessed and thankful for having such a loving, caring, and protective partner in life. If his actions now are any indication of the kind of father he will become, then I can confidently say that our kids are very lucky. THANK YOU LORD!

SG50

My second home, Singapore, is celebrating its 50th year of independence today. I had to strike off the word 'second' in the first sentence as Singapore has become more than just a 'second' home to me -- it is my home -- for now, at least. Don't get me wrong, I am not abandoning my beloved home country. The Philippines is still and will always home to me as well. I guess I am fortunate enough to have two wonderful places that I can call 'home'.

To Singapore, the place I consider God's 'Promised Land' to me -- I have so many things to thank you for. I came here for better career opportunities, but you gave me much, much more than that. In this place I found my lifelong friends, the love of my life, and... myself. More importantly, it is in this beautiful place where I really found God and built a relationship with Him. This is where I took my faith to the next level.

Thank you, Singapore. Only God knows how many more years will I spend living here. I will always, ALWAYS be thankful. Oh Singapore, you will definitely be in my heart for as long as I live.

Mommy

Thank you for influencing me on your love for the written word. Whenever I feel guilty for buying too much books, I will always remember what you told me: Books are a worthy investment :)

Thank you for teaching me the value of delayed gratification. 

Thank you for reminding me that most of the time, less is more. You are simplicity-is-beauty personified.

Thank you because although you don't always express it verbally, I know that you've always got my back NO MATTER WHAT. 

Thank you for your tough love that ultimately made me a tougher person. 

Thank you for instilling in me the importance of being wise with my finances (although admittedly, I was a late bloomer in this area, sorry).

Thank you for sacrificing 7 years of your life working in a foreign country in order to give us a more comfortable life. 

Thank you for practically handing my Singapore permanent resident status to me on a silver platter despite my initial reluctance. Mothers do know best, because all my dreams came true when I relocated here.

Thank you for loving me, my siblings, and Daddy the best way you know how. You are the most selfless person that I know. I am proud and honored to be your daughter.

Happy Mother's Day to the most beautiful woman in the world. I love you so much, mommy. 

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.

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...

Walk in the Park

I can’t even begin to express how HAPPY I am to be embracing the weekend right this moment! I’ve had a physically exhausting week, and I am so thankful for this day wherein I am not required to do anything, haha. I am thankful for the 10 glorious hours of sleep. Aaaaahhh, what a luxury.

E and I spent the first few hours of the day at Bishan Park where we had a morning stroll, followed by a heavenly brunch at McDonald’s.

Loooovely day! ♥ #messyhairdontcare Haha!

Grateful to have this pocket of greenery in our new neighborhood :)

Perfect Saturday morning view :)

There's a McDonald's branch tucked in a corner in the park. The reward of our long walk is our favorite McBreakfast :)

We did a bit of grocery-shopping before heading home, and we now have the entire afternoon all to ourselves. I LOVE IT! Of course, the domesticated part of me will do the laundry, change the sheets and cook something for the husband.

By the way, E’s work pass renewal just got approved for another two years. Praise God! To celebrate, we went to Jollibee for dinner last night. Hehehe :)

Thank You Lord for all the blessings :)

Good morning!

Helloooo Tuesday!! :) Faulty train at the circle line this morning. Got stuck at Caldecott station for more than 20 minutes. I was 30 minutes late for work, but that's okay.

Praise God the aircon inside the train was working. Otherwise, it would have been suffocating.

Praise God the train was sooo packed that even if I didn't hold on to a bar, I didn't go off-balance.

Praise God I didn't forget to spray cologne on my handkerchief today. #alamna Hehehe

Praise God I was wearing my most comfy flats today. My legs didn't ache even if I was standing for almost an hour.

Praise God I was feeling well this morning. (Been having headache these past few days)

Praise God I have my Joel Osteen podcasts on my iPhone. Aside from making the inconvenient and uncomfortable travel more than bearable, it was a great source of inspiration to get me through the day.

Praise God for my husband who prayed for me until he was sure that I reached the office safely.

MOH

My beautiful sister and I got married one year and one month apart, wherein we are each other's Maid/Matron of Honor. I loooove that we have these identical shots in our respective weddings (both photos taken by the amazing CamZar Photography)

Praise God for the gift of beautiful sisterhood :)

Sweet Selfie Sunday

When I gave my old iPhone 5 to my Dad, the first app he asked me to install for him was Viber. We have a family Viber group, and he was the only one in our family not in it before he had the iPhone (For some reason, Viber doesn't work on the Blackberry phone he's using for work). I was so happy when we were finally complete in the group!

Yesterday was noisier than usual in our little group, with my Dad being the most active one. Naaliw siya sa pagse-send ng pics, hahaha! I think our family became even more closely-knitted after the Christmas holidays. I wasn't able to meet any of my friends in Manila when I came home because I wanted to maximize my time with my family. The twelve days that I spent with them were the best, especially those times when we were just chilling at the condo, all eight of us. Yes, our family has 8 members now, with my husband Erick and my new brother-in-law Christian. How fun!! :) This is probably why it was so hard for me to leave, that I cried on the plane going back in Singapore. And I don't have a memory of me crying on the plane, EVER!!!

Hehe, marunong na sila mag-selfie! Sooo adorable!!!! ♥ Being able to talk to them more often now (Thanks to the convenience brought by Viber) makes me so happy and thankful. We get to easily update each other not only on the big milestones, but also on the trivial things like what Dad cooked for Mom, Kat and Tian's newlywed adventures, and J and A's whereabouts. I LOVE THAT. Knowing these little things doesn't make me feel so far away from them. :)

Here's another selfie that made me smile like a love-crazed teenager, haha. I woke up earlier than the husband, and went ahead to take a shower. When he woke up, he sent me this selfie of him. Cutest 'Good morning' message everrrr. ♥

I asked him how come he still misses me even though we're together every single day. He said he missed me while we were asleep for 10 hours, and waking up without me beside him made it worse. Hahaha! Haaaay, this boy. Always so sweet and malambing. I'm so thankful that I get to keep him forever ;)

Recent Blessings

HOORAYYYYY FOR THE LONG WEEKEND!!!! Yayyyy, happy dance!! I’ve been looking forward to this long weekend for so long because I’ve been working for two months straight. No vacation or medical leave. Thank God I haven’t been sick except for the occasional headaches and sniffles. Tonight will be dinner with the girls, then we’re having a camping trip tomorrow until Sunday. I’m so excited!

Today is my mom’s 54th birthday. People still get shocked when they find out her age because she looks no where near 50s. Sometimes people even mistake us for sisters! She looks like she’s only in her late 30s or early 40s. I wish that I’d age gracefully as she does. :)

My family moved into my parents' newly-purchased condominium unit in Commonwealth a few days ago. The photo above was taken last night when they had a simple birthday salubong for Mommy. It makes me so happy to see my parents enjoying where they are and what they have right now. I know one of the reasons why they purchased this condo unit is because it is easier to maintain. Also, it is literally next-door to my mom’s office. Of course, our Novaliches house will always be our home. But we are all very excited to build a new home that is more convenient for everyone location-wise. Hehehe. :D

I’m happy to hear that my sister’s wedding preparations are coming together smoothly, save for a few minor stress bouts. As much as I want to be with her in her gown fittings and assist in their prenup shoot, I’m glad that I’m still able to help her as a ‘consultant’. I appreciate that she keeps me in the loop in practically all aspects of her wedding — from reception setup, invitation design, motif, gowns, flowers, etc. I appreciate that my opinion matters to her, not only on wedding matters, but even on something as simple as her outfit for the day.

Work has been good. Really good. Everyday I thank the Lord for blessing me with this job in a great environment, and being able to work alongside awesome people. I honestly didn’t expect to be able to adjust this smoothly. I thank the Lord for the wisdom and knowledge He continues to bless me with.

That’s a photo of me and my new colleagues in one of the social events organized by our Business Development team for our students. My boss treated us to a huge pork knuckle platter.

I am thankful that I get to go home early enough to prepare home-cooked dinner for my husband.

Thanks to Pinterest, I’ve been learning new dishes to cook, the latest one as shown above is chicken spinach. It’s not only fairly easy to make, but it’s delicious and healthy too. My husband liked it a lot that I cooked this dish for two consecutive days, haha.

I know I haven’t blogged for a long time and I plan to catch up in the next few weeks! September has been pretty eventful, and I would like to document it as much as I can. Have I mentioned that we’ve already booked plane tickets for our Christmas vacation? After spending two consecutive Christmases here in Singapore, E and I are beyond thrilled to be back home this year! Also, we’re planning for our anniversary trip (I can’t believe it’s been almost a year since we got married!!!). Since I just transferred to a new company, I have limited annual leaves. We’re thinking of a 3D2N trip somewhere in Asia. The top choices at the moment are Phuket, Hong Kong, and Bangkok. I am very thankful that I have a lot of things to look forward to. :)

The Magic of Beginnings

Two weeks ago, I tendered my resignation from my current post in the company I have worked for the past two years. I haven’t secured a new job yet when I resigned. I know it’s not exactly a pragmatic move. It’s actually stupid in a way, because it would mean jumping into a sea of uncertainty. However, it wasn’t decided on impulse. I have been praying for it for months, so I believe that it’s a well-guided decision. I admit that it was scary as hell. At first, it was all relief, that finally I can focus on my search for “greener pastures”. But thinking of the what-ifs sort of made me panic. What if I’ll be out of job for too long? I’d definitely go crazy. What if we wipe out our funds before I find a new job? How will we survive here in Singapore? And the list goes on…

I didn’t like the feeling, and it was the total opposite of the unwavering faith in God that I am striving to have, so I decided to give myself a little flashback to the many other instances He had saved me and Erick. We’ve been in similar situations before. How could I forget the prayers that have been answered in a timing that couldn’t be more perfect? How could I forget how each detour ultimately led us to His answers? How could I forget the small and big miracles He has done in my life?

Remembering all these led me to ask myself how could I even doubt God and His greatness. I felt ashamed of myself. So I apologized to God, and I could almost hear him say to me, “My child, why are you still worrying when you have already prayed?” I teared up because I know in my heart that it is definitely God speaking.

Tomorrow is my first day in my new job. My heart is filled with gratitude for this answered prayer. My great God has once again orchestrated everything to fall into their proper places just for me. I am so blessed to be a recipient of His inexhaustible grace.

This whole experience re-emphasized to me that:

1. Worrying is completely useless. When you pray for something, trust that God has control over it and He’s got everything taken care of. I read somewhere that SURRENDER is God’s love language. That’s exactly what we need to do — surrender all our worries, anxieties, pains, fears unto the Lord because He knows what He’s doing.

2. Don’t be afraid to take risks. As I mentioned earlier, I haven’t secured a new job yet when I resigned from my previous job. I just had this nagging feeling that I couldn’t shake off, so in my mind, I really HAD TO do it – by hook or by crook. I was praying “Lord, Kayo na po ang bahala.” over and over again. When I listed down the reasons why I was resigning and concluded that the situation I was in is not what God wants for me, that’s when I found the courage to do it. I’d like to believe that the courageous ones — those who are not afraid to jump into a sea of uncertainty without a life vest — are being rewarded by the Lord. :)

3. Have a grateful heart, no matter what. When the struggles and frustrations at work were on its all-time high, I was feeling demoralized and unmotivated. I knew I had to do something to prevent it from tarnishing the other aspects of my life. I am so grateful that God has given me the grace to continue reading my daily devotionals from Joseph Prince, Joyce Meyer, and Rick Warren. I was inspired by these devotionals to always see the brighter side of things. And that despite the struggles, there is always, ALWAYS something to be thankful for. The more I made a conscious effort to focus more on the things that make me happy, the more capable I became to overlook the unpleasant parts of my life. Having the attitude of gratitude puts things in perspective.

Although I’ve learned all these in theory over the years, I sometimes forget how to apply it in real life. I am grateful that a ‘dark’ phase in my life made me re-learn these three important things. It is only through God’s grace that something horrible could turn into something beautiful.

I admit I am a bit anxious of the adjustment I need to go through, but I am also excited to learn more and work with intelligent and hardworking people. I am in this for the long haul. And so, I pray that I will be able to honor and glorify God through the work of my hands in this new company that He has blessed me with. I pray for the new relationships that I will be building. I pray that my wisdom and knowledge that will be made full use in my new role. I pray that I will be able to grow professionally and personally. I pray that I may be a blessing to my new colleagues.

#100happydays

Last January, I stumbled upon a post on Facebook that grabbed my attention.

Can I truly be happy for 100 days in a row? With the motivation to find an answer to that question, I decided to sign up for the 100 Happy Days Challenge. 

I half-jokingly said that I might end up posting one hundred photos of my husband for this challenge because, well, he is obviously my major happy-maker. Haha :D But because God is so good and His love for me is immeasurable, I find myself with so much gratitude for so many things that make me happy every single day.

Truth be told, I had some inhibitions before I decided to go for the challenge. I didn’t want people to see my posts as mayabang, or something to that effect. Also, I didn’t want to be that annoying girl who exposes all the cheese and mush going on in her life — which might be over-sharing or TMI  for some. In the end, I decided that I will be doing this for no one else but myself. I liked the idea of documenting God’s goodness in my life through the #100happydays challenge. Besides, you can never go wrong when you’re spreading good vibes, right? You’ll never know, you might inspire others to do it too. :)

It has been an amazing 100 days of happiness — in simple and profound ways. Some days, happiness made its presence felt from start to end. Some days, happiness was elusive, that I needed to make an effort to find it. Yes, there were days when I worried that I won’t have an entry for my #100happydays challenge. So sue me for being shallow, haha. :P

Indeed, there is always, ALWAYS something to smile about and be thankful for, no matter how small or trivial it may seem. It may come in the form of an uplifting quote you stumbled upon the Internet, or a cute baby who smiled at you on the train, or a bar of chocolate. I guess it’s all about the mindset. It’s like, if I’m having yet another stressful day in the office, I try to counter the negativity by telling myself “That’s okay, I’ll do a FRIENDS marathon at home after all this crap!” It diverts my mind into something worth looking forward to, and puts me in a better mood. Okay, I’ll be honest here and say that this does not work all the time. There are days when it takes much more than a FRIENDS marathon to make me feel better, but I guess the key thing here is having the ability to look at the brighter side and still have a grateful heart despite life’s difficulties.

My #100happydays journey was mostly made of grand and small (but meaningful) gestures from my husband, newlywed adventures, messages of assurance from God, kitchen experiments, little victories in life, and quality time with people who matter to me. I am so glad I took this challenge. It helped me focus on the blessings that God has so generously bestowed upon me, especially on my low days. It made me fall in love with my life even more, and inspired me to treasure everything that I have with utmost care. Best of all, it also served as a testimony of God’s greatness and faithfulness in my life.

So to answer my question, yes, it is possible to be happy 100 days in a row. Beyond that, even. It may take a whole lot of ‘practice’ to adapt the right kind of mindset into a habit, but in my experience, it proved to be the secret to living a happy life. :)

Little Rays of Sunshine

• My mother is finally on Viber! She sent me a photo of a sunflower she drew on her Samsung phone just using her fingers. Haha. Miss her. I told her to install the 2048 game on her phone. Pero baka sisiw na yun sa kanya coz she’s so good in Sudoku.

• “Your report was eloquently written. Your grammar is flawless.” comment from our Head of Academic Quality :) :)

• ‘The One Year Love Language Minute Devotional’ by Gary Chapman. Learning so much from this book. Highly recommended to all married couples. 

• Weekend coming up! Yahoooo!

• ‘The Fault In Our Stars’ soundtrack on repeat. I’m in love with this playlist!

• Another very close friend moving to Sengkang soon. I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again — Sengkang is the coolest neighborhood in Singapore. Hahaha :D

• Discovering new great blogs to read

• My daily dose of fresh fruit juice

• Positivity and possibilities. Planning for our next big step. This gets me sooo excited and inspired and motivated to work harder!

• Thanks to our finance-savvy friends, my husband and I are learning together about investments that we can consider.

• The attitude of gratitude <3

• Early morning banter while prepping for work. How lucky am I to get to experience this everyday, with the wittiest husband in the world to boot!

• Getting excited for our Manila trip next month :)

Happy weekend, friends and lovers!!!! :)

Brighter Side

Here’s the thing: despite my hundred and one reasons to hate this place — the system (both in the IT and management sense), some people who refuse to do their jobs properly, lack of motivation and direction, super disorganized processes, inefficiency in general, lack of reward and recognition, and so on and so forth — I am thankful that I am constantly learning here. Everyday I am reminded of Jesus’ teaching that I should love my neighbor, no matter how difficult and challenging. That I can only do so much, and I need to let go of things that are beyond my control. Everyday I feel that my patience has reached its maximum, but everyday I prove myself wrong, because apparently, there is still room for just a little bit more patience in my heart. I (would like to think that) I am growing to be more independent and responsible for my own actions. I discovered that I can take one for the team without expecting anything in return. I never saw myself as a strong person, now I think I am slowly turning into one. A few more months, maybe I’ll be able to master the art of compartmentalizing my life.

This is me trying to look at the brighter side. Also keeping in mind the power of positive thinking and having a grateful heart no matter what :) But I think I still need to work on my Plan B very soon.

Grateful Soon-to-be Bride

Erick and I have been blessed with wingless angels since we announced our engagement. We are very, very grateful to be showered with their love, generosity and kindness. For every question such as “What can we do to help you?” and “What else do you need?”. For every expression of excitement and anticipation. For every initiative to make things as easy as possible for us. For every question of concern, asking if I am stressed or about to freak out or if I am already on the verge of having a panic attack (haha). For every advice and word of wisdom on married life. For every question if we’re planning to have a baby immediately after the wedding (Thank you guys for being just as excited as we are!). For the unexpected financial blessings. For every prayer, rosary, and novena offered for us. We are grateful beyond words. Erick and I can feel God’s love radiate through these amazing people.

Truth be told, the only real wedding-related stress that I’ve experienced so far is over my lost confirmation certificate. And I practically didn’t have to do anything about it because my Ninang Debbie took the initiative to do what was needed. We have thirty days left before our big day, and only God knows how these days will transpire. With the help of my ever-reliable Maid of Honor and my Ninang Debbie, Erick and I are doing our best to finish all our pending to-dos. I’m a bit nervous because from counting months, we’re now down to counting weeks. But I am also really very excited. You have no idea. The thought of having the people closest to our hearts celebrate with us makes me wish that November 15 would come sooner. We are lifting up everything to the Lord, at the same time claiming that His will be done for our wedding day as well as for our married life ahead. I am thankful for being blessed with a very flexible personality — that if Plan A doesn’t work, I am open to Plan B, C, D, and so on and so forth. I think this is one of the reasons why I haven’t had any freak-outs thus far :)

I am also thankful for my wonderful soon-to-be husband who is just as hands-on as I am with our wedding preparations. He is involved in every single decision that has to be made. I made sure to get his opinion on everything because, well, it’s his wedding too. Hehehe :)He makes himself available whenever I need to sit down with him and discuss about the nitty-gritty details. If you’ve been reading my posts, you’d know that we have made full use of his awesome artistic and graphic design skills (he designed our save-the-date and will-you-be cards, as well as our invitation).

One thing I am proud of is that this wedding is something we can all our own. You’ll see bits and pieces of our personalities in the details. Everything is a labor of love by me and Erick together with our loving families :)

Our meaningful journey as an engaged couple is about to end, and a more beautiful life awaits us after we exchange vows with God and our loved ones as witnesses. I can’t wait for a lifetime honeymoon with my best friend :)

Much love from the soon-to-be Mr. and Mrs. ♥

What Makes Me Happy

“What makes you happy?”

From out of nowhere, this question was directed at me today. I was speechless, and it’s not because I couldn’t think of anything, it’s because there’s too many possible answers that I don’t know where to begin. I think I am blessed like that. My fiancé once told me that he’s a lucky guy because it doesn’t take much to make me happy. I’m very easy to please and I find joy in the smallest of things. Like right now, I am enjoying a quiet Friday night by myself — I just had sushi for dinner while watching Grey’s Anatomy season 10 episode 4, and now I’ve got time to blog while my clothes are spinning away in the washing machine. I shall make this number 1: Quiet, productive time by myself. I guess it’s a good thing that I do enjoy my own company. The next ones are in no particular order:

2) Morning prayer time. Favorite part of my day. Nothing beats the calmness in my heart every time I get to start my day with a long talk with God. Sadly though, when I wake up later than expected, my prayer time before I do anything else gets shortened, although the continuation follows when I’m in the train on my way to work. This includes reading verses of the day, gospel, and my favorite devotionals from Joyce Meyer and Rick Warren. These serve as my weapons as I face all sorts of battles everyday.

3) Avocado shake. And not just any avocado shake, it has to be bought from the fruit stall behind St. Joseph church near my office.

4) Introducing new music to friends. It brings me so much joy when a friend ends up liking a song or an artist that I recommended to them.

5) Our GK babies. Our growing family now has eight babies, three of which are recent additions born last September. You can just imagine our Whatsapp group filled with baby pictures and stories of the babies’ latest milestones — my daily source of good vibes :)

6) One-to-ones with Erick. I treasure our one-to-ones so much because it is a time for us to really open up our hearts to each other. This is not the time for us to be all lovey-dovey and gush about our love for each other. In our one-to-ones, we talk about our fears, worries, and insecurities in life. We also talk about our arguments–what went wrong and how we could have handled the situation better. These conversations make our relationship stronger. I would strongly encourage other couples to have these conversations too :)

7) Long weekends. I don’t think this needs further explanation. But this I will admit: I usually indulge in one full day of just lounging at home, reading and sleeping as much as I’d like whenever we have long weekends. I can’t afford to do this on regular weekends because there’s always something scheduled for both days (service, get-togethers, parties, etc).

8) Reading. My favorite pastime. It’s quite sad that I’m way behind my reading. Bought a couple of new books a month ago which I haven’t even opened yet.

9) The thought that I am one month away from officially becoming Mrs. Labiano. CHEESY!!! But in all seriousness, these past few days have been stressful for me in terms of wedding preps, but when I am reminded of that thought, I am assured that IT’S ALL GOING TO BE WORTH IT. This is God’s work. This is His plan. For me to marry the love of my life. I AM SO BLESSED.

10) Handwritten letters. In this day and age dominated by technology and social media, receiving a handwritten note or love letter could be priceless. A simple one-liner post-it note from my special someone makes me crazily happy :)