let it snow, let it snow, let it snow...

just came from our mammoth trip. to be honest, i didn't get the chance to really enjoy the trip because;

1. my work didn't let me get off for the day - our original plan was to leave friday morning to have time to explore the place but of course everything changed when i went back to work.
2. igi suddenly had a fever which didn't go after some sponge baths and acetaminophen.
3. the other kid that we were babysitting was also sick and the dad forgot to bring the stroller which made it very inconvenient for us to go around since our friend had to carry him most of the time.

and so after some kodakan in the snow, the gondola ride and experiencing the wind chill at 4:30 in the afternoon, we headed back to the condo unit and just warmed our asses with sinigang na baboy and some starbucks.

then sunday morning, i woke up hearing the wind buzzing outside our bedroom window and when i took a peek, i saw the most beautiful sight...it was snowing and the whole place was all white...it was so serene...i wanted to bring igi out so we could play and taste the snowflakes but because he was sick, we ended up admiring the snow from our bedroom window. then it was time to get ready to leave...

here's the video as we were leaving mammoth (just don't mind dell's commentaries and the other voices in the background).

feeling the love on v-day

after a bad experience with an ex before, i've never looked forward to v-day because of that incident. it gave me the impression that i was not deserving to get some pampering or surprises on that special day. but today, everything has changed...

dell surprised me with a dozen roses, a card and my own iPod. he asked his sister T if she could deliver the flowers to my office (just 6 miles from where we live). and my gosh, surprise is an understatement. i can't even describe the feeling nor put them in words. i didn't know how to react and i was numb for a couple of seconds. my officemates were the ones screaming out of joy for dell's thoughtfulness. i realized i am no good in handling surprises. i controlled myself not to shed a tear while i was reading his v-card for me. such a sweetie!

because earlier this morning, he was "masungit" so i was pissed with him for starting my day bad. i usually start my day with a prayer and a smile...and i was wondering why he was starting his with an attitude.....and later on realized that it was all part of the plan.

geez, he had me this time and it was a good one...and he had one thing to say to me - "i deserve the best!"

Dell's Surprise Party

my darling Dell turned 40 last February 1 and his sisters and i cooked up a surprise party for him. actually, i got challenged when he told me 2 years ago that i couldn't surprise him again. well let's have the video speak for itself.

my lifelong resolutions

**this entry was posted in my multiply account on 02 Jan. 2007 at 7:10pm

it has been a common practice to write down your resolutions every new year. ako, i have stopped making resolution because i am bad in keeping them especially when it has something to do with D-I-E-T-I-N-G! i can go do my daily exercise but because i love to eat, i feel that whatever i lose i gain in one sitting. so much for exercising huh?

but this year, i opted to make one - well it's more of a lifelong resolution - to BE HAPPY. enough of the if's and buts; enough of the wallowing in self pity; enough of the bickerings of how life was so unfair to me/us; enough of all that crap that puts me in misery when i have the power to be HAPPY. i guess if your state of mind is happy then everything else will follow suit.

next is to EAT HEALTHY - enough of the processed and artificially flavored food. we have children and we want to be with them longer. this might be the hardest among the 2 resolutions so i will need all the will power to stick by it. but heck- it's still worth a try right?

oh and my friend R, gave me this link and it is one great article to remind us how to be happy.

~~~~~

FIVE PRINCIPLES FOR HAPPINESS FOR 2007

The arrival of the new year marks a symbolic time for fresh starts. Many of us take it as an opportunity to set goals, contemplate decisions, and renew commitments.

It's special because of the revitalized sense of hope it brings.
Before you make your New Year's resolutions for 2007, I'd like to share some thoughts about how it's never too late to start living a rich life.

The Live Rich Factor

Most people believe that if they just had more money, the things that make them unhappy would disappear and their lives would be better. The truth is that your life can be better without more money. It can be better today, but you need to make some decisions and take some actions.

You don't need me to tell you what will make you happy -- only you know that truth.
I believe each of us has the power to discover our purpose and become joyful in the process of journeying toward that purpose. It's not easy, however. Nothing important and meaningful ever is.

What you need to do is create what I call the "Live Rich Factor" in your life. I call it this because those who find the purpose that leads them to joy are truly the luckiest people in the world, because they're living richly.

There are five basic principles involved in creating your Live Rich Factor:

Principle 1: Give Yourself a Break

We all tell ourselves the story of the one that got away. You can't move forward if you spend time focusing on what you shoulda-woulda-coulda done in 2006 or before. It's over, and its time to move on. The fastest way I know to do this is to write all of your regrets down on paper.

Make a list of all your personal and financial if-onlys. For example, "If only I had saved more money. If only I hadn't quit that job. If only I hadn't taken the job I have." You get the idea.

After reading the list aloud to yourself, get rid of it. Let it all go by literally burning the list (safely). Now you're ready for a fresh start in 2007 -- a new beginning.

Principle 2: Get Connected with Your Truth

The hardest thing to do is be honest with yourself. Asking yourself some key questions will lead you to some amazing discoveries, and possibly motivate you to do what it takes to create the life you envision for yourself.

I suggest writing your (honest) answers to the following questions in a new journal for the new year:

What makes you happy at work?
What makes you happy at home?
What makes you happy with your friends and family?
What makes you happy when you're by yourself?
What do you love to do?
What would you do with your life today if you weren't afraid of failure?
What's not working in your life?
What are you currently doing that prevents you from experiencing joy?
What's working in your life?
Who's not working in your life?
Who in your life is subtracting value from and adding misery to it?
Can you fix any of these relationships, or should you let them go from your life?
What relationships are working in your life?
If we were getting together one year from today, what would have to happen for you to be able to tell me that you now have more joy in your life?
What's the single most important thing you've learned about yourself as a result of answering these questions?

You'll find that by putting your answers down on paper, they'll become clear more quickly and the actions you need to take more obvious and easier to initiate.

Principle 3: Stop Judging Yourself

Be nicer to yourself in 2007. Many people talk to themselves in a way they would never accept from a stranger, friend, or loved one. If this describes you, try stopping the negative conversations you have with yourself immediately.

For one week, simply commit to saying "stop it" when you think a negative thought about yourself. If you're in the habit of saying negative things to yourself, you'll find this is one of the most difficult exercises you'll ever do. Carry a notepad with you and make a mark each time you catch yourself thinking negatively. You'll find that as the days go by, your negative thinking can quickly be reduced.

Principle 4: Stop Judging Others

It's hard to be joyful when you're always judging others. In fact, it's close to impossible. Judging others creates a huge amount of stress in our lives. It affects our marriages and our relationships with our kids as well as the way we relate to friends, co-workers, and society in general.

We're not here to judge one another.

The next time you find yourself upset at someone or some situation, catch yourself and ask, "Are you judging?" Judging others is often an unconscious habit. But it's a habit that can be changed the moment you decide to stop doing it.

Principle 5 : Pursue Fun with a Vengeance

It's OK to pursue fun. It's what children do. My greatest joy these days is the simple pleasure of playing with my three-year-old son, Jack.

This holiday season with Jack taught me the simple power of pursuing fun -- again and again. What was fun for Jack this Christmas? It turns out it wasn't the Big Wheel that my wife, Michelle, and I stayed up so late building on Christmas Eve. And it wasn't the Star Wars Lego toy (although he was pretty excited about that).

Instead, what Jack found the most fun was a new game I made up to keep him entertained. The game was called Geronimo -- and it involved Jack jumping from the bed onto a stack of pillows yelling "Geronimo!" This silly little game ended up bringing us both hours of fun. The price of the game: nothing. The fun: priceless.

And the laughs? Endless.

Why do we stop pursing fun as we get older? Fun shouldn't be squeezed into a few weeks of vacation each year. And it shouldn't be squeezed into the last chapter of your life when you "get to" retire. Fun deserves to be a part of your life now -- in 2007.

But fun doesn't just happen. You have to make it a priority in your life or it'll go missing. Life's too short to not have it.

So here's to a fun, happy, and healthy New Year. Cheers!

bad blogger

i am so bad...i've neglected my account for so long. i'm too engrossed with posting all my happenings at multiply that i forget to post some of my entries here.

let's start with our newsletter...sorry if this is delayed but i posted this on dec. 31 at where else(?)...my multiply account.

here goes...

as we bid our goodbyes

31 Dec. 2006 4 pm

Whew! How fast time flies…I remember when we were singing our hearts out at my brother’s house as we welcome 2006. Where did the whole year go? Yet, it has been a very eventful year for us and would love to do a blow by blow of how wonderful 2006 was.

The start of the year was the time when Dell’s whole family finally met me and Inigo. It was an overwhelming experience on both parties because it was unexpected. But as soon as they saw Inigo, we were welcomed warmly in their arms.

February, Dell celebrated his 39th birthday with a joint dinner with our good friend Rea at Elephant Bar. And on the 3rd weekend of February, we went to Big Bear for our yearly snowboarding. Dell and Gabee (Dell’s youngest daughter from his previous marriage) had a grand time while me and the little boy watched them from afar. Inigo also loved the snow but since the cold was too much for us, we only played in the snow for a short period of time. Though we promised that we will go snowboarding again this 2007.

And in March, Dell for the 4th time was in the President’s Club – an annual affair where they are recognized for their exemplary performance at work. It was a one day affair and was held at one of San Diego’s 5-star hotel. He was also given a Tiffany Necklace which he gave to me. =)

Summertime, I celebrated my 38th birthday with a pool/barbecue party at Irvine. All my close friends came to celebrate it with me. In fact the party lasted at 12mn. We all went home tanned, happy and full.

In August, Inigo turned 1. We had dinner at Goldilock’s with his godparents on his birthday and had the grand celebration/dedication day on August 12 at Verdugo Park in Burbank, CA. We opted for a Winnie the Pooh theme and had the party catered so that we can mingle with our guests. The pinoy style spaghetti and sago’t gulaman was a sure hit with the guests plus all the kids had a grand time trying to hit the piñata and palayok that were bursting with candies and chocolates. He also had his 1st haircut at his tita Maridel’s salon.

As the months passed, Inigo learned lots of things…he learned to turn-over, crawl, sit up and stand on his own. Right now, he’s taking baby steps and hopefully by the start of the year would be walking like a pro. He’s also acquired a taste for Filipino cuisine. He loves sinigang, nilaga, adobo and beefsteak. His all time favorite fruit is banana though he eats apples and oranges once in a while.

He’s also learned how to use a phone (he pretends his talking to someone), the remote control (knows where the power button is), comb, cotton buds, spoon and one thing he loves doing when we’re doing our grocery is to push the shopping cart. Oh how his face lights up when we make him push the shopping cart.

He’s also grown to love “The Backyardigans” and dances and sings with them (even if it’s just blabbing). He’s recognized them too whenever he sees any The Backyardigans merchandise. But boys will be boys so right now – he’s turned his fascination to Lightning McQueen – KaChow!!!

In September, my Dad also came over for a short visit so he’s finally met the latest addition to his growing number of grandchildren. May I say that Inigo looks exactly like my Dad. He’s been wooing me to let him take Inigo to Pinas so I could work without worrying about who’ll take care of my son. It’s a tempting offer but I’m still ok and can manage the stress. But while he was here, we grabbed every opportunity to be with him till he flew back home to the Philippines in October. He promised to visit us again next year (with my Mom and Patricia), hopefully in time for Inigo’s 2nd birthday.

November, my daughter Patricia (who’s still in the Philippines) turned Sweet 16. She’s now in 4th year highschool and pretty much busy with her extra-curricular in school. We always talk during weekends where she updates me with her lovelife (yes friends, she has a boyfriend) and I am thankful that in spite of the distance, my daughter still has a good head over her shoulders (in short nakikinig pa rin siya sa akin!!!)

And did I mention that we’ve moved to Fullerton this December? It was a major decision for us to move in a new city and leave Eagle Rock that became my second home since I got here in the US. We still don’t know what Fullerton has to offer - we’re still exploring the area but we’ve found the mall. =)

But it wasn’t all fun for us…some trials came along the way but because of our strong faith in the Lord, we embraced them with all our hearts knowing that in the end, we will come out victorious in this battle. It may take some time but we’ve mapped out our strategies to settle what needs to be settled since we all know that in this roller coaster ride we call L-I-F-E, everything happens for a reason.

I guess that’s how life really is - we need to go through some bumps in our lives to value what the Lord has blessed us with. And as we look back on how we lived our life this year may 2007 be a better year for all of us – an opportunity to make up for what we’ve taken for granted - to be a better person…

And as we end and welcome the coming year with a bang, here’s a simple prayer that I would like to share with you….

New Years Prayer

Dear Lord,In the new year, we pray

that You will guide us each new day

in paths that are pleasing to You.

Lord, the new year gives us another chance

to rededicate our lives to You,

to study Your Word

so that we know right from wrong

and to act in accordance with Your commands.

Thank you for the sense of direction,

purpose and peace we get

from aligning our lives with Your Holy will.

We pray for the strength and the will to obey You

each and every day of the new year,

and when we fail, we pray for Your mercy,

Your compassion, Your grace and Your love.

Help us in the new year to be your faithful servants.

In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.


Happy New Year!!!

new year...new do...

Inigo had his haircut (courtesy of tita Maridel) for the 2nd time this year. It was much easier because he was well behaved - just staring at himself in the mirror while holding a brush in his right hand.

here are some before and after the haircut pix...

before (mukha pang mabait...)

after (mukha ng bugoy...)

mukhang kailangan ko nang mag-ipon ng pangpyansa ah =(

some christmas happenings

and so another christmas gone by with not much hoolabaloo...ibang iba talaga pasko sa pilipinas - inuumaga kakakain at kakainom. but since nandito kami sa amerika, we have to adapt to their style of celebrating it which is not bad naman. it's just that you can't help miss the kind of celebration na kinalakihan mo...the food, the gifts, the get-togethers, the noise of my pamangkins, san mig light, isaw, lechon, sopas.....at madami pang iba!

anyways, here's a recap of how our christmas went...

dec. 24 (noon) - dell took us to rowland heights and he talked about his humble beginnings. we drove by the apartment where their family first lived, the park where he used to play some hoops and the jack in the box where he first worked. on the way back, we decided to pass by marshall's since we needed to buy a gift for our lunch party tomorrow. then we headed home since his sister prepared some lunch for the family. it was sumptuous...we stuffed ourselves with korean bbq beef, grilled veggies (bell pepper, zucchinis and portabello mushrooms) and some greens.

dec. 24 (evening) - we first went to our friend's house in NorCo to have dinner. it's also her mom's birthday so their whole clan was there. and my gulay, they have a great dane named Pumpkin which is bigger than Inigo, a chihuahua named Cooper and another dog (his breed escapes my mind) named ChoCho. they're all cuties and Inigo enjoyed running after them. we only stayed till 8:30pm and then we headed off to Irvine for our other commitment.

the travel wasn't that bad because we took the toll express. ang bilis pero we spent $5 just for toll fee. then as soon as we exited the freeway, i drove going to dette's house. Tita Baby served as sopas, pandesal with ham and mayo and tsokolateng pinoy. oh my...it was heaven so i kinda felt homesick again. it reminded me of what we used to eat on christmas eve...ganong ganon ang kinakain namin (because main celebration is on christmas day). we wanted to stay long but Inigo wasn't up for it. he was cranky the whole time so we just opened his gifts and then headed home.

i called my family as soon as i got home. everyone was there except us who are now based here in the US. i talked to my daughter and had to control myself from bawling my heart's out because i miss her terribly. di bale...malapit na anak!!! then we went to bed.

x o x o x o x o

dec. 25 - when everyone else was happily snoozing, i was up at 7am to prepare the adobo =(. i'm quite particular when i cook so i had to wake up early to make sure that i got everything ready and running.

1:00 pm - heading off (with the car smelling of adobo and onions) for the potluck lunch at glady's (dell's cousin) lovely house in anaheim hills; the ignacio siblings and their families were all present plus kuya venjoy and ana. the food was great and all of us couldn't stop eating. after the usual kwentuhans and updates with each other's going ons we decided to play guesstures. it was so fun because we were playing against our partner (ignacios and relatives vs. their partners in life) and guess who won? hahaha US!!! dell was good but I WAS BETTER!!! hahaha...

it was pretty much a great day, with all the little cousins playing. we even tried to capture some kodak moments with all of them together but tough luck...they were all over the place...maybe when they get a little bigger...

we all called it a night at around 9pm since most of them are working the following day. it was indeed one great christmas...not as fun-filled compared to my pinas christmas celebration but close enough because i was with my new family.

till next year.....=)