Love is patient

image source :http://fotoimagepics.info

So true :) or even if he hangs it anywhere thinking that the whole house is his bedroom or closet :D

Happy Monday!

Let us all think positive, happy thoughts and let us all hope for a good week!

I know last week was not that good but that is over now. And I am certain thing will get better and better.

Nanay is now at home and recovering. My prayer is that she recovers quickly and regain her usual strength. Keeping my hopes up :)

So for those who are in stormy situations now..don't worry..remember it can't rain forever!

Happy Birthday Nanay!

5 months

Today marks the 5th month of my father's passing.

It's been 5 months since I received that early morning call...and I can still vividly remember how it broke my heat into pieces..in fact, it is still broken until now. I know mending and healing will take time..

It's been 5 months and it is still painful.

I still miss him so much. I miss his voice, his smiles, his presence.

I love you Tatay. 

Running shoes

Because we are both trying to live a more healthy life now, he therefore thought that these running shoes are necessity. It's actually a surprised from my husband last month. He said he saw these shoes on sale ( half the prize) so he bought it na. I went back to walking since then, although most of the time the weather isn't cooperating :(

Lifestyle change for a healthier us :)

ZEN type houses

My husband and I both like this  type of house, and we are dreaming and hoping that we will have one someday, smaller version of course because we only have small lot. I know even small one of this kind would cost like a million pesos. Sigh. At the rate of our salary/income now, we wouldn't be able to build this even if we save for the next five years. But I was told to dream big dreams :)so yes, we are dreaming and we are hoping.

this one I grabbed from sulit.com.ph

this one is from cmbuilders.com (they have plenty of Zen type house designs) I am actually tempted to inquire for their prices but I stopped myself..not now but maybe I'll get to ask for their quotation someday)

this one from ayosdito.ph

this one is my favorite because I love the simplicity and the over all look of it. 

(image from homes.mitula.ph)

Happy Birthday Mahal!

"Remember today, not only does God remember you, He remembers the promise He placed within you. He knows what He’s destined you to do. You may have already said, “Forget it; it’s never going to happen.” The good news is that you don’t have the final say. God has the final say, and He says, “What I started in your life, I’m going to finish.” That dream you gave up on, God didn’t give up on. He remembers you, and He is with you, leading you and guiding you to the place of victory" 

 Mahal,

I love you very much. I am so blessed to have you. God loves me so much so he gave you to me  :) I can't imagine my life without you.

More birthdays to come!! love you!!

BonChon at Cash & Carry Mall

is now open!

Years ago when I moved in to Palanan, Makati City, Cash & Carry was just a grocery store. But now, it is huge, with two cinemas and lots of food shop to choose from.

So happy to see BonChon there because I love their chicken and their chapchae (glass noodles). My husband is partial with the chicken though, Jollibee and KFC are still his favorites.

24H Apartment/hotel

A week after my father's funeral, my husband and I stayed here for just one night. We badly needed a rest because of the incident and so we went here. This was not our first time though, when my brother in law got married we stayed here also for a night. This is quite cheap compared to other small hotels/hostels in town.

But even if it is cheap, service is good and the rooms are clean, the restaurant ambiance is nice (newly renovated) and what we love most is that there is no standard check in and check out time here. if you check in at 7:00 PM, you can check out also at 7:00 PM the next day. Guaranteed 24 hours stay. Speak for it's name di ba?

Elevator entrance

One bedroom accomodation has it's own small kitchen, with fridge/oven/ sink

LCD TV/ Aircon

Our view of the city from our bedroom window

even if I smiled, you can still see the sadness in my face there. :( But of course that was a week after my dad's funeral so I am still very much mourning at that time.

But this post was not about me mourning...so let's go back to this apartment hotel (note that I was not paid nor given any remuneration for this post) but thinking this might help those who are looking for a nice but not expensive place to stay while in Manila or Makati hence this post. It's been sitting actually in my draft section  since May of this year but I only had the time to do it now.

For reservations: I did it over the phone and asked for the cheapest price. You can also book online thru different sites like Agoda. You can also visit their own website at http://www.hotel24h-makati.com.

Address : 1406 Vito Cruz Extension Corner (Pablo Ocampo Sr. Extension) Balagtas St. Barangay La Paz, Makati City
Contact Number : +63(2) 899-2174

7 reasons couples should go on vacation

Instead of buying each others gifts..

Note: This article is from yahoo and I am just sharing it here, it is originally posted in babble.com by Carolyn Castiglia.

If your boyfriend, girlfriend or spouse has a birthday coming up, your anniversary is near or you want to plan the perfect holiday surprise, you should consider using your money to fund a vacation instead of buying a gift item. Gifts come and go, little trinkets get lost, or the updated iPhone comes out and makes your present obsolete. Shared experiences, however, where you take in incredible sights, have romantic dinners, or make a fool of yourself in the funniest, most memorable way, will last a lifetime and strengthen the bond between you.


1. People who collect experiences are happier than people who collect things.

"That's in part because the initial joy of acquiring a new object, such as a new car, fades over time as people become accustomed to seeing it every day, experts said. Experiences, on the other hand, continue to provide happiness through memories long after the event occurred," according to CNN. The New York Times says, "Our own recent research shows that in addition to buying more experiences, you're better served in many cases by simply buying less - and buying for others."

Singapore 2011

2. You can take time away from the kids. 

Sometimes you just need a chance to relax and unwind without the kids around. A few days at a seaside  will make you better parents!

3. You can see the world. 

It's easy to get stuck in a rut and never leave your hometown, but there's no way to experience the world like travel. It's like TV come to life!

4. It puts you in touch with nature. 

Vacations don't have to be to far off places and they don't have to be expensive or long, either. A weekend in the nearest natural setting will work wonders for your mental health and your feeling of connection to the earth and to each other.

5. It can be cheaper. 

For the price of two iPads you can go abroad! Why not?

6. Travel is educational. 

You can read about the history of the world all you like, but to truly understand it, you have to travel to the places history has touched. Which is to say as many places as possible! Once you develop a curiosity for the world, you'll only want to travel more, learn more and understand more. It'll make you and your relationship more interesting.

7. You can visit family or friends.

Why not go meet your 81-year-old Aunt Gracie in Ireland? You only live once -- and she won't be here much longer! Hop to it! It will likely be a life-changing experience for everyone involved.


For 8 more reasons couples should go on vacation instead of buying each other gifts, visit Babble!

Meatballs with Misua and Patola

Don't you love hot soup during rainy days? I do. And because I have time and energy last week due to work cancellation, I finally tried this yummy soup meal.

If you want to try this, here are the ingredients:
Ground pork
Misua (very thin chinese noodles)
Patola (sponge gourd in English)
celery
garlic
onion
pepper
salt
egg

And here's how I made it (courtesy of our cook in the office-nagpaturo ako sa kanya)

for the meatballs : 

I added pepper, minced garlic and onion and celery, salt (or to be honest, I used maggi magic sarap :) and then one egg (to hold the meat in shape daw)

Saute garlic and onion in oil, add water, then wait to boil, add the vegetable ( I think you can add more vegies if you want) then add the meatballs.

And there you go!  Enjoy!

My husband loved it :)

 

On Finances

Because last month, we made some major decisions (not one but two) in our life, that also means major adjustment in our finances. I've been reading  lately a lot about money (savings, investment etc.) actually, that was one reason why I pursued our investment savings now because  if we don't do it now,  it might be too late to think of our retirement plans. I don't want to end up working till my super old age naman)

One major thing I learned (with all the readings I made) is this

Income - 10 % tithes - savings = Expenses

Before, we were like, income -tithes then expenses.

So zero savings at all.

I tried to save money in the bank but life always seems to have thousand reasons for me to withdraw it (family illness, emergencies, trips, etc.)

So I am thankful that now I save money where I can not touch it (at least for some number of years). The setback though is a major change in our monthly budget.

No more eating out (yes even in fastfood houses) maybe once in a blue moon na lang.
No more movies (which we seldom do naman talaga)
No big purchases for now
And most probably no travels unless we do earn extra for it.

It is quite hard but it is doable. At least my motivation is my dream house and our retirement days :)