My Circle Of Strength And Love

I miss you all... :(

Happy Birthday Brandon Zyl!

I'm home! And as you all know, I'm home to celebrate my nephew's birthday bash. We spent it at home. We cooked some recipes and my brother's in-laws bought some more food, a birthday cake, an ice cream and balloons to make the little kid know it is indeed his birthday! :D

I'm so glad I'm able to spend more time with this nephew of mine. I love you, Brandon. I wish you'd grow up to be a good boy to everyone of us! Happy Birthday!

A 40th Year For A Friend

What's up with turning 40? I still wonder why people get anxious about turning 40 when there's saying that goes,"Life Begins at 40".

I'm not turning 40 years old this year yet! LOL! I'd worry about that 10 years from now. :D It's a friend of mine who's birthday is coming soon. I keep hearing her say, "I am really getting old!". And would always reply, "Everyone is!". Ah! Her jitters gets annoying sometimes. But I can stand her.

I have no idea what my 40th birthday gifts for her would be. I just hope that whatever I'd decide to bring, it will make her happy. I also wish for her to stop worrying about getting old and just be happy that another year is being granted to her by the Almighty.

Daydreaming About My New Home

One of the plans my Mom have is to finally build a new house. She bought a piece of land here in GenSan and wanted a new home built on it. I love the plan. My brother is going to work abroad soon anyway. Hopefully he'd earn more money out there so that we would be able to make our dream come true.

I want the house to be 2-storey  with four or five rooms. A spacious kitchen and living room accessorized with plants from www.halltrees.com. Not too many of the plants will be elegant. Just enough of them. I would love to decorate and decide on paint to use. :D I'm getting excited already.

I better stop my daydreaming. :D

Better Together

I was not able to totally spend time with my Kiddo this weekend. Sigh. He's too busy and I'm so tired. I know I'm being sentimental but I miss him. It's always better when we're together - just like what Jack Johnson say in his song "Better Together". :D

I better play it for y'all. My entry for Music Monday.

Come join Music Monday and share your songs with us. Rules are simple. Leave ONLY the ACTUAL LINK POST here and grab the code below and place it at your blog entry. You can grab this code at LadyJava's Lounge Please note these links are STRICTLY for Music Monday participants only. All others will be deleted without prejudice.   PS: Because of spamming purposes, the linky will be closed on Thursday of each week at midnight, Malaysian Time. Thank you!

Get That Sun Tan Before It's Too Late! :)

Summer is almost over! Thank goodness! I'm just over and done with it. Who wouldn't feel the same way like I do? Especially to those who live here in the tropical Philippines? Unless you live by the sea, there's always that body of water where you can take a splash and help keep your cool in the very hot summer season.

To those who still haven't had enough of the summer season, I think it's not too late yet. Summer fun is still up until the last week of May. You can get the sun tan that you all want or else you'll content yourselves with the best sunless tanning spray if the sun won't be up all day. That is if it's going to rain all day. LOL!

As for me, I'm glad the rain is coming. :D

Night Swimming And Sports Fest

I went swimming with some of my church friends on Monday night. I went on leave to spend time with my friends. Besides, it was very hot on the previous days so I didn't hesitate on the invitation. We went home at around 3 o'clock in the morning. 

I slept for a couple of hours and have to be awake early, around 6 o'clock in the morning because I have to help out on our scheduled Sports Fest activity at church. I was too sleepy and survived half of the day watching and helping out on the games. I did not wait to finish all the games scheduled for the day because my body needed to rest. I can't help my drowsiness anymore. So I left my boyfriend and a lot of our church mates who participated on the activity.

Friends at Summer Sports Fest

Although I got so tired, I felt happy because I was able to fulfill my obligations. Glory to God who strengthens me! :)

Home Make-Over Soon

After 2 busy weeks, I finally was able to clean my room! I'm so glad I was able to accomplish that this week. I woke up very early just so I will have more time to do the clean up! I made it!

I'm not really finished yet. I still have to clean up my closet. If I have time, I will ask my Kiddo and his sister to help repaint and decorate my little room. It needs a make over especially that rainy season is coming very soon.  I hope my boyfriend will find the time to help me out. His sister already told me to prepare the tools that we needed: hammer, nails, weld nuts, linoleum and of course, paint. I'm feeling excited about my home makeover just thinking about it. :D

It's Been A While

I finally was able to find time to meet up with my cousin Michelle and her husband - Jon during our friend's - Quelly's birthday bash last Saturday. The birthday girl made a treat at a seafood restaurant which is just a few minutes away from where I live. That's basically the reason why I did not decline the invitation. :D

Anyway, it was a gathering of Quelly's professional friends. Women are chitchatting and laughing out loud while the boys, well, they talked about cars, car accessories, monro-matic plus shock absorber, some more car parts. Duh! Nothing but cars. LOL! I was just there, observing, chatting with my cousin Michelle once in a while and enjoy the delicious meal in front of me.

It's just different bonding with them this time. Maybe because there are other people besides us on that gathering. I hope we will find time to really chat on our next meet up.

8th Months Drama

It was our 8th-month Anniversary yesterday. I almost forgot about it if my boyfriend's sister haven't reminded me. Kiddo was very busy yesterday to even remember. I got mad at him, went home and cried. Not only did I feel bad about him not remembering remembering our anniversary. I also got very tired about what's going on with my life (work, church obligations, boyfriend). Sigh.

But he asked me several time to go back to his home because there are a lot of things we needed to take care of. I really don't want to go back but I don't want to be blamed for not getting something done because I was in "drama" mode. So I went back still feeling bad.

He remembered this time. Thanks to his sister. But that won't change the fact that he's not romantic and insensitive and childish. Sigh. What did I get myself into?

My Kiddo's "Other" Baby

I've been a constant passenger of my boyfriend's motorcycle. But not this time of the year. It's summer and I don't want to be too exposed from the harsh sun and get burned. We choose to ride on public transport especially during the day.

My Kiddo love his motorcycle very much. It's also his baby (after me, of course! :D) He loves accessorizing it and make sure he cleans it up especially his motorcycle exhaust when he's home from work. He won't care if he gets down and dirty whenever he does the cleaning. He just got to make sure he won't be cuddling me after cleaning his motorcycle. :D

Planning On Owning A Dog

My friend Irene and I went to a pet shop few weeks ago. We went to see some cute dogs barking at us. Maybe they were telling us to take them home with us. :) Variety of dogs were there. I am actually thinking about buying one but I just can't afford it during that visit. If only I have the money and take one of the dogs that are caged in those pet crates from DogKennels.com home. I was really wanting to do that.

Anyway, I might shop for 1 of those cuddly cuties one of these days. I can just imagine the fun of taking care of a pet once again.

Kunin Mo Na Ang Lahat Sa Akin

A song beautifully sung by one of the most promising singers here in the Philippines right now. I just love her version. I hope you guys would take time to listen and love the song as well.

Happy Music Monday! :)

Come join Music Monday and share your songs with us. Rules are simple. Leave ONLY the ACTUAL LINK POST here and grab the code below and place it at your blog entry. You can grab this code at LadyJava's Lounge Please note these links are STRICTLY for Music Monday participants only. All others will be deleted without prejudice.   PS: Because of spamming purposes, the linky will be closed on Thursday of each week at midnight, Malaysian Time. Thank you!

Broken String

My Kiddo borrowed my guitar last Sunday to use it for an activity we had at Church. The activity was called Music Kiddie wherein they taught kids at our church locale to play some music instruments. I was supposed to be one of the teachers but I didn't participate because I preferred sleeping at home. I'm too stubborn.

I still haven't checked my guitar when my boyfriend brought back to me. But he already told me that one of the strings is broken and that he bought a replacement for it. I can see that he was a bit worried that I might get mad about. I actually just didn't care. I have to replace all the strings on my guitar anyway because they haven't been replaced ever since I bought it about 4 years ago.

I didn't have time to take care and even play my guitar for a long time now. I just don't care about it that much anymore, I guess. Maybe because it's not one of those Parkwood Guitars? :) I don't know. Maybe I'm just too busy. I might find that love for playing the guitar some other time. Not now. I have a helluva lot of things to accomplish. :)

Me? Getting Married? Not Yet! :)

Getting married is expensive. That's one of the many excuses/jokes I tell those people who ask why I'm still single. :D Why are they such in a hurry to see me in a wedding dress when I don't want to think of getting married yet?

Okay, here are the real reasons why I'm still single (haha! I don't really know why I have to tell you this!:)

1. No one has proposed to me yet, even my boyfriend! (He's too young to propose anyway and I don't want to force him. LOL! I want him to enjoy his young life first before getting into a very serious relationship. But I won't let him marry me when I'm over 40, though. Haha!

2. It's really expensive to get married nowadays. We can't afford it as of now. :D It's not like in the United States that women can wear simple wedding dresses and exchange vows with their husband just in front of a judge or a priest without inviting their loved ones and without a wedding reception. After a month or so, they get divorced. I don't want my marriage to end that way. Of course, I want my wedding to be memorable: in a Church, witnessed by family and friends. Even if it's not a very expensive wedding, I want it to be beautiful.

3. I still enjoy being single, seriously. I am not in a hurry to tie the knot. I just want to bide my time and enjoy my love life without rushing into marriage. I am not ready for the "Big" thing yet!

I hope people will just refrain from asking me silly questions about my single blessedness! :) I'm young and free and I am enjoying my life right now! I'm not getting married yet, okay? :D

Advance Happy Birthday To Me.... :D

This photo collage is made by one of my colleagues at work! :D I love it! My birthday is due 2 days from now. I love this advance birthday greeting!

Thanks a lot Sasa!

Advance Happy Birthday to me! :D

Finding A Home In Manila

I so want to move out of my current apartment. I don't like it there anymore. I wanted a place where I can put a lot stuffs in: appliances, a bed, nice furniture sets and maybe with alloc flooring and then turn it into a real home. I just can't find a place that's nice and at the same time, fits my budget. Sigh.

Sometimes I wish the apartment rentals here in Manila is as cheap as how it is in Pampanga. I used to work their for three years. I stayed at a 2-room apartment. The place is really nice but I shared it with friends and colleagues. My friends helped me save a lot of money by sharing the rent. It's just not easy to convince friends here in Manila to move with me, though. I'm not sure if I'm used to living with someone else, I guess. What I like living alone for now is that, I just have to think about myself. I can leave my stuff messy without worrying someone else at home may get mad for my being stubborn sometimes. However, if I live with somebody else, I'd be forced to always clean my mess up. :D I know most of you can relate to that.

Anyway, I'll continue my quest for a nice and suitable home for me. I know I won't be able to find it soon but I hope one day I will. :)

The Benefits of Vegetable Juicing

For a healthier body, a person should have at least 5 servings of fruits and vegetables in a day. How many people were really able to follow this diet? In reality, kids are not the only one who is not keen about vegetables, even adults show frowning faces at the sight of a green, leafy plate in the dining table. To include fruits and vegetables on your diet, without having to endure its taste, you might want to try juicing.

Health and fitness buffs are swear on the benefits of vegetable juicing. Its popularity is also one of the reasons why juicers are highly in demand right now. Juicing is regarded to be the easiest way for the body to receive the vitamins and minerals that it needs. Kids are also encouraged to try it. So what can you gain from drinking a glass of freshly squeezed juice every day?

1. It gives the immune system a much needed boost. People who easily get sick often have a poor immune system. Pollution and other environmental factors contribute to a weak system and with the lack of vitamins and nutrients; you’ll become more susceptible to diseases. With daily intake of vegetable juice, the body receives it dose of vitamins to boost the immune system.
2. It washes away the toxins in the body. Individuals who would like to do some cleansing should try juicing. It flushes out the toxins from your body for a cleaner digestive system.
3. Juicing can also aid in weight loss so if you are planning to shed some pounds this season, you might want to grab some vegetables and the juicer. It can increase your metabolism thus you can burn more calories in a shorter amount of time. Just don’t forget to combine juicing with a healthy diet and exercise.

People should always be reminded that juicing should only be considered as a nutritional supplement and not as a substitute for complete meals and a healthy diet. This alone may not also provide your body with all the nutrients it needs. Always go for an all-natural recipe and avoid buying fruit mixed packages in stores.

Jessica is a freelance content writer that loves to share information about health, weight loss and fitness. She is currently working on a kaloriräknare project which is all about calorie counter.

The Kiddo And I... :)

Finally! A face on my much-talked-about Kiddo! :)

Can't think of anything more to say... LOL!

Another happy weekend!

A Coffee Confession

I’m a coffee person. Not exactly addicted to it but I just feel the need to drinking coffee at least once in a day especially at the start of my day or night (since I work nights... LOL!).

I have read a lot of benefits from drinking coffee. That it contains natural antioxidants and that it helps in preventing causes of diseases like diabetes and colon cancer as long as it is drank in moderation. 1-3 cups a day is the right way of drinking coffee. I guess I’m safe from getting addicted to it because I make sure to have at least just 2 cups of coffee a day.

I like the taste of brewed coffee. The aroma is just so soothing, you know. Sometimes I feel like buying a bunn commercial coffee maker so that I can have a fresh cup of coffee when I wake up. I envy one of my colleagues when she won a coffee maker at the raffle in the office during our recognition day last month. It was a 3-in-1 coffeemaker/oven with a little frying pan on top. She’s one lucky girl! I hope my name will be picked on the next raffle draw. :D

Anyway, this is one coffee confession to make. Let me get my last cup!

Not Giving Away My Favorite Dresses Yet

I'm always disappointed whenever I tried to fit 2 of my favorite dresses (both of them are small-sized dresses). I really miss wearing them and I feel frustrated whenever I have a hard time trying them on. They used to fit me and now they don't! :(

Sorry about this tilted photo :)

I got bulging tummy when I tried this on...

I have to do something about my growing weight or else I'll end up buying plus size black dresses and give away these fave dresses. I don't want to do that just yet. Got to schedule that work out soon!

Cancelled Cebu/Bohol Trip

My boyfriend and I were supposed to be in Cebu right now. Our flight was scheduled yesterday and we were supposed to be meeting with my bestfriend Czarina, her daughter Czij and her boyfriend at the airport in Cebu. She was the one who booked the plane ticket for all of us on November of last year but since January, Jun and I have already decided not to come because we're not financially ready for the trip. Besides, Jun won't be allowed in his work place to be on vacation leave for a week. That's a very long vacation. I don't want to be on leave for that long as well. I don't want to go without him anyway. :)

It was supposed to be Jun's first plane ride. Too bad, we cancelled. But we both really don't feel regretful. We don't want to be going there with little money in our pockets. There will be a lot of "next times" anyway. And for that next time, we will make sure that we agree to the length of stay for that vacation and that when we will finally have our first trip together, we have enough money to spend.

The trip is just not the right time for us, I guess. :)

LED Lighting For Our Church

The Church is where I spend most of my time before I go to work at night. As one of the appointed leaders in the youth and singles department, I pretty much got a lot of tasks to accomplish almost everyday.

We hold our meetings inside the Church. Sometimes I can't help my drowsiness especially if I don't get enough sleep. Sometimes I blame it to the poor lighting inside the Church. Since high power led is getting popular nowadays, I wonder if our Church would replace our incandescent and fluorescent bulbs to LED lighting instead. Not only will it give better light inside the Church, members like me won't find anything to blame for our drowsiness during our meetings. :)

I'll Be Home Soon

My family and relatives had a gathering last Sunday. It was for my Mother's birthday bash and my big brother, Alexander's celebration of being a policeman. He just graduated from his training and is now officially a law enforcement officer! I'm so proud of him!

A candid shot of my big brother - Alex

My dear cousin Lainy posted a lot of their photos in Facebook. Thanks dear cuz for doing that!!!

My Mom and the gumamela flower... lol!

I can't help but miss all of them all the more. Last week I was just thinking about coming home. I've been saving money for that, anyway. I wish I have silver bars to sell so that I have a lot of money to bring home.

I promise I'll be home soon!

Someone Like You

It's a rainy Monday here. I'm in the mood for Adele's music.

Here's my entry for Music Monday!

Come join Music Monday and share your songs with us. Rules are simple. Leave ONLY the ACTUAL LINK POST here and grab the code below and place it at your blog entry. You can grab this code at LadyJava's Lounge Please note these links are STRICTLY for Music Monday participants only. All others will be deleted without prejudice.

PS: Because of spamming purposes, the linky will be closed on Thursday of each week at midnight, Malaysian Time. Thank you!