GRATITUDE JOURNAL

...which we had for dinner last Sunday, I prodded everyone to go for a hike at the park early Monday. The boys were not your willing walking buddies, if I may say, judging from the pace they got up from bed. But after reminding them of how much liempo (pork belly) they enjoyed / consumed the night before, I was able to have my way. Hah! Visions of muffin tops and love handles ran through their minds, most probably. So... Though not in action, here is a pic to prove that we tried to walk off the extra triglyceride and cholesterol we ingested...

This was what our eldest son came for (from Manila to Cebu), his younger brother's birthday celebration. Kyle turned 14 last Oct. 11 , but that week was their schedule for periodical tests so the treat for his friends was not until last Oct. 23, a Saturday. Our reservation with Red Box was a bit problematic at first as we didn't know if the 12-3pm time frame would be okay for Kyle and his guests. Kyle initially said they would be having a basketball game that same day. On the day before the event, Kyle confirmed their game to be at 8-9 in the morning. So our reserved slot was a go after all. That was really close. And to think we paid 50% in advance to hold the slot and the venue..... Anyway... Here are some pics of the place and the event itself. We got the room with the billiard table for the boys who would want to shoot balls rather than sing Bieber (lol!). Funny thing is, the adults hogged the 2 mics to belt out some 70s and 80s tunes. Jerry was in his element

by May I dreamt of roses. I dreamt of colorful ones. I dreamt of a bed full of them. For a moment, I thought I was living a dream but reality bites, the dream was actually a nightmare and the roses were actually thorns. It's painful. It's traumatic. If only I could turn back the time...a chance to undo...but no one's to blame as it was a choice agreed upon. Everything that happened, I know, happened for a reason. It's a lesson learned...the hard way. At the end of the road, I hope to see some light. The best is yet to come...He's there I know. He's looking after us. He knows our heart's desire. His plan for us is so grand that it needs a stronger me to face it. There's not much detail to understand what was written but it's not what matters. I'm writing this to share how firm my belief is that we will finish what we have started and we will do it with His help.The feeling He brings me is just so overwhelming. Thank you God for keeping me sa

Errands were ticked off the "to-do" list. Jake was done with his nap. Skype call with my brother in Toronto was made. Appointment was completed. Elder sons were dropped off to meet up with friends. What's next? The sun was up after a drizzle and it was still 3pm. We had plenty of time to spare so we met up with good friends, Forden and Dahlia, and drove to Pizzeria Michelangelo to sample their pizza. Another good friend (hello Monica!) recommended this place and piqued my curiosity. And since I'd choose any cuisine over Chinese if I could help it, and the hubby would readily give in to my wiles, we were there in a few minutes. The place was quaint and the menu quite extensive and reasonably priced. Needless to say, we had one of the best tasting pizza. If it weren't for the liquor ban due to the "barangay" elections, the small party would have sampled their wine as well. Now that's another reason to visit again.

Because it's a 3-day weekend (due to barangay elections), eldest son left his uni dorm and flew back in town today. As of posting this, the brood is now at Coffee Cat IT Park, the new in place in Cebu today if you are into coffee or yogurt or both.

After I prepared 6yo Jake's milk for the night, one scoop of milk powder "somehow" found it's way to my mouth. Hmm... the milky taste brought me back to the time when I was a kid and would feast on my sister's infant formula. I'd finish off scoops of the powder, sans water, like it was polvoron. Those were the days... I smiled and instinctively reached into the can again for another mouthful. "Ma-aa!!" yelled Jake and proceeded to open his mouth. He looked at me like a chick to his mother hen anticipating his share of the goody. I obliged... only because he caught me.

I've heard about it before. People say it's good. It was only when they took over the vacated stall space in i2 Bldg that I finally got to taste Leylam shawarma rice. Have you tried it? Was it good for you?

Jake saw the office looking like this yesterday :)

I just realized I haven't blogged about my 2 elder sons' birthdays... It's either a classic case of busy schedules taking over my blogging time or simply... uhmm... procrastination. Last July, Matt, our eldest, turned 17. He was in town (Cebu) with some of his college friends who flew in from Manila. And to be with him on the special day and to share lunch at Big Mao, I took a leave of absence. By early evening, as soon as Kyle, our second son, got home from school, our complete family drove to Marco Polo for the dinner buffet. The next day, a Saturday, we hosted another get-together at Abuhan (IT Park). This time, it was for about 30 guests, a combination of Matt's friends and some of our relatives/friends. It was a rowdy affair, but it did not come as a surprise especially since half of the restaurant was filled with teenage boys, drinking (a bit), talking and laughing excitedly. It was good to see them like that, almost grown up. Some, including Matt, were

I've posted once on my Twitter account about the review lessons I was doing with my 2nd year high school son and how it was such a challenge to both of us as we struggled to understand the deep Tagalog words used in the epic, Florante at Laura. Well, we spent most of the weekend translating stanzas either in English or in conversational Tagalog and dissected hidden meanings in symbolisms used. This was to help prepare him for his 2nd quarterly exams that will start this coming Wednesday. Good thing there's Google. The limited information we gathered helped bridge the gap between not understanding anything in the story and vaguely having a clue. Haha! And oh, thanks as well to the Tagalog-English dictionary we have at home, we now have an inkling on what some words mean. Whew! Dang! How did I ever get past that year we took the same lessons when I was in high school??? Jake and Kyle playing the PSP while taking a breather from reviewing lessons

I didn't have a hard time waking him up at 545am this morning. I only had to say "Engineer Jake" and he was up. He was waiting for this day when he could wear his costume to school for their Community Helpers day. His fascination with Lego might come handy soon.:) Engr. Jake with his real hard hat from Ace Hardware and hand-drawn building and house plans