GRATITUDE JOURNAL

I'm not talking of the monetary kind but the one most parents would enjoy having bragging rights to - their kids' accomplishments. Last Monday and Tuesday, Jerry and I attended the separate Honors' Assembly for high school and grade school at our sons' beloved SHS-ADC where Kyle and Jake received their academic medals for last year's performance. I once wrote here about Kyle struggling with his Chemistry and about me being of no help at all with this. Well, he's pulled through and managed to snag a bronze. Thank goodness! And... Jake, despite several reprimands for being "talkative" during class, got himself a silver! Way to start his academic career! LOL AMDG waiting for the name to be called Kyle with his bronze medal, in his cadet uniform Jake, starting his academic career with a silver :D"

We initially thought of selling the property and had a few prospective buyers who took a look but didn't finalize the transaction. Although we wanted to liquidate it either through sale or lease, we were not in a hurry. We wanted to make sure the buyer or lessee is somebody who is capable of consummating the deal. After weeks of go-sees and negotiations, the townhouse with 3 bedrooms, 3 t&b, garage that could fit 2 cars and located in the center of the city with access points from Banilad, Apas and Lahug, finally got rented out last month. Thank heavens! The best part of the deal was, without us demanding for it, the leaseholder paid 1 year in advance with a dated manager's check! If that is not a good deal, I don't know what is! the look before we repainted everything and cleared it of furniture

Days 1 and 2 are over and, understandably, I have not seen a lot of assignments yet for my grader. Most of what they did, according to my son, was orientation and dicussion about the discipline plan and introduction of teachers. For my middle son in HS4, it's a different story. He has been busy with CAT duties as early as last week (a week prior to start of classes) and I worry he has been stretching himself too thin. That, even when his activities do not include academic tasks yet. As for me, I am taking things in stride, thankyouverymuch. I am sure by next week, they will have more assignments to do and tests to study for. Everything will gain momentum soon and yes, even my driving chores. :) So far... so good... and still managing adequately up to this point. crossing my fingers Jake's bags will remain this clean until end of schoolyear... :P adjusting to early wake time, plus random school pics

It's only the 2nd day of school and we are trying to ease into a new schedule after almost 3 months of school break. Fortunately for us, waking up early when needed is not too much of an ordeal. My alarm is set to go off at 515 am but so far I have been waking up 30 minutes ahead of schedule. Oh well... nothing wrong with being an early riser, I guess. The kids are ready by 6-615 am. This morning, as we were having breakfast, my Ma and Pa joined us. They got up earlier than usual so they could ride with me to the park for a short hike. And so after bringing my boys to the carpool stop, we proceeded to the park. While I waited, I was able to attend mass. By 7 am, we were on our way home. During the drive back, as Pa, Ma and I chattered, I couldn't help thinking, this could be a good routine to have. my view of the altar this am, before the mass started

I'm not talking about old age here where the mind wills to do something but the body could not cope. Nope. It's been the buzz for weeks. And not a few have been speculating about its latest version. And now that it has been released, (oh Apple!) my Macbook Air 11 inch bought only last year, has joined the ranks of "old version" gadgets like my iBook with Tiger OS. *Sigh* The rate Apple upgrades its stable of shiny stuff is faster than when new styles of designer bags are released. It makes my head spin, but I digress. So yeah, I'm still the proud owner of last year's version of the MB Air 11, iPad2 and iPhone 4s. To date, 2 have been rendered outdated but I have decided to hold on for now at least, or as long as I'm able to resist the urge or until a good trade-in offer presents itself. LOL. going up to an Apple store here with my obsolete iPad2

The last twenty or so entries I wrote have all been about trips we took in the last two months. And mind you, I have never been this prolific in churning out posts. Traveling does give one the chance: to see places, to spend time with family, to learn or experience new things PLUS to have enough materials and photo opportunities to write about. I'm glad I sat down and gave time to writing about Hong Kong, Macau, Siargao and its neighboring islands, and Sydney and its awesome attractions while they were still fresh in my mind. Not just by way of pictures, writing about significant events is another way to preserve those moments. Had I waited longer before putting the memories in writing, I would have forgotten some details... easily. It will be months until the next vacation and I wonder where the next destination will be. I would not mind traveling on a budget as long as the whole experience does not turn out to be miserable. It's the lure of seeing and being in a dif

On our last day in Sydney, we had enough time to take a ferry ride from Darling Harbour to Circular Quay to Taronga Zoo and back. The ferry schedules were on the dot and we didn't need to worry about being late for our early evening flight back home via Melbourne. The best part is, it was a scenic short ride along the Darling and Sydney Harbours where some of the awesome shots of the Sydney Opera House and the Sydney Harbour Bridge can be taken while on board. And all these for a minimal fare... And because I didn't want to leave Sydney without seeing the koala and kangaroo/wallaby up close, we just had to spend time at the Taronga Zoo. view from Taronga Zoo The zoo was very well laid out and we were so impressed by what we saw: animals and breathtaking views alike. The giraffes' pen had the most awesome location as you could see the Sydney Harbour and cityscape at the background. the giraffes have the best view in the house :) Of course, we had enc

After checking the weather forecast and seeing that the clouds would clear and chances of rain would be lower on that particular day, the only consideration was the cost. At $100+ AUD per person... we balked for a while thinking it was pricey for a day tour. However, because we were already in Sydney and that we have moved schedules around plus the weather was getting better, we decided to take it for the experience (a rare opportunity). We were the last 2 seats booked when Jerry confirmed at the last minute. The day started out cloudy as predicted and I shivered as we waited for the 14-seater MB mini bus assigned to get us at 730am in front of our hotel. It was 11 degrees centigrade but felt like 0 for this 44yo woman from the tropics. Hehe... After getting the last 2 couples, we were on our way. Our tour guide, named Mike, was very entertaining and narrated inside stories about some famous city landmarks, such info you wouldn't have come across on your own. And before w

Because Jerry was in a convention, from 930am-530pm for 3 days (Tue-Thu), we had very limited time to venture out to try some Aussie fare as much as we wanted to. This didn't stop us though from checking out recommendations made by friends and relatives back home. Following are pictures showcasing what we were able to sample and... what most likely contributed to the poundage we gained. :P --- Hurricane's Grill Steakhouse as suggested by DM --- The place was packed that time we shared for lunch, a half rack of beef ribs and char-grilled chicken and honey soaked walnuts salad with honey vinaigrette dressing. Food was good and the view of the harbour from where we were sitting was even better! --- Din Tai Fung --- After cocktails at the Sydney Opera House, we went back to our hotel and walked along the Darling Harbour to see what was at the Star City (other than the casino). Surprise! It's Din Tai Fung Dumplings Bar at their chic food court where Jerry had h