GRATITUDE JOURNAL

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http://instagram.com/p/ijRI5LGsaE/ With the two elder sons now in DLSU for college (4th year and 1st year), I have to admit that funds are really stretched.  Fortunately, we were able to rent out a second property (a 2-br unit in a mid-rise condo) to a Fil-Am couple who decided to move in on January 1!  How very timely! 

http://instagram.com/p/ijPn0OmsXs/ We were treated to dinner by Achie and her sons at the Lantaw Native Restaurant, which is located high up in the mountains of Busay, Cebu.  After negotiating the winding mountain road and steep approach by car and then on foot, you see the resto perched on top with a lovely view of the city.  The best time to be here is before sunset when one can enjoy a sweeping vista of the city below just before the lights come on.  We enjoyed the native food while a relaxing Matt Bianco tune wafted in the air. The weather here is cool, pretty much like Tagaytay's, which makes it perfect for the holidays and for escaping the city's year-round beach weather. It was a first visit for me and probably not the last.  Good food and cool weather within a short drive away are just a few of the many things I love about Cebu.

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"A Christmas Prayer Loving Father, help us remember the birth of Jesus, that we may share in the song of angels, the gladness of the shepherds, and the worship of the wise men. Close the door of hate and open the door of love all over the world. Let kindness come with every gift and good desires with every greeting. Deliver us from evil by the blessing which Christ brings, and teach us to be merry with clean hearts. May the Christmas morning make us happy to be Thy children, and the Christmas evening bring us to our beds with grateful thoughts, forgiving and forgiven, for Jesus’ sake. Amen." A blessed Christmas to all!

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http://instagram.com/p/iGhMEgmsbW/ I would occasionally see him walking at the grand lobby where kids would flock to him to get his hand, say "hi" or regale him with their stories. He would flash a big smile and would proceed to engage them in small talk, pretty much like how a doting grandfather did.  Heartwarming. Just seeing that gave me the impression of how kids were drawn to his gentle persona. The two photos above were from a teacher-friend and the one on the upper left shows our son standing with wide open mouth next to Bro. Tremblay and other kids. What an honor, my son probably thought. I remember sometime ago, my grader ran to me to show me a signature on his palm. He requested me to take a picture of it, like it came from a celebrity, before it got erased. He excitedly told me it was Bro. Tremblay's. :) With Bro. Tremblay's passing, his endearing qualities would truly be missed.  His handwritten signature may be long gone but his memory would s

Has it ever happened to you when you went after something and fell short of getting it? It's not a total failure because you gain lessons from it. Foremost of which is seeing the bigger picture in a new light and making you appreciate what you already have, and that whatever it was you were going after may not have been meant for you at all. Because you believe that things happen for a reason, you know in your heart that you are probably where the Lord wants you to be. If not, then the best is yet to come. #haveFaith

http://instagram.com/p/iFLP47Gsey/ Hang in there kiddo!

http://instagram.com/p/iEBOyFGsS_/ Due to the recent 7.2 magnitude earthquake and super typhoon Yolanda that hit the region, there were several days when classes were suspended, thus, significantly shortening the third grading period.  Because of this, there wouldn't be periodical tests.  Instead, all activities, seatwork, speak-up, reports, projects, and short tests will be the basis for the final grade. Today he had 2 tests.  Tomorrow there will be 6.  One giant heave and all these will soon be done.  Breathe-in... breathe out.

http://instagram.com/p/h-u45pGsUC/ Ok, the Perfect365 app is quite amusing especially when stuck on the road between points A and B.

http://instagram.com/p/h9IrfsGsc5/ We were actually early for a 4am mass.  The funny thing is, mass was at 5am! LOL

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http://instagram.com/p/h0heYkmsY-/ We only waited for a few minutes though... So the whole dining experience was still 2 thumbs-up. :)

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http://instagram.com/p/hxPxvZmsR-/ Everytime I see a large mirror I just literally drag the boys to it.  That was exactly what happened last weekend when the boys were in town for their Pa's birthday.   The one on the upper right was at the Penshoppe while the one below that was from the newly-opened Topman in Ayala Center Cebu.  Oh and... this is not a paid post, by the way.  Just saying... Do you recognize the young features of the boys on the left in the present family selfies?  :) 

http://instagram.com/p/hwsN6dmse5/ It's very convenient that we could drop him off inside the campus and right by the school lobby.  To avoid traffic we bring him really early.  And it matters a lot because, the earlier we leave the house, the faster we are able to get back.  A lot of parents have caught on with this routine so the school is not really empty.   Another good thing is that their school cafeteria is already open at this time so parents and students alike could take their breakfast there instead of having it at home.  This saves time and takes away much of the stress caused by having to battle rush hour traffic.  

Birthdays for this family are usually celebrated with a simple potluck lunch or dinner, nothing extravagant really.  In Chinese tradition, we celebrate it a notch more special when the person's age ends with a "9".  Thus, for Jerry's 49th, we opted to have it at the Tea of Spring, Shangrila, Mactan. Though Shangrila is synonymous with expensive, our food bill was surprisingly lower than what other fancy restos back in the city would have cost us for the same spread.  Thanks to the discount coupons we previously bought, we literally cut the cost by 30%.  Hehe... I just love discounts and markdowns.  Anyway... By Cebu's standards, even without traffic, the 30-45 minutes on the road is actually a long drive, but that already takes you from the city to some of the nice beaches in Mactan Island.  That Saturday morning, traffic was not so bad and the weather was lovely.   At Tea of Spring, though our meal was discounted, we still received five star service plus more.  T

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with cousins L and M... http://instagram.com/p/hlJkOomsdv/ How often do you get to watch a concert top-billing both Side A and Freestyle? And if ever there is one such concert, you could expect it to cost you a lot. Back in 2011, a ticket for a back-to-back Side A / Freestyle concert was at P1000. In 2012 it was as high as P2000. And in the US, their ticket ranged from 55 to 75 USD. When the Cebu organizers decided to hold a concert for the benefit of the Yolanda survivors, we thought it was a good way to help. It was just admirable how both OPM bands, Side A and Freestyle, waived their talent fees. God bless their generous hearts! For a mere P400 per ticket, we got to donate to a very worthy cause plus we got to sing along and dance to old favorites and covers of current tunes. Because the organizers were friends, we even had choice seats (1st and 2nd rows). Score! Freestyle Our sons listening to Freestyle's ballads :) Joey Generoso seemed to serenade our gr