My Big 31st Surprise!

I didn’t plan anything special for my birthday this year. I don’t know why but I just didn’t get all giddy to plan something. I spent the day mostly at home responding to greetings in facebook and reading some work e-mails (loser much!). Daddy Bunny had to go to work that day since they have an expat visitor and he can’t take the day off. Maybe that’s also the reason why I didn’t feel like planning anything special.

I was determined to let the day pass like a normal day when Daddy Bunny turned it around. We’re not the type to give gifts to each other on birthdays and he’s not the cheesy-romantic type either, so imagine my surprise when I saw this greeting on my facebook timeline:

 

As simple as it is, this video made my birthday so much special. ‘Coz a girl doesn’t get serenaded with a violin too often, right? ♥

Weekly Photo Challenge: Pattern

Just this weekend, Daddy Bunny and his friends went to Batad, a village located in the Ifugao rice terraces waaaaay up north. They had a great experience seeing the world famous rice terraces up close.

A photo of the rice terraces was the first thing that came into my mind when I saw this week’s photo challenge. The terraces are carved into the mountain by the Ifugao ancestors about 2,000 years ago forming a unique pattern that is famous in its function and beauty.

Batad Rice Terraces: 2013
credit: Joren

It is so postcard-worthy so no wonder a lot of photography and adventure enthusiasts come here.

Travel Theme: Beaches

The Philippines boasts of having a lot of beaches – from white sandy beaches to pink shorelines. That’s why I became so excited with this week’s travel theme. Here are some of the beaches I’ve been to in my homeland

 

Boracay Island, Aklan

This shot was taken last 2008, before Daddy Bunny and I got married. Boracay’s white sand is famous worldwide and they have these huge sand castles at night that add up to the island’s views.

Boracay 2008

La Luz Resort, San Juan Laiya, Batangas

Yui celebrated her 4th birthday here a few weeks back. They don’t have the white sandy beach like that of Boracay but their ambiance is very nice. It’s a great fast escape from the bustle of the city.

Laiya, Batangas 2013

Santiago Bay Resort, Camotes Island

One of the best beaches I’ve been to in Cebu… Camotes is one that I can come back again and again.

Camotes Island, Cebu 2012

Lingayen, Pangasinan

A shot of my 8-yr old pair of slippers. It has been with me to different parts of the world: from Manila to Singapore and even to Chicago. Not to mention all the beaches in this post. It’s still alive and kicking!

Lingayen, Pangasinan 2013

Dampalitan Island, Padre Burgos, Quezon

Our tents for the overnight stay at the beach: Survivor style!

Dampalitan Island, Quezon 2013

 

It’s only the tip of the iceberg, I know. And there are lots of other beaches we can explore. Now I’m back to planning our next big adventure!

 

Frantic Feedback

The last month has been a pity. One blog post. Nothing else. Although my blog life was severely in drought, real life was something else.

Weekdays have been 16 average hours in the office and weekdays were quality time with the family. There are a lot of blog-worthy experiences and places I’d like to share in my blog but the farthest they reached was on my to-do list.

April is one of the busiest months at work as it is our performance feedback season. This year the deadlines were so tight so I had to make ends meet to finish the 28 feedback requests I received from my team. And this is on top of my normal work. I spent zombie nights working/sleeping/eating in the kitchen just to finish all those feedback. It was painful work but the importance of it pushed me to the finish line. Buzzer beater. But at least it’s done!

Now that it’s over and a new month is in, I’m back with a vengeance! This is my month. So I’m gonna make it count.

I’ll start with the life lessons I’ve learned from all those frantic feedback nights.

Life is good. Leave your worries behind.

1. As you grow up/grow old, more and more people will come to depend on you. Their lives (or careers) will directly be impacted by us. It is a difficult duty but it is something we have to do and evaluate carefully. We should teach these people to be strong for themselves so they can stand on their own.

2. Life, and people, will disappoint us. At different points in time and with different people. We should just learn to be diplomatic about it, rise above them and move forward. If we brood on these, we’ll just have wrinkles. So why bother.

3. It is extremely important to have friends who will keep you sane in moments of panic, disappointment and annoyance. They will be the sponge you’ll badly need.

4. At the end of the day it is very important to know your priorities. No matter how frantic my work life was, I saved my weekends for my family. No work. All play. It’s my non-negotiable.

5. Lastly, don’t forget that for all our issues and life problems… This, too, shall pass. It’s okay to rant a little (or a lot!), but at the end of the day we should all SMILE then move on.

 

Now that I’m passed that, I’m looking forward to more summer outings, chats with friends and bonding time with my family! I’ll just worry about this again next April.

Weekly Photo Challenge: From Above

Welcome May! I feel so good to finally be back after my April hiatus. It has been a manic April month and I can’t wait to look down on all those work like they’re teeny tiny ants just marching by. Looking down. From Above. So timely with this week’s photo challenge: From Above.

 

 

Walking along the path way, hand in hand with you

I see our shadows dancing, shadows of us two

And on this bright sunny day, both of us played

Played with our shadows, our hands, our hearts

Standing from above here, looking down on us

All my love for you will forever last

Weekly Photo Challenge: Change

This week’s photo challenge is all about CHANGE. Since last year we were already contemplating on whether to continue Yui in the Home Room playgroup or move her to the “big school”. It was one of those decisions that meant a huge adjustment is coming.

This summer, we already went to the big school and the little one submitted her application for pre-school, took the entrance exams and had a glimpse of her future school.

It is huge and so much bigger than the Home Room center. It will have more students than the playgroup. It will have stricter rules and school regulations.

Definitely, a big change is coming our way. But this is something that we will all embrace with open arms. Our whole family is hand in hand with the adjustments that this change will bring.

 

And this application for enrollment is just the first step of our little big girl.

One small step. One giant leap.

 

Uniwide Warehouse Sale

When I was little, we used to go to a Uniwide Warehouse Club to do groceries and find some quirky items. Sadly, most of the Uniwide stores in the metro are now gone. Today, I had a chance to revisit my childhood when my cousin brought me to a surviving Uniwide in the south. It was a very rundown building, the grocery is gone but the warehouse stuff are still there. This time I appreciated the quirky finds more. If not for an active little girl and the limited space at home, I would’ve bought some of those fun little mugs and pots.

Here are some of the cute stuff that are still being sold in the warehouse:

“Gift box” ceramic water dispenser: So cute but oh so heavy!

 

Teapots: they’ll be awesome for tea parties

 

Tea cups: in fancy flower designs or piggy shapes

 

Mugs: cheap and colorful

 

Rows and rows of piggy tea pots

 

Coffee pot: lots in asian designs like this

 

M&M’s mugs: for collectors out there

 

It was fun looking at these goodies and it’s something that you can consider for gifts and when you want to decorate your homes. There are lots of interior decor items and kitchen utensils as well. I hope this warehouse will not be closing soon.