We had this family tradition of planting trees. When my dad was still a little kid, his grandpa will let them help in planting mango, chico and guava trees. These have grown and this is where we get our fruits. Dad also continued the tradition with my little boy. Every time we go home, he plants a tree with our son. Here is the guava tree that they’ve planted a couple of months back.

We are thinking of other trees to plant. I’ve seen some nice Mulberry trees that I want to suggest but I’m not sure if it can survive our country’s climate. Two years ago they planted a tamarind tree and it has grown bigger. Dad calls these “B.boy’s trees” in honor to his grandson. B.boy waters these plants when he’s at Ilocos and he enjoys it a lot. In just a few more years he will able to taste fruits from the trees he planted.

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I had my performance appraisal last week and I am glad that it was better than I expected. It feels good to have your efforts appreciated, given that I had an extremely difficult time at work last year. Wider feedback from colleagues were also good so I hope the company values my work and considers me as one of the assets they would grow and keep.

I know I will embark on another unknown journey of change this year but with me are the lessons learned and skills developed from last year. I still pray that I could manage stress properly. There are nights that I couldn’t sleep because of some issues or problems at work. Let me find peace when I need it and let there be resilience on tough times.

How will this rating translate to pay? I don’t know. Despite everything and anything, I am thankful that I have a job and God graciously provides more that what is needed. We are grateful and content and we do seek for more. In contentment there is much peace and happiness.

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We are currently planning our summer vacation. The trip will be on May and will also serve as our wedding anniversary celebration. M0rn1ng and I agreed that for this year, we will keep our vacation cost at a minimum. The thing that we require is just a place where we can enjoy the summer heat while splashing on the refreshing salty water. So for the past couple of days, I was scouring the web for some good deals that will fit our requirements.

I came across this…

This is one of the hotels at the white beaches of Riviera Maya. They’ve got Family Friendly Hotels around that area. The one that impressed me the most is Azul Sensatori Hotel. Their amenities cater to the needs of parents who got kids. They’ve got strollers, cribs, baby milk heaters, beach games, coloring books, fridge for milk and medicines. They even have bathrobes for kids! It’s very convenient for moms like us who do not want to bring so much stuff when traveling, right? They also have activities for family bonding like games, tours, and entertainment.

This is perfect except that I have to consider our budget constraints. Hahaha! Maybe not now but this is something worth visiting in the next couple of years when are past the austerity stage. In the meantime, I better focus my search to local destinations which is similar to this: Boracay.

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1. It’s really funny when________________.
hubby and little boy jokes around.

2. What’s your story?
hmmm… a story of a wonderful journey.

3. How often do you awaken remembering your dream/s?
Often.

4. Would you have a baby to save a relationship?
No, that’s a myth. Babies do not save relationships.

5. Is it acceptable to kill one man in order to save a million?
Could be. God did that when he gave his son’s life in exchange for many. (John 3:16)

6. If someone calls you and asks for your name, do you tell them?
No. I’m very wary of strangers esp now that there are peope who hypnotize others to rob them or do harm.

7. In the past days/weeks, what piece of mail made you the happiest?
The performance feedback that I received from colleagues.

8. Would you want to live forever?
Absolutely YES.

9. Is sitting around doing nothing inconsequential?
Yes. I hate to be idle.

10. What does whispering makes you think of?
Someone’s got a secret. :p

Questions of the Week

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My husband and I have become space concious ever since we got married. Apartment and condo rental near the central business district is really steep so we have to make do with what we can afford – a small place. This is the main consideration when arranging the house and also in buying furnitures and appliances. We would stick to something that would still allow breathing space. Besides, a cramped room looks disarrayed and unorganized.

This is the reason why we wanted to get rid of our old TV in exchange for a LCD HDTV which is a space saver. We’ve had the old TV for almost 4 years now and we had it in a wall mount to save space. I’m just worried that it would fall down in case of an earthquake. hahaha! Anyway, a new TV is something desirable and can be bought once we have enough money. For now, we will concentrate in setting aside for savings first. If there will be extra then is a TV wish come true.

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Yep, little boy knows that phrase very well now. He even knows when and how to use it, whether he wants to make us laugh or just make a “palusot”.

His grandparents came around 10pm last night and at that time he already had his teeth brushed. He joined them and brought her tita to the hospital where she worked. He was gone for a good 30 mins. When he returned, I snuggled him in our bed. I could smell that he eat something so…

Mommy: May kinain ka ano? (You eat something, right?)
B.boy:  (eyes proud and beaming) Opo. Kumain ako ng French fries (Yes, I had French fries)
Mommy: O, kailangan mo mag toothbrush ulit bago matulog kasi kumain ka eh. (oh, you need to brush your teeth again because you ate something. )

I can see that the expression of his face changed. Then he blurted out … Joke lang yun Mommy! (Mom, it’s only a joke)

I wanted to laugh out loud at his excuse. Silly child!

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I turned a year older today. Next year I will be in the line of 3s. Surprisingly, I suddenly feel old. Hahaha! I began to reflect how I have spent my twenties years. As I look back, I realized that it wasn’t bad. With God’s help I was able to fulfill some of my dreams:
- work in a multinational company.
- off-shored to Korea for a month.
- promoted three times.
- head a business unit
- attend an international convention as a foreign delegate.
- regular pioneer for three years.
- attend PSS.
- had a boyfriend, who later became my husband.
- had a good wedding.
- had a son whom I breastfed until he was two and a half years old.

I still have one year to work on the other parts that is still under construction. When I looked at the mirror this morning I realized that I’ve grown older, not only emotionally but also physically. My hips were now wider, gone was the “skinny me” ten years ago. My tummy has love handles due to the pregnancy. I am beginning to control my eating habits seeing that my metabolism were slower than it once have been. I dread that I wake up one day and will be desperately needing one of those best diet pills in the market.

We can not escape the fact that all of us will eventually grow old but I just hope that I will age gracefully.

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Papa sent these King Crabs last Thursday. They were very fleshy and my sister cooked it with Szechuan Sauce.

I had a great time eating the claws. It’s sooooo packed with flavor.

weekend-snapshot

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When I got married I was surprised to discover that my husband owns around a hundred neckties. Apparently this is one of the things that he loves to collect. If women love shoes and bags, he loves ties. He has those graphic, flowery and even cartoon character prints. He said that it upgrades an ordinary and plain looking long sleeves shirt and makes a powerful statement. I couldn’t agree more.

When I went to Sydney I brought home a kangaroo print necktie and he loved it. That was 5 years ago and we’re still boyfriend-girlfriend back then. So I’m thinking of adding another piece or two to his collection. I’ve seen a good online site that sells silk ties. I love the one that you can see here in the picture. These types are perfect for his striped shirts and he doesn’t have a plain and classic design like this yet.

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I wasn’t feeling very well this morning. I was so tired the day before because there were so many issues at work. We went to bed at around 11pm. I thought I will get a well deserved rest when roaches suddenly attacked our bedroom. We live in an apartment facing the street and our wall is near the sidewalk and canal. Since it was so hot last night, these pesky insect came crawling out of the crevices and invaded our bedroom at the second floor.

It was so annoying that M0rn1ng spent the next two hours getting rid of them. When I woke up this morning, i had a splitting headache. Then i started sneezing in the mid afternoon. I drank my food supplements and took vitamin C to counteract. I hope I won’t get sick as there has been a lot of things lined up in the next couple of days.

Anyway, I feel a lot better now. I just need to get enough sleep tonight.

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