Missing My Son

May 22, 2006

Nygel, my eldest went to camp today. He woke up very early at 6:30 am. He was so excited to go to camp that he wanted to sleep on the living room sofa just to make sure he will wake up early.The previous two days he was busy packing and unpacking the things he will bring, torch light, his underwear,shirts,pants, toothbrush(I jokingly told him why did he bring the toothbrush when he doesnt  even brush his teeth at night).

He was the picture of an eager young boy(not yet a man since he behaves like Mr. Bean). Just last night he was fashioning a hat from paper and I told him that it looks like the party hat that Mr. Bean had for New Year.

So tonite we will be less one child at the dinner table. I was joking with my husband this morning and told him he would miss Nygel for two nights and he immediately told me"not I, you would surely miss him, isnt he your favorite?".

Nygel in Macau

I miss him already, I would miss his voice shouting at Niles.I would miss the way he would scoop up all the rice on his plate and leaving a small bit for Niles. I miss his way of dancing like Mr.Bean. For two days I will surely miss him.Anyway when he comes back he would have surely learned a lot from his camp experience.  

 

It’s June Break Time

May 21, 2006

Next week my kids will be on their month long school break. Nygel will attend a camp for three days while its Niles turn to join the Cub Scout Camp on the 1st of June.

We will also have a lot of visitors starting next week. Tony’s High School buddy who is attending a convention at the National University of Singapore will be staying with us together with some of his friends after their convention.

My nephew Nico will be arriving on the 1st of June till 7th. Unfortunately, we will be leaving for Bangkok on the 6th of June so Nico will be responsible for locking up our house while we are away.

Now Im busy looking at possible things we can do in Bangkok aside from shopping. Maybe we can try the Chao Phraya River Cruise this time.

WEEK END TRIP TO JOHOR

May 20, 2006

I have found a budget saving tip for movie goers. Now, everytime we want to watch a movie, I bring the kids to Johor Bahru. The one and a half hour queue at the immigrations does not deter me from watching the movies at this nearby city in Malaysia since it is only 15 minutes by train/bus from our place.

 Just imagine this— for $9.70 the three of us already watched a movie. In Singapore movies on a week end is $8.50 per person so thats about $25/3 persons. Today I only changed $30 and we were able to watch a movie, eat at McDonalds, buy snacks for the movies and do some shopping plus buy 4 packets of nasi lemak (singapore dish) for our dinner at RM1 each which is less than 50 cents(Singapore money).

I love going to Johor just for this. I usually buy medicines in Johor. But now I am wiser, I will never buy chewing gums again.

NILES & AMERICAN IDOL

May 19, 2006

My youngest son probably would be right again, I think Taylor Hicks will win the American idol.Two years ago, my youngest son also chose Taufik Batisa (SIngapore Idol) as the winner. He sure knows how to pick a winner.

Amen!

May 18, 2006

Jesus said, "Don’t be afraid, just believe, and she will be healed" (Luke 8:50).

Today I again went for confession, the 2nd time in my life as a believing Catholic.

The Power of Prayer

May 17, 2006

Jesus taught, "…I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you" (Matthew 17:20).

The power of prayer is not the result of the person praying. Rather, the power resides in the God who is being prayed to. 1 John 5:14-15 tells us, "This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us - whatever we ask - we know that we have what we asked of him." No matter the person praying, the passion behind the prayer, or the purpose of the prayer - God answers prayers that are in agreement with His will. His answers are not always yes, but are always in our best interest. When our desires line up with His will, we will come to understand that in time. When we pray passionately and purposefully, according to God’s will, God responds powerfully!

I particularly remembered  the one time I prayed so hard when my mother was taken ill and was confined for 1 year at UERM. I was then in my 2nd year of University and my brothers and sisters were all so very young. My mother at that time was only 45 years old and she was suffering from kidney problems .She had a swollen face and all her legs and arms were swollen,She was already hallucinating and calling out the names of all our dead relatives.

All her brothers and sisters had  visited her at the hospital and my mothers two doctors all were not so optimistic about her condition. I remember that day  together with my Tita Baby we asked how about the condition of my mother and the two doctors attending to her (one was Dr Abdias Aquino, who is now the head of the Neurology Dept of St Lukes) told us to expect the worse. I had never prayed hardest in my life and I remembered visiting the UERM chapel to pray not knowing what to say and  ask from GOD .I just sat there and waited for God to talk to me but somehow I muttered "Lord bahala ka na, Thy will be done" .

After I uttered these words, I was ready for whatever would happen to Mama. Everyone thought my mother would die.Her only brother, who would pass away a few years later, cried while visiting her and upon seeing her condition.I never cried the entire year that she was confined in the hospital  but deep inside something was gnawing at  my guts telling me to be strong for my family.

Miraculously my mother survived that episode in her life.

There was also a time in my childhood, I was very young then, I was 12 .Everytime ,me and my sister Maricel ,would  walk to our relatives to ask for assistance. At that age, I already knew how hard it was to swallow my pride, but I had to do it for my family. I eventually learned from the experience and promised myself I will try my best for my family.

We survived with prayers. Everyday for God knows how many years, we prayed the rosary as a family.We became poor. My father sold all his properties.Our chaffeur Teddy  who was very loyal to us could only stay on for two more years without a salary (because he loved us so much and because he was part of the family )but he had to eat and send money to his wife and kids so he left us. I know…..very vividly how God helped us, somehow everyday there were little miracles happening to all of us. We never got sick, we all studied well maybe because we knew we were so poor and only doing good in school will help us out in this world.

Those years were the most trying times in my life and I prayed my hardest but I never asked God to give me anything material.Somehow I only wished to be given the strength to pass through the days to get by and let Him do the rest for me.

I really thank God for all His blessings when I remember these two particular times in my life, I have no regrets. I have nothing more to ask from him. But today I ask one more time. He surely knows what I am asking for. I sincerely hope God will once again hear my prayers. I trust the Lord, He has always given what is the best.

 

I Love You Sis!

May 15, 2006

Just awhile ago I had a talk with my sister who lives in Canada. She has been sick for almost one year already and she told me about how she feels so weak and how she thinks about her two young daughters. I love my sister and all of my other sisters. You see I am the eldest in a family of 7 children. I took it upon myself to always make sure everyone is alright. What I wish for in my entire life is for all of us to be happy and well and healthy–that’s about all I can wish and hope for in life.

 I pray everyday that God free us from any ailments but unfortunately some of us get sick. I have no words to utter to my sister. I can only pray for her and I hope others who will read this blog also pray for my sister. I am positive about her health, I wish everyone around her will also be positive about her health too. I wish to God I can do something more than this to make everything be well. I believe God will help my sister and all of us. I am very positive about this!!! I love you very much sister!!!!

Its Mothers Day Today!

May 14, 2006

I didnt go out today. I told my kids I will cook something special for lunch for them. I cooked shrimp omelette and fried rice. When lunch time came, Niles, my youngest said he didnt like the taste of rice flour(meaning to say I placed a little bit more rice flour for his taste). Nygel, my eldest as usual consumed his share, (it would be a miracle if he doesnt finish his meals –that is how good his appetite is).For dinner, I cooked my ever favorite mongo and chicken in oyster sauce. By three pm our dinner is gone,thanks to my hungry boys.Tonite we just plan to watch TV and maybe eat what is left in the fridge.

Taking my time to smell the roses today. Just laze around and enjoy my day! Happy Mother’ sDay to all who sent me their messages. I noticed most of the text messages were recycled. But thanks for the thought!!! Seacrest Out!!!

My American Idol

May 12, 2006

I am not very good at guessing the winners. But my bet for the American idol crown is Elliot Yamin. My guess is that Taylor Hicks and Elliot will slug it out for the finals and Elliot will win(hopefully). .My son who is good at guessing winners is betting on Taylor.

NICKNAMES OUR MOTHER GAVE US/TONY’S WEBSITE

May 11, 2006

Only a mother like our Mama can give us these nicknames(all seven of us):

Beatriz, Tatit-for moi, name derived from my paternal grandmother

Sitaw- for my second sister, Ma Lourdes or Malu,now we call her Malungay

Cendakaki- this one I really dont know where my mom picked up ,my sister Cel’s petname

Bambina/Ingaw- Ingaw because Mariafe(my mom tukayo) was the cry baby when we were young

MeK Nan- or Me Ann for my sister Mary Ann;

Kuting- Pakuto for my brother Bong(Cecilio III) from the village idiot, I could just hear my mother chuckling with laughter ;

Dang- my youngest brother,Edgar’s nickname;we oftentimes think he is my mom’s favorite child.

Luv U Mama.

Mama, eto ang mga apo mo–twenty na silang lahat including ur two apo,Mika and Madi in Canada;Here are some of them with their Lolo Cecil

 

TONY’s WEBSITE

Dan dararan….(drum roll) and here is my computer savy husband’s very first website design

With Mama during my wedding

http://antonio670.tripod.com/ablopez/index.html

Tony is inThailand Again!

May 10, 2006

My hubby is the "now u see him now u don’t" husband. He gets a call late evening and with less than 24 hours notice he has to fly back to Bangkok having just arrived a few days ago just to attend to some client concerns.

Tony with Nygel and Niles at the Marble Temple(a pit stop of the Amazing Race)

 Its not that Im complaining specially when I get a free offer to join him in his trips(which i of course declined since I was busy myself.

However,it is a little bit unsettling since the kids also look for him."Where is Daddy going?" ,my Niles asked yesterday night when he saw his Daddy packing. At short notice he is off to China, Taiwan, Thailand, Malaysia, Philippines and oftentimes on extended trips to the US. One time, he was even asked to prepare for application for visa to Europe so he can be on stand by. He is a machine doctor. So that at home, I never fret when I see our phone or TV or washing machine for that matter destroyed or not working. I know  when he gets back he will and can surely fix it.

JOHN LITTLE MEMBERS SALE

May 9, 2006

Its oftentimes advantageous to have creditcards, specially when u travel or even when u want to buy big ticket items.

Today is the start of the John Little(Robinson Card Members) Sale. You get a 20% on almost all items and on top of that you get a $5 voucher which you can claim for purchases over $20. So sometimes even if I dont have plans of buying things I would surely drop by and buy something. Today I bought 6 packages of baby wipes, 2 large bottles of baby shampoo and 1 box of kids briefs all for a total of $16 (discounted by almost $8). Good Bargain, and I dont even have to pay cash.

For my several credit cards I have claimed a lot of items including free airline ticket, household appliances, cakes, restaurant vouchers, movie tickets,free airport lounge access etc. They say having too many credit cards is not good well I guess it depends on how one uses it and how u pay the cards.

tHE bEST gIFTs i HAd EVER RECEIVED

May 8, 2006

Its almost  Mother’s Day, and  I ponder on the best gifts I have received in my life( from childhood to now. Here are the gifts that have been retained in my memory:

1) When I was in grade school , one of my ninangs travelled all the way to our house in Sampaloc to deliver her Christmas Gift to me –a box of beads and sequince(sparkling garment adornment) that I can string together. Actually the box was so colourful that up to now i  still can remember its colors of pink, purple, silver and blue.

2) A native bag with red lining from Rustans-It was given to me again by one of my ninangs(Godmother) and everyone said it was so nice that I used it until the bottom gave way.

3) A small bottle of Ambergris oil that was placed in a specially designed box (the dedication was written round the box.) The box was so cute that I kept it for quite sometime.Another thing that made the gift memorable was that I had a crush on the giver.

4)Papa gave us (me ,My sisters Malu and Cel) a sleeping doll each when we were young, We wanted a talking doll but it was as good as one, we kept the doll until all the arms and legs were gone.

5) When I was a teenager ,my father bought an ID brass bracelet with my name on it. It was a fad at that time and I wanted to let everybody know it came from my father.

6) An unexpected and a most precious gift was the College ring of my father from San Beda which he gave to me when I was going to the University.  I kept the ring until the stone was lost.

7) When we were still going steady, my husband who was still my boyfriend at that time gave me money to go to Tokyo to visit him there and when I arrived he gave me a gold watch and a kiss. I was really really very happy and I cried when I have to go back to Manila.Throughout our marriage my husband has given me a lot of surprise gifts and he is quite generous not like stingy me.

8) and of course my two kids, Nygel and Niles, my best gifts ever.They had given me a lot of smiles,laughter(no heart aches yet,mind u) and surprises too like the time Niles bought a silver ring for me and for Nygel making  cold Milkshake, banana and coffee shake for me. My two boys also make the best tasting chocolate brownies and chocolate cakes(from the instant boxes). What more can I ask for (secret: my wish is I see them happily married before I go to the other world).

Why Blog?

May 7, 2006

Sometimes I think about the reason why I started blogging? Why do I have to open my life to some people who care to read my blogs. Slowly i reaped benefits:

1) I call it my ONLINE TAMAGOTCHI(virtual pet). Blogging is like a pet that I have to attend to everyday.It has somehow forced me to think of what to write about because its not always everyday that you want to write or not everyday that you have something to say.

2)With Blogging, I have learned so much about other people specially how the young think. I BLOG HOP-or read other blogs. From one blog I jump into the world of other blogs, I read about the lives of other people, I learn a lot  from what people write in their blogs.Its better than reading a book or a newspaper. You actually get into other people’s lives.

3) It has taught me how to be more creative and to explore new ways of using the internet.

4) Slowly I and my sons(who maintain their blog http://nygelnniles.i.ph) are beginning to find new friends with our blog s .It has also allowed us to track down the whereabouts of our long lost friends and relatives.Just a month ago my god daughter (who stays in Australia) sent me a note through my blog. Wow this really made my day!

 

PARDON HIS INNOCENCE-I PITY THIS PRINCIPAL

May 6, 2006

This is the controversial statement of a principal in a Montreal school to the mother of a 7 years old primary two Filipino student. This statement sparked protests and hate mails worldwide specially from FIlipino groups

I guess this principal is not aware of eating habits of other cultures. Forgive him for his ignorance.(I guess knowledge in other cultures is not required of Principals in Canada)

In SIngapore where different races harmoniously live together, Malays eat with their hands ,the chinese with chopsticks and the rest with fork and spoon or fork and knife(like Mr. Bergeron). However, probably this principal doesn’t know anything about this,

For Mr. Bergeron, I suggest a cultural immersion course that will expose him to the following:

1) LESSON 1: EATING TECHNIQUES on how to use chop sticks, eat with his hands and the most difficult task of eating with fork and spoon;

2)  LESSON 2: EATING WITH A SLURPING SOUND: He should be sent to Japan and be trained on how to drink soup with the slurping (Higop)sound

3) LESSON 3: EATING WITH THE ABU SAYYAF- this is the last lesson; He should be sent to the mountains as a guest of the Abu Sayyaf where he will dine al fresco using only banana leaves as  plate and a bamboo stick for a spoon with the sound of rifles as  background music.MR BERGERON, THE ABU SAYYAF ARE WAITING FOR U!!! BON APPETIT!!!

MOTHERS DAY SHOULD BE EVERYDAY

May 5, 2006

 is just around the corner and I am here crying my heart out just reading a poem about mothers. When my mother died almost two years ago, I cried only when she was about to die because I didnt want her to suffer any further. She has been bedridden for almost five years and the last time I saw her in December 2003, her sad eyes were looking at me . I guess she never wanted me to go back to Singapore. 

 I remember her unselfishness when I told her way back in 2000 that I and my two kids will leave for Singapore   . I half expected that she would say why will I leave her but to my surprise she smiled at me and said "Hija samahan mo si Tony sa Singapore baka kayo maghiwalay if u dont join your husband" . It removed a lot of burden in my heart because I was leaving her and Papa alone in a big house with noone to look after them.

Thank you Mama for your understanding and your love, Maybe u have somehow wished that all of us will have happy lives and I could only repay u by loving my family well as you had loved us.

Thank you for not complaining through the hardships that we have gone through in our life.You are the only mother that I know who has never hurt us physically, never scolded, never lifted a finger at us and who has never complained even if we want for money or finances. Maybe some of these traits have rubbed off on us which probably our husbands should be thankful for. You suffered for so long, for five years you just lay in bed paralyzed but no whimper nor cry did u utter. Sometimes ur lambing is only for us to buy a nice dress or perfume for you on your birthday or christmas. Looking back now you were like a shadow that was at our back each time we turn you are there. I MISS U A LOT MAMA!!!!

To my sisters Malu, Maricel, Bambi & Meann and my sisters in Law Irma and Chin Chin,Susan, Jinky and To My Mama DORY (Tony’s Mom) HAPPY MOTHERS DAY

(December 2003, my last Christmas and New Year with Mama)

 MEMORIES OF  MY MAMA

                 If tears could build a stairway,
and memories were a lane,
I would walk right up to heaven
to bring you home again.
No farewell words were spoken
no time to say goodbye
you were gone before I knew it,
and only God knows why.
My heart still aches in sadness
and secret tears still flow,
what it meant to lose you,
no one will ever know.

-Anonymous

I remember everything about you,
your voice, you smile, your touch,
the way you walked, the way you talked,
the way you looked at me, meant so much.

I remember all the words you said to me,
some funny, some kind, some wise,
all of the things you did for me,
I see now with different eyes.

I remember every moment we shared,
seems like only yesterday,
or maybe it was eons ago,
It’s really hard to say.

You are gone from me now,
but one they can’t take away,
your memory resides inside my heart,
and lights up my darkest days…
….Anonymous

Canadian Immigrant Visa

May 4, 2006

Yesterday night, I was totally engrossed in the preparation of our documents for our Application for Canadian Immigrant Status. The album of paperwork which includes roughly 25 pages of assorted documents from birth,marriage , school diplomas ,certification and work /employment certification has taken us roughly two months to put together since we had to wait for our sealed transcripts from UP(mine) and Mapua(Tony). Aside from this long wait we had problem securing police and NBI clearances since we are not residing in the Philippines anymore .

Fortunately after two months and quite a sum of money for notarial services ,we have finally put everything together. I am just waiting for Tony to come back and sign his document and give his latest photos..then submission ..and the long wait. We are anticipating processing of our documents to be around 2-3 years time since I just found out from the Canadian Embassy here in Singapore that they are just processing the applications received in 2003. This means that ours will be attended to by 2008-9. OK Wait na lang kami.

Busy Day

May 3, 2006

I never expected May 2 to be a very busy day for me in the office. The phone never stopped ringing and I did a lot of business. Tiring… but I guess tomorrow I have to tidy up and arrange some odds that I have not tied up. I didnt even notice the time passed. I had lunch past 1 pm and I had to rush out at 5:30 to catch up with my favorite store to buy my HP ink. Oh …hope tomorrow is another busy day.

Exciting!Are You Stressed

May 1, 2006

Designing a webpage is exciting. Slowly I will get the hang of it.Watch out,maybe next time I will have a flash version.

Look at the figures below: Do you see them moving? (read interpretation below)

The figures are not moving. However, the slower you see the figures moving, the more you are able to manage stress. The faster you see the figures moving, its time you have to de stress. You might be overworked.