I've always been grateful for every year that God has given me, it's a BIG blessing by itself. And even if I'm not asking too much, God has far better ways of showing me how much blessed I am and my family.
After the tremendous blessing in disguise "Ondoy" in 2009, we were blessed with our own house. Then early 2010, God replaced our totally loss car with something that hubby and I haven't planned for. I know, my thank you's wouldn't be enough...
Now I'll be listing down why I would remember 2011:
* I've been to 4 flights this year - 2 US (jan & july), Cebu (may), HK (oct). First time in my life that I was able to travel this much. I also had some out-of-towns with family and friends (tagaytay, antipolo and of corse, bulacan!)
* Celebrated our 5th year anniversary with love and a wonderful vacation!
* Mom celebrated her 60th birthday with family and friends. Best of all, she's in good health and is retired from work on time :). Same thing goes with FIL for celebrating his 65th birthday with a blast!
* Had our family vacation in HK and Macau with mom and my in-laws. Definitely a dream come true! Hubby and I were planning about this ever since and we finally made it. This is to share our joys and experiences in travelling with our parents. :)
* Been converted from being a "qwerty" to "touch screen" user. Hubby gave me iPad 2 for our anniversary, then, we got a good deal for iPhone 4 three months later. Now, Reese and I are Apple fanatics :)
* Had the most challenging year at work, my new role. From hiring, coaching, training leaders, working with difficult counterparts, standing firm on decisions, putting up a point, attrition, and the saddest part, losing my SG boss. I weathered the storms and came out stronger!
* Lastly, two of our loved ones had major operations, FIL had an open heart surgery and my grandma had surgery due to intestinal blockage. Both operations turn out to be successful. Thank God! We're still praying for continuous recovery of my grandma and hopefully she'll be released from the hospital soon.
Now for 2012, more than anything else, my prayers for my family as always, good health and to be safe at all times...
Update (Jan 15)
My grandma, Mama Tonie passed away. My mom and my siblings loved her so much. She will be missed... May our loving God welcome her in heaven...
Thursday, January 5, 2012
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
December "Happy"-nings
This December 2011 has fewer declared holidays compared to previous years, but nonetheless, I was able to spend time with family and good friends. I'll update this post with some photos as I got copies of them.
12/09 - GMDC Christmas Party at Seventh High, Bonifacio High Street
12/16 - Rosemount and Friends Christmas Party
12/17 - Zoey's Christening (my best friend's daughter) in Hagonoy & Calumpit Bulacan
12/18 - Marion and Dennis supposed to be "surprise home visit" and meet up with Reese
12/22 - Lunch out with my Kumare's at Terriyaki Boy at Atrium
12/24 - Pre-Christmas celebration with my family and relatives in Bulacan
(have chosen the not so serious shots to share the fun!)
12/25 - Christmas with my in-laws and dinner at Tender Bobs, Greenhills
12/28 - Visit at the Ayala Triangle Lights Display, dinner at Mojo
And last and the least, the little treats and sweets!
I'll be working on the final touches of this entry in the next few days, and my 2011 year-end posting. For now, I'll enjoy the rest of the remaining hours of my last day of work for this year. Till next time! :)
12/09 - GMDC Christmas Party at Seventh High, Bonifacio High Street
 |
| Rosemount Team |
12/16 - Rosemount and Friends Christmas Party
12/17 - Zoey's Christening (my best friend's daughter) in Hagonoy & Calumpit Bulacan
12/18 - Marion and Dennis supposed to be "surprise home visit" and meet up with Reese
12/22 - Lunch out with my Kumare's at Terriyaki Boy at Atrium
12/24 - Pre-Christmas celebration with my family and relatives in Bulacan
(have chosen the not so serious shots to share the fun!)
 |
| cousins |
 |
| lola with her 3 apo |
12/25 - Christmas with my in-laws and dinner at Tender Bobs, Greenhills
12/28 - Visit at the Ayala Triangle Lights Display, dinner at Mojo
And last and the least, the little treats and sweets!
 |
| by Marriott hotel, got this from my random visit in Megamall |
 |
| little treats for office friends :) |
I'll be working on the final touches of this entry in the next few days, and my 2011 year-end posting. For now, I'll enjoy the rest of the remaining hours of my last day of work for this year. Till next time! :)
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Sweet & Bitter-Sweet November
November is almost over and I would like to note about the happenings in the past few weeks.
The Sweets:
• GMDC Family Day Halloween Party – as early as September, Reese was already looking forward to this event and yes, she was happy about it.
• Hubby’s birthday – spent the day on health check-up, looking for Reese’s new school and the best part, dinner at our favorite new-found resto, Maimee’s in Little Baguio, San Juan.
And the Bitter-Sweets:
• FIL’s open heart surgery – it was a big shock for the family. 15 days after we returned from our vacation in HK, FIL had a continuous heart attack and was rushed to the hospital. He was transferred to Heart Center where the major operation took place. Our prayers were answered, he recovered within 10 days and was able to go home and continue his diet and medication.
• Reese school transfer – the school was home-based and they had a security concern with one family member. The bad guy had a gun and we were told that he was under the influence of drugs. He got caught and was put into jail. But still, we cannot risk having Reese go back to the same school again. So we decided to transfer her to a“big school” in San Juan. Thank God, they accepted her even though it’s already the beginning of the 3rd quarter!
I would like to end my posting here with this quote from a friend priest, it says "
The Sweets:
• GMDC Family Day Halloween Party – as early as September, Reese was already looking forward to this event and yes, she was happy about it.
• Hubby’s birthday – spent the day on health check-up, looking for Reese’s new school and the best part, dinner at our favorite new-found resto, Maimee’s in Little Baguio, San Juan.
And the Bitter-Sweets:
• FIL’s open heart surgery – it was a big shock for the family. 15 days after we returned from our vacation in HK, FIL had a continuous heart attack and was rushed to the hospital. He was transferred to Heart Center where the major operation took place. Our prayers were answered, he recovered within 10 days and was able to go home and continue his diet and medication.
• Reese school transfer – the school was home-based and they had a security concern with one family member. The bad guy had a gun and we were told that he was under the influence of drugs. He got caught and was put into jail. But still, we cannot risk having Reese go back to the same school again. So we decided to transfer her to a“big school” in San Juan. Thank God, they accepted her even though it’s already the beginning of the 3rd quarter!
I would like to end my posting here with this quote from a friend priest, it says "
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
HK & Macau Family Vacation
Yes, it was one of our wishes, to be able to bring our parents out-of-the-country on vacation. And it finally came true, we went to HK and Macau last Oct 21-23 with my mom, MIL & FIL. :-)
Gani and I have been to HK almost 4 years ago. We arrived on different dates as I was on training and he just followed sometime in between. Anyway, the airport was still very huge and we got a little bit lost on our way out, going to the hotel. After 30 minutes, we manage to exit and hopped on the Airport Express service and MTR. Taking the bus is a cheaper alternative, but we’re afraid to get lost and opted to save time in our journey.
We stayed in Metropark Hotel Mongkok located just 3-4 minute walk from Prince Edward MTR station. From the hotel, we had a quick lunch at the nearby McDonalds. The little girl got herself Hello Kitty stuff toys dressed up as Ronald and Birdie.
After late lunch, we headed to Disneyland via MTR. It was good to be back and saw that there were changes with the characters on parade as well as new attractions.
My new favorite is the “It’s A Small World” castle. Going inside it would take a long walk along the zigzag pathway that leads to a boat ride. Inside the castle were moving characters singing in the tune of the theme song and was sung in different languages including “Tagalog”!
Aside from it, we didn’t miss to show them the River Cruise which is one of Gani’s favorites. They also loved it, except for Reese who got a bit scared from the fire. Lots of walking done during the day, we didn’t get the chance to see the fireworks as we were tired already. Oh well, hubby and I will just target it on our 3rd time visit. ;-)
On our 2nd day, after breakfast at the nearby restaurant (forgot the name, it’s Chinese), we took the Turbo Jet ferry going to Macau. I am not a big fan of riding a ferry, but this is the fastest and economical way to go to Macau from HK. So all of us endured the 1-hour ride feeling dizzy and nauseated, except for MIL who used to travelling to the province by boat before.
I super like Macau; it’s beautiful with all the structures, casinos and shopping destinations! We tried to balance our time between shopping and sight-seeing. The latter prevailed since we would like to experience the place more and it was rare opportunity for all of us to be there at the same time. We visited Senado, St. Paul’s Ruins and the ever famous Venetian. Then, we headed back to HK.
3rd day was somehow unplanned. We had breakfast at the nearby “Café Corale”. Then, Gani suggested going to “The Peak”. Going there was like semi-hiking especially for the young-at-hearts and fortunately, we made it. From there, we rode the train climbing up and going down. The highlight was seeing the view of high rise buildings on mountains, something you don’t see daily.
Last stop was at my favorite place in HK, the “Citygate Outlet Mall”. 2 hours of shopping was not enough to look at my favorite shops, but I manage to get good deals. We scored a cute Nike back-pack for Reese, nice Crocs sandals for mom and me, an Esprit body bag for MIL, and cheap Esprit towels.
Then, we headed to the airport. We barely had time for dinner, and rushed to the airport gate with just 40 minutes before boarding. Our flight was on-time, we landed safely and pick-up the car from Park N Fly. Finally, Home Sweet Home!
Before I make my next set of wishes, I would like to express how grateful I am. I know, a lot of people dream about doing this and not everybody gets their chance. Better yet, let’s all be thankful for our blessings and make sure that we share it especially with our loved ones. The joy of spending vacation with the people you love is longer lasting than spending it on oneself.
Hopefully, we’ll get the chance to tour them in a beach. How’s Boracay for that? Don’t ask me when, I still don’t know. We’ll just wait for the right time. :-)
Gani and I have been to HK almost 4 years ago. We arrived on different dates as I was on training and he just followed sometime in between. Anyway, the airport was still very huge and we got a little bit lost on our way out, going to the hotel. After 30 minutes, we manage to exit and hopped on the Airport Express service and MTR. Taking the bus is a cheaper alternative, but we’re afraid to get lost and opted to save time in our journey.
 |
| at Airport Express |
We stayed in Metropark Hotel Mongkok located just 3-4 minute walk from Prince Edward MTR station. From the hotel, we had a quick lunch at the nearby McDonalds. The little girl got herself Hello Kitty stuff toys dressed up as Ronald and Birdie.
After late lunch, we headed to Disneyland via MTR. It was good to be back and saw that there were changes with the characters on parade as well as new attractions.
My new favorite is the “It’s A Small World” castle. Going inside it would take a long walk along the zigzag pathway that leads to a boat ride. Inside the castle were moving characters singing in the tune of the theme song and was sung in different languages including “Tagalog”!
Aside from it, we didn’t miss to show them the River Cruise which is one of Gani’s favorites. They also loved it, except for Reese who got a bit scared from the fire. Lots of walking done during the day, we didn’t get the chance to see the fireworks as we were tired already. Oh well, hubby and I will just target it on our 3rd time visit. ;-)
On our 2nd day, after breakfast at the nearby restaurant (forgot the name, it’s Chinese), we took the Turbo Jet ferry going to Macau. I am not a big fan of riding a ferry, but this is the fastest and economical way to go to Macau from HK. So all of us endured the 1-hour ride feeling dizzy and nauseated, except for MIL who used to travelling to the province by boat before.
I super like Macau; it’s beautiful with all the structures, casinos and shopping destinations! We tried to balance our time between shopping and sight-seeing. The latter prevailed since we would like to experience the place more and it was rare opportunity for all of us to be there at the same time. We visited Senado, St. Paul’s Ruins and the ever famous Venetian. Then, we headed back to HK.
 |
| at Senado |
|
| Ruins of St. Paul |
 |
| Venetian at daylight |
 |
| Venetian at night |
3rd day was somehow unplanned. We had breakfast at the nearby “Café Corale”. Then, Gani suggested going to “The Peak”. Going there was like semi-hiking especially for the young-at-hearts and fortunately, we made it. From there, we rode the train climbing up and going down. The highlight was seeing the view of high rise buildings on mountains, something you don’t see daily.
Last stop was at my favorite place in HK, the “Citygate Outlet Mall”. 2 hours of shopping was not enough to look at my favorite shops, but I manage to get good deals. We scored a cute Nike back-pack for Reese, nice Crocs sandals for mom and me, an Esprit body bag for MIL, and cheap Esprit towels.
Then, we headed to the airport. We barely had time for dinner, and rushed to the airport gate with just 40 minutes before boarding. Our flight was on-time, we landed safely and pick-up the car from Park N Fly. Finally, Home Sweet Home!
Before I make my next set of wishes, I would like to express how grateful I am. I know, a lot of people dream about doing this and not everybody gets their chance. Better yet, let’s all be thankful for our blessings and make sure that we share it especially with our loved ones. The joy of spending vacation with the people you love is longer lasting than spending it on oneself.
Hopefully, we’ll get the chance to tour them in a beach. How’s Boracay for that? Don’t ask me when, I still don’t know. We’ll just wait for the right time. :-)
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