Dream B-I-G

BIG as defined is "large, above average in size" ... this is how I dream. I've always had grand dreams. I mean who wouldn't right? But it's tough to choose which dream is the right one to accomplish. I sigh most of the time when I start to re-assess myself and see if I am anywhere close to my dream. What are my dreams anyway? Well, I'm sure we all have same aspirations.

1. To have my dream house
   
2. Drive my own car
3. Manage my own business
4. Travel the world

And most of all, I'm able to share these dreams with my family. It's easy to write and even talk about it. But to achieve it takes a whole lifetime :( One has gotta work really hard for these. Whew!

Let's work it! :D

Day 5.

Twitter, need I say more? ^_^

Day 4.

I dream that someday I'd be able to do this! hahaha :P

Day 3.

Hubby cooked this tiger prawns in lime and tomato soup!

Day 2.

Something to quench your thirst on a very busy work-day!

Self-fulfillment

I am guilty as charged for not posting so much in this site. Blame that to twitter! haha. Anyways, I was inspired by my colleague to take photos each day for a year. At first I thought it was a crazy idea. But later I figured, maybe I should give it a try myself. Atleast I've got something to de-stress. Well, I just did. Here is my first photo for my Project 11.11.11 - I hope in God's help that I live up to it until it's very last day!

A post it by my colleague on the day I felt like life sucked the whole of me!

Social network is the culprit.

I don't know what happened to me that I have neglected the things I love to do. One of which is hangin' out here.

FB is the culprit! Since I joined the cult, I've rarely visited my site. No more blog ads. No more time to do other things. The books I've bought to read had piled up. This is crazy and it better stop! I feel that time is so short to just be glued in FB. I don't play games but just read my friends' status.

And then came twitter! haha...I can't say much of it because I kinda like it more than FB now. I get to read lotsa stuffs. I just like it :)

Anyways, glad to write a little non-sense here again haha! Wish I get to spend more time soon. Hubby and I will go to west coast park this afternoon for a bike ride wee! Excited to burn :)

About to hit.

In 23 days, I'll be turning 30. Time flies unnoticed. Way back, I used to tell myself that when I hit 30, I'll be raising my kids and doing the mother-wife duties. Oh well, guess it didn't work as planned.

Here I am, married but no kids yet. Sometimes it annoys me to answer people who keeps asking if there's baby on the way. The world will know if I have because there is no reason to hide a good news right? Although I want to have, there are factors I need to consider. It's tough but I to be patient and wait...for the right time. I know God will bless me right when I need it.

Just random.

I've completely neglected my virtual job :( ... I could no longer commit time to do my blog write-ups sigh. Work really eats up everything in my brain most of the time with no strength to do other things.

At work, they say August is a very busy month for their business. Truly indeed! Gosh, this passed week was like a roller coaster ride in full swing. If I remember right, I only get to be away from my workstation when I go to the lieu. It's madness! But there's a good side of it. The company buy our lunches for 3 days. Isn't that cool? I get to save haha. I've saved prolly about $20 :) And for that, there's a week and a half more to battle the busy August. May the force be with me!

Next month, I'm turning 30. Ouch! haha. There are so many things me and my hubby have planned to make our lives worth living for. And one to mention is that at 30, we've pledged to stop eating chicken skin (oh dear) haha!

The Rebel

So everyone is going gaga over this new trendy slippers called "Fitflop". I was curious to find out how it works and why majority of the people I meet on the busy streets of Singapore wears it. I did some research and looks like this is a "gym-built" on its own so they say. Oh well, I just bought myself a pair which I never thought would be that expensive for a pair of slippers. Urgh, it's the most expensive slipper I have ever bought so far hahaha! It hurt my pocket at $139.00

Hmm, I'll give it a test run this coming weekend and see if it really works magic on my feet. Here's a pic of the Rebel.

Hands are tied.

My hands get tied every time I plan to park here. Urgh! But lucky, I got some time today hehehe. It's been over 2months of no update. Felt like ages.

My previous entry was all about work and hopping places from one place to another.

Now, my work has been in a steady pace. I got confirmed last June and just yesterday, I got my first "Shooting Star" award. It's an award given by management to employees who go above and beyond. Wee! Way to motivate myself more. And yes, I really wanna make my day at work count while I have the chance. Besides, we're not getting any younger. I'm at my happiest state :) Thank You, Lord so much!

As for our new home, we got lucky to find a very quiet place which suits our preference. We can really relax. So yeah, every thing is O-K.

Oh and just to share, last month my niece Jo and her bf Wence came to SG for a visit. We went to Bintan, Indonesia for 3 days and 2 nights of fun and relaxation. It was an awesome experience! I am so looking forward to our next trip.

Just random.

I cannot begin to tell how I have been for the last month. Since I started working again, I told myself to take it seriously as I could. And yes, it is what consumes most of my days in a week. I consider this chance at work the time to regain what I had lost back in DHL. I badly need to recover from all the inferiority. And I'm glad to be resurfacing. Thanks God for the chance , progressively.

And while I hooked myself to working seriously, our new home is terribly insane. Having to adjust to a group of new people is hell tough! Now we are searching for a better place again. Yeah, been hopping from one place to another lately huhu, it's a real pain! sigh...

In spite these mini-dramas I have, I'm happy to share that I am enjoying each day of it. My life right now (with Archie around) with no worries or debts to think about is far beyond comparison. I'm happy...I hope it stays still for a time.

Survive.

I am thankful to have survived another week at work. I think the pressure got into me that each day I spent in the office seems like a cliffhanger. Hay, I hope I get to redeem myself back after a traumatic work environment in my previous job. I pray for better days moving forward.

Anyways, I just had a chat with my future nephew-in law about their (with my niece) visit to Singapore. We're so excited! So I've got a reason to get back to shape and lose some fats hehe. I've been pigging out like crazy after the wedding. Now I have a new motivation, so I'm giving myself three months to lose some weight. Better yet, 3 months is too long? hahaha.

Loving weekend!

Lost in 15mins.

OMG, what have I done? Errrr! I felt so terrible. I have completely disappointed myself from training. First half of the day in the office yesterday was pretty much ok. But right after having a Bah Kuh Teh for lunch, I was caught off guard by my trainer when he said we'll do a mock call.

Ack! I sucked and didn't give justice to what I had learned in 2 weeks. Haay, I can't understand what happened to me. Though the thoughts are in my head, that 15mins window to try was purely unacceptable to fail. I lost focus, maybe because subconsciously I was thinking it's almost weekend. Hay (long deep sigh)

But on a positive note, I am glad that I saw the errors while in the mock call rather than have those during a real call. I would have been killed on the spot when it did happen. It was indeed a wake-up call for me to NOT do what I just did. Good on me, whew! Now I'm spending my weekend doing my own version of mock call.

True what they say, there's never a strong person really. The world is round. Sometimes you're up and sometimes you're down. I guess I was obviously down and will surely have my time up :)

Outburst.

My heart is pounding so fast. I had already put off the lights and shut down my notebook but I just can't get myself to sleep. Yes, I am bothered. There is an irrelevant and senseless person that is really getting into my nerves. And if I don't spill this outburst of emotion, I might not be able to compose myself and ends up doing something stupid.

It's frustrating that this person is even a man, for goodness sake! Yet, he babbles a lot. Yeah, very immature and unmanly. I am so pissed! He over-analyzes things and makes bitter comments about others. I think he could be a good actor, playing two different characters. One, nice while having the conversation then later changes skin and gives his annoying and arrogant comments. Urgh! I just hate his guts! Makes me wanna puke. I don't know what the hell is his problem but he's really out of line most of the time. And now people are starting to hate him. Haay, feels like he has his own climate change haha! Funny that a common friend mentioned that he may be "threatened" by me. Seriously? That's real crap! I thought competition is only for girls? Gosh, he is completely a rare gem! Rare that I wish I could lock him up in a room full of mirrors so he can have the time alone to see himself, right before back-stabbing people.

I feel sorry for myself for writing this or even the feeling of it. But I'm just human, feeling hurt. I hate people who show different faces, those who are not genuinely true. It's disappointing because I thought he's worth my respect. Sadly, I'm wrong.

Dude, why can't you just keep it real?

New Day.

"Welcome." This is the word that greeted me when I arrived at the reception lobby. May, the receptionist knew my name at once and offered a friendly handshake.

I was ushered to a small room while waiting for someone to assist me. Later, May called me to have a quick tour of the office. There's the operation department at one corner, management on the other side, and of course the pantry. I gotta say, it has a well-stuffed fridge. On one corner of the pantry has two desktops used by employees to browse the net while on lunch break. Hmm, pretty much standard right?

Then I met my trainer, Keith. I was relieved and thankful to hear him speak English so fluently. No offense meant but I completely forgot where I was haha. Anyways, the training then went on. Information overload as usual.

Then came boredom. Urgh! it's what I hate when learning theories. Keith gave me a break to read on my notes. And it sucks that I feel very sleepy reading. So I am writing this blog instead to wake myself up. I feel like my eyes are gonna shut any time soon. Hay, got an hour more to spare.

Step up.

This is the official "weekend" feel. On Monday I will start my work as Conference Administrator. Whew! I've never felt this weird in my previous jobs. I don't know why for some reason, I'm feeling nervous. It's like flying in thin air. Maybe I'm just ecstatic about the whole idea. Hay, I'm still on high :)

Anyway, I hope I'd be able to fulfill my duties and grow professionally. I'm so much looking forward to it because I feel like this is the job I've been dreaming of. I just can't thank God enough. Love you the most!

Grateful.

One word to describe me right now, grateful. I cannot express how thankful I am for God's unconditional shower of love to me. This year started out perfectly. And I credit all of it to Him. Thank you, Lord.

There are a lot of reasons to be grateful. First, I started the year right by spending time with my new family re: in-laws. It was a very fulfilling experience. I couldn't ask for more. Second, I entered Singapore again with my new name. And lastly, I nailed a job here which I'm also excited, I'll be starting on Monday. This is something to be grateful about because in spite of the circulating rumors that Singapore is cutting down foreign-hiring, I am still lucky to beat that publicity.

And for this day, I thank Thee for we are celebrating our 3rd wedding monthsary. Big or small things that happen in our lives are worth being grateful for. What about you?

Early.

I'm starting to wake up early again to prep myself for work next week. Ironic but for some reason there's a part of me that's taken aback from working. It's like my past work experience starts to haunt me again. Sigh, I hope I could get over it completely so I can start with the new one with a clean slate.

I hope things will be alright this time...

Vote.

I was watching earlier on cable the Philippines' Vice-Presidential debate. It's fascinating to watch aspiring candidates lay their cards to the public.

Election is just over a month away. And I gotta say, I'm guilty for not exercising my right as a voter. I have not registered for this coming election and somehow I have never tried to vote since I was on my legal age. It's unintentional though. It just so happens that I'm away. But having watched the debate, it kicks right to me not being a part of my country's aim for change. I feel that no matter how much I would like to commend about these candidates, there's no help on my end. It'll just be like a sounding gong that disappears eventually. Hay, I regret not registering. I wish I could be a part of that change. Guess I'll just have to vote in prayer.

For those who are registered, I beg you to vote very wisely for the sake of our country. Let's save it.

Pissed.

Morning rainy Saturday!

I woke up early today dressed out to process my work permit. Thanks God I was able to sort out the problem on my change of name. Now I can say all is well on my upcoming work. Oops, not quite. I remember the company is conducting a character reference check on me from my previous works. Hmm, I never thought someone would really care. Well, I've got nothing to hide anyway so they're free to check :)

Hmm, it's raining today but I don't mind even if I get soaked.What pissed me off was a very senseless comment from nobody asking me sarcastically if had I already started work, because I got out so early. What a jerk! Hay...seriously, ask me that on a Saturday morning?

Needles.

I just got back from my medical examination. The feel of needle injected on me is really tough to handle. I always look away when I undergo such lab tests. Hay, too old to act like a kid :)

Anyway, one lady (x-ray) assistant asked when I last had menstrual period. I told her last month. Then she said I could be pregnant. Hmm, I told her that I am feeling the symptoms that any time soon, my period will come. She insisted that I may be. Well, I insisted back that I am well aware of it and that there is no chance I'd be pregnant. Urgh! Pissed.

Happy II

I nailed the job. Yahoo!

Jeremiah 29:11 "For I know the plans I have for you," declared the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." - Thank you LORD.

Sensationalism.

Definition:

• sensualism: (philosophy) the ethical doctrine that feeling is the only criterion for what is good
• empiricism: (philosophy) the doctrine that knowledge derives from experience

source: here

I woke up this morning with disappointment upon reading the local news in Yahoo referring to a murder of a Filipina, whom was found dead in front of her unit. The policemen went to the site and tried to get some information on possible witnesses. Some spoke but the information were likely unhelpful. The thing that pissed me of though was this line "A notice on the property states that action will be taken against sex workers who used the premises as a brothel." - this is completely a foul remark. There was no basis whatsoever that this is a probable cause of the murder. Read whole story here.

I am saddened that Filipinos especially the women, are often (if not generally) associated with the phrase "sexual workers." Sigh, we always get this kind of remark everywhere. Poor lady, she'd been murdered yet her dignity is put-down. Who would know if she's just a victim over a personal family fight, a mere suicide, or an accident? May justice be fairly served.

Media, being the channel, should learn to weigh information. It shouldn't only be based on the interest of the public (unproven) or just so that the broadsheet makes it to the market. I am from the media, I love the passion to serve as the watchdog. But being the watchdog that you are, means reporting only what is right and not sensationalize. It's tough to identify now which information is completely true. Haay, I'm just too disappointed.

Income.

Having been a full-time wife for 2 months now spared me a lot of time. A time for myself to indulge with one of my favorite enthusiasts, books.

When I was back in the Philippines in January, right after Archie came back to Singapore, I opted to do something while he's gone and while waiting for my papers to be processed. At first I thought I should go to a driving school or cooking class. But I guess it's true when they say that whenever it is planned, it never happens. I got caught up with a lot of family gatherings here and there. Hence, driving school nor cooking class never materialized.

Instead, during those trips, I brought with me the books of Francisco Colayco. Thanks to my friend Richard for the influence on this. Supposedly, Rich is gonna lend me his books. But because it is always at borrower's end, didn't had the chance. So I took the opportunity while I was back home to drop by a bookstore and bought it for myself.

"Wealth Within Your Reach" and "Make Your Money" were the two books that I had read. Why not a Nicholas Sparks? Well, I thought these books will help me more in dealing with my future more than drown myself with tears from one tragic love story.

Anyways, I am truly blessed to have read it. It gave me a better perspective of my financial expenses. The goal of the book is actually concentrated to overseas workers who may be earning triple but lacks knowledge on how to handle his/her finances.

These books aim to convey the message to everyone that the key to achieving a financially successful life is possible to everyone who are committed to become one. It also gives insights and helpful examples of people who had failed and succeeded. Money they say is the root of all evil. I agree! But having the right knowledge and rational disposition on finances, money may not be that evil.

Things I've learned from the books:

• SALARY - SAVINGS = EXPENSES (it is imperative to stick to this formula every pay day)
• Save 10% of your salary for 6mos (in case you lose your job, you've got a money to spare)
• Active Income (the current and only source of income re: salary, business)
• Passive Income (the income from investments)
• DON'T use active income to buy for wants (in the even you lose your job, no more source of income)
• AIM for passive income (the moment you get tired of working, you have the income from your investments to sustain your life expenses)

The list can go on and on. The book wants us to save for our future. The moment we hit our retirement age, we can enjoy freely our lives through passive income.

The earlier we start to earn, the better income. I hope you guys can find time to read the books. It's worth it!

Random.

• I'd been sick since last night. Urgh, I never thought my tract infection would get this complicated. The pain is excruciating :( when I pee. Huhu. I blame the guava for this! I dipped in salt which I believe is the major culprit. This is so traumatic for me. I feel scared when I pee because the pain keeps coming back. I'll see a doctor in a while.

• I was out early today to get down to the office to sign some papers. Phase I is done, we're up to Phase II. Hope everything goes well so I can finally be happy.
  

• On my way home, I was kinda disturbed looking at this kid trying to burst the balloon-shaped character. She was itching to burst it. And I'm like some stupid audience waiting for the pop to happen. Haha!
  

Happy.

Someone just made my day so happy today. THANK YOU, LORD. I will keep this feeling as long as I can...

Change.

“There is nothing permanent in this world but change.” Change can either be good or bad in one’s life.

Each journey we go through in life will always be an example of change. From being born to growing up, to living independently, and starting a new family, change is one of the main ingredients. When a person starts to have a family of his/her own, life will tremendously change.

In entering a marriage alone, two families will become one. And one of the challenges in the process would be the act of acceptance - of the family members of the spouse. Can we measure love through acceptance?

I know a friend who is now having a difficult time fighting against change and acceptance. When your boyfriend or girlfriend used to be nice to your family, is there a guarantee that this will remain when you’re married?

I feel for my friend. She’s torn between her family and husband. Her husband is cold to her family. He has changed unexpectedly towards them.

I guess there are people in this world who are not completely true to themselves or to others until the real time comes.

Wait.

When you're stuck doing nothing, everyday feels like Friday. It's been weeks that I've been like this - staring at nowhere and waiting for my phone to ring. I guess one of the toughest thing to do is wait. Prolly, we're even unsure if there is really something out there that's gonna come our way to reward the waiting. It just sucks, big-time!

No matter how much power we think we have, if it is not the will of God, can't do anything but just wait. Really wait, patiently that is. Hay, in His time...

Extended

My visa got extended until 7th of April. So I have a few more weeks to keep the dice rolling.

Archie and I were just discussing about our back-up plans should our main plans not work. And I have given myself a time-frame to accomplish my purpose of being here. I hope in God's help, things will fall into place.

Stay inspired

I started to get a little worried and shaky after reading the local news yesterday and today about foreign workers' slow-hiring. I am affected by this news. Why? because I'm currently looking for job and if it is true, the chances of me getting employment might slow-down as well.

I thought the economy is recuperating. Too bad, I guess the rage of recession has not yet ceased. This economic slump has massively impacted the whole world. When will it stop? Urgh! My heart goes out to those parents who have children to feed yet unemployed. I hope and pray that everything will turn out well.

Let's all stay inspired. Pray hard...

Really...

My previous posts had all been about the happy-getting-away-from-the-real-world kind of thing. But seriously, there had been a lot of realization and adjustments in between those happy days.

So yeah, I did tie the knot with my man of 6 years. And the decision didn't happen so instantly as if everything was perfectly fine. It was actually like second to impossible that we'll ever make it happen, but we did it. And it was successful. It was the major leap we had in our lives. You just don't know how grateful I am that God allowed things to fall into place the way it should be.

After the wedding, everything sunk in. And then I asked myself, what's next? Can I handle having to instantly become a part of an existing family? Will I survive, will I be accepted? How am I supposed to begin my new life? So many questions popped in my head and left me blur. I think I was taken aback for a while. And it had been one of the reasons why I went to Manila right after I dropped Archie to the airport. I was confused and scared to go home (in-laws home) all by myself. I needed to think it through deeply.

And after a few days, I had my answer. I needed to get home and face my new life with them. I had to prove to them that whatever theories they may have about "children getting married tends to forget their parents" isn't true to everyone. I had to make them see that not all cases are the same. It is tough to be married to an only child. My mom always told me that when the time comes that I settle down, I gotta try to live with my in-laws. And so I gave it a shot since I had the window of opportunity. My mom's words of advice inspired me. I told myself that if it won't work, at least I can say that I tried. Well, the outcome turned well unexpectedly. "Mother knows best" line should never be an understatement. It was indeed mission-accomplished. I stayed with my in-laws for the whole month and made them feel that I am genuinely accepting them as my new family as they did to me.

My vacation was after all a very fulfilling one. I praise God for it.

Hello Sunny Island...

Wee! I'm home to Sunny Island, Singapore. Nice to see Archie again after a month hehe.

Packing up

I bought my ticket. And I'll be flying this Saturday at 12:40pm bound to Singapore.

Wohoo! time to pack-up. I packed mostly the essential stuffs and one of it is food haha. My luggage contains lots of it hehe. Living abroad is costly and crazy. So we always buy lots of food to bring back home. It would help us save a few dollars *winks*

Got my passport

Yay! Finally, I got my passport today. The long wait has paid off. And I am happy this day came. This means, v-a-c-a-t-i-o-n is over. Sweet! I can now book my flight back to Singapore. My planned flight will be this coming Saturday, 6th. It will surely cost me a a few bucks though. But it's alright, at least I'll see my better half sooner :)

Beach Mode II

Ok, the beach vacation was not over yet. I had another blast of fun in the sun before I fly back to Singapore. Water and sun is surely fun!

Beach mode

Alright...after a visit in the province, I packed my personal stuffs in my bag and headed for the beach.

Haay, my vacation here in the Philippines is really well-spent. Since I started working overseas two years ago, I usually come home to visit for only a week. So this time it's worthwhile.

Hello Bolinao! I love it...




Beh! hahaha...my havs!

Giant croc at my back hihi...with my niece Jamaica

New name

Today I filed my new passport application that would carry my new name. At first I was glad to hear the there is already a Consular office in Baguio.

While waiting for my queue, I read one note in the billboard informing that overtime process for passport takes 15 working days. Crap! Is it really that long? Urgh! Well, I had no other choice but to deal with it rather than travel all the way to Manila and battle the heat. I told myself to just wait and enjoy. And so I did...

Visit

I visited Tabuk to see my siblings and spent time with my nephews and nieces. They're growing up so fast.

And I also took the chance to visit mom and dad's tombs. Dad is turning 10 years in November and Mom's 3rd this June.

Sister

My sister celebrated her 50th birthday on this day. Happy birthday, ate!

Nth mistake

I got home the other day from my trip to Manila.

Before Archie left for Singapore he told me several times to check our marriage certificate and make sure that all information are correct. I kept telling him all is fine and that he's got nothing to worry. Alas, I went to church to check on our details and found out that my birth month is incorrectly entered. Instead of September, it was written October. Goodness! This is exactly what we were talking about. Why cant these typists learn to be more cautious on what they are doing? I gave them the correct information. They miscounted the month. Haay! I bet my case is already their Nth mistake. Sorry but I can't patronize the system. It just sucks big time!

Though I'm still lucky, our certificate has not been submitted yet to NSO. Which means, I don't have to pay any correction fees for the error which I didn't even commit. Whew! Praise God. At the Civil Registrar, we just manually changed the error and had me sign for it.

Back to the real world

Happy days were over right after Archie flew back to Singapore yesterday. I was supposed to join him but since I recently ended my contract with DHL, it would be difficult to pass immigration unquestioned. So I decided to stay behind and process change of status in all of my personal data especially my passport.

I just gotta battle the lovesick kind of thing while we're apart...

Anyways, I'm here in Manila having a little taste of fun. I joined Tin with her friends at Star City and rode the breath-taking "Anchor's Away". Argh! The experience was surreal haha. I'll never forget it.

Appreciation

We traveled to Bohol right away after our wedding without opening our gifts. Yeah, we left it at home, still safely-wrapped. We didn't get the chance to open it all up after the party because we were so dead-tired. It's like our whole body system just shut down. All those months of preparation flashed in front of us in fast-forward phase. Whew! Twelve months seemed quite fast. Going back, we only had the chance to open our gifts on the eve of new year.

And for that, we would like to extend our deepest appreciation to all who came with / without gifts. Not only that, we were also overwhelmed with the money gifts we received. We didn't actually expect people to wrap gifts or give envelopes because it was only a day after Christmas :) We understood that our families and friends may have spent it with their loved ones. And their presence on that day was more than enough to make our special day uber-happy. Still, our big thanks! It feels great to be super happy on our wedding day. It makes us feel wanting to get married over and over again haha.

Happy New Year!