All In A Year

Wow, time flies by so fast. We just celebrated our first wedding anniversary last December and right now I just wanted to look at year-old photos from our wedding. God has been good to us.=)

 

 

 

   

  

"No one can lay any foundation other than the one we already have - Jesus Christ."

- Paul, in I Corinthians 3:11

A Nice Surprise

I came home from work at one o'clock in the morning to find a sandwich and a lit candle on top of our dining table. How nice!:)  It was not so much the meal but the thought that went with it, you know? I'm very happy and sadly, full right now, because I already had late late dinner at work!:s Nilibre kami ng chicken curry and siomai sa Dimsun 'N Dumplings!=s

But well... I couldn't let his efforts go to waste... so I decided to sit down, say a prayer of thanks, and eat what Mahal prepared for me. Bahala na kung busog na'ko. Mag exercise nalang ako bukas. CHOS!!!

The already-asleep hubby prepared a sandwich for me, the healthy kind.:) I peeked into the contents of the whole wheat bread and found lettuce, tomatoes and Spanish sardines.

Naka-uniform pa akech.

 Matikman nga kung papasa!

PWEDE!:)

A for A-ffort!!! Aprub! Kung may sala ka sige patatawarin! Mahal pa rin kita!:) Magaling! Ayos!:o) As for me, sana makagising bukas ng maaga para makatakbo at bawiin ang kinain!

My Second Attempt At Planting Basil

Ola!:) I just want to post the pictures of my lovely basil plants.:) Sorry I can't help but be proud of myself and of them! But it really is greatly rewarding to discover that something you're nurturing is growing healthy and beautiful.:) It doesn't take a lot to take care of them naman pala. Basic necessities lang. But what it takes though is commitment (naks, serious!:) And a dose of optimism.;)

 I situated my second basil upstairs because that way 

it'll get a lot of morning sun. 

 The container is kind of cute to me. Hehe.:)

 I noticed that this second plant had more roots than the first one. 

Pero pareho lang naman sila na two weeks.

 I was so excited to plant my second basil that I didn't water 

my other plants yet!  Look how dry the soil is! Bad gardener! 

 I planted it in the same pot where I planted the first basil.

 Wow dizizzit!:) 

 Look how tall the first basil is now.:) 

One day the second one will be as tall as the first.;)

Can't wait for the third one!:) 'Til my next basil update!:)

By the way, on New Year's Eve, my colleague (who's also planting herbs, veggies and fruits in his own backyard) gave me three kinds of herbs/plants: tarragon, lemon grass and mint!:) I asked him last month if he can spare me tiny pots but he gave me big ones instead! Thanks Erwin for the plants!:) So far, it's still downstairs but I'm planning to put them upstairs with my basil and oregano.:) 

Who Do You Think Would Portray Ma's and Jack's characters?

I read this book last December when my friend from work lent her copy. Dianne was raving not just about the story but about the price as well. The original tag was P480.00+ (not bad considering it's a new book here). But she got it for only P237.00 to think that it was the bigger paperback edition. And a best seller pa at that! Thank you to National Bookstore at the NAIA Terminal III!:)

I've been hearing a lot about "Room" so I read it immediately after putting down Stephen King's "Rose Madder" which I didn't like that much. But I have to hand it to Stephen King; he has the uncanny ability to make his audience want to finish the book even if getting a scare is not really one's cup of tea.

Back to "Room." I enjoyed the book very much and found it hard to put down. As a matter of fact, I read halfway through the book until the wee hours of the morning. And I felt sad, like, can someone really find herself in that harrowing situation? For seven years? And with a child to look after?

But I think that by having Jack, Ma was more able to get through her ordeal. If Jack weren't there, I believe she would have resorted to more desperate measures... Either she kills Old Nick or herself.

If they would turn this book into a movie, I'd be really curious as to who would portray Jack's character. He is described as small for the average 5-year old, pasty white and sickly. And who would fit Ma? I wonder.:) She's described as young and beautiful, but after being locked up for seven years she's probably unkempt with yellow teeth and sagging breasts. Or maybe I'm exaggerating. Maybe ScarJo, nuh?

But then she was the original choice for the U.S. version of The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo tapos hindi naman pala.

My First Ever Attempt at Planting Basil

Last month, my sister gave me a Basil plant which she pinched from her garden. Basil, Rach said, wants sunlight and water. Also, you have to pluck out its flower if you want its leaves to retain its sweet flavor. She placed the basil inside a plastic cup and told me to wait two to three weeks until I see its roots start to grow.

Alas! On the 14th day, glorious white basil roots 

were already showing!:)

See?!?:)

I prepared my pot, some potting soil, a shovel and of course,

my lovely basil plant.:) 

Thankfully, two new stems have started to shoot up.:) And according to the YouTube video, the way to pinch it is to select the middle stem. I've already done that three days ago so let's see what happens two weeks from now. I'm so excited!:)

Napurnadang Movie/Book Club Nauwi sa Date

Indulge me. I've been at home in bed since Wednesday because I caught the flu. My only preoccupation is to read, rest, and revisit my this old blog. Hehe.:o) But I also checked my photos in my laptop and discovered that even when I haven't been blogging for a long time now, whenever I take pictures, it's subconsciously to blog about a particular event. Gets? Parang iniisip kong lagyan ng storya.

Kaya heto. Heto ang istorya ng napurnadang book club. Kaya nung lumabas ang movie version ng pangalawang libro ni Stephanie Meyer na "New Moon," (kelan na nga ba yun?) walang iba kung hindi ang aking then-nobyo ang tanging nakaladkad sa sinehan. Haay ke hirap!!!

The only advantage though in going to the movies with your boyfriend is to dress up for your boyfriend! Syempre um-effort ako. At nag-feeling!:o)

 Mukhang nasiyahan naman sya kkk.... xD

Kumain kami sa restawran ni Marvin Agustin sa Greenbelt 3. 

 Teka, bakit baluktot ito?

 The hubby is not fond of pastas as much as I am, 

but this one daw was an exception. I agree.:)

 And this thin-crust quattro formaggi too!

 Burp!

After dinner, we went to the cinema and watched New Moon. 

The hubby said is was as cheesy as the pizza we just ate!

Reviving a Book Club

I bought this journal on sale three years ago at Fully Booked  (I forgot how much it was). I was so excited to use it! But there was one problem: I didn't belong to any book club...So, I coerced my sister and friends to start one up. I showed them an article from Preview magazine about a group of girls who met regularly over dinner and even dressed according to the theme or genre of the book that they just read!:) How cute diba?:)

The first meet up was composed by a group of three: Anj, Smiley, and me. We met in a now closed coffee shop along President's Avenue in BF and we talked about Twilight. The second meet up wasn't actually a reading discussion; it was a movie night! Me, my sister Rach and two of my girlfriends watched The Time Traveler's Wife in Greenbelt 3. Afterwards, the guys joined us in Red Mango to compare the movie to the book. When the discussions were getting animated, the guys made fun of us for sounding so geeky over this book club thing!:o) But we took it in stride and just kept on with the discussion.

Now, after three or more years of silence and inactivity, I'm hoping to revive the pleasure of sharing and swapping ideas, feelings, opinions and even disagreements about a book. Sure, reading is a simple pleasure that is enjoyed alone. But isn't it much more exciting to know what your other friends think and feel about a particular book as well?:)

Wish me luck!:)

Back From the Dead

I'm talking about me, obviously! Yep! I dunno I just had this strange sensation to check my blog and resurrect it. So... here I am. Haha, hullo.:)

Legacy Dad

I came across Legacy Dad through goodreads.com and right now, I wish, with all my heart, that all dads and husbands will strive to be this kind of a man! Oh Lord that you would bless us with men like these who want nothing more but to leave a legacy that cries out You are our purpose! You are our LIFE.=)




"Because Your love is better than life, my lips will glorify You."

- David, Psalm 63:3

Only God Can "WOW" Me Like That.

Labor Day started very early for me, as in 1:30 in the morning. I went on a day trip to Mount Pinatubo with close friends and loved ones. Originally, it was my sister Rachel's idea to trek up the volcano, a summer activity for the Saturday cell. Zarene set the date for May 1, obviously a holiday, so all of us can go: Mark, Zarene, Rach, Pau, Drix, me, Smiley, Anj, Maynard, Mimi, and Michelle. Of course the number can still go up, we're always open to anybody who wants to join in the fun.=)

Unfortunately the numbers dwindled to three, and then Drix invited his brother Eboy and his college friend Popie who was still in Singapore. So five of us were super sure. Days prior to the scheduled day trip, a storm was forecasted to hit the Philippine shores. Buti nalang hindi sa Pampanga/Tarlac/Zambales area. Kasi dun kami pupunta! Smiley, who knew our contact, kept texting the coordinator how the weather was in Tarlac. Shempre we didn't want to push through if we were just gonna be informed hours later that the trail was closed due to bad weather. But Maribel, the tour agent, kept saying that it was hot and sunny in Tarlac.

So on Thursday midnight, I packed my bag and slept an hour. (More like, 'I lay in bed and closed my eyes' an hour). Before I knew it, the alarm went off, a text message from Drix came to tell us they'll be here in 30 minutes. 30 minutes!!! Grabe talaga pag mga lalaki sobrang punctual!!! I called Smiley immediately to inform her that we had no time to catch some sleep and to be ready 1:30-ish. We left Merville, Paranaque and were on the road before 2 o'clock, stopped for gas along NLEX and had very early breakfast at Hen Lin. We hit the road again and Popie drove from 3-5:30 a.m. By the time we reached Sta. Ines, we made one or two wrong turns, drove leisurely because there was a lot of time to enjoy the scenery. The sun was just peeking from the horizon so the color of the sky was a deep blue. I just loved it, felt like we were the only car on the road, the only five people awake, while the whole world was sleeping.=) That says a lot coming from somebody who isn't much of an early riser.=s

At 6 o'clock we were already there in Capas, Tarlac. The sign board along the road said that we've reached Spa Town, the place where all trekkers wait for the 4x4's that will take them to the base of Mount Pinatubo. We parked the car, got our backpacks, registered and paid the fees.

The published internet rates range from P1,700 to P5,000.00 (the latter if you want to indulge in an ash spa & massage after the trek). P1,700 if you bring your own car, P1,900.00 if you're riding the public transport via bus. But probably the safest estimate would be P2,000 inclusive of the 4x4, the reg fee, the tour guide, and some packages include a packed lunch. Pero wala pang boat ride yun.

Fortunately for us, the package only cost us P880.00!!! Thank God Smiley's tito gave his contact to us. I think it also helped that Smiley hails from Pampanga and can speak Kapangpangan with the tour guide and the people in charge of the registration.=) We only added P350 each for the boat ride. Sabi kasi nung husband ni Maribel, mas maganda kung mag boat ride pa kami once we get to the crater because there are some areas where the water is warmer.

By 6:30 we were on the 4x4. The air was so COLD!!!

But the sun was rising and it was surely a sign of a great day ahead!

The red 4x4 that we rode for an hour, I think... We had to stop to take pictures kasi ang ganda na ng tanawin. AND ANG LAMIG LAMIG!!! BBBBBRRRRR!!!!!


Popie and Eboy taking pics

Aeta kids enjoying the sunshine. They were the peoples displaced after the Pinatubo eruption last July 16, 1991. Now 18 years after, they still choose to live so very near the volcano.

Troopers one and all.

Kuya Jude, our agent-driver-tour guide rolled into one!

I love the splashes when the 4x4 passes across brooks,
National Geographic ang dating! ;D

Finally, we parked at the base of Mount Pinatubo.
The 30-minute trek starts from here.

Couldn't resist taking a snapshot of this universal reminder.

Mang Dom (as in Dominador) behind Mahal carrying our packed lunch.




Popie taking pictures.



Rest muna rest...



Shiny Adidas moment!



Rest muna rest!!!

On the trek up, we were wondering what the gradient would be had we been in the gym on the treadmill. Sabi ni Popie gradient 15,000. Tumodo!

Finally,



we

reached

the crater!!!!

We were the first people to arrive at 7:30 in the morning. It was absolutely breath-taking, like God was super showing off for us!!! WOW! I've heard a lot of people say they've been to Mount Pinatubo but they never said anything like this! For me, I was definitely in awe, I was like a child who has seen Disneyland for the first time.=)