Thank you series: I Love Talks with my Dad

No matter how old I get, I will always value the time and talks I spend with my Dad. Sometimes I just rant, sometimes I just listen, and sometimes we work on errands together. It's just so refreshing really.

When I was single and under my parents wings, it was always convenient. We were always together and I had easy access to his love, protection, and wisdom. Now that I'm married, life has gotten busier so time for serious talks are lesser and more precious.

Today was one of those special days. I accompanied my Dad in some of his errands and we've managed to make today - a stressful day - into a special father and daughter moment.

Thank you God for today. :)

Thank you series: Happy Birthday Daddy!

It's my dad's birthday today, and he's turning __! He said he's now over 40 hahaha :)

I wish him a long and healthy life of bliss and blessings. May God bless you always!

This is me on top of my dad's shoulders.

This is me as a - flower girl - on his wedding. :)

Love you Daddy-kins! You're the best! I'll see you in Manila soon.

Thank you series: Family day at Sonya's garden

Two days before our flight back to China, my hubby and I decided to take a trip to Sonya's Garden with my dad and stepmom. I just love this place - the food, garden, everything! :) It's such a beautiful place; simply picture perfect! (For more photos, you can also visit my photo blog)

We also visited a nearby church to give thanks!

Thank you series: A simple Christmas dinner

Last night was our first Christmas as husband and wife. It was a simple feast of soup, chicken, sandwich, chips, strawberries, orange juice and . . . chocolates! I enjoyed the simple meal with my husband especially the conversation we had. Truly, family and friends make Christmas great .

I look forward to the 10 days of vacation and quality time I have with my husband. (Just one more day of work and it's vacation time. Yahoo! :)

sunnysideup perspectives: Christmas makes me homesick

Waaaah!!! I miss Manila. My family, friends, Filipino food and even my dogs. Christmas seems to magnify my homesickness. And, it doesn't help to read a recent blog about my friends meeting up. Just can't wait to go home! Oh well, 30 more days and will be off to Manila for a 3-week vacation.

Anyway its funny how all of a sudden I feel intense homesickness, just as soon as the month of December comes. I think it's mainly because it's my first time to miss Christmas (in Manila).
It's my first time to spend Christmas:

1. in China
2. with my husband (instead of my dad)
3. without Kris Kringle
4. without seeing the streetlights of Makati
5. without a 13th month pay
6. without a Christmas mass

Ok ok.. enough ranting. I need to help myself. What don't I miss...

1. Traffic
2. Shopping rush

That's it! Can't think of anything else. :(

Oh well, Christmas is simply different in Manila but I'll make the most of this experience. Maybe my hubby and I can spend Christmas in Hong Kong. We'll see. :P

sunnysideup perspectives: Always a Child at Heart

I don't think I will ever grow up. Well not in a negative way! I just mean that I don't think I will ever grow tired of enjoying the simple things of life. :) I guess that's why my husband and I get along sooo well. It's just because we enjoy both the small and big things that life brings. Sometimes I catch us talking about the silliest things while laughing hard. I thank God for that!

I thank God that both of us find joys in many things. I also pray that as we won't lose it as we both grow old in our marriage.

This weekend we had fun with the game Jenga. I also remember playing this as a child. I think back then it was Uno Stacko I got to play. Well this game is both enjoyable and good for manual dexterity. I think we played for an hour or two. I lost in all the games but it's ok. I had so much fun! Maybe it's also because I was taking too many photos. :) I just find it soo cute how focused my hubby is.

Paskuhan sa GK: The Pinoy Spirit

Amidst hard times and uncertainty, when recession and job loss is happening everywhere, Filipinos always remain jubilant, hopeful and resilient. They persevere and survive.

When I attended the Gawad Kalinga Paskuhan event in Macau, Dec 5 and 6, I was awed by the camaraderie and hardwork that my fellowmen exuded. And as I travel and see more of my fellowmen spread across the globe, an intense feeling of admiration and pride grows in me.

Tired from work or even out of work themselves, they took the time to spread the word for our poverty stricken fellowmen in the Philippines. I witnessed firsthand how they shared their time and talents to support a great cause - Gawad Kalinga.

Filipinos based in Macau, work late at night to build a sample of a Gawad Kalinga (GK) home.


With The CFC Community of Macau. These are the "Tito's or Uncle's" who lead this community. Working hard to build another GK village in the Philippines.


The Single for Christ members who shared their time and talents for the cause.


The CFC community celebrating Christmas with a cause - Paskuhan (Christmas) the Gawad Kalinga way.

Now you may be asking, what is Gawad Kalinga? It is a movement/program that uplifts the lives of the poor in the Philippines. More than just providing them with houses, this program rebuilds their lives and their spirit. This is a program that allows those who are more enabled to help and share their blessings. Watch this video to see how this program changed and touched lives.

Gawad Kalinga, is being supported by corporations, private citizens, as well as non-Filipinos who believe in the vision. One of them is GK Champion Dylan Wilk, one of the richest men in UK under the age of 30. Listen to a podcast where he explains his passion to fight poverty.

Also here is another video compilation of GK champions/GK heroes.

Sunnysideup Perspectives: The essence of a woman

As I was doing the dishes, a thought occurred to me - when a lady becomes a wife she enters a new phase of womanhood; she will enter a commitment that entails more sacrifice and more selflessness. Life is no longer about oneself and ones ambition, but dreams and goals with a partner, for a family. Of course I don't mean that married life will only be full of misery or self neglect. That's simply not healthy and I don't think anyone would want to get married if this is how they view marriage.

There is a thin line between selflessness and low esteem. I don't actually believe that one should be a martyr and stick it through when your husband is a jerk who hurts or abuses you. What I mean is that we begin to see that life is not just about us or our next shopping splurge or the next position and raise we are targeting. I mean, our priorities change, and we begin to see that we are here to live for others - for our family, maybe even our community. Of course if a woman is lucky her submissiveness and efforts will be rewarded with a mans love, respect and care. I think I am one of the lucky ones to have been blessed with a good husband who takes on this role very seriously.

I don't mean to sound like a feminist nor do I intend to trivialize the sacrifices of a man. I mean, I do see and observe how my husband is adjusting to the different demands of married life. How he too is thinking more about our family instead of himself and how he has been learning to take on the role that his dad use to play. Afterall, he too will be a father in the future. He too will be Mr. Fix-it, the stay-in handyman, for everything from home furnishings to shoes. Aside from that he is tasked to be the head and protector of the home and more importantly a Dad :)

Coming back to my point about women, I think what actually makes the adjustment harder for women and girls now is the clash of modern and traditional ways. For us women born in modern times, we are trained and used to independence. As singles we are able to carry our own weight and achieve success. We have our own goals and are able to compete or cooperate with men within the corporate world. A woman is highly regarded when she has 'beauty and brains,' but once they marry they are expected to learn the value of submissiveness. At some point we live double lives. A woman may be the boss in the office but once she comes home she needs to be able to change hats - willing and able to take on a support role. Here's one more thing to think about: Women in Manila (might not be applicable in other cultures and countries) change their surnames once they get married. Personally I don't have an issue with this, just the hassle of going to every government agency or corporate entity, to change your name is sooo tedious. (e.g. Drivers License, ID, Social Security... ooh and even ones email address)

In 1994 Ms. Universe winner, Sushmita Sen, described the essence of a woman, she said "Just being a woman is God's gift. The origin of a child is a mother, a woman. She shows a man what sharing, caring, and loving is all about. That is the essence of a woman." These words never meant as much to me and they do now. Being a woman is hard but now I see the blessing that comes with it.

I now also understand that being a housewife is not for everyone. Some are best suited as working moms, others for single-blessedness. My sister-in-law explained to me when I asked her about her decision to stop working and be a stay home mom. I am newly married and am not an expert on this. Some people may not agree with me but this is just my perspective - a reflection actually of what I've gone through this year.

Maybe it is safe to ask future brides and single ladies this, "Are you ready to live a life that is less about you and your dreams? Are you ready to lose and give a part of yourself to blend with your future partner?" If the answer is yes, then maybe you are indeed ready for the challenging yet fulfilling new journey called marriage.

To all my fellow newly weds, I wish you well and God bless! May our marriages be blessed to inspire, encourage and make a difference.

Thank you series: Back from vacation

I'm back after a week long hiatus from the Internet world and normal routine. I had so much much fun with my hubby and his colleagues during the national week. Aside from our trip to Zhu Hai, we mostly spent our days in the pool practicing our breast stroke and freestlye. My husband has perfected his breast stroke. As for me I'm still practicing but I feel that I almost got it.

Last week, we also visit a nearby market for the first time. For our first month most of our food came from the grocery. As expected it was sooo much cheaper and the best thing was the freshness. Red meat is pink and soft, fish is alive and swimming. I was also pleasantly surprised to see a 'Tilapia', my favorite fish in Manila. My glee, however, was immediately replace by pity. It was traumatic for me to see how they killed the fish and cut it while it's still alive. It was really a terrifying to feel the freshly chopped fish moving inside the plastic bag that Jason held, but a taste of the cooked fish removed all my qualms. Maybe I will consider being a vegetarian... maybe in a few years... maybe not.

Lunch."

"Close up of the cooked Tilapia."

Ooh and did I tell you how nice the fish vendor is to me. :) She seems to be amazed with the fact that I look sooo Chinese and yet can't speak a single word. I get this reaction often, by the way. I always have to explain, I try, that I'm a Filipina and that I don't speak Chinese. Funny how I look the part but don't speak the part eh. :P Anyway I say "Philippines" since there is no direct translation of Philippines in Chinese. Most of the countries with direct translation are the first worlds. Here's a few:

Meguo for America (Meguo means beautiful country by the way)
Inguo for England
Faguo for France

Thank you series: Enjoying a one week holiday!

October 1 is National holiday in China. And for a week since Monday September 29, I have been enjoying lots of quality and fun time with my hubby. So far, in the last three days we've been able to:

watch an Audry Hepburn classic - Sabrina,
swim for half a day,
shop at Zhu Hai with friends,
and get a superb two hour foot and back massage!

So far, so good. Life is great! My marriage is growing stronger as we adjust to our roles of husband and wife. Of course we do have a couple of arguments and hurts here and there, but nothing a major that an hour of loving and honest communication won't solve.

By the way, here are some photos of our visit to Zhu Hai yesterday.

"Breakfast with the gang before boarding the bus."

"Before anything else, lunch at KFC. "

"Gong Bei Port, the boundary between Macau and China. Shopping area 'ala Divisoria' is found in the basement. :) "


"The Clock Tower in Gong Bei."


"Love my new (unbranded) shoes and (Mango) shorts. Mango was on sale and got a really good deal with my shorts! Maybe I should have gotten a few more?"

Settling series: My first pang of homesickness

September 2, 2008, I miss my friends and family terribly – my dad the most. I’m very close to him. We share a bond that I am proud of. My dad is my parent, my protector, my consultant and my friend. We support each other and I’m not used to the idea of not being physically able to support him or his plans.

Most of the day, I spend in our condo. My husband heads to work early in the morning and arrives around 7:30pm. I’m an only child and am very used to being independent and able to find ways to keep myself occupied. I can always find something to do. My laptop and the internet is my ally, but still I always feel a pang of sadness after a quick chat with friends and family. I miss the surprise parties, the celebrations, the get in touch moments at coffee shops, I can go on and on. I felt more homesick when my childhood friend Jacque sent me a link to her blog.

Then again, I guess I’m really blessed with great friends and family. The fact that there a so many people to miss means I’m sooo blessed with great people in my life. :) I’m online almost everyday and I’m glad for all the messages and calls I’ve been getting. See you all soon guys!

PS. Thank you for all the Despedida parties and celebrations you’ve prepared for us. I miss you all and see you soon!

"Despedida and Subic trip with Dad and Mommy Mariz."

"Despedida with Opposwim."

"Despedida with Nine."