God, Happiness and Life

I haven't seen them for awhile. My that was a long time ago, I was still in my grade school years. I can still remember some of family's visits to their place in Caloocan. The patriarch was Tata Rosalino and he was my grandma Feliza's brother. They really hail from Bulacan. And the photo below remind me once again of my Tata Rozalino's children - Lily, Dante, Fe and then there's Henry and Danny, I think. My neural nerves are starting to falter. It's a pity that I could not introduce them to my children :-( My Lola's side really look like Chinese or Japanese, don't you think so?

My niece is celebrating her 18th birthday soon. She called me recently to ask my help with the preparation of her invites. What can I say?  I immediately requested her to provide me with her photo, the exact details of the debut party and the message she wishes to convey. It was not really difficult to do the copy for her invite having substantial  experience in  preparing other invites in the past. When I finished the template, I emailed it to her to ask her comments. Satisfied with the copy, she immediately told me if we could print about a hundred of them. Oh my! That many, I said. Now , I have a problem. I think my printer is out of  Phaser 8560 ink . This  means I need to buy a couple of them, soon. You see, the invitation is quite elaborate, size of an 8 1/2 x 11,  bearing her photo serving as the over-all background. It bears her message which essentially says that at 18, almost about to finish her college course, she will take her birthday as a liberation from all things j

It is the birthday of one of my sons. He is 33 today. Not sure if he has a new girl in his life. It's been awhile. My son's standard about women is I believe quite steep, I think he might have a difficult time finding the right one. First off, he says he is not ready yet financially to have a relationship. Ouch.. Anyway my message to him: Happy Birthday my son!. I wish you continued adventures which is what really life is all about.. But whatever You do, make sure it makes You happy and gives deeper meaning to your life. Godbless You son. I love you!

The baby is now a teacher and a poem borrowed from the web to honor a teacher's life from A to Z.. Happy World Teachers Day anak! YEY! A Teacher's ABC A is for the abundance of questions and yearning B is for both inward and outward beauty C is for creative learning D is for doing it over 'til it's right E is for the effort you pour into preparing into each night F is for watching how far we can go G is for seeing us blossom and grow H is for reaching for that star so high I is for imagination, for the courage to try J is for joy in touching a child's life in a meaningful way K is for kindness you bring children each day L is for the love of teaching we see M is for the "me" you're helping me to be N is for never being to busy to pray O is for overcoming our desire to stray P is for positives you bring to each Q is for the quintessential way to teach R is for your willingness to give us a reason S is for teaching us to appreciat

She  and family have been based in Melbourne for a long time now. Her sister is another friend and Godmother to my eldest :-) She has not aged a bit though she is really younger.

It is Sept 23,  a Monday where we come from.   A  pic shot of  Kuya Wakks and little Aya giving big bro a goodbye hug.. how sweet.. but  hey look, Wakki and Aya  looks like they both  lack sleep.. Aya is 1 and 1/2 years old and accordingly experts say that she ideally needs 14 hours sleep a day. Essentially, 1-3 Years Old: 12 - 14 hours per day As your child moves past the first year toward 18-21 months of age he will likely lose his morning nap and nap only once a day. While toddlers need up to 14 hours a day of sleep, they typically get only about 10. Most children from about 21 to 36 months of age still need one nap a day, which may range from one to three and a half hours long. They typically go to bed between 7 and 9 p.m. and wake up between 6 and 8 a.m. And then children who are: 3-6 Years Old:  need 10 - 12 hours per day Children at this age typically go to bed between 7 and 9 p.m. and wake up around 6 and 8 a.m., just as they did when they were younger. At 3

With technology at the helm of today's every life, everyone is bound to have an online experience one way or the other. That is probably why if you are not yet into the web, you could be still be hiding in a cave. Levity aside though, things we need for everyday existence can be acquired online. Be it consumer goods like food, books and apparel; home furnishings or appliances, and more so, technology gadgets like mobile phones, tablets, laptops, desktop computers and other peripherals. Yes siree.. you can shop in the comforts of your home. Online sites like Amazon and Ebay to name a few are two of the biggest online retailers around. Online shopping is quite different from shopping in a mall where the usual brick and mortar shops or stores are available. True, both utilize mostly credit cards in order to purchase, but online shopping requires an electronic commerce system where there is a shopping search engine, a shopping cart software where  a built-in check out process tha

Aya as Tinkerbell Wakki as Woody Woody hugging Tinkerbell Aya in her Tinkerbell costume when she and brother Wakki  attended a  party. Did she bring her Pixie Dust? And of course her Kuya Wakki as Woody the pull string cowboy of Toy Story. I am biased yes! But my grand children are two  of the most beautiful creations that God has so kindly given our family!

Worthy of a magazine cover.. why not? I bet yah, she's half of where my grandchildren's super good looks!

"Nothing ever really belongs to us unless we are prepared to let it go with faith. "

Keeping peace with myself allows me to enjoy life better.. but how does one do that? One needs lots of time to reflect.. sit down, cry, and decide to love yourself more..

I am not really a perfume person. Even when I was younger, I could go on for years without wearing perfume. But I had favorites. In college, my cousin Marge introduced me to Givenchy, and different versions of the Dior line. Each version was distinctly heavenly, but I liked Givenchy better. As I got older, I have turned my interest on perfumed candles. I love candles in the bathroom especially when I take my showers. Lavenders especially, and vanilla and ginger too! Recently,  I have been introduced to lollia . My friend gave me a peony white lily shea butter hand creme and my golly, it smells and feels terrific. But it's the perfumed candles I  am imagining I would have a  collection of one day soon.. For now, I am savoring the hand creme.. and here are the details of the creme: "Hydrating shea butter is whipped with fragrant infusions to create this lusciously moisturizing hand cream. Presented in a pretty floral box with a gift-ready paper sleeve.     * Key ing

It is never easy to have a pet. Ownership requires a certain level of  responsibility. Very similar to taking care of a small child, pets need lots of attention. At a certain age, they can  not  be left on their own. Moreover, pets must have  food, good training, essential grooming, not to mention play and exercise.  Pet food must be healthy to avoid excess weight -  which could be bad for the heart. Play is  necessary to ensure that the pet gets enough exercise to provide balance. As an owner, your pet would need you to walk him, or feed him and where applicable, bring him to the veterinarian periodically to make sure  that the pet is always in tip top condition. Of course, it is quite normal for pets to feel unwell sometimes. Even humans get out of sync from time to time. For pet dogs, annoying fleas, allergies, urinary infections, even arthritis, must be addressed and you would definitely need  your petmeds at vetdepot. If you don't have a dog, you can probably get a cat.

From an old song by Diana Ross.. was significant to me at one point in my life and now i see that it could be for a friend.. I can't cover up my feelings In the name of love Or play it safe For a while that was easy And if living for myself Is what I'm guilty of Go on and sentence me I'll still be free It's my turn To see what I can see I hope you'll understand This time's just for me Because it's my turn With no apologies I've given up the truth To those I've tried to please But now it's my turn If I don't have all the answers At least I know I'll take my share of chances Ain't no use of holding on When nothing stays the same So I'll let it rain 'Cause the rain ain't gonna hurt me And I'll let you go 'Though I know it won't be easy It's my turn With no more room for lies For years I've seen my life Through someone else's eyes And now it's my turn To try and find my way And if I should g

I am not a big hamburger eater so I don't really get to visit this food chain.. but kids today because of the power of television, recognizes both Jollibee and/or Mc Donalds and the rest of the food chain stores as if it is part and parcel of their growing up years .. har.. And so expectedly, my grandchildren are habitues of these fast food stores.. not really a good idea.. but when a picture is taken as the one here, i will try to understand.. hahaha Want to know more about Ronald Mc Donald, see here .

Just taking these photos made me feel good as always.. my apos and my son = bliss my apo and my partner = happiness my son, my DIL and my apo = hope

I pray to God, please No! My son kept playing this song over and over from his laptop.. song by hale,  a group who achieved some level of meteoric rise from a couple of yours back.. You speak loudly but When I'm not around You'll be just like them So shallow and obnoxious Please, that's enough, that's enough Please, I've said this a million times before And I'm sick But all that I need And all that I breath And all that care for is you You said that you'd call By the time you will be home But you never did You said you didn't mean to And now I am outraged As if we were engaged You made me realize I'm just your alibi Please, that's enough, that's enough Please, I've said this a million times before And I'm sick But all that I need And all that I breath And all that care for is you And all that I need And all that I breath And all that care for is you I hate you

Sulo is the Filipino word for torch.. and the torch symbolizes hope and enlightenment.. and what two fitting words for the night, being spent by friends of forty or so years.. And by the way there's an idiomatic expression such as "carry a torch" for someone or to love or be infatuated but the love is unrequited..does this mean anything for any of us? :-D

My nephew who has been based in Los Angeles for the last 20 years mentioned to me the other time that one of his kids might need a tutor this coming school year. Swell, I retorted. And in what areas would my grand kid have a need for a tutor I asked.. he said a math mentor might come in handy for his seventh grade son.. and  that he is having a difficult time finding a good one. His son  might need a tutor to help the kid develop good study habits for his Math subject. Obviously, the kid feels he is inadequate as far as Math is concerned. You know, traumatic experience with bad Mathematics teachers in the past led him to this ridiculous conclusion.. and yes he is quite intimidated. I advised my nephew to get a tutor who is  patient  but  firm. I told her the story about  my daughter providing tutoring services back then. She did it for the extra money.. to augment her small income way back when she was new in the profession; back when a basic  Bachelors degree was not enough and  M

Sincere greet for my pretty daughter-in-law!

To a child everything is wonderful play :-D  It is important that adults indulge children with play as much as possible because play helps the child in so many ways ..  first,  it gives the child the opportunity to develop her imagination for creativity; play helps tremendously in her physical development and last but not least, play  provides a way to develop social skills so the child learns to work ways to and around  her emotions.  play and yogurt asking for more? playing with lolo g who is not shown in the pic

And hard.. true because I have always wanted a house with lots of hardwood in it. The decor, the walls, the ceiling and of course the floor. Perhaps, I won't be too serious on the hardwood ceiling and walls because those functional aspects of the home would require a big, big house. But the flooring that is what I really dream of. My family had always taken places with floor tiles not because that was what we wanted but that was what was available. I also realized that home builders would always use tiles other than hardwood because hardwood is expensive. Absolutely, no longer true. I have seen so many beautiful hardwood floor tiles which are rather affordable and absolutely beautiful. In fact just the other day, my batch mate who I was communicating on the social network was telling me that her husband was busy, busy with his new project. She says, hubby is occupied with removing all her home carpets because they are going to replace it with hardwood. And I said that, that was

If there's one additional thing I would like my daughter to have  I had my way  is to learn the skill and especially the art of cooking.  She has her numerous talents already but I think the combination of culinary arts and gastronomy is a deadly combination once you master it. The skill and the knowledge involving these two significant facets of  food almost always enhances the way food is prepared, served, look and taste. I would not mind having these skills for myself as well.. Food appreciation involves the technique, the style, and the practice  of cooking. Is it Continental or Asian? What about that known as  'haute cuisine' which is  also all about French cooking? Talk about the  pasta-olive-oil-sundried tomato based combination of  Italian cooking. Spices are at the heart of  Indian or Thai cooking.. And who can forget the  essentially Zen based way of  the Japanese? But and this is a big but,  am I forgetting the healthy aspect of cooking and eating? The

This is so close to home: Source: wideopenspaces.squarespace.com via Emily on Pinterest

I would like to give something like this to my D-I-L. I am sure she would love it. Source: somethinglikethatdesigns.com via on Pinterest