Miracle Sundays: Grateful

It's my birthday today! I wanted to have a nice lunch celebration with family, but I've been having fever and severe asthma the past few days. I haven't gone out in the past two weeks and the test is negative, so it's likely just severe asthma due to the bad air quality. I really wanted to finally see my Mom, but for safety we're isolating again. 

The past few months have been challenging. The boys are well now and I'm still around to create more memories with them. It's almost ten years now since I had heart surgery and my doctors told me just before I went home they almost lost me back then. They've been quite fascinated on how I'm able to bounce back. 

It is a miracle brought about by faith and loads of prayers. I remind myself everyday that there is so much to be grateful for, never mind that I can't function like I used to. What's important is I still have time to create more happy memories with my family. 

And to celebrate my birthday, I thought I'd list ten things I'm grateful for:

1. My family for loving me and being the best support system in the universe.

2. My friends who always know when I need cheering up and providing kwento about the outside world. 

3. The surprises my friends send me. It's been hard to lose weight from all the food they keep sending, haha. 

4. Mom being okay. I was worrying a lot about my Mom because of the bad air quality. She's been unaffected. She has lungs made of steel. (Got mine from Dad).

5. Kuya, for being him.

6. Nosy neighbors who have been providing a lot of entertainment online, haha. Gais, chill lang kayo.

7. The person who has been cleaning up the foliage next door. Hope that helps alleviate the caterpillar issue. 

8. The yellow vented bulbuls who visit us everyday. 

9. Grab riders.

10. Everyone who prays for me. 

#BeKind #StaySafe

Finally Got This After 40 Years

My parents were very strict about what kinds of toys I had when I was growing up. Titay showered me with Barbie dolls and I got my first Lego set from my Ninang when I was 4 years old. I also got a Cabbage Patch which was the rage back then. Mommy though did not allow me to have ET, Yoda and Alf. Someone gave me an ET figure and it was one of my favorite toys. Mom always cringed whenever she saw it. 

I was never allowed to have gaming devices. We did not have a Family Computer or Atari. I was also in college when I got to try my friend's Family Computer. And I was already working when I learned how to play Pokemon on my PC. I think I managed to wear down my Dad because I remember I had a Game & Watch Mickey Mouse device and a PacMan watch. Those were the only devices I owned. 

What I really wanted to play was Super Mario. Sweetie finally made my dream come true. On my birthday he presented me a huge box. He put me to work unboxing one box after another until I finally got to his gift. It was a Super Mario Bros. Game & Watch. Waaaaaawwwww! It was a super huge surprise for me! 

Of course I immediately started playing the game. I also put it beside me when I went to sleep (just like a kid would haha). I've been using it the past few days and I realized I don't have enough gaming skills! I so far couldn't get past level 1-3! Hahaha. 

Thank you Sweetie for the surprise! I think I'm going to spend more hours on this than my Switch. LOL. Love you <3

CB///*Yr2/142 #StuckAtHomeDay/Yr2/165 #NewG305 #Home63 #StayHome #BeKind 

Eggs Benedict, Flowers, Cheese, Lechon and Lots of Love!

I had an amazing birthday. We decided to just stay home since I wouldn't be able to dine anywhere. We also decided not to have visitors since I'm not vaccinated and have to be more careful. Nonetheless, I had a happy birthday even with the restrictions. 

I was overwhelmed with so much love and care from family and friends. I thought it was just going to be a normal day, but I got a lot of surprises from the time I woke up. I did not have to worry about food because it just kept coming! Breakfast from Jac, a cheese platter from Ms. Myna and lechon from Cathy and Mike! The food will last until tomorrow. Our tummies are super happy! 

The day was also made beautiful with lots of flowers! Oh my! I wish I could preserve them since they are all so beautiful! I love flowers because they remind me of my Mom and her beautiful garden. I hope I'll be able to have my own gorgeous garden in the future. Thank you my Westies family for making my day beautiful. Hope to see you soon once I complete the good news I shared with you guys last night!

I spent an hour on the phone with my Mom last night. I always celebrate my birthday with my Mom. The last we were able to do that was in 2019. We spent the whole day out together with Sweetie and Miggy. That was in 2019 and that year me and my Kuya gave her a surprise party for her 85th birthday. I told her that we'll get to celebrate her birthday this year together.

I'm so grateful for all the lovely greetings. I also got surprise video greetings from team QSR and close friends. I teared up when I saw the greetings from my teacher community. I miss all of them and it was a good reminder for me that I did some good in the past 15 years of my life. 

I thank God everyday for the gift of life. After having another PE and getting poked from tests often I thought I wouldn't make it. My Mom reminded me yesterday that she went through the similar issues when she was my age, but she's now 86 and strong. I got my strong will and positive outlook in life from her. So I told Sweetie yesterday, we'll have to go for gold*!

Thank you everyone for your well wishes. I wish I could comment back to each and everyone of you, but I might get blocked again from commenting! I'll have to do it slowly I guess haha. Love you all! Keep fighting!

*Gold - golden anniversary

Day 29 Minimalism challenge, Say no to something. It took me years to learn to say no. I realized though I got into this health mess because I allowed myself to be bullied into doing more than I could. My body and mind battled with each other for many months. They're good with each other now, but I have to be mindful that they continue to agree with each other haha. So no, no, no, no and bullies be gone! 

CB///*Yr2/140 #StuckAtHomeDay/Yr2/163 #NewG307 #Home65 #StayHome #BeKind 

Gonna Make It the Best Year!

I'm celebrating two milestones today, the start of my 46th year and my 15th Googleversary! It's the beginning of a new year for me and I want it to be an amazing year! My one wish will be granted when I finally go home later this year -- for my family to be together again. 

The challenges I've been facing, I know it won't disappear overnight. I will continue to face them bravely with faith that God will answer my prayers in time. There's a lot I'm looking forward to in the coming months. A simpler life with family, reconnecting with old friends and I hope to create more happy memories. 

I spent a lot of time thinking in the past few months. I had to think about what's best for me and my family. I have accepted the fact that my body has changed. I'm no longer the young 30-year old that embarked on this exciting journey. I had been given an extraordinary opportunity in the last 15 years, but given my current circumstances today it is time for me to move on. 

Birthday, 2019.

I'll focus on transitioning back to my life in Manila in the next few months. I hope I'll be able to personally say goodbye to all my friends in Singapore. And I hope I'll get clearance to get vaccinated. Please pray for me :)

Day 28 Minimalism Challenge, Clear out your makeup collection.  I don't really have a lot of makeup since I rarely wear any. I started to check my stash a few weeks ago and found out some of my stuff have dried out. Some smell like a grandma already so I tossed out those things already. Easy peasy.

CB///*Yr2/139 #StuckAtHomeDay/Yr2/162 #NewG308 #Home66 #StayHome #BeKind 

My Greatest Gift, My Sweetie

Today is Sweetie's birthday! I stayed up until midnight last night to greet him. I sat quietly waiting for him come out of the kitchen so I could greet him. I also wanted to give him my gift which luckily went undetected when it arrived via courier (I hid it in between button and fabric deliveries haha). 

He was surprised to see me waiting for him and doubly surprised with the gift. He had no idea he received the box two weeks ago haha. The funny thing is he thought I got him an external hard drive! He kept mentioning it to me the past few weeks, but I prefer to give fun gifts for birthdays. I normally reserve practical gifts for Christmas. I got him a limited edition Calibur Optimus Prime from Takara Tomy (I'll let him explain more about it haha). 

I am grateful everyday God found me the right one. I never had an easy life, much less a rosy love life, but I was always hopeful that one day God would answer my prayer. Sweetie came and filled my life with love. With him I discovered a new kind of love. We just clicked instantly. Mind you, we are complete opposites in many aspects. He's organized, I'm chaotic. He prefers Western breakfasts, I'm a silog person. We opt for competing brands. He's masandal tulog, I take so long to fall asleep. He's the extrovert, I'm the introvert. 

Miggy feeds my will to live, Sweetie is the strength to hold on. I realized that when I woke up to a Disney movie dream last Monday after an invasive diagnostic imaging procedure. Many would be scared and anxious about going through medical procedures. I'm able to keep calm because Sweetie's always there for me. His love helps me power on everyday. I thank God everyday for writing our love story the way he did. 

Happy birthday my Sweetie! Love you forever. 

CB///*Yr2/74 #StuckAtHomeDay/Yr2/101 #StayHome #BeKind  

Celebrate the Force Behind My Will

It's the time of the year again! Time to celebrate the back to back birthdays of my boys. It's Miggy's birthday today and I got home in time for us to have a virtual dinner celebration. 

It's the second year we're celebrating the birthdays apart. We just ordered the same food so we could feel like we're eating together. We'll do it again tomorrow haha. 

I now find something to celebrate everyday and today I celebrate the gift of life. Miggy was given to me early in life. I was told back then that eventually it will be revealed why he came early. I've known for awhile now why. Miggy has been my reason to live. He's been the force behind my will to live. It is love after all that powers all of us. 

Happy birthday Miggy! Love you forever!

CB///*Yr2/73 #StuckAtHomeDay/Yr2/100 #StayHome #BeKind  

The Road to Four-Ever

Introspection.

Pag-mumuni-muni.

Something I've been doing in the last few weeks leading up to four-ever. This is likely because I've been stuck in Singapore for a month already, by choice. My body has been telling me to just stop and rest. I've also been wanting to settle down and put in some roots and actually have friends to spend time with (aside from my family).

I started blogging ten years ago (on Friendster) around the time of my birthday and I remember listing down 30 special things I've done in my life (ugh but please don't read it na!), the last from that list is joining a search engine. The last ten years of my life has simply been extraordinary.

On Love

Ten years ago I was heartbroken, became an ice queen (Elsa isdatu?), eventually started dating again, kissed a few frogs and eventually found my prince (there is a lot of hope!). I had actually given up, but you know you just really need to trust God and allow Him to write your love story. How Sweetie found me was an extraordinary experience even though we met at an event and I ended up fan-girling when I found out that he was the founder of Titikpilipino.com.

Friendship though was key. We became best friends even before we thought about love (we were actually dating other people!) and things just rolled up nicely. We've been married for 5 years now and ten years ago I never even thought I'd eventually get married (busy sa career at bitter ocampo!). God would really find you the right (and the best) one if you allow Him to.

When God Writes Your Love Story (part 1)
When God Writes Your Love Story (part 2)
The Perfect Proposal
The Wedding Day

On Parenting and Family

Ahhh, one of the most difficult roles I play in life is being a parent. Ang hirap! It's really hard since there's no manual for it and each child is different from the other. I will not have it in any other way though and I'm happy that I over-achieved and had Miguel at the young age of 17 (while all my batch mates are slaving away for their kids I'd be retiring in a few year!). It's not been easy though since you really have to work on things all the time.

I realized that my family is quite small. I just have two siblings and they both live faraway. Lost my Dad four years ago and I've been feeling disjointed without him in the last four years. Tears always come to my eyes whenever I think of my Dad (and that happens everyday). After my Dad I also lost two of my uncles, so my family has been getting smaller and smaller. We realized though that we all have each other when needed. And I'm happy that we have a tiny boy in the family now, my grand nephew Jet!

On Friendship

The last ten years has been a struggle on staying in touch with friends. I've been traveling so much that I've lost touch with my "offline" friends and I miss then a lot. Some of them have just slunk away into oblivion, but I realized that I've made a gazillion new friends across the globe and they are just happy to be there when I ping them. I'm still much better though at talking 1:1 than being in a big group (hey I'm an introvert!), but I think most of those who stuck around understand and accept me for my quirks. I've learned to accept the fact that there are those who you try to stay in touch with but don't. It hurts but I realized there are other people out there who are willing to open their hearts for you.

On Working

Ahh, I've been working since I was a student. I started out as a student assistant at Yuchengco Institute, then worked part time as a writer at Pilipinas Shell. When I graduated I started work at Smart, left Smart when work conditions became weird (I knew early on I didn't really like sales), became an entrepreneur exporting furniture and houseware and then eventually joined the Cyan group of companies where I worked at One Hundred Services, the Yellow Pages and Dream Satellite TV. After that I spent some time doing consulting work for DMCI Homes while I was waiting for my papers to be finalized to join Google.

Looking back I never really had a break except when I had heart surgery and where I am today is because of all the hard work I do. The companies I joined were carefully picked because I wanted to learn as many skills as I could. I never said no to any project or task because I feel I should help whenever I can. I always also pray for guidance especially during tough times. I'm lucky now though because I have very nice and caring managers, my bosses in the beginning of my career are ones you would not want to have but I learned from them as well.

On Faith

Who I am today is complete because of my faith in God. I always seek guidance from him all the time and I am very thankful for all the blessings he continues to give me and my family. Thank you Papa God from the bottom of my heart.

To everyone in my life, my family, my friends, my colleagues, my friends in the community, thank you very, very much for everything! Love you all!

The Surprise

I always celebrated my birthdays when I was a kid at home. Being the baby of the family, my parents and siblings would prepare to celebrate my birthdays by cooking spaghetti, ordering balloons and Golidocks mocha cake, year-in, year-out. I think we only stopped hosting parties when I was in my 20s. I was always envious of my classmates who had parties at either Jollibee or McDonald's, so I told myself someday I'll do one of my birthdays there.

This year I was too lazy to do anything on my birthday. I took a 2-day leave to just rest, do the laundry, go to the dentist and spend time with my family. On my birthday I managed to get myself out of the house and had a lovely dinner with my boys. After that I obliged Anne's request that I meet this guy --

Twas great to meet Hugo and found out that we both worked under my favorite VP - Nelson Mattos!

The next day I went to my dentist with Miguel. I bugged him all day to let me know if there was a surprise awaiting me in the evening. He just kept smiling at me and said that his lips were sealed. Sweetie told me to dress up for dinner and said he needed to drop some stuff off before we had dinner.

So we ended up in McDonald's and I was surprised big time by friends and colleagues! I had no clue that Sweetie had been conspiring with them and that he had been secretly preparing for the program! As I entered the room I was given a crown and was directed to sit in front. A full program was then unveiled, starting with a short explanation about the surprise and a song number from Harry (who I have not had a chance to hear sing in person!).

Then the games came after.

ROFL.

Extra lang si Birdie dito. Hahaha!

And the biggest surprise of all was a dance number by Sweetie! I know he likes dancing, but I've never really seen him dance a full number! I have the video, but I think I may never get surprised again if I post it publicly. Haha.

Of, course, mandatory photos with Birdie!

Wow! It was a great evening, full of laughter, hugs and french fries! Finally my fastfood chain dream party has come true!

*Birdie needs a bath though. Haha.

Thank you Sweetie, my bagets Miguel, Little Princess Philip, the girls - Sephy, PX, LA, Gab and Iosif; the community reps - Jomar, Anne, Wayne, Reymart, Ros and Raffy; my furry colleagues - Gail, Casey, Jerjer; my sis, Anne and Harry. Wagas na wagas ang surprise ninyo! Thanks so much for making my birthday special and making me feel loved!

18 Twice Over Plus 3 and the 8th

Thirty eight was such an odd number. I spent the last year proving to myself that I could still do the stuff I used to do before surgery. I think I did and did even more (well except the adventurous stuff like zip-lining, white water rafting etc.). I managed to go up Borobudur in Yogyakarta and survive hiking at Mambukal in Bacolod, very physical activities that I thought I wouldn't be able to do. On the other hand, stress isn't good for me since it manifests physically, so I try to avoid getting upset and stressful situations (that's why I always try to be jolly).

I'm just really thankful that I'm still alive and that the quality of life I have now is much better than it was in the last 6 years. Being sick really does change your life, but it's up to you whether you accept it and live how best you can utilize what you have or be defeated and just waste away your life. I do envy people who have the energy and have better physical health, but I always just think that God will only give you what you can bear and this has been my cross. I will continue to live and pray that what I do adheres to the mission that I must complete while I live.

My life changed drastically 8 years ago when I joined Google. I realized back then that I had been living in a hole and there was so much to learn, to experience, to do. I remember what my Kuya told me when I was on my way to my final interview in Hongkong, "You'll get the job if it's meant for you." I was very nervous, alone in an unfamiliar city, far from home and still worried about my Mom who had just been discharged from the hospital (survived aneurysm), and back then I was still nursing a broken heart. My brother's words calmed me down. I knew then that God's hand was working and that I would be put where He thought I would best be in for my mission. And back then I didn't even own a laptop and I just had a dial-up connection at home.

It's been 8 years and yes I co-celebrate my Google-niversary with my birthday. I originally thought it was August 21, but when I reviewed my contract I saw that the effective date was August 28. The last 8 years have been my happiest and the best thing about it is meeting so many amazing people across the globe who are now part of my life. I have learned so much, experienced so many things I never thought I'd get to do and I'm just happy to be part of a company that allows me to give back to my country and help many others in their own initiatives.

I feel like I'm just starting since they say that life begins at 40! It's still a year away, so I'm just going to enjoy what's left of my 30s. Some people might say I'm old (especially my students!), but I'm happy to say that at this age the things that bog you down when in you're in your 20s is gone. You can just let your hair down and do whatever you want to do (with flair!).

Thank you to all of my family, friends, colleagues, community-friends for loving me!

*Photo credit: Jerome Locson

Forever 25, Not

It was my first time to celebrate my birthday away from my family. I seriously dreaded it so I planned a really busy day so I won't feel sad. Woke up extra early so I could get my "happy ticket home" (OEC!) from the Philippine Embassy. It started to rain hard half-way to the embassy and I just prayed I won't trip over my clogs (I usually wear sneakers!). I think I must've been the one first to get out of the embassy because I was done with my business 10 minutes after it opened (it pays to have complete docs!).

I think I've come to the age where I could just basically laugh at what happened to me in the past. All the failure I've gone through, the stupid decisions I've made and whatever transgressions I've done. They're all behind me now and I can say that I'm really happy and content now, which is good because it means I can give more and serve others more.

The past year has been a year of major changes in my life. Moved to a new role, moved to Singapore, been to many different places, met many new friends and have had a lot of "firsts". I never expected to be where I am. Never planned to work abroad or have many new friends from across the globe. I remember 5 years ago I was pleading to God to steer me in the right direction. During that time I was just lost and didn't really know where I was headed. Only Miguel kept me grounded.

I was lead to the right direction and I can say whatever I've gone through in the past is all water under the bridge. I'm just happy that I've been given a second chance in life (remember heart failure isn't curable, but I'm still hopping from one country to other now!). My mission isn't complete yet and I'm just happy to do what I'm here for.

To my family, friends, colleagues from Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao, Singapore, SouthEast Asia and the rest of the world, thank you for making my day special. I couldn't ask for more =)