The world is round. Or so I thought.
Until those little feet danced all over mine and showed me just how my world can take a different form every God-given day.
Join us, as me and my three musketeers find joy in the mundane, laugh at the silliest, and discover reasons to smile over spilled milk. :)
I finished reading my first book for 2013 yesterday as part of my new year's resolution to start reading regularly once again.
Although this book is categorized as Young Adult Contemporary, and a young adult I most certainly am not, I found myself tremendously enjoying it. In fact, I laughed and cried and cried some more (I am cliche like that). I had no expectations prior to reading this book so i was pleasantly surprised at how much I liked it. I'm not good at book reviews so I will make no such attempt at that but I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a good read. This is my first John Green book and now I can't wait to read all his other books
Some of my favorite lines:
“That's the thing about pain...it demands to be felt.”
“Without pain, how could we know joy?' This is an old argument in the field of thinking about suffering and its stupidity and lack of sophistication could be plumbed for centuries but suffice it to say that the existence of broccoli does not, in any way, affect the taste of chocolate.”
I have never been very fond of New Year's Resolutions as I have found that most (if not all) of the time, these are hardly ever kept or achieved.
However, I have found that declaring my goals out loud (or putting it in writing somewhere public, (i.e. Facebook, blogs ) motivates me to work hard, or to at least try to work towards it.
So for 2013, here's my list although they seem more like goals more than resolutions.
1. Get back into shape! (Note to self: Round is NOT a shape!)
2. Write a blog post at least once week
3. Finish one book every week
4. Save save save!
5. Bring the kids to a fun place at least once a month
6. Read to the kids every night
7. Go on a mommy & daddy date at every other week
8. Learn to be more practical
Hmm... Doesn't seem much of a New Year's Resolution at all but those so far are my goals this year. Short, realistic (I think), and fairly easy to achieve... so here we go.
My last blog post was back in October 2011 and a LOT has happened since then. I have always thought of going back to blogging but my schedule has prevented me from doing so. One of my resolutions for 2013 is to start writing again because I've missed writing, and I've missed documenting the random things about my everyday life especially what my kids do... things that I'd like to read about and look back at a few years from now.
A lot has changed since my last blog post and now here I am, a week away from turning 30 and almost 30 pounds heavier than I was on my last blog post. I always thought that being in the 30's would mean I was getting old (sorry to my 30-something friends!) but now here I am, trying to relish my last few days of being 20 something. Hah!
One of the major things that's happened to me is that I've started working. Yes, after a few years of being a Stay-at-Home Mommy, I'm now officially employed!!! It's wonderful news especially because I love my job and the people I work with and I honestly cannot imagine myself doing anything else at this very moment or anytime in the near future.
2011 ended pretty well for me and my family. Art and I got to have our "Mommy and Daddy Time"/Overdue Honeymoon Euro Trip that we've been dreaming and hoping and praying about. The kids and I got to spend our Holidays in Zamboanga with the family and we welcomed 2012 in HK Disneyland which is one of the kids' most unforgettable vacations to date.
2012 was more challenging, to say the least. We had several setbacks but as usual, it was all was part of God's grand scheme of things. It was by God's grace alone that we have surpassed it all.
First, I decided I wanted to go back to being employed but learned the hard way that it isn't that easy to find the right job. I must have applied to over 100 openings and gone to over 10 interviews and had very little luck! I was frustrated and depressed and I will be eternally grateful to a good friend of mine (Raquel) for helping me score an interview in her company and now I am happily thanking God everyday that I am where I am. The difficulty and delay was a great test of faith and patience and in hindsight I believe that God perfectly orchestrated it all to properly prepare me mentally, emotionally, spiritually and physically for what He deemed was best for me.
Second, well this part is not my story to tell but let's just say that an unexpected incident caught our family by surprise and it was a very trying time for us. It was akin to getting a rug that you've been standing on for a long time get pulled from underneath you. Despite it all, God made sure that we were surrounded by ever supportive family and friends and not once did He ever forsake us. The incident was a humbling experience and a great way for Him to open our eyes to how blessed we were and still are and teach us to never ever take things for granted. He also showed us that again, in His perfect timing, everything will make sense.
Third, there is no third point except to say that a lot of wonderful things have also happened that didn't necessarily start as a challenge. Like us finding the perfect Nanny for the kids! Ate Jackie is heaven sent! (more on that later) But it's a big deal how I can now work and have peace of mind knowing that my kids are in safe and capable hands! Also, I finally got over my fear of driving in Dubai roads and got my Driver's License (on my third try!) Moreover, 2012 was the first year where we got to spend all the kids' Birthdays and Christmas together as a family! It feels so great to be always together and I pray it will stay this way from this year forward.
Now 2013, I look forward to what you have to bring! Surprise me, Challenge me, Amaze me! I can't wait for it all but I know now how to take things one day at a time and enjoy all the little things that come our way.
"Again, you can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect
them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow
connect in your future. You have to trust in something — your gut,
destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down,
and it has made all the difference in my life."
"Sometimes life hits you in the head with a brick. Don't lose faith.
I'm convinced that the only thing that kept me going was that I loved
what I did. You've got to find what you love. And that is as true for
your work as it is for your lovers. Your work is going to fill a large
part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what
you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love
what you do. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking. Don't settle.
As with all matters of the heart, you'll know when you find it. And,
like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years
roll on. So keep looking until you find it. Don't settle."
"Remembering that I'll be dead soon is the most important tool I've ever
encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost
everything — all external expectations, all pride, all fear of
embarrassment or failure - these things just fall away in the face of
death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are
going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you
have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not
to follow your heart."
"No one wants to die. Even people who want to go to heaven don't want
to die to get there. And yet death is the destination we all share.
No one has ever escaped it. And that is as it should be, because Death
is very likely the single best invention of Life. It is Life's change
agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new. Right now the new
is you, but someday not too long from now, you will gradually become the
old and be cleared away. Sorry to be so dramatic, but it is quite
true.
Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life.
Don't be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other
people's thinking. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out
your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow
your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want
to become. Everything else is secondary."
-Steve Jobs, 1955-2011
Apple's statement on their website:
The first apple product I owned was a pink ipod mini which my Auntie Tina & Uncle Joy gave to me in 2005. Two years later, Art gave me my first macbook, and I knew then what they said about apple was right. "Once you go mac, you never go back."
And I never looked back. :)
To our modern-day Thomas Edison and Walt Disney, a man always ahead of his time, the visionary and innovator, may you rest in peace.
I haven't updated my blog in a bit. Now that my three kids are back in Zamboanga with my parents, one would think I have all the idle time in my hands to blog all I want, but I've been unusually lazy lately!
I miss the kids like crazy and I think of them every waking moment. I even cried on the day they left (I get especially teary when I look at Amber's empty crib) but I quickly realized that I also need this time for myself. So for now, I'm savoring my short "me" time and some much desired needed private time with the husband. ♥
The past few weeks before the kids left with my parents have been especially busy because my brother was here. So we were all over the place doing touristy stuff. I miss having them all here in Dubai.
Sometimes I'm not sure which one I love more, bags or shoes? Maybe I love bags more but since I have not (yet) taken interest in designer shoes (do Tory Burch count?), the shoes I want are usually affordable so it's easier to make an impulse purchase and get immediate gratification. This probably explains my massive shoe collection which consists mostly of shoes I almost never get to wear.
Before I had kids, I rarely wore flats because at 5"1, I am feel really tiny. Now with three kids, my main priority is comfort so I'm usually in flats especially when I'm taking the kids out by myself. Of course, I try to take advantage of those times when Art or my parents are there to help out with the kids, to pull out my heels so that for a few hours I can feel like a woman. :)
So with all my impulsive buys, I tend to forget about the basics which are really more important and worth investing in because they'll be around for a long time. Thus, I'm on the quest for the perfect workhorse everyday ballet flats. I finally found the one I love and want in Repetto.
I am in love with the subtle and classy design of their Repetto BB (for Brigitte Bardot) ballet flats.
It was said that Repetto's first ballet slipper dates back to 1947 which easily became a reputable dance footwear for years before they finally hit street fashion and until now their BBs are still a classic. It's also helpful to know that now Repetto carries 19 different models of ballet flats to cater to varying tastes and needs.
Their appeal is not limited to their designs but also because they are supposedly made by hand in relatively small batches and this gives it an air of exclusivity. Repetto's company chief Jean-Marc Gaucher describes them as, "it feels like a slipper, it's just like wearing a glove."
Now I can't wait to get myself a pair of these iconic babies (after I quench my Loubie thirst). With all the yummy colors, it's hard to pick a favorite, although the black and red Bbs are on top of my list.
