humbled

this was a busy week for the family...my family and our SFC friends organized a relief distribution last monday and yesterday to tunasan area (in aplaya to be exact) who were greatly affected by the typhoon. upto now, the water is still leg-deep. we have to ride a banca in order go to the church and school where the people evacuated.
monday night's distribution was a little over 30 bags only, and with my 3-yr old son euan in tow, it was frightening... at first he didn't know why we had to ride a banca, but with a lot of explanation, i think he was able to understand...
seeing that what we had distributed was not enough, we decided to set another distribution by thursday...we sent email and text brigade to ask for donations...it was not hard to mobilize our sfc friends...and so by wednesday, we re-packed goods and clothes at our place...we also sought help to our CFC south sector office - monday night they gave us clothes, blankets, water and 3 boxes of ready to eat food and by thursday, the gave clothes and food at 200 bags each plus ready to eat food like kamote, egg and bread!!! god really is good!
and so yesterday, at around 11am we went to the area again, this time with almost 20 volunteers, most were from YFC South B. good thing they were with us because it was difficult to transport and unload 4 bancas full of relief goods! i am so thankful for the people who have helped us even for a very short notice because we were all so desperate to get there the soonest. some even offered rubber and pump boats but it wasn't feasible to use them due to narrow roads in aplaya. the distribution went well but it took us til 4pm to send it out to the evacuees.
i just feel so bad that i was not able to bring enough money to feed the volunteers. we were all hungry, buti na lang masaya kasama ang mga YFC, kung nakakabusog lang ang tawa, malamang bundat na kami :D
through it all, i am humbled by the experience. i feel blessed after seeing what others went through but my heart goes out to them because they have to start building thier lives all over again knowing that many of them were not able to save any belongings...
right now, we are still seeking for donations... how we can be able to sustain their needs after this week? i don't know... but what comforts me is knowing that the Lord will provide us with more blessings so we can fill their needs ... i know that God has a hand on this... no matter how big the challenge may be, God is so much bigger and greater than all this. and i still believe that despite of what happened, our nation is still blessed.

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here's my son helping us out in sorting the goods... i'm so proud of him.. young as he is, he already knows how to share :)

thankful

Today I feel thankful… that in spite of the recent calamity that had stricken our country, we were spared from the great flood that submerged almost the entire of Luzon…
I feel even more blessed that, how a country like ours who has suffered a lot of trials as a people and as a nation, came out to be united in helping out the victims of this tragedy, where people forget about all their personal agendas in the light of extending help to those who are greatly in need.
I pray for continuous healing of our nation and of the people who have lost not just their properties but sadly, the lives of their beloved.
And if we have the capacity to help, let us do our share to care for the needs of our fellowmen. May god bless us all…

excited

yey! i finally made it to the scrapjam this october! it's my first time to attend a class like this so i'm a bit nervous but i am soo looking forward to this...from the class descriptions, there's so much to learn...this will definitely help me bring that (long lost) "mojo" back...

torned!

this is one great deal that is sooo tempting! i recently found out that scrapjam has extended its early bird deal until august 20! i've always wanted to join but somehow, my schedule won't always permit. **this has always been a part of my wishlist every year.** now if only i can attend this event, and get to shop! {kahit window shopping lang!} hmmm, i still have to work out our schedule because euan has kindermusik class every saturday and we have consumed the allowed make up classes {we missed 2 sessions already!} but im sooo dying to join the scrapjam! i'm so torned! ...so many sponsors and lots of goodies to look forward to... i'm drooling! :P

mourning

today our nation mourns for the passing of one great leader. a leader who restored democracy to our nation. a leader who has made a great impact not only to our country but to the world. that even after her term as president, she continued her fight for democracy. i respect her for the kind of leader that she was, but i admire her even more for the kind of mother that she is. her unfailing love for her family is the source of their strength. how she strive to raise her children and have remained a loving mother to them in spite of having to fight for her advocacy.

we thank you for the inspiration, president cory.

curious

i love this photo of euan peeking through a window. added some textures and frame and this is the effect. i love it! it seems that the photo was taken from an old house or heritage park, but this was taken inside the mall! :) i love the vintage look! (lesson #5 from jessica sprague class).

digging digi

ok. so i am having a blast in my photo editing class. it is sooo fun to edit pictures for a more enhanced look. im not really adept in photoshop but i've done a little editing here and there yet i found out from this class that what i'm doing was actually the hard way (and most of the time the wrong way!)
it is an exciting class as upcoming techniques are so useful and jessica's tutorial is so easy to follow..and the freebies! wonderful! the kits are courtesy of House of 3 and from jessica herself...
we are on day 9 but i'm a little behind the class coz im still in day 3 (it's self paced anyway, so no pressure hehehe)..plus im having problems with some of my photos...i can't open the zip file that's why i can't edit the photos, argh!
anyway, here are the latest photos i edited...

playing with brushes...

vintage and hand-tinted look...

combination of hand-tinting and brushes...
i still have a lot of catching up to do... but so far, im happy with what i have created ;P

small talks

i am enjoying my "small talks" with euan..."small" because he can barely complete a sentence but enough to drive a point and be understood...so lately my little story teller raves about how he loves sitting on papa's lap while driving, and honks to every approaching car! it drives us crazy but it seemed like bliss to him!
and so one time when they fetched me, he honked the car. i was taken by surprise that i almost jumped and euan just burst into laughter.

here's his photo in one of our recent trips. i just love every bit of my naughty little boy. (photo editing courtesy of frame-up and special effects by no less than jessica sprague.

euan's summer camp

this summer we enrolled euan to kindermusik zoo train summer camp. it was his first time ever to be in school. one thing i like about kindermusik is that it is a parent-toddler, play-and-learn class so the learning is simulated through lots of playing, singing and nice music.
at first i thought we wouldn't be able to finish the 6-week class because euan, for some reason only he could understand, won't take off his shoes! parents and kids are only allowed to wear socks inside the class area and so for two saturdays, we just stayed outside the area (although we can see what the other kids are doing). euan participated on some activities but most of the time he would not follow what teacher mara was doing.
but on our third week, he finally agreed to go inside the class area on one condition - to wear his shoes! i never thought kids this age can get to bargain for what they want! and so he did went inside, with his shoes on, and participated.
on our fourth week, i bought aqua shoes for euan so he could get to walk freely without having to worry of him stepping on someone else's toes (at least mas magaan ang aqua shoes kesa sa normal shoes) and for hygenic purposes as well because the kids would lie down and roll in the area so kung may shoes nga naman, madudumihan yung class area. i think he was excited to wear his aqua shoes. he participated well and teacher mara was so happy of how attentive he was to the activities!
we still have 2 sessions left but i can say that euan enjoys school. even when we were outside the first two days, he looks forward to coming back every saturday. and when we are doing the activities at home, he knows all the songs and he remembers all the lessons taught in class! i also loved the crafts taught where i can also get to express my creativity and enjoy each art with euan.
and i think this is also a good preparation for euan in time for pre-school next year... i hope there'll be no more bargains by then. i'm keeping my fingers crossed! ;)

meet pee-poi

that's my new toy... actually, i've been meaning to learn poi dancing since last year but i don't know where to buy one..i've seen instructional videos but watching is different than actually doing the stuff. so when i learned that richie's good friend joseph is into poi dancing, i asked him to get one for me... and last night, i finally got hold of precious pee-poi...

joseph told us that they are sold in pairs so i got 2 pairs, one pair is a combination of neon green and neon pink and the other is blue and white. last night, we had a lot of fun doing the basics, courtesy of joseph of course... dapat pala magaling ka umilag pag nag-poi otherwise, kung saan saan ka tatamaan ... i'm still learning the moves but at least with last night's session, i'm slowly getting the groove! i love it! can't wait to try it out again this week (and hope to chip off those stubborn fat!)

weekend getaway

we just came back from cebu. we attended the SFC ICon held at Cebu. we had a wonderful (and tiring) weekend. With euan in tow, ay grabe, daig ko pa ang nag-workout sa kakahabol at kakakarga! but it was fun! and euan had a blast with our sfc friends who took turns in "entertaining" him (or was it euan entertaining them, hehehe)


it was a 3-day conference and so we only had the chance to go around the city on sunday afternoon and monday morning. richie and i have been to cebu several times but it was different with euan around. i felt it was more of documenting euan's trip but what the heck, even if i had aching bones trying to contain him just to get nice pictures, ok lang, shoot lang ng shoot. until finally he got the hang of it (sa dami ba naman namin na nagpipicture sa kanya) and posed for us willingly! it made us shuttercrazy!

my first 12x12 LO

this is actually my first attempt to do a 12 x 12 LO as i am always intimidated by the size of the page.

but i had fun doing it and i am satisfied with what i was able to create. and such a great inspiration from scrap schemes. i usually follow a sketch but i found this blog interesting because they give ideas based on patterns and inspiration pieces seen almost everywhere. (like this challenge was based from the patterns of a curtain. cool!).

so here's my take for scheme 12:

Title: Higher

Materials: Chatter box - Scarlet summer dots, all about scrapbooking - asian heritage, white cardstock, acrylic paints, ribbons, chipboard

Journalling: Euan, No matter where your dreams may take you, know that we are always behind you every step of the way -- Papa & Mama

Photography by Anna Ridulme

on altered art

i happen to love altering stuff. it just dawned on me today that most of my scrapbooking projects border on altered items. maybe this year i would try to make some 12x12 LOs (and get over my intimidation to it). my husband used to tell me that scrapbooking is supposed to be "recycling" and "re-using" items (which i definitely agree, thus my altered projects) but he would also often asked me as to why i keep on buying papers and embellies when i am supposed to recycle and reuse (hmm, good point though but not good enough to stop me from shopping anyway :) )

so when i found out about artzdescrap, i was elated! because this site is full of inspirations on the altered world! :) the team are so talented and their works are just as awesome. and as they celebrate their 1st anniversary, here's wishing for overflowing ideas and more wonderful creations! and thanks for rubbing in the passion! congratulations!

altered frames

last christmas, i was able to make around 9 altered frames as gifts. and that was the last time i touched my stuff!! i've been meaning to scrap since the latter part of december for another batch of gifts for my officemates (which were supposed to be christmas gifts, but all were left unfinished and untouched :( di man lang umabot sa chinese new year ang gift ko!) i have been putting it aside, telling myself to take a rest because i've been busy (and mostly sleepless) last holiday season pero sobrang rest na ata upto now i can't get myself to do it! now i'm sinking into my moody state again! hay!
i guess i really have to "pressure" myself and set deadlines coz i think that's how i get my scrappin mojo cookin'! yan e kung may mojo nga hehe but at least enough to keep me focused on doing something creative.

for some reason i can't seem to embed my slideshow (and i'm getting frustrated for spending half a day trying to figure out what's wrong), so just click here for the rest of the altered frames, all done in a week's time (a week of sleepless nights too!) :)

Cooking adventures

I am not really a good cook but I try at least to serve my family with dishes that I myself cook. Well not exactly by me, the meals that I cook are mostly from food blogs or those that I saw on TV. This is one of the moments when i feel the need to write the recipes so i won't forget (i am so bad at remembering things lately).

So these are two of richie’s well-loved dishes, which I got from watching the cooking segment of Boy and Kris:

Crispy Liempo with Kangkong
½ kilo of liempo, diced
Maggi magic sarap
Oyster sauce
Kangkong leaves (I used Chinese kangkong and on one occasion, spinach but tbe chinese kangkong tastes better)

Procedure:
Marinade the liempo in maggi magic sarap and oyster sauce (about 1 to 1 ½ tablespoon, or until all the meat is coated)
In a hot wok, put the liempo (the fatty portion) and cook in its own oil. Add the remaining liempo slices and fry until crispy.
Remove the liempo.
Leave at least a teaspoon of oil.
Saute garlic. Add oyster sauce. Add the kangkong and mix until all the leaves are covered.
Add the cooked liempo and stir.
Serve hot.

Picadillo

1/2 kilo chicken giniling

2-3 medium size potatoes, diced

1 carrot, diced

celery stalks, diced

garlic, crushed

onion, sliced

1/2 kilo tomatoes, chopped coarsely

oil

Maggi Magic Sarap (optional)

Procedure:

Heat oil in a wok. Once hot, put ground chicken and cook until no longer pink.

Add garlic and onions. Add tomatoes and cook until the tomatoes wilt. Add maggi maggic sarap and stir well. (if you are not using maggi, season with patis, salt and pepper) Add the potatoes. Add a cup or 2 of water. When the potatoes are almost tender, add the carrots and celery (so the carrots and celery will remain crisp). Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper

And to the words of Kris Aquino: "This is such a winner!"

dreams

Lately, I had a series of dreams. Dreams about my high school friends. Weird because I haven’t seen them nor talked to them for longest time. Sunday was about my best friend kirk. Everytime I woke up dreaming about him, I always have a feeling that he is not ok like he has a problem or something. And mostly, my gut feel would turn out to be true. But that time, I did not dare text him to check if he is ok. Monday was about my good friends Len and Erwin. They are based in Australia but in my dream, they were here, visiting us. Funny because Len had tons of cosmetics as pasalubong for us. Tuesday was about Bambi and Rosselle. In my dream, Rosselle was pregnant. And last night was about Cecille. I visited her in their house in Pacita while she was having a vacation here. But what interests me in that dream was that I saw my lola, alive! And she was with Euan, strolling along the street while I visited Cel. My lola just died recently. But in my dream, she was as strong as I remembered her.
I don't know but I have this thing about dreams. I don’t know if it is just pure coincidence that my dreams would happen in real life. But most of it really do happen and most of it are those that I just let pass or did not even bother to recall. I also have frequent deja vus and I don’t know if this has anything to do with my dreams. Now I really make it a point to remember all my dreams. I feel that it sometimes warn me from something, I don’t know but I just find it weird sometimes.
And the dream about my lola, what could that possibly mean? I had several dreams about my father who passed away 8 years ago. but I have been longing to dream about my lola since she passed away last year and as far as I can recall, this was only the second time that I dreamt of her. I don’t know what to make out of those dreams, but I think it was more of my longing, my desire to re-live the moment of being with them. Oh well…
And those dreams about my high school friends have gone overboard. 4 days straight! I really do hope that these dreams are not those that serve as a warning for impending danger. Maybe I will just send them an email. And hope for some great news.

celebrations

yesterday was our 3rd wedding anniversary. but both richie and i were at work so there's really nothing fancy about yesterday. i just cooked richie's fave food (bicol express), though it was not as spicy as i wanted it to be. nevertheless, richie liked it at least.


it was also richie's birthday last saturday. no celebration still, just us family. i cooked pasta in pesto sauce, cheezy garlic potato and made a mocha magnifico ref cake. while i was cooking, richie and euan were having a blast playing outside. and when euan finally dozed off fom a very tiring day, we sneaked out and watched a movie so we can have some time together.

for the 3 years that we have been together, i can say that we fared well as a couple. we had our share of arguments (and i know there will be more disagreements to come in the future) but that does not make us any less of a happy couple. actually i am looking forward to more years of togetherness even if it means more arguments because i think that's how we can grow as a couple and a good measure on how grounded we are in terms of our love for each other. ours may not be a perfect love but i know that it is just the right blend for us.

discoveries

i can't help but be sympathetic for the sudden death of john travolta's son. the pain of losing a child is immeasurable. but i was also quite alarmed by the fact that travolta's son had kawasaki disease and later on developed asthma as reported. last year, january 25 to be exact, euan was diagnosed with kawasaki disease. good thing the doctors (after a week-long deliberation) were able to give him the (very expensive!) IVIG medicine before it hit his arteries. when he was discharged, he was under aspirin until such time that his blood tests would go back to normal. he was out of aspirin the latter part of the year but had to undergo 2d-echo every 3 months to monitor his heart for any abnormalities. but the summer of last year, we also learned that euan developed asthma. hereditary probably because richie, richie's mom and my father all had asthma.

but with the news about travolta's son made me a bit paranoid about the similarity. according to the news, he also had a history of siezures. i just can't help but worry - is this common to all kawasaki kids?

i knew that KD is a rare disease that had adverse effects to the heart if left untreated as what was explained by euan's pedia-cardio and infectious pedia doctors. all the while i thought that once infused with IVIG, it will be cured. and so he was treated with the IVIG, 8 small bottles plus 2 small smaller ones (dosage computed according to his age) plus the aspirin therapy. but with this news, i got anxious of what this would mean to euan's health. so for my own peace of mind, i googled and found out that there is a site for KD kids and parents, actually it is a foundation for KD kids. mostly, based from the sharing of the parents, their kids suffered from asthma, allegies, migraines and seizures years after the KD diagnosis. now that euan has asthma, it makes me think of the possibility that he may acquire the other effects of KD. although there were some KD kids in the forum who did not suffer any of these effects made me all the more hopeful that some were spared of the dreaded effects. i really hope euan would be spared from it or from any relapse (if there is such a case).

we haven't visited his pedia cardio nor the infectious pedia again but we were already planning on having euan undergo 2d echo again even before the news broke out. i think we really have to visit his doctors again, i just can't risk euan's health. there are so many things running in my mind and i can't help but worry.

i also learned that euan's condition as a KD victim should be well explained especially in school. that i have to deal with once euan starts school. but for now, i am really hoping that things would turn out differently for euan. he seemed okay - a very active and happy child. but i just the same, we have to be extra careful of his health. i don't want to make a big fuss out of it though, and make any special restrictions on his activities just because he had KD. i still want euan to do things normally just like any other kid.

if there's any consolation with these discoveries is the fact that i was able to know about it early on before it may even hit euan. scary but at least i am somehow prepared about it. that if ever these effects manifest on euan, i have something to refer back on. i would not face a blank wall again, just like what we have experienced at the onset of his KD.

bounce

with much anticipation, i welcomed 2009 with a wide embrace.
i had a hard time trying to be enthusiastic about the coming year, afraid of what it may bring. 2008 was not really a good year, not just my year and i can't think of spending another year thinking nothing but problems and solutions (well at least some have been solved but there are still many that remained unresolved and left hanging just like that). maybe that explains the gloomy mood i had a few days ago..i was just so afraid...
but then again, i cannot be stuck in that gloomy state. i have to move on, rather, move forward and help myself to make things better at least. and so i told myself that i will never let anything get the best of me. period.
how am i gonna do that? with a lot of prayers and a stronger faith. to just be more positive about life. to learn to count my blessings than my depair. to believe that there is a GOD bigger and greater than my seemingly hopeless problems and to know that He will not bring me to a hopeless end (after all, He is the only one who knows what the future will bring, right? so i just have to trust Him on that). and to know that despite my shortcomings and imperfections as a wife and a mother, i am truly loved by a wonderful man and a dear son.
that's enough to make me bounce back to life. enough to look forward to a happier and better year.