The White Dress

♪♫Today's my day, I'm going to meet the Lord, So join together and sing and pray this is my first Communion Day! ♪♫ I was chanting these words 2 decades ago.  I grew up in a Catholic school where we have the privilege of taking the sacrament in our very own church.  All I know then was, we have to confess our sins to a priest and he is supposed to absolve them and start life anew.  I think taking the host was pretty cool but I am more excited about dressing up and the celebration. Take your time to grow up kid!  Now it's a different ball game.  I get to be the parent in this recent scene.  My chica, celebrated her First Holy Communion.  She was psyched by the preparation.  The Catechism is okay but the mass is a drag. We have to go to church as a family and she finds it too much. It's not a place of worship of dancing and singing with a live band and fancy hats. It's more solemn! But, I don't blame her at all.  Nonetheless, she continue to do what is asked of her. 



Miffy received a beautiful white dress from her grandparents all the way from the Philippines.  I made a veil for her and  I bought a pair of white shoes and a footless tights to compliment the communion fashion. She is a well dressed girl!  My parents are not coming to see her but they made sure that they were present and their blessing and grace were illuminated by the white dress that they hand picked from a local store.  Everyone praise how quaint she looked .  If only they can see her emotions. I was sooo happy but deep inside a little bit sad, what's new?  Anyway, I made sure that she got her portrait done to remember this day or to remind her how special she is.  It doesn't stop here, the church hall had a reception for them and their family.  We attended and invited our Vietnamese friends.  Back at home we have a reception prepared for her too.  I cooked some Asian faves and invited our closest friends.  She had tons of treats and presents from all of us.  She knows that I will always do something for her and sometimes I feel like it's too much and  when  will I ever learn from it?  All I know is I love to spoil my kids!

A Spanish prayer was said to bless this meal!

I guess in my hand book, I will always let her be what she wants to be in life.  While she's in my roof, I have the right to pass on the tradition that I have whether it's cultural, matriarchal or religious.  She was baptized and now she received the Holy Communion for the first time.  We are not fanatics and we are not an old school Catholics.  I love to be called spiritual. I welcome and respect all religion!  For me, it is an opinion based subject and everyone is entitled to their claim. All I know is that we have one faith and our intentions are universally righteous.  I am not talking about a cult but of a religion. 

Irish Princess turns a year older!

It is St. Patrick's Day!  Catholics in Ireland celebrate this event to commemorate the mark of Catholicism.  St. Patrick used the 3 leaf clover or commonly called shamrock to convey the symbol of Holy Trinity.  This feast is greatly celebrated in Europe and North America.  I never learn this growing up but maybe because we have to pay a lot of tribute to our local saints and this was left on the back of the burner.  Oh well, time to move on and be adaptive to my current habitat.  I celebrate this feast because I honour the day  and an Irish Princess was bestowed upon a mother.  I gave birth to a healthy baby girl on this day!  Way too cool!  The more reason we have to celebrate. Yay!

Bailey, one of the BFF's of  Miffy was her special day too and her mother came over to assist me. A helping hand that I am not used to because of my independency. I hate to bother people's time but this one, it was smooth. She pumped some balloons for decorations and even beat the icing for my cupcakes while I was trying to find the perfect shade. Hmmm...Perfectionista! A predicate that describes the subject best! lol.. I bake and decorated 13 cupcakes.  I want it to be fresh!  We baked sugar cookies and my daughter cut them into shapes and dazzled it with sprinkles. I have chips, sour keys and my lime punch from scratch.  I had burgers for my main! We had games and freeze dance. Everyone was competitive!  There were cheers and tears who can bring home the trophy.   What a fun filled day splattered with treats! I am amazed that these kids know what to do when they are in our house. They were  well mannered.  They were not trashing our toys or any property.   What a bunch of well brought up kids!  Now,  Instead of a treat bag, I have fruit cocktail cans that I wash and save up.  I bend and painted them and stuck some chocolates inside.  It was well thought of and the craft idea came from Darlene, a craft diva!  The 3 hour party has gone sooo fast!  Again, tears were flowing on the doorstep not wanting to leave. Ahhh...It's a visual sign of enjoyment! The kiddies know that they are always well treated when they come back.  It was my pleasure hosting the party for my daughter. 

Miffy turned another year older. She fills my world with unexpected graces. She is my cuddle bug, smarty pants and bestfriend. I am always growing and learning with her everyday. She brightens and broadens the horizon. My endless love, Lucky Mommy. 

Treasure trove

I was in my basement trying to recover my Valentine's decoration.  I don't know where did the hanging hearts went, but I can certainly tell you where my Girl's 3T apparel is.  Oh my, fashion finding! This took me a week to go through them individually.  It's abundantly enough to take me to places and phases even unseen faces.  It's retroactive! My lil girl  is growing up so fast.  Physically, I don't probably noticed her as much as other people does because I am always around her. But when you see something tangible, ouch!

I was talking about selling some clothes that don't fit Miffy anymore and I even have a potential buyer for it.  I said, I need some room and the money will go towards a new aquisition of wardrobe. Yeah right! I think you need more ca ching for that eh! Anyway, the thoughts of buying, selling and recycling is an easy pattern.  The recipient is no stranger to my family.  She is my God daughter but why am I in the loop?  What's keeping me?  Although they are newly wash and the box is waiting to be filled, why am I still torn?  I don't get this.  One minute I am willing to sell them the next minute I am  fidgety. Argghh...So I decided to line them neatly and put them in the rack beside my bed so I can view them freely.  Gazing them doesn't fade away my troubled mind. It redirects my conventions. It's better for these clothes to be stock in a new closet than sitting in my basement doing nothing or worst, waiting for a mold to grow. 

I'm sure I can create happy faces.   I can get emotional to my treasure trove and afraid to let go. This is just clothing but what happens if it is something intangible or  extreme circumstances that is part of growing up.  What did my Mother fell when her only daughter has to live in a different continent?  All this and more are crucial over a denim collection.  I think I can get over with it.  I am gonna live!  I've taken dozens of pictures with it to commemorate my passion for fashion with my only daughter.  There's no rarity with dresses.  You can always duplicate them regardless of time.  My treasure trove is beyond that and so is yours. Come take a look!

What's ticking?

Laura, one of the members of our Book Club proposed a Challenge last week about Organization/Minimization.  I'd like to write about it this week.  To my dismay, I've been disconnected to my writing routine.  Anyway, from what I gathered it is something physical or abstract.  It could be as simple as a filing cabinet or certain things like friendship. Let the unveiling begin!

For those who know me enough or know me too well, I am having a hard time keeping up with my Time Management Skill.  It is one of my Organizational flaws since High School. It was okay at that time but now it's a burden!  I am not the only one who's getting ready if we have to head out.  I have to make the kiddies ready as well and sometimes they are not up for it.  The more I'm tangled! The bus leaves at a certain time and we're not in other countries that the bus waits for you.   Sometimes, I am punctual especially if I have a prior engagement to up held.  I wake up at an extra hour to do my regimen and be available to those who need me including our cat. Funny but true! This is a roller coaster ride.  Maybe, if I will write about it, my subconscious would kick in and start reving and rewiring that part in my brain.  I don't want to capitalize on my liability.  It's unfair to those who are around me.  It is a form of stealing something valuable.  Gotta respect that part!  I don't wanna lose my tendencies. 

Gratitude Attitude

I was fidgeting with the remote control and found out that one of the prettiest celebrity that I admire, Demi is  drowning her sorrow or frustration with medication. Adorned with fame, wealth and success she still manage to be human and vulnerable behind the camera.  We complain once in a while that we are less happy in life.   We wanted to have a quick fix.  Happiness isn't an over the counter remedy. Even the once with a fatter bank account can't remain to be happy all the time.  Is this given or life is just an ascending scale?

To minimize this reality I take a step  to continue my Gratitude Attitude Journal. In our last Book Club, Simple Abundance,  we were encourage to write daily about the things we are thankful for. We even get a colourful notebook and pen to do the exercise.  Now, I'd like to share virtually what I am thankful for. 

1. I am thankful for being born.
2. ...for having a wonderful family.
3. ...for having a loving husband.
4. ...for having healthy kids.
5. ...for having a roof over my head.
6. ...for having an overall well-being.
7. ...for having a cuddly pet.
8. ...for having a working car.
9. ...for living in a safe neighbourhood.
10. ...for having a sustainable income.
11. ...for having food in my belly.
12. ...for having a warm blanket at night.
13. ...for having colleagues/friends.
14. ...for having enjoyable hobbies.
15. ..for living in a historic city.
16. ..that my kids get along in playing the Monopoly game.
17. ..that my husband take time to bake a Banana Cream Pudding for me to taste after my volunteer job.
18. ..for the vegetarian chili that my husband prepared for supper.
19. ..for not being lazy and write on my blog tonight.
20. ..for my sorority/book clubbers/ bloggers etc.  We are sharing our 31 Day Challenge on Monday and express inspiration and support for each other.

Stay still and strong

Good Morning King Square! Happy -2'c on the 26th day of January. We're always bombarded with chilly, icy and dry weather around this time of the year. Statistics have shown it in the past but who knows what is happening? Life is just the same.

I am consumed by Saint John for almost a decade now. We worked and bought our first house. We built a family.  I made and lost some friends. I flourished as an individual. Saint John has been a home to many especially to the British and Irish Immigrants.  They built and rebuilt the city after the Great Fire. They made livelihood and communities accessible to everyone and that is in growing trend. Saint John stayed in tip top shape til now.  We have to deliver the growing progress.  Uptown Saint John is the core of the city.  We have the government building, banks, market, chic boutique, fancy dining and the theatre to name a few.   It is highly generated by the crowd.  You can pretty much walk from one end to the other without getting lost. The people are primo friendly. The crime rate is less. Halelujah!

Amidst of our stable condition, We are facing a difficult time raising the Paramount Theatre to life. It is the oldest and part of our heritage theatre. There was a campaign last November about the retention of this. The Chinese Community were very helpful! It was viral and there were stakeholders interested but the amount was spiral.  I'm not sure what happens to the next phase of development.  We don't want this turning into a parking lot.  I know that it happened in other cities but the fate still remains unseen. There will be oodles of advantages if this stays.  It will be a hub for emerging artist, it can be used as an auditorium to hold plays or presentation etc. and not to menton the retail side of it.  As for viewing purposes, this will draw attention to family especially those with kids who live few blocks away. Most of the families live nearby are dependent on the public transit and this would generate enough interest aside from the avid movie goers.  I watched Sweet Home Alabama here on my  birthday! I still have memories of it.  Wouldn't it be sad to steal away this projection to a Dad spending some family time with his kid, or vice versa?  Memories are a lifetime! Saint John will be a more productive city if we preserve this. What a lovely amenity this would be!   

Appreciating a local treasure

I've been consistently committed with my work towards humanity.  There's no dragging off the couch, it's an easy breezy transition from the doorstep to the car. At the end of the day, I am fulfilled and I sense my purpose in this world knowing that I give back, share my blessings and I made a difference in my community. We can translate that in any form of simplest act of kindness to any stranger that we meet.  I am honored of this one because I feel like it's a gift that was given to me and I am trying to cultivate it.

With my save the carbon footprint mood, I take time to walk home and enjoy the breathtaking view of the Reversing Falls.  This is one of the many attractions that Saint John is proud of.  The phenomenon of Reversing Falls is the tremendous rise and fall of the tides in the Bay of Fundy.  I try to educate myself and google some maps.  The tidal action originated in South Indian Ocean and collided in Cape of Good Hope which is in South Africa then in the mouth of the North of Bay of Fundy. In this picture, I try to capture the rapids and the whirlpool.  I've seen a similar view in Deer Island.  But our geographical location works in our favour.  I take pleasure that this view is in our locale.  We can pay for boat tours to see a closer look and feel the movement of the tides.  

Why is it called Reversing Falls again? because it changes direction every 12.5 hours.  To best view this scene, you should try to come twice a day to see the difference. Needless to say, the tide is always affected by the distance of the moon from the earth. 

If you happen to be passing, pause on the parking lot and take a stress free gesture.  We don't wanna overlook this wonder.  After all, the cruise ship visitors have seen this landmark. Shouldn't  you?

Weather for better!

Felicitations to  start the weekend with a light snow!  The Weather Forecast tells us that we are getting 5 cm of snow and the school is not planning to call it an early weekend.  Mercury falls at -2'c but it feels like -9'c with the gusting wind of 37km/hr. Hhhmmm..lots of numbers and inconsistent measurement but we need this to calculate our activity of the day.  After all, somebody needs to do the grocery shopping for the family and there's playdate in the afternoon, swimming classes in the evening etc. 

I am looking forward to some family time.  I saute some asparagus in the skillet, made some onion rings and cook rice in a pot.  Oh, it's vege nite!  Instead of dessert, we plan to roll down the hills with some sledding.  We need to burn that energy from a very high carb supper. We may as well take advantage of the generous amount of snow in our backyard. There's nothing like a stress free night coming from work for my hubby!  I'm sure he'll try to sneak some Sports Action Webcast but it's the kind of day you would expect. We pretty much talk about our busy day infront of the Grace and discuss the possibilities of our weekend calendar.  This would be the perfect example, before heading to bed, we can play the Wii Fit that I got from Grandma. Simple and enjoyable plan that happens in our very own roof!

Wow some snow

♪♫ Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow♪♫ The kids were in glee, welcoming the first snow fall of the year.  The after-school program was cancelled in anticipation of the snow storm.  They don't wanna jeopardize the kids and the school buses condition on the road.  I am not a bit worried with this message on my phone. In fact, I bake some cookies to celebrate the most awaited storm.  Sounds crazy but with the downturn of this weather, I call to rejoice!

The kid within me was waiting patiently.  A good chunk of snow accumulated in my backyard in no time.  My kiddies were definitely excited as I was.  After supper, we grab our sno speedster.  Some older kids were there already sliding and tumbling down the hill.  My chica was trekking up the hill and without hesitation, off she goes. I was at the bottom watching her not to bunk her head or be in any assistance to the other kids. She was in great mood and we took turns in sliding and cheering one another.  We were also busy socializing and exchanging sled with the rest of the fun seekers. We wanted to try which one can give us the most momentum. With a bit of push before taking off, I say the tube slides farther than the magic carpet or the sno speedster. It's an inference!  Now, my lil girl doesn't wanna go home. Why am I not surprised? I told her that a  cup of hot chocolate with marshmallows on top will be waiting for us.  Only then, she was convinced to head home without a sour face. Can I do one snow angel please? 

Cuddle bugs

One gloomy afternoon!  I caught myself running down the stairs, trying to keep everything organized before my Part-time Day Care kids come. I was offered a babysitting job.  I've done it before and this time I will be babysitting a 5 month old, 2 and 4 year old.  It looks taxing but what difference does it make. I am already a Stay at Home Mom! I accepted this job because the kiddies are friends of my kids.  Needless to say, the kids are already acquainted with one another.

I brought some booster chair, potty seat and basinet from the basement. My bouncer was no where to be found.  I have oodles of boxes and garbage bags in my stock room. I have no patience in excavating them independently.  With my restless attitude, I head up in the living room  to check the status of my son.  All serene and cozied up, I found our cat and my chico nestled in the baby basinet.  This is supposed to be for the baby girl! I said in mind. I do not have the drive to shoo them away. Toby looks comfy and my chico looks chipper! For all I know, they've been there for a couple of minutes while I was away trying to look for a missing item.  Who can destroy this party? What a bonding time! It sure is stress free watching my cuddle bugs.   

Put down the puto!

My munchkins were bugging me to bake one of their fave delicacies, puto.  It is a white muffin in a metropolitan world.  I cannot resist to fill those hungry faces with excitement especially it's the day before school starts.  I got my cupboard organized before the busy holidays.  I also did an inventory of the dry and wet ingredients to make sure my baking necessities are met.  What I wasn't expecting was the absence of an extra pair of hands in my kitchen.  Where did those munchkins go?

The clock is ticking and there's no time to look or play games.  So I started my baking session.  Cake and pastry flour here, dumped it on the bowl, 2 table spoon of sugar, a dash of baking powder, a cup of milk, some melted butter and so on. I was quick as a lightning and with the pre-heated oven, the baking tin was already filled.  Beep...beep...beep..time to put the cheese.  I started to hear footsteps.  Is it ready yet?  No, I said!  Beep...beep..beep..time to remove the tin.  It's ready! My chica hollered!  Let the puto cool down before you guys start digging! I was clearing up the dining table to make some room but to my amazement a couple has gone missing.  It wasn't the elf on the shelf!  It must be the hungry faces that is now filled with giggles.  The mouth salivating with felicity can't even say thank you but the expression says it all.  What a Mommy moment!

Sunday on Ice

It is Indoor Skating season!  It started the weekend after Thanksgiving but with the absence of snow or cold weather people are still attuned in finding their recreational activities outdoor.  I guess, to be closer to Mother Nature and I am not guilty about this.  We have lots of choices here that everything seems to be within the reach of our finger tips. 

We found ourselves marching at the Gorman Arena on a Sunday afternoon!  I packed our unsharpened skates for some family time. We saw lots familiar faces and skaters with their brand new skates.  We headed to the stench changing room as quick as we can and mingle with the countless crowd.  Oh boy, there's quite a few skaters out there! One hundred or more I imagine! There was a traffic jam in the ice rink from beginner to expert level.  We try to slide and glide on the top of a bumpy ice.  It wasn't very smooth knowing that our rustic skates don't have a strong grip.  Yet, we never surrender!  There's no casualty so we stayed for the public skate. It is usually an hour but with the changing and waiting in line it's probably a good 45 min on the floor.  Everyone had a great time considering there's no music to propel our motion. Slide and glide, left and right, match it with your swinging arms is our groove. Always remain vigilant with the speed of other skaters especially the young ones. Rest be assured everyone is safe and still having a blast!

Continued Vocation

It's Saturday. What a lazy morning!  I woke up late and I had no appetite in greeting the day with sneakers on the doorstep.  The ground is covered with light snow from last night and there's no way of sliding down the hills with your sled either.  Oh well, time to hit the shower and make a big brunch.  The smell in the kitchen puts a smile on my kiddies.  What's the occassion? Nothing! Mommy is working! 

I am one of the unpaid workers out there who loves to curve out some time to make the world a happy place to live in.  My recent volunteer job is in a Non-Profit Organization!  We provide end of life care in our community.  Our focus is on comfort not cure, on life not death.  Our goal is to make the last days of life as comfortable as possible while providing support to family members and friends.  We're about dignity, respect, comfort, peace and hope.

I grew up in an environment where giving back is part of life.  It is a blissful feeling knowing that somebody appreciates what you do for them.  The effect is always reciprocated in the end. Continuing this vocation is very fruitful in both the giver and the receiver.  It's a non-judgmental interaction with  healthy boundary and it's a stress free commitment. Wanted guilt free feeling!  I always try to put my name in the schedule. I wanted to familiarize the structure and setting with all these drastic changes. You always play catch up. This is the norm! With great honour, I try to be there as much as I can especially knowing that I will be heading to that direction in my very own time. Thank you!

TGIF for my BFF

Hey, it's my 4th entry and I'm wee bit behind the schedule but guess what? I am not packing things up.  Yes, things are getting busier and I'm harnessing this challenge! ....I'm still on it! (Hmmm..we'll give it a week or so!)

Bff came over in the afternoon! My team (meaning me and my kiddies) manage to create the cozy atmosphere of having our Bff's over.  My daughter's bestfriend Jenna, is coming over with her Mom whom I share a similar  Parenting style.  My Bestfriend Kari is coming over with her troupe as well and needless to say that my God daughter Angelina is coming, who I last saw before Christmas. lol... She sparks the atmosphere!  It's a kid friendly environment but no age group to play with allows her to interact with both groups.  Kids and adult conversation:)  We chatted, ate, played and laughed.

Watching how Angelina evolves from infant to toddler makes me realize how precious time is.  I was there before her parents met, I was talking to her after she was conceived and watching her babble gibberish and build her own personality puts me in awe how life can steal your heart.

Disposing my tree

One of my favorite emblems of Christmas is the Christmas tree.  It is special to me because it symbolizes Christmas whether you are theist or atheist.  Like any household we put the gifts underneath a well decorated tree.  But once the occassion is over, we are responsible in putting it away.  For my family, we always get a real tree because we love the aroma of the balsam fur.  I don't mind cleaning up the needles! One of my healthy reasons is that, I would like to contribute to the environment.  Farmers plant trees, chop them when it's harvest time and sell them to the market a month before Christmas.  In the beginning it looks cheaper than buying an artificial tree but in a few years, it sums up the price of  your store bought tree. Oh well, not my choice for this Christmas! Anyway, aside from the aroma theraphy , I just wanted to support these farmers.  It's environmentally ethical to support them and I am an advocate. I don't want them to recycle the unsold trees without purchasing one. I wanted to see cheerful faces and this is priceless! I remember growing up we used to have a Christmas tree from a guava branch covered with japanese paper or crepe paper.  The thought is boldly similar.

Day 3 Here it is! Unscrewed tree stand so I can drag it in my porch.  My husband is going to chop it into pieces on the weekend so he can put them in the recycling bin.  Monday is the Garbage Day.  Here we are making the planet happy after He makes us happy!

Clean up turns into Memory lane!

Day 2 of our 30 Day Challenge of "Snapshot of our life".  I apologize for posting this late but I made a pact to myself that no matter what, I will try to eliminate excuses.  (we'll see how that works!)

It's January 2nd and I am itching to put away Christmas decorations and clean up the basement a bit.  Clutter is overwhelming but there's no end to it so I try to match it with my own criteria. I started to pick up boxes in the cold room so I can recycle them.  I try to put away toys so  you can walk in the basement.  I left the kids upstairs playing because this is my clean up tradition  after New Year. I pick up toys, books and shoes and I segregate them for keeps or charity purposes.  To my astonishment, my husband hollered that there's a great movie showing at channel 42 which was filmed at Subic bay.    Richard Gere was the main actor. What ladies would change the channel and not stick around on any of his films eh?:) lol..The reasons why I stick around was more than that.  My husband and I were there 10 years ago and we've seen the remnants of the US Base.  Watching the movie for the first time and getting a clue of what was going on there as a candidate of the flying school or as a worker or as a drill commander was pretty straight forward.  Dreams, women, character, hard work and discipline wrap into one puts this movie to a high caliber which nominated Gere as a Best Actor in the early 80's.  I didn't know about it til now but hey the story is classic.  I invite you to watch "An Officer and a Gentlemen".  It will probably shake things up a bit if you have a family in the military, navy or in the aviation industry.  I want to hear your rating and opinion about it if you're interested!  Thanks for reading my delayed post and cheers!!!

What a way to kick off 2012!

Darlene, from my sorority proposed a 30 day Challenge of a snapshot of your life.  It is challenging yet it is in my bucketlist for 2012.  I imagined I would do it the other way. I started some cutouts and printing pictures before 2011 even ended.  I have an ongoing Discovery Journal. It's like a manual blog or a traveler's map of your journey in life.  Blogging is too technical for me yet I am embracing the idea. yikes! lol... 

What am I doing at this very minute.  I am still awake! Guess what?  The clock doesn't exist in my family for the holiday season:)  My dryer is up and running, the boys are busy playing wii and I'm waiting for anyone to pop out with me in a different time zone.  Oooppss...one more thing, I have to post my picture of the day...It's not that everybody is waiting for it to read but I am trying to put some effort and try to accomplish what's on my bucketlist.

Today, I did my Polar dip at Mispec Beach.  It's my 3rd time without my bestfriend yet I still went because I don't wanna hold off or make an excuse that my security blanket wasn't there.  Anyway, it's easy as 1 2 3.  You have to be there before 12noon, dress down with your bathing suit, run in the water and take a dip then run back to the sand and dress up.  I had a 2 year of practice so the routine is quite simple and I don't mind the temperature because of the euphoria.  The idea started among 3 will powered friends.  We believed that it's a way to kick off 2012 with our active goals in life. We dip and wash away the negativity. I believed it's a way of rejuvenating the muscles but with a conservative time of dipping I don't think the benefits will count.  Anyway, here is a picture of the crowd.  If you guys wanna try it next year for whatever reason, I am your gal.  Cheers!