Day 106: Entrance Exam

I'm so sure hubby and I were the more anxious ones today during our children's entrance exam at BCS.  We might as well be the ones taking the exam as evidenced by clammy hands and sweaty foreheads. Our daughter, Caitlin breezed through her preschool test by confidently following the teacher's instructions and answering the paper test in front of her. 

This was so unlike my very own experience 33 years ago when my parents took me to Maryknoll CSC for the entrance test. They brought me to the school a total of three times - the first two were unsuccessful attempts to let me take the exam as I would be kicking and screaming upon being ushered into the room. During the third and final attempt (which turned out to be the last chance to take the test), my Mom gave the ultimatum - if I didn't willingly go with the teacher to take the exam, I won't be able to go to school. Well, I went in, took the test and came out grinning from ear-to-ear half an hour later. I remember my parents telling the story of what I said upon emerging from the examination room, "Hay, ganun lang pala yun exam, may mga tanong lang...akala ko naman parang injection sa doktor yun..." - classic epic fail of my preschool life.

As incoming Grade Two, I'm sure nothing prepared our son, Jarred, for the two-hour, more than 10-page test he encountered this morning.  If he was nervous or afraid, you wouldn't see it...he faced the challenge head on and didn't give up until he finished all pages (despite feeling some pangs of hunger midway through the exam).

My hats off to the resilience and tenacity of children today...they're growing up more confident and ready for the world compared to how we were when we were their age.

The exam results won't be in until after Holy Week...until then, we will just keep praying that God's will be done. Everything is in God's hands now...

Day 97: Movie Date

Thanks to a couple of movie passes courtesy of my brother-in-law Jeff, my son and I were able to have a movie date at the SM Cinemas. 

Having lived in the more laid-back places in the Philippines for the past 9 years, I was in shock to discover that cinema prices in the city are now at a minimum of P170/head. It would even go up to twice that if the movie were 3D or ultra special. Wow!!!

Well, unless we'll be gifted with complimentary theater tickets, regular movie dates will certainly not be in our family's list of bonding activities. It is simply much too expensive for us. 

For today, it was an entirely new experience for Jarred as it was his first time to watch in a topnotch theater. He was in awe of the size of the movie house, plush seats and clean smell. He was excited to see the animated film "Rio", a feature about a domesticated blue macaw from mid-west United States who gets the adventure of a lifetime when he travels to Rio de Janeiro to reunite with the only other survivor of his species, the feisty and independent Jewel. It was a great blend of comedy, drama, romance and music - all working together to impart an important message about preserving the environment, reaching for your dreams, never giving up and love in the family. 

Jarred couldn't stop laughing during the hilarious parts and would freely tap his feet and snap his fingers during song numbers. At times, I would see him shy away during tender and romantic parts (wow, they understand about that already?).  Before the movie ended, he told me that his two sisters would certainly enjoy the movie but he knew it was far too expensive for our family. He just said that they should just all wait for it to show on HBO or Star Movies. 

As we were leaving the theater hall, he noticed a big billboard featuring Disney's "Cars 2" in   3D. He knew 3D would be much more pricey than the regular P180 ticket. He said, "I wonder when Cars 2 would come out. Mom, when it does, can we watch? I'll save up for it so that we can all watch. I can keep my allowance and maybe by then, I'll have enough for the movie." All I could do was say, "We'll see son...that's still too far away to think about..."

Day 92: Freshly Boiled

After many months of culinary hiatus, I found myself spending more time in the kitchen in just a span of 3 days. I realized that cooking is certainly just like riding a bike, once you learn how to do it, you have it for life.


I was like a kid let loose in a candy store when I discovered a nearby weekend market along an alley. Fresh produce - fruits and vegetables, live native chicken and eggs, and a whole lot of other good stuff were so enticing to see (watch out for my blog entry on this weekend market). 


I only had a few pesos stashed in my pocket, thinking that I was only planning to buy ingredients for a couple of vegetable dishes - Squash and String Beans in Coconut Milk (Guinataang Kalabasa at Sitaw) and Chop Suey.  Those farm fresh native eggs were so tempting that I couldn't help but want to buy a couple or so. However, my daughter spotted a vendor selling freshly harvested peanuts and dragged me to the stall and insisted I buy some. And so, the moolah I was supposedly saving to buy the eggs went to the peanuts...


My little girl was a happy camper on the way home...

Day 91: Weekend Market

The weekend market along the corner of Ramos Extension and Escario Streets.
It begins every Friday afternoon until Sunday afternoon.

Barely on my second day after our move from BXU, I started to miss home terribly...the familiar places, the traffic-free roads, the corner stores and outlets where I buy our needs, and all the other stuff I'm used to there.  Well, my spirits got an uplift when I was told of this weekend market nearby (across the road from where we live actually) that's teeming with fresh produce - fruits, vegetables, live chicken, farm fresh eggs. 

After learning about it, I couldn't contain my excitement and actually rushed to the location with my two girls in tow. It was indeed a sight to behold! Just looking at the cornucopia of goodies made my fingers itch to once again experiment in the kitchen. 

The only downside to this neighborly trip is the price...I was taken aback at how expensive it is here. Well, if I got the stuff in the supermarket, surely it'll be more pricey so this was the best alternative. Gosh!!! I so miss the "bagsak-presyo" produce of Butuan!!! Imagine, here, the bananas are priced per piece and not per kilo. There goes my kids' favorite fruit...we'd probably consume dramatically less here than we did back home...

With my small eco bag filled with as much as my budget would allow, I set for home, quickly planning in my head the cooking trip I'll have this weekend...dum dee dum...

Day 89: From Moving In to Moving On...

The week passed by like a blur...it was hustling and bustling here and there desperately trying to beat time and yet yearning deep inside that time stand still even for just one week...one day...one hour...one minute.

As the last pieces of furniture and boxes got fitted into our 10-footer container, the closing of the van door shook me to the reality that we were finally closing the door to this chapter in our lives. Four years of memories are now contained in that small 10-foot space.

I clutched the bunch of house keys tightly right before turning them over to our landlord. Tears were blurring my eyes as I took a final glance at the home we've known for the past four years...the only one that became a true home for us.

It was a wonderful time that will now be forever etched in our hearts. 

Here's a trip down memory lane to that time in March 2007 when we first moved in...we've come a long way since those initial home design ideas and weekend projects...

Day 88: Lolo Joe and Lola Cora

During our last three days in Butuan, we were "adopted" by our very generous and hospitable BCBP brother and sister, spouses Joe and Cora. Those last few days with them allowed us to have a haven and respite while we were moving out and packing up our things from our home. 

No words of gratitude would ever measure up in response to the generosity of this couple. They made sure the kids and I were provided for in terms of comfort, safety and sustenance.  They even went the extra mile to lend a hand in the packing and stuffing of our boxes and furniture. 

The children would surely miss their Lolo Joe and Lola Cora...

On a personal note, I do praise God that He allowed us to be a part of a wonderful community that is the BCBP. A month or two before our scheduled move to Cebu, it was simply difficult to comprehend how possible it was for us to afford the expenses of such a move, not to mention that I was left alone with the kids to make it work. Through the kind and generous hearts of our many BCBP brothers and sisters, everything was made possible. God worked His miracle through them. What was impossible became a reality...

Many thanks to our BCBP-Butuan family!!!

Bro. Jensen and Sis. Grace - for the wonderful assistance, support and mileage you extended to us...we will forever be grateful

Bro. Mark and Sis. Joy - for being great sounding boards to me during my "anxiety attack" periods, for always being there ready to assist us in whatever we needed...many thanks

Bro. Francis and Sis. Marilou - for just being there as our constant Sunday "churchmates" at Miraculous Medal Chapel...your presence every Sunday helped keep me grounded...

Bro. Jeffrey and Sis. Manette - for the opportunities given to the kids to have some fun just before our move...those events gave some semblance of "family" during our 6-month separation from Jerome

Sis. Ched - for the boxes and always being ready to lend us a hand whenever we needed one...

Bro. Val and Sis. Langga - for the quiet nurturing and spiritual guidance you've given us over the past year...we take the learnings and insights with us wherever we go

Bro. Ben and Sis. Eden - for your inspiring messages and words of encouragement...

to our BCLP-12 family: 

Bro. Nonoy and Sis. Belen - though we don't see each other often, the strong bond of friendship can be felt every time...thank you for the prayers and advice

Sis. Lotlot, Sis. Fe and Sis. Delia - your strength as women continue to inspire me to continue to evolve into a much stronger woman...your points of view were indeed something I needed to view things from a different perspective

Bro. Nilo - your cheerful disposition and constant presence has made every breakfast and AGM alive and interesting...

Bro. Cris - your steadfast faith despite the tremendous trials that have come your way continue to be our living example of how we should live our Christ-centered lives...

and to the entire BCBP-Butuan community...thank you for always being there, constantly living your Christian lives so that we can derive inspiration and lessons from them...we will miss all of you!

...until we meet again...God bless you all!

Day 77: After-School Fun

After the week-long fourth quarter exams, the kids let off some steam, kick back their heels and enjoy a brief afternoon playing tag. Hearing the loud shrieks and screams of my two daughters made my heart leap for joy knowing that they feel so at home surrounded by their Kuya's classmates and friends. 

Day 75: A Decade of LOVE

TEN YEARS

...of love

...of passion

...of respect

...of understanding

...of continuous learning and re-learning

It sure seems only yesterday when I vowed to love, cherish and respect that one person I chose to spend the rest of my life with.  Then, ten years seemed light years away...

...and yet, here we are a decade later

...in love

...bumped and bruised

...bitten without being shy

...a hundredfold blessed

...modeled and shaped

...to continue living and loving

...to share God's love

...and inspire others to do the same

Time flew so fast and I enjoyed the wild ride immensely...

I can't wait to spend countless decades more with you...my only ONE...Jerome.

Happy Anniversary!!!

Our Ten Years of being TWOgether

Day 73: My Last Hurrah as a Thirtysomething

Just looking at the pictures highlighting the past year of my life made me realize how time truly flies so fast. It seemed only yesterday when I celebrated my 38th birthday and now here comes another natal day, making me one year older. This is going to be my last year in the thirties and it seems that everything else in my life seem to be at the end of a chapter or ending (more on that in later posts, don't worry).

I've had a tremendous outpouring of blessings all throughout this year and the biggest one of them all was finally realizing what being a Christian truly means and having a personal relationship with the Lord God. He has opened the floodgates of my mind and heart to His word and promise of eternal life. And it is now that I realize how difficult it is to live life once you get closer to Him. He will test and challenge you all the time to know whether you're His true disciple or not. It might be weird to understand how this can be considered as my greatest blessing this year but it truly is...As I continue to be tested, rocked and shaken, I get molded and reshaped in the process.  I am now a work in progress...having a lot of downs than ups but still trying to get up each time I fall.

Lately, I've allowed myself to be troubled and afraid of these things that signal the end of certain parts of my life. God knows I've wallowed in so much fear, anxiety, grief and self-pity already. Known to be a natural pessimist, I can't seem to get my thoughts to be positive about what's in store in the future. While things seem to be going on south, I have the tendency to think that it's all downhill from here...

Now that I'm facing the big 40 just around the corner there, my biggest wish and fervent prayer is that God helps create in me a more positive outlook, one that is bold enough to look at the future and say "I'm ready, bring it on!!!".  I hope that He continues to allay all my fears and allows me to believe that indeed when He closes a door, He opens a window.

The greatest sign that He is just around, ready to take me under His care was already manifested early today, when my Facebook wall and mobile phone filled up with a barrage of greetings and well wishes. Knowing that I am loved by family, relatives, friends and loved ones boosts my confidence to face another year of my life. Your overwhelming show of love, support and care will keep me going. My heartfelt gratitude to all of you for remembering and keeping me in your hearts and minds.


Finally, to know how deeply I am loved by those closest to my heart makes everything worthwhile and meaningful. With them by my side, I know I can overcome anything...


This is hubby's birthday gift to me...I was in tears from start to finish...such a precious gift of love...

This time from my two girls...what a great birthday gift!

Day 71: Zoomin' at LTO

I was able to take a quick glance at my driver's license about two weeks ago and was shocked to see that it was going to be expiring this year. Time sure flies so fast...it seems only a year ago when I renewed it and now I have to go through that LTO process once again. My experiences in the past have already given me the impression that renewing one's driver's license would normally take a whole day to process plus a waiting period of no less than three months for the card-type license to be released.

Imagine my surprise when I breezed through LTO-Butuan from 10:45-11:20 am only. Well, if you include the medical check up and drug test, it took a total of one hour and fifteen minutes. I've never experienced a process as organized and smooth-flowing as this in the many years I've been renewing my license.

Having a color-coded number also made it easier for the public to know who's next in line at what station. Another thing that was quite remarkable was how friendly all the staff were...definitely no grumpy Manangs or Manongs here.

I can say that technology has indeed made things so much easier and more convenient at the LTO...I'm one happy customer!