I still don't know to this day how a casual conversation about shopping as a stress-reliever ended up with me being asked out on a date for that weekend. One moment we were talking about how stressed we are at work and the next moment he asked me with "how about going with me to the mall this weekend?" and I said yes. Later, he told me that when he left my office he said "Yes!" to himself and I told him that after he left the office I thought "Why did I say yes?".
From the time I said yes to the date up to the last hour when we were supposed to meet at the mall, I was having second thoughts. I took the phone several times and attempted to call him to cancel but there was always something that stopped me from completing the call. That something was "what if...?". What if he is the one I've been bugging God about for the longest time? So, I went to the mall and met with him and the rest, as they say, is history.
On that first date, I was at first uncomfortable but as the night wore on, I found myself talking with him so easily. The conversation just flowed smoothly - no uncomfortable gaps, no sudden silences. It was simply fun. Then he asked me out again and my "dilemma" about going through the date or not started all over but I ended up going out with him in the end and for every date that came after, it became easier. Until one evening, he asked me to be his wife (less than a month after our first date). Like at our first date, saying yes to his proposal came easily but this time, there were no misgivings, no second thoughts. It just felt right.
I will not write about the complications and the challenges that we had to go through as we were trying to get to know each other and building a relationship together. The important part is that we came through these stronger as individuals and, more importantly, as a couple. These challenges became the foundation of what we want and what we don't want to be and become in our journey together. The more some people tried to keep us apart, the more we became closer. Call it stubbornness, I call it Love. And that Love produced someone whom we call Baby-bo.
Thursday, October 6, 2011
Monday, September 12, 2011
What is friendship?
I was rummaging through our personal files looking for Michael's birth certificate when I saw an email that a very close friend of mine has sent me on the day I left for Switzerland. My then-fiancé has printed it for me and this was the first thing that I read the moment I stepped into our flat, straight from the airport.
As I was re-reading it this morning, I was overwhelmed with the love and friendship that are very much evident in the email, so overwhelmed that I decided to post the entire email for everyone to see.
I am not sure if I have replied to Pie but I am taking this chance to thank her from the deepest part of my heart for her wonderful and unconditional friendship over the years.
Her email is below:
dearest julia,
as i write this, your absence hasn't sunk in yet. in a way, i am quite thankful that we didn't spend together your last few weeks here. otherwise, i would definitely feel the "hole" you created in my everyday life. i know how difficult it is for you to leave your family behind. this feeling is, i guess, a shared sentiment both by us (being left behind) and by you (who is leaving). it is very difficult to see someone go and say goodbye, especially if this person is "family." i will not attempt to speak for your family. i speak for just myself ---- i will miss everything that we shared, our time together, our talks especially!
but when i think about your journey to motherhood, to marriage, to family life, it'd be very, very selfish of me to entertain (my own) sadness. despite venturing into the "unknown" and possibly being homesick non-stop, your decision to join Michael is truly admirable. i know that we both strongly believe that "the best measure of success is a happy home, a peaceful family," and you are blessed to have that within reach.
sis, i cannot thank you enough for being my friend. no adjectives (in its superlative form) could describe our bond, and if i attempt to even describe how close we are, i might not even give it justice. just the same, thank you for being my friend!
i need not emphasize anymore the lessons we learned from our past, the past that we both shared and spent as individuals. what we should always remember, i think, is God's hand in every tear, every smile, every achievement and every failure we had. when i think about it, He has blessed us with so much! so despite the trials that come my way, i know that He is there. even when there are times that i seem to surrender to my (own) weakness, in the end, i know that i should be strong because He is there.
and you were there too! in every tear, every smile, every achievement, every failure --- you were there for me. thank you so so so much julia! when i give it a thought, i may have needed you more than you ever needed me. our talks were more about me, the problems we talked about were more about me, yes, me me me!! but unlike others, you never took "my self-centeredness" against me. you were patient, frank, honest and always ready to listen. and that was what i liked most about you, you were never afraid to speak your mind, and you were sincerely protective of me.
thank you julia for being a friend to aries too! especially at times when i was away, and he was bugging you with his mushy-ness. even if we say that we can actually live with a happy lovelife sans friends, it is ALWAYS an extra blessing (and a lot more peaceful!) if our friends are friends with our sweethearts! it's less complicated that way, isn't it? likewise, i am more than glad that i am friends with michael.
sis, i pray for your good health always and your family's (michael and baby colin in your tummy). i will be here for you despite the different time zone. take care of yourself, and never worry about us here.
enjoy your new home. and write!
(michael, please take care of julia. she only has you there. she is, without a doubt, a stranger in a new place. and be extra patient with her. her humor is extraordinary, and she doesn't cook! but heck, she loves you so much, and you love her as well!)
sis, i'm so happy and thrilled for you! God bless, and don't forget to pray!
*hugs*
love you,
Pie
As I was re-reading it this morning, I was overwhelmed with the love and friendship that are very much evident in the email, so overwhelmed that I decided to post the entire email for everyone to see.
I am not sure if I have replied to Pie but I am taking this chance to thank her from the deepest part of my heart for her wonderful and unconditional friendship over the years.
Her email is below:
dearest julia,
as i write this, your absence hasn't sunk in yet. in a way, i am quite thankful that we didn't spend together your last few weeks here. otherwise, i would definitely feel the "hole" you created in my everyday life. i know how difficult it is for you to leave your family behind. this feeling is, i guess, a shared sentiment both by us (being left behind) and by you (who is leaving). it is very difficult to see someone go and say goodbye, especially if this person is "family." i will not attempt to speak for your family. i speak for just myself ---- i will miss everything that we shared, our time together, our talks especially!
but when i think about your journey to motherhood, to marriage, to family life, it'd be very, very selfish of me to entertain (my own) sadness. despite venturing into the "unknown" and possibly being homesick non-stop, your decision to join Michael is truly admirable. i know that we both strongly believe that "the best measure of success is a happy home, a peaceful family," and you are blessed to have that within reach.
sis, i cannot thank you enough for being my friend. no adjectives (in its superlative form) could describe our bond, and if i attempt to even describe how close we are, i might not even give it justice. just the same, thank you for being my friend!
i need not emphasize anymore the lessons we learned from our past, the past that we both shared and spent as individuals. what we should always remember, i think, is God's hand in every tear, every smile, every achievement and every failure we had. when i think about it, He has blessed us with so much! so despite the trials that come my way, i know that He is there. even when there are times that i seem to surrender to my (own) weakness, in the end, i know that i should be strong because He is there.
and you were there too! in every tear, every smile, every achievement, every failure --- you were there for me. thank you so so so much julia! when i give it a thought, i may have needed you more than you ever needed me. our talks were more about me, the problems we talked about were more about me, yes, me me me!! but unlike others, you never took "my self-centeredness" against me. you were patient, frank, honest and always ready to listen. and that was what i liked most about you, you were never afraid to speak your mind, and you were sincerely protective of me.
thank you julia for being a friend to aries too! especially at times when i was away, and he was bugging you with his mushy-ness. even if we say that we can actually live with a happy lovelife sans friends, it is ALWAYS an extra blessing (and a lot more peaceful!) if our friends are friends with our sweethearts! it's less complicated that way, isn't it? likewise, i am more than glad that i am friends with michael.
sis, i pray for your good health always and your family's (michael and baby colin in your tummy). i will be here for you despite the different time zone. take care of yourself, and never worry about us here.
enjoy your new home. and write!
(michael, please take care of julia. she only has you there. she is, without a doubt, a stranger in a new place. and be extra patient with her. her humor is extraordinary, and she doesn't cook! but heck, she loves you so much, and you love her as well!)
sis, i'm so happy and thrilled for you! God bless, and don't forget to pray!
*hugs*
love you,
Pie
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Thursday, May 12, 2011
An emergency
Last evening I accidentally cut my ring finger while preparing dinner (I was about to cook my version of Spaghetti Bolognese). The knife just slid off the carrot and went straight for my finger (oh, okay. So it doesn't have a life of its own for it to just go after my finger but that's how it looked to me).
The moment I felt the knife on my finger, I immediately yelped and kept on saying "aww! aww! aww!" while putting it under flowing water from the faucet. Michael, who was in the shower at the time thought that I was just playing with Colin because he didn't hear me panicking.
It was considerably a deep cut and it took a while for the bleeding to stop. When Michael asked me if I wanted to go to a doctor, I thought about it but decided against it because although the cut is deep, I didn't think it would need stitches. I just cleaned the wound and Michael put a disinfectant cream on it and wrapped it with plaster (lovingly I should say).
For me, the highlight of this experience was when Michael told me that what he loves about me is the fact that I did not resort to histrionics when this happened. He said that other women would have already cried and screamed and acted like a drama queen while I was laughing and cracking jokes. I told him he should have seen me when I chopped (yes, chopped) my fingers (one of them was the same finger I cut yesterday) twenty years ago. I was crying hysterically at that time (it hurt like hell then!) and that laughing about it is how I deal with stress so I laughed.
However, despite the pain and inconvenience of having a wound, I still feel thankful for the following reasons:
1. a husband who lovingly looked after my wound, told me to sit and relax and patiently told me to follow his instructions regarding my wound (I wrote patiently because I have tried to disobey most of what he told me to do. When he told me to lie down on the sofa, I moved around the flat trying to put things away. When he told me to keep the cotton pad on my finger, I tried to peek under it to see if my cut was still bleeding. In other words, makulit ako)
2. a reliable restaurant where we can call our orders and pick our food up within 10 minutes.
3. our baby behaved throughout the commotion.
4. Michael and I were still able to laugh through the experience
5. The cut was not that serious that it would merit going to the Emergency Room for some stitches (I'm afraid of needles). After all, it did not stop me from fb-ing and telling the world about my stupidity.
6. We have a first aid kit at home.
7. Most important of all, the accident did not happen to Colin who was standing beside me while I was chopping the carrots (he loves to watch me cook while pretending to do the cooking). I'd rather see my own blood flow than those of my loved ones.
The moment I felt the knife on my finger, I immediately yelped and kept on saying "aww! aww! aww!" while putting it under flowing water from the faucet. Michael, who was in the shower at the time thought that I was just playing with Colin because he didn't hear me panicking.
It was considerably a deep cut and it took a while for the bleeding to stop. When Michael asked me if I wanted to go to a doctor, I thought about it but decided against it because although the cut is deep, I didn't think it would need stitches. I just cleaned the wound and Michael put a disinfectant cream on it and wrapped it with plaster (lovingly I should say).
For me, the highlight of this experience was when Michael told me that what he loves about me is the fact that I did not resort to histrionics when this happened. He said that other women would have already cried and screamed and acted like a drama queen while I was laughing and cracking jokes. I told him he should have seen me when I chopped (yes, chopped) my fingers (one of them was the same finger I cut yesterday) twenty years ago. I was crying hysterically at that time (it hurt like hell then!) and that laughing about it is how I deal with stress so I laughed.
However, despite the pain and inconvenience of having a wound, I still feel thankful for the following reasons:
1. a husband who lovingly looked after my wound, told me to sit and relax and patiently told me to follow his instructions regarding my wound (I wrote patiently because I have tried to disobey most of what he told me to do. When he told me to lie down on the sofa, I moved around the flat trying to put things away. When he told me to keep the cotton pad on my finger, I tried to peek under it to see if my cut was still bleeding. In other words, makulit ako)
2. a reliable restaurant where we can call our orders and pick our food up within 10 minutes.
3. our baby behaved throughout the commotion.
4. Michael and I were still able to laugh through the experience
5. The cut was not that serious that it would merit going to the Emergency Room for some stitches (I'm afraid of needles). After all, it did not stop me from fb-ing and telling the world about my stupidity.
6. We have a first aid kit at home.
7. Most important of all, the accident did not happen to Colin who was standing beside me while I was chopping the carrots (he loves to watch me cook while pretending to do the cooking). I'd rather see my own blood flow than those of my loved ones.
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Ten Things I Love About You
Blogging about a loved one is hard for me. I can write about my and other people's boo-boo's and/or kalokohan, rant about anything or anyone, and rave about the weather or anything that pleased me BUT words escape me whenever I try to write about someone very close to my heart.
However, to mark the birthday of the person who has my heart, I will do my best to express my love inspired by the movie "Ten Things I Hate About You" (with a little twist of my own). I just hope I get to finish and publish this before the day ends.
* * *
Ten Things I Love About You
1. I love your sense of humor and the way you laugh at my jokes. I love your smiles too and the way you let me bug you when you are already too tired or have just woken up in the morning.
2. I love your sense of order yet you let me get away with my messy ways.
3. I love the sacrifice that you made to your career when you left your former job because leaving means less travels and more time spent with your family. Even if personally, you think this was no sacrifice and that you love and enjoy your new job, I still say thank you and I love you too.
4. I love the way you play with our son after spending a tiring day at work. You could have just said that you are tired and would just relax with a bottle of beer or a glass of wine but you insist on your bonding time with C so that I can have some time on my own.
5. I love your eyes. They are not just beautiful but they also shine with love and honesty. I love it that every time you look at me, you make me feel pretty and sexy and that there are no secrets between us.
6. I love your body and your sexy ways but I won't describe them here. To say anything more might result in me being banned from blogger for adult content (is there such a thing?)
7. I love how you tolerate my addiction to facebook and bejeweled blitz but you never fail to give me a gentle reminder whenever you think I had too much.
8. I love your generosity. Beyond the material things that you have given me, I love the fact that you are never selfish with your time.
9. I love the way you listen to my rantings and ravings and the way you put up with my noisy ways. I know how much you value peace and quiet and yet these are now luxuries since C and I came into your life.
10. Lastly, I love you for who and what you are, no conditions and without reservations. You may not be perfect (you do have a temper, honey, hehe) but you are perfect for me.
I know that what I have written are just the tip of the iceberg. There are more things that I love about you but I have to keep to the title of this piece. haha!
Happy birthday, Honey. Here's to getting old with you.
I love you.
p.s., I also love the knowledge that you will forgive me for this public display of affection despite the fact that you love your privacy. hehe
However, to mark the birthday of the person who has my heart, I will do my best to express my love inspired by the movie "Ten Things I Hate About You" (with a little twist of my own). I just hope I get to finish and publish this before the day ends.
* * *
Ten Things I Love About You
1. I love your sense of humor and the way you laugh at my jokes. I love your smiles too and the way you let me bug you when you are already too tired or have just woken up in the morning.
2. I love your sense of order yet you let me get away with my messy ways.
3. I love the sacrifice that you made to your career when you left your former job because leaving means less travels and more time spent with your family. Even if personally, you think this was no sacrifice and that you love and enjoy your new job, I still say thank you and I love you too.
4. I love the way you play with our son after spending a tiring day at work. You could have just said that you are tired and would just relax with a bottle of beer or a glass of wine but you insist on your bonding time with C so that I can have some time on my own.
5. I love your eyes. They are not just beautiful but they also shine with love and honesty. I love it that every time you look at me, you make me feel pretty and sexy and that there are no secrets between us.
6. I love your body and your sexy ways but I won't describe them here. To say anything more might result in me being banned from blogger for adult content (is there such a thing?)
7. I love how you tolerate my addiction to facebook and bejeweled blitz but you never fail to give me a gentle reminder whenever you think I had too much.
8. I love your generosity. Beyond the material things that you have given me, I love the fact that you are never selfish with your time.
9. I love the way you listen to my rantings and ravings and the way you put up with my noisy ways. I know how much you value peace and quiet and yet these are now luxuries since C and I came into your life.
10. Lastly, I love you for who and what you are, no conditions and without reservations. You may not be perfect (you do have a temper, honey, hehe) but you are perfect for me.
I know that what I have written are just the tip of the iceberg. There are more things that I love about you but I have to keep to the title of this piece. haha!
Happy birthday, Honey. Here's to getting old with you.
I love you.
p.s., I also love the knowledge that you will forgive me for this public display of affection despite the fact that you love your privacy. hehe
Monday, April 11, 2011
Kitchen Adventures
Lately, I have been posting recipes of the meals that I prepared for my family. This blog is not going to be transformed into a food blog although I just wanted to share my "little triumphs" in the kitchen as part of my daily life as a stay-at-home mom and wife.
I count all the meals that I prepare as "little triumphs" because for someone who, for most of her life, believed that she cannot cook, these simple but delicious meals (delicious according to my loving husband) are truly something to be proud of. I have also taken note of my growing confidence in the kitchen. When I first started cooking two years ago, I always chose the easiest recipes to cook and follow them to the letter. Now, I have enough confidence to not completely follow a recipe by changing/substituting an ingredient or two and, sometimes, even using a different technique found in another recipe.
But beyond my growing confidence in the kitchen, what I found amazing about myself is the realization that I enjoy cooking when before I couldn't be bothered. I also enjoy my kitchen adventures aka disasters like the time I had to redo my batter for crispy chicken strips since the consistency did not match the one I saw on the recipe I was following. It turned out I put 8 scoops of flour since the recipe said 8 tbsp. but I forgot that I was using a 2 tbps. measuring spoon. Yes, there were days when I feel too lazy to cook but most times I enjoy cooking especially when I see the appreciation and enjoyment on my husband's face while he eats.
Last week, Michael told me that his workmates suggested I should try selling my food to the students at the University after smelling (smelling!) Michael's lunch that he was reheating in the microwave. Wow! That is really funny and ironic. The woman who was always a disaster in the kitchen is suddenly cooking for profit. haha!
Seriously, though, I don't think I am that confident yet to do this. Maybe in a few years when people other than my husband and son have tried my food.
I count all the meals that I prepare as "little triumphs" because for someone who, for most of her life, believed that she cannot cook, these simple but delicious meals (delicious according to my loving husband) are truly something to be proud of. I have also taken note of my growing confidence in the kitchen. When I first started cooking two years ago, I always chose the easiest recipes to cook and follow them to the letter. Now, I have enough confidence to not completely follow a recipe by changing/substituting an ingredient or two and, sometimes, even using a different technique found in another recipe.
But beyond my growing confidence in the kitchen, what I found amazing about myself is the realization that I enjoy cooking when before I couldn't be bothered. I also enjoy my kitchen adventures aka disasters like the time I had to redo my batter for crispy chicken strips since the consistency did not match the one I saw on the recipe I was following. It turned out I put 8 scoops of flour since the recipe said 8 tbsp. but I forgot that I was using a 2 tbps. measuring spoon. Yes, there were days when I feel too lazy to cook but most times I enjoy cooking especially when I see the appreciation and enjoyment on my husband's face while he eats.
Last week, Michael told me that his workmates suggested I should try selling my food to the students at the University after smelling (smelling!) Michael's lunch that he was reheating in the microwave. Wow! That is really funny and ironic. The woman who was always a disaster in the kitchen is suddenly cooking for profit. haha!
Seriously, though, I don't think I am that confident yet to do this. Maybe in a few years when people other than my husband and son have tried my food.
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Sincronizada ala Julia
I found out that what I knew to be quesadilla is actually called sincronizada although both dishes are Mexican in origin. Here's what I found out on wikepedia: " The main difference between the real quesadilla and the sincronizadas is the obligatory inclusion of ham in the dish and the main ingredient used to make the tortilla (wheat flour instead of corn flour, masa harina). Also note a quesadilla is made of a single folded and filled corn tortilla, while the sincronizada is prepared like a sandwich." And so, I called my recipe Sincronizada ala Julia. I put eggs in it because this was for our brunch.
I thought I had spring onions that we bought yesterday during our weekly shopping. I remember holding a pack of it but I apparently forgot to put it inside my cart. This is why instead of spring onions, I used shallot.
Ingredients:
2 pcs. whole wheat tortillas
2 large eggs, scrambled and seasoned with salt
2 red tomatoes, de-seeded and chopped
1 shallot, sliced thinly
3 slices of salami, diced
around 1 cup of mozarella cheese, grated
a pinch of ground coriander
a pinch of dried oregano
Have all your ingredients ready (cook the egg, de-seed and chop the tomates, peel and slice the shallot, dice the salami, etc. etc.). Heat a pan that is large enough to fit your tortilla. If you are using a non-stick pan, there is no need to grease it, otherwise you can put a little olive oil and wipe the excess off with a paper towel.
When the pan is hot enough, place one of the tortillas, spread a handful of mozarella on top of it, followed by the rest of the ingredients (eggs, shallot, tomatoes, salami, ground coriander and dried oregano). Spread the remaining mozarella on top and cover evenly with the second tortilla.
Grill for two to three minutes each on both sides until the tortillas have turned light brown and the cheese has melted.
Cut into four pieces and serve immediately.
Friday, March 11, 2011
Kitchen Adventure: Fritata
I love potato omelet and I love ground meat omelet (which we call torta). Growing up, I always looked forward to having one of these for breakfast prepared by my mother. I love potato omelet so much that I tried cooking this for my breakfast when I was still working in the Middle East (it was one of the few dishes I could cook at that time). Of course, when my house mate saw this, she gave me a look that says "potato for omelet? that's weird. Since potato omelet was always a favorite at home, I just never thought that others would find it weird (or even wrong).
It was only recently that I learned that potato omelet is fritata in Spain (it just have sliced potatoes while my mother's omelet has cubed ones but the general idea is the same). In fact, this is a favorite tapa (appetizer) in Spain.It only goes to show that one should not scoff at something just because it is unfamiliar to us.
Anyway, I am digressing. Back to my Fritata. Now that I am also a mother and a wife plus thousands of kilometers away from my mother (so I couldn't ask her to cook for us. hahaha), I have no choice but to cook to feed my hungry boys (dramatisch itetch). With the memories of the different tortas that my mother has cooked in the past, I have decided to make my own by combining two of my favorite omelets (tortang giniling with potato).
And after a long and winding introduction, here's the recipe:
Ingredients:
around 200 g of ground pork
2 large potatoes
6 eggs
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 large shallot, sliced
3 tbsp. olive oil
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Procedure:
Peel and dice the potatoes and prepare the garlic and shallot. Set aside. Meanwhile in a bowl, beat the eggs and season with a little salt.
Heat the olive oil in a pan. Fry the potatoes until golden brown. Remove with a slotted spoon and place on a plate. With the remaining oil in the pan, sautée the garlic until light yellow. Put in the shallot and sautée until translucent. Put in the ground meat and continue stirring until the meat is loosed and browned. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper.
When the ground meat is browned (with little to no liquid left), return the potatoes in the pan and mix them with the ground meat. Pour in the beaten eggs and cover the pan tightly. Let it cook for 15 to 20 minutes or until the top of the egg mixture has started to solidify. Remove the lid, and place a plate on top of the pan (the plate should be large enough to cover the pan) then flip the omelet (or fritata) on the plate. Return the pan on the stove and slide back the omelet in the pan to cook the other side. Let it cook for a few more minutes (around 5 minutes).
Serve the Filipino way with tomato ketchup and steamed rice.
* * *
P.S.
When I first cooked this dish here in Norway, I used a smaller pan and cooked it in two batches because I didn't have a plate large enough to cover my bigger pan (which is needed when I flip the omelet). However, when I cooked the dish in the picture, I was so lazy to do it in two batches and so I decided to use my bigger pan forgetting the reason why I decided to cook in two batches when I did it before. I only remembered this when I was ready to flip the omelet on a plate. Imagine my panic when I realized my mistake. I was ready to use the plate from my microwave oven when I remembered that we have 4 pizza plates in our cupboard (which Michael and I never use). The pizza plate was big enough for my purpose.
And so, that was the plate that you see in the picture. hehehehe.
Monday, February 21, 2011
A Letter to My Son
Dear Son,
I know that you are still a baby but it is never too early to start giving you advices. One day you will fall in love and when you do, I would like you to keep this story in mind and the lessons that go with it.
In the past, whenever your father brought home his girlfriends to introduce them to your grandparents, your Oma only had two reactions: she would either ignore them or she would leave the room to cry in the kitchen. It is not obvious that your Oma did not approve of your father's former girlfriends, is it?
Then one day, your grandparents got a Skype call from your father (your Papa was in Qatar at that time) where he then introduced his new girlfriend who happens to be a Filipina. This time your Oma did not react in her usual ways. She sat there, looking happy and excited (I should know, I was there at that time. I may not understand any word your Opa and Oma said but I could read emotions on people's faces). Later on, your Papa told me told that his parents are happy for us and that Oma said it felt right and so she is happy.
One day, I asked your father how sure is he that your Oma approves of me when he first introduced me on Skype. He said, the call would not last five minutes (it lasted for more than an hour).
Fast forward to the present. Your Papa and I are happily married and our union have been blessed with you as the new addition to our small family. As for Oma and Opa, they let us turn their peaceful world topsy-turvy as they opened their hearts to me (but they are happier for it. haha).
Now you will ask, what is the moral of this story? There are two:
1. Mothers know best (it's our maternal instincts at work). You better listen to your mother.
2. In choosing a girlfriend/wife, choose well (refer to lesson number 1)
If you don't believe me. Ask your father.
Love,
Mama
p.s. this is quite self serving isn't it? LOL
I know that you are still a baby but it is never too early to start giving you advices. One day you will fall in love and when you do, I would like you to keep this story in mind and the lessons that go with it.
In the past, whenever your father brought home his girlfriends to introduce them to your grandparents, your Oma only had two reactions: she would either ignore them or she would leave the room to cry in the kitchen. It is not obvious that your Oma did not approve of your father's former girlfriends, is it?
Then one day, your grandparents got a Skype call from your father (your Papa was in Qatar at that time) where he then introduced his new girlfriend who happens to be a Filipina. This time your Oma did not react in her usual ways. She sat there, looking happy and excited (I should know, I was there at that time. I may not understand any word your Opa and Oma said but I could read emotions on people's faces). Later on, your Papa told me told that his parents are happy for us and that Oma said it felt right and so she is happy.
One day, I asked your father how sure is he that your Oma approves of me when he first introduced me on Skype. He said, the call would not last five minutes (it lasted for more than an hour).
Fast forward to the present. Your Papa and I are happily married and our union have been blessed with you as the new addition to our small family. As for Oma and Opa, they let us turn their peaceful world topsy-turvy as they opened their hearts to me (but they are happier for it. haha).
Now you will ask, what is the moral of this story? There are two:
1. Mothers know best (it's our maternal instincts at work). You better listen to your mother.
2. In choosing a girlfriend/wife, choose well (refer to lesson number 1)
If you don't believe me. Ask your father.
Love,
Mama
p.s. this is quite self serving isn't it? LOL
post script: de-friended
In the interest of fairness, I decided to write a post script to my earlier post. After publishing yesterday's post, I suddenly remembered that at one point I have edited my privacy settings to restrict this friend from seeing the things I post on my wall. This was in reaction to finding out that I could not see her wall posts also. But then, she changed her settings and I could see her updates again on my News Feed. Unfortunately, I forgot to change my settings until I recently noticed that I don't see her postings again.
In view of this "development", the questions that come to mind are: do I still have the right to complain about being blocked by a friend? In this age of virtual social networking, what is worse, blocking someone or just restricting them from seeing what you are up to?
People can be immature sometimes. That includes me. LOL
In view of this "development", the questions that come to mind are: do I still have the right to complain about being blocked by a friend? In this age of virtual social networking, what is worse, blocking someone or just restricting them from seeing what you are up to?
People can be immature sometimes. That includes me. LOL
Sunday, February 20, 2011
de-friended
I know there's no such word as de-friended (i think). However, how do you describe in one word when a friend from Facebook has removed you from his/her list of friends?
I don't make it a habit of checking my list of friends on Facebook to see whether or not someone has removed me as their friend. Recently, I noticed that I have not been receiving updates on my News Feed regarding one friend and so I decided to visit her profile. It was then that I discovered that this friend whom I have known from grad school has not only removed me from fb, she has also blocked me. For what reason, I don't know. I'll probably never know.
At the moment, I don't know yet what to feel. Should I be sad? (well the fact that I am asking this questions already proves that I am not. At least not at the moment). Should I feel angry and betrayed? (we did have good times in the old days). Should I feel guilty? (of what, I do not know.)
To my knowledge, I have not done or said anything against this person that would warrant my being removed from her list. Maybe my not having the same opinion about a common friend's love life has offended her but that has been a long time ago. Other than this, I don't see any reason why she did what she did unless something I posted on FB has offended her (well then I guess she has a bigger problem than I thought since I don't think there's anything offensive about posting pictures of your son and husband and telling the world about the weather and what I ate for lunch).
Like I wrote above, I probably will never know what drove her to doing this. The only question I have now is, am I still her friend in the real world (as opposed to the virtual world)? I guess not.
I don't make it a habit of checking my list of friends on Facebook to see whether or not someone has removed me as their friend. Recently, I noticed that I have not been receiving updates on my News Feed regarding one friend and so I decided to visit her profile. It was then that I discovered that this friend whom I have known from grad school has not only removed me from fb, she has also blocked me. For what reason, I don't know. I'll probably never know.
At the moment, I don't know yet what to feel. Should I be sad? (well the fact that I am asking this questions already proves that I am not. At least not at the moment). Should I feel angry and betrayed? (we did have good times in the old days). Should I feel guilty? (of what, I do not know.)
To my knowledge, I have not done or said anything against this person that would warrant my being removed from her list. Maybe my not having the same opinion about a common friend's love life has offended her but that has been a long time ago. Other than this, I don't see any reason why she did what she did unless something I posted on FB has offended her (well then I guess she has a bigger problem than I thought since I don't think there's anything offensive about posting pictures of your son and husband and telling the world about the weather and what I ate for lunch).
Like I wrote above, I probably will never know what drove her to doing this. The only question I have now is, am I still her friend in the real world (as opposed to the virtual world)? I guess not.
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
posted on my fb notes
Background: my brother, Rommel told me the news that all of Cady's nine puppies died (Cady is my Owen's chihuahua). This part of the chat made my day.
(@Honey, i have to write this in Filipino but I promise to translate it for you. hahaha)
* * *
Rommel: katawa nga yung isa, pinapa dede ni papa.. sabi ni papa mainit daw yung gatas.
sabi ni mama ok na
tapos pinadede na, naghingalo yung tuta..
sigaw si papa, sabi nang mainit pa eh
ayan patay na, isupot na
kinuha ni mama, ni revive nya.. buhay ulit
Me: hahahahahahaha
Rommel: nalunod yung tuta, hahaha
sinisi sa gatas, haha
Me: wow, pang blog entry ko sana yan
malagay nga sa facebook
Rommel: tapos same tuta, pinulot ko kasi malamig yung katawan, nilapit ko dun sa ilaw para mainitan
biglang nanigas at naging violet
revive na naman ako, buhay ulit
twice nya natakasan si kamatayan
tapos ayon, 3rd time naipit ni cadi.. haha.. deads
Rommel: it was meant to be
Me: pocha, di ko mahinto pagtawa ko...mukha ako tanga dito tumatawa magisa
Rommel: yung unang namatay, feeling ko nalunod din ni papa
hahaha
Me: hahaha
Rommel: sa eksenang to may natutunan akong leksyon
ang leksyon, pag nag ka anak.. wag iiwan kay papa na bantayan nya.. di sya marunong mag pa bottle feed..
hahaha.. mamamatay ang bata
* * *
salamat kapatid, napatawa mo ako. miss ko na ang kakulitan ng mga ridad!
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
too much on my mind
I actually have another entry that is still in the process of writing. But i'm stuck. As I write the other blog post, several other topics come to mind and I also remember that I have to write an email to a friend in Switzerland just to keep in touch. With of all these running through my mind, my rusty brain just stopped functioning.
hehehe
I hope I'll be able to finish today what I was writing earlier this morning or move on to another topic. *sigh*
hehehe
I hope I'll be able to finish today what I was writing earlier this morning or move on to another topic. *sigh*
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Out in the cold
Today is Mother's Day here in Norway and our little family will be taking a walk outside to explore the town (as per what I told my husband yesterday when he asked me what I would like to do on Mother's Day). This morning we woke up to a bright and clear day but...
Hubby: What does the thermometer show regarding the temperature outside?
Me: -28°C. whaaaat?
Hubby: Yeah, that's about right because the smoke from the other houses is so white (etc etc). So do we still take a walk outside?
Me (in a veeeeery excited voice): yeeeeaaaah.
Hubby: haha. such excitement. you said you wanted to take a walk today.
Me: I'm an idiot, that's why
Despite my misgivings, we will still go out. And i think we will enjoy our day outside (i hope).
* * * *
Speaking of living in a cold country, I suddenly remembered the conversation I had with my brother one rainy afternoon several years ago:
Me: Mulong, please keep the flow of air from the fan away from me.
Mulong: Why?
Me: It's cold.
Mulong: What do you mean it's cold? It's so hot.
Me: But i feel cold.
Mulong: What kind of body temperature do you have? It's so hot inside the house. What would happen to you if you live then abroad in a cold country?
Me: Why the hell would I do that?! If I have to go abroad then I will choose a country where it's warm, like in the Middle East.
Mulong: What if you marry a foreigner and take you to a cold country?
Me: Hello?! How will that be possible? I haven't even had a (Filipino) boyfriend yet, much more having a foreigner for a husband (*insert insecurity here).
Mulong: Who knows? maybe it will happen someday.
Fast forward to today: I am married to a German and we live in Norway with our little son.
Moral of the story: listen to your little brother once in a while. He can be right sometimes. hahaha! Seriously, we should not discount something from happening just because it seems impossible at present. Things and circumstances do change and what seems impossible now may be possible in the future.
Hubby: What does the thermometer show regarding the temperature outside?
Me: -28°C. whaaaat?
Hubby: Yeah, that's about right because the smoke from the other houses is so white (etc etc). So do we still take a walk outside?
Me (in a veeeeery excited voice): yeeeeaaaah.
Hubby: haha. such excitement. you said you wanted to take a walk today.
Me: I'm an idiot, that's why
Despite my misgivings, we will still go out. And i think we will enjoy our day outside (i hope).
* * * *
Speaking of living in a cold country, I suddenly remembered the conversation I had with my brother one rainy afternoon several years ago:
Me: Mulong, please keep the flow of air from the fan away from me.
Mulong: Why?
Me: It's cold.
Mulong: What do you mean it's cold? It's so hot.
Me: But i feel cold.
Mulong: What kind of body temperature do you have? It's so hot inside the house. What would happen to you if you live then abroad in a cold country?
Me: Why the hell would I do that?! If I have to go abroad then I will choose a country where it's warm, like in the Middle East.
Mulong: What if you marry a foreigner and take you to a cold country?
Me: Hello?! How will that be possible? I haven't even had a (Filipino) boyfriend yet, much more having a foreigner for a husband (*insert insecurity here).
Mulong: Who knows? maybe it will happen someday.
Fast forward to today: I am married to a German and we live in Norway with our little son.
Moral of the story: listen to your little brother once in a while. He can be right sometimes. hahaha! Seriously, we should not discount something from happening just because it seems impossible at present. Things and circumstances do change and what seems impossible now may be possible in the future.
Friday, February 11, 2011
i write. i hope.
the urge to write was there (have been for a long time) but every time i sit down to do it, nothing comes. just a white, blank screen.
and so, i decided not to push. just one sentence at a time...one line (or two) at a time.
maybe then, it will start to flow again.
* * *
can it be that having a baby has muddled my brain? hehehe. if so, it doesn't matter. having colin is worth it (even when there were times he tries our patience)
Friday, February 4, 2011
It has been a while again since I last posted anything on this blog. I really should write more especially now that we are living in a new country and I could write about our new environment and new people to meet and befriend. I will try to do that. I promise (myself).
I am rusty at writing (or my brain is starting to get rusty).
I will write again later.
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