Chasing Sunsets And Dreams

Be with someone who will chase sunsets with you.

- my Ibyangism on sunsets and things that matter to you

I love sunsets. I love them for their beauty and its spectacular colours. It's part of my everyday to look up and appreciate the sunset wherever I am. I have chased sunsets in every travel we've been. I even plan a part of our travel just to see sunsets in a certain place. I'm so glad the Husband always indulges me with my sunset quests. He plans our sunset chases with me and takes as many beautiful photos to amuse me. 

A few weeks ago, the Husband and I went sunset driving. We were driving on the highway, listening to our favourite songs and outside my window, the sunset was amazing.

Be with someone who'll chase sunsets with you. Be with someone who'll chase your dreams and passions with you. Be with someone who'll support and share the things you love to do. If it's important to you, it will also be important to one who holds you dear.

7th Year: Seven Things We Are Grateful For Today

Seven years ago, we said "Yes!" to a lifetime adventure called Marriage. 

Seven things we are grateful for today:

Our faith in God and the values that we share.

How much we adore each other. That after all these years we have remained in love and still find each other's ways cute and adorable. That we are still cheesy and make an effort to surprise each other. 

That we are the best of friends. There's magic in being the best of friends with your partner. We just have so much fun! Also, there's so much respect that goes into a relationship when you treat each other as friends. 

That we have family and friends that support and love us. Our life together has been blessed by wonderful people around us. 

We are blessed in lots of ways, everyday and always. Married life isn't always rosy but at the end of each day, there will always be something/s to be grateful for.

We share our passion for the things we love: travel, photography, food, books and writing.

Our hopeful dreams and positive outlook for the future. Brought about by a few challenges through the years, time has taught us to be resilient together. As a team, we learn our lessons and move forward together.

-o0o0o-

Seven years...what a great milestone. Thank you dear Husband for seven wonderful years. :)

An Almost Midnight Trip to the Beach

An unexpected trip to the beach with friends on a Friday night led us to capturing this photo of us, freezing in the cold.  It was dark and windy when we got there but our loud laughter brought sunshine to the place.

Its moments like these when no matter how cold it gets, you emanate warmth from the inside because you are holding hands and hugging tight with the one who truly makes you happy. <3

Five Years and Two Months

There is no Math or Science, no exact formula to make it work...most times it just takes a good balance, letting ourselves go with the flow without compromising the values important to us.


Sometimes there are no reasons...just a lot of understanding, giving and taking.


There are shared moments...of milestones and defeats, of dreams and what-ifs, of tears and most importantly, an abundance of laughter. We never let a day pass without making each other laugh and making each other happy is a always priority.


There are moments when we let each other be...it could be anger, disappointment, frustration or a day when things aren’t going right—whatever the reason, we listen and hope that a hug will make things better (and it does!).


There are adventures...the travels that make us learn more about the world and of each other, the challenges that help us become better people.


There are times for daydreaming...of things we want to do, places we want to go, of seeing ourselves grow old together and still holding hands.


There is so much respect…for each other’s opinions, for when we both need a bit of space, for our individual growth. We always want to bring out the best in each other.


There’s a lot of trust involved…in God, in each other, in people we hold dear.


And of course, there’s friendship and love…our great foundations in being TWOgether. Everyday and always. <3

The Husband's Birthday Staycation

It has been crazy busy at work for both the Husband and I lately that we cannot afford to pack our bags and leave Sydney for a few days.  Going out of state would mean time to get things ready and travel back and forth.  At the moment, time for non-essentials are a scarcity.

So we decided to have a "staycation" (meaning: vacation at home or in the city you live in) in Sydney for two days and give ourselves a break from doing household chores and pretend to be tourists in our city.

Our home for two nights was near Chinatown.  We checked-in on Friday afternoon after work, dropped our bags and headed straight out to explore the lively streets of Haymarket and have dinner.

Dropped by World Square and checked out the shops there.  We saw our favourite Meiji Chocolates at Miracle Asian Supermarket.

  

Chinatown on a Friday night looks like this (see below) and how we love it!  It reminded us of Mongkok of Hongkong and Myeongdong of Seoul.  This main street in Chinatown becomes a street market from 5:00PM onwards every Friday. 

One of our usual hangouts in Chinatown is the DVD/CD store where we looked at DVDs or soundtracks of Korean Dramas.

 

The Husband captured my giddy reaction whenever I see a DVD or CD I like.

From our suking DVD store, we had dinner at Yummy Chinese BBQ Restaurant then went back to Chinatown and visited the biggest Morning Glory store I've ever seen.

Some of the stuff I got from Morning Glory:  Banana Case, telephone-inspired hair ties and a pair of Elmo earphones.

 

Saturday, the Husband's birthday, I took him to the Adriano Zumbo Lab at Rozelle.  The Husband has a very sweet tooth and he loves to bake so I thought that going to Zumbo's Lab would be a great treat for him.

I will write a separate post about our adventure at Zumbo's Lab, in the mean time, feast your eyes on the hundreds of Macarons that we saw at the lab.

Went back to the hotel for a nap (we woke up at 6am just to be at Zumbo's Lab before 8am), then went out around two in the afternoon.  This time, we hung out at Pitt Street area.  Very late lunch of Burritos from Guzman Y Gomez and Pad Thai from Thai Riffic at the Westfield Dining Precinct.

 

Followed by a good stroll outside Westfield.  Went in and out of shops, played at the Apple Store, took photos of street art and incidentally came across Mario and Luigi. 

A quick coffee break at Becasse Bakery (went back to Westfield Dining Precinct) before we attended mass at St. Mary's Cathedral.

We had plans of going to Darling Harbour or The Rocks for dinner but changed our minds.  Instead of going to some posh restaurant, we bought take away KFC and went back to the hotel and had a quiet dinner while watching TV and just enjoyed being together.  Indulged ourselves with dessert of Zumbo's Macarons and green tea.

Our decision to stay in even on the night of Chris' birthday has brought us to a few realizations. Nowadays, we do treasure moments being at home, just having quiet nights, occasion or no occasion.  We appreciate traveling as much as we appreciate being in the comforts of our home.  We love spending time with relatives and friends as much as we love having moments to ourselves.  It's all about balance especially when life is hectic with things to do, people to see and goals to accomplish.

On Sunday morning, we went back home and immediately faced the chores that await us but the two-night break we had, even if short, was uplifting and precious.

Celebrating Marriage Everyday

Our wedding happened four years ago...but my Husband and I celebrate our MARRIAGE everyday.
 

I received a very nice tweet from one of our closest friends in Manila and it said,  "Just saw your photo on your blog. You look lovely. Your Husband must be pleased everyday of his life."

To which I replied, "We're blessed to be together.  Everyday is a gift."

It's nice receiving compliments period. However, receiving compliments from friends mean a lot to us because they are the people who know us and know what we go thru as a couple.  Thru their compliments, we get to see how we grow together as a couple.

Our married life is far from ideal. We face challenges once in a while and there are frustrations that needs to be managed. But amidst some not-so-good times, we honour our marriage more and we respect each other more than to let the challenging times get the best of us.  Tempers sometimes get way out of hand but thank God, we have not made bad tempers a habit inside the home--and we have no plans of doing so. We are both peace-loving and fun-loving persons that we'd rather kiss and make-up than let pride get in the way of having fun.

One thing I love about our Marriage is that we never take the small things for granted. We actually believe the opposite--that it's always the small things that matter. Small things such as the way we greet each other when we arrive at home, how we never seem to get tired of saying "love you, love you!" (Yes, we say it twice), how after all these years of being so familiar with each other we say "please" when asking favours from each other,  how we still like holding hands, how we respect each other's personal space, how until now we still get surprised when we discover some things about each other and how we always say "thank you" for being there for each other.

Everyday is a gift and everyday we celebrate our marriage and togetherness by finding joy in the smallest of small things.

 

This is also my entry for this month's It's a Wife's Life Blog Carnival

Affirmation: Wear Your Blessings Well

Affirmation:

I will wear my blessings well

{image source}

Wearing your blessings well doesn't mean you have to brag about what you have.  Sharing your achievements in life doesn't mean you lack humility or you are a show-off.  When done sincerely, basking in the blessings given to you is a way of honouring God's presence in your life and embracing the abundance God has blessed you with.  

I've been inspired by Joel Osteen's thoughts on Wear Your Blessings Well and I thought this is worth sharing.  

Deuteronomy 28:2 says, “All these blessings will come on you and accompany you if you obey the Lord your God.” God is a rewarder of those that seek Him. When you keep God first place and do your best to honor Him, blessings always follow obedience. That means you will come into increase, promotion and good breaks you didn’t necessarily deserve. When blessings come, God desires that you wear His blessings well so you can be an example of His goodness and display His greatness to others. This means you are quick to give God the credit when credit is due. This means instead of feeling guilty for being blessed, you are thankful for His blessings and receive them with gratitude.

 Let God make an example of what it means to live a blessed, prosperous, abundant life through your life. We are His great representatives here on earth! Don’t hide what God has blessed you with from the world. Learn to let God’s goodness shine brightly in your life each and every day and wear His blessings well.

{source} 

Here's another worthy read: some key points from Joel Osteen's talk on Wear Your Blessings Well: 

When you’re blessed, the haters come out. When you step up to a new level, the backbiters show up. When you wear God’s blessings well, don’t be surprised if it draws jealousy out on people . But we got to get to a point where we say not arrogantly but in all HUMILITY, “I’m gonna wear God’s blessings well in spite of who doesn’t like it. I’m gonna take this promotion in spite of who gets jealous. I’m gonna wear this beautiful material blessings in spite of who gets envious. I’m gonna drive this brand new car in spite of who criticizes. I’m gonna move in to this nicer neighborhood in spite of who judges me.

Life is way too short to worry about what everybody things.  If friends get jealous and judge you and are critical, you need some new friends.  Because true friends celebrate you.  True friends encourage and cheer you on.  True friends are happy when you succeed.

People may criticize. They may judge you, they may find fault.. but they don’t know what it took to get to where you are. Some people come in at the end of the movie and they see you blessed, and prosperous and healthy, and sober and free and happy and they want to judge you and criticize. But the problem is, they missed the 1st part. They didn’t see the sacrifices you’ve made. They didn’t see the struggles that you endure. They didn’t see the battles that you’ve fought. The times you felt like giving up but you kept pressing forward. The nights that you stayed up and prayed and believed and gave and served. They didn’t see the price that was paid to get you to where you are. And that blessing may look free, but the truth is it cost you something.

Don’t let anyone make you feel guilty for the favor, the honor, the peace, the victory that God has given you. Somebody paid the price. Seeds were sown. That is God honouring your past, faith, your sacrifices, your faithfulness. Don’t hide your gifts and blessings God gave it to you. People are always gonna talk. That’s their problem not yours. If you will always wear your blessings well.. BEING QUICK TO ALWAYS GIVE GOD THE CREDIT, then there’s no limit to where God could take you. He’ll make you an example of what it means to LIVE A BLESSED, PROSPEROUS, ABUNDANT LIFE.

If you want to watch the video, please click this link.

Reflection and Quiet Time

Most true happiness comes from one's inner life, from the disposition of the mind and soul. Admittedly, a good inner life is difficult to achieve, especially in these trying times. It takes reflection and contemplation and self-discipline. 

- William L. Shirer

 
image by Chris Sanchez

In celebration of Holy Week, I have decided to spend a lot of quiet time until Easter. My Husband and I will mostly spend a peaceful time at home and will only see relatives if need be.

I will also make myself scarce online for now. I will resume blogging and other online activities I participate in after the Easter festivities.

I wish everyone a safe and spiritually productive Holy Week. Keep happy, kind thoughts!

He Can't Live Without Me

One thing about me and my Husband is that we are not much into words. Yes, we have the occassional letters, notes and we always express simple affection towards each other. However, we never liked talking about promises or saying grand statements like "You complete me!" hahaha. When it comes to our relationship as a couple, we believe that love is not love unless manifested in actions. We are a "less talk, more action" kind of couple. We both don't make promises to each other and we both don't mind NOT hearing them.

While writing this, I remember the moment we got engaged. His unique way of saying that he wanted to marry me was to show me a family (parents pushing their baby on a stroller) walking past us in a mall and said "I want something like that". And he was able to convince me to marry him because he never told me promises, instead, he showed me a clear example of what he wanted our life to be in a few years.

No matter how much I share some cheesy stuff we do or say to each other online, that is just that. Mind you, the surprises and our times together are never intended for romance (we are not romantics) but we do those cheesy stuff only for fun and we just like amusing each other. We just like making each other laugh.

And so if you'll ask me before if my Husband can't live without me, I'd reply to you, "I don't know." Because I really don't know...because he never said so...and I had never asked. Thinking about it now, that might be kinda weird 'no? We've been together for seven years now (bf-gf for 4 years and married for 3 years) and I never knew the answer to that question.

Until two weeks ago. We were talking about going home to Manila and we had a couple of "what if?" questions one of which was this:

Me: What if you need to vacation in the Philippines without me? Will you still go?
Him: It depends how long my vacation is
Me: What do you mean?

Him: Kung sandali lang pwede
Me: Eh ano naman kung matagal
Him: It wouldn't be the same without you vacationing with me
Me: How can it not be the same, eh it's the Philippines? That's home! If you vaycay without me, you can go wherever you want and see whomever you like...sky's the limit coz I won't be sagabal to your gimiks.
Him: I can't vacation alone for long without you
Me: Aha! Are you saying you can't live without me now???? (trying not to laugh)
Him: (looking like an embarrassed school boy) *pauses a bit* Yes

**Laughter**

So that's how I learned that he can't live without me. :)

To my dearest husband, happy 38th wedding monthsary. Thanks for taking me out today and thank you for days that turn out extraordinary just because I learn about things I never knew before. Our marriage is indeed one big adventure :)

Celebrating Marriage Everyday

Our wedding was three years ago...but my Husband and I celebrate our MARRIAGE everyday.

Yesterday I received a very nice tweet from one of our closest friends in Manila and it said "Just saw your photo on your blog. You look lovely. Chris must be pleased everyday of his life : - )"

To which I replied, "We're blessed to be together :) Everyday is a gift. :)"

It's nice receving compliments period. However, receiving compliments from friends mean a lot to us because they see the two of us grow together as a couple.

Our married life is far from ideal. We face challenges once in a while and there are frustrations that needed to be managed. But amidst some not-so-good times, we honour our marriage more and we respect each other more than to let the challenging times get the best of us. Yes, tempers (especially mine) sometimes get way out of hand but thank God, we have not made bad tempers a habit inside the home--and we have no plans of doing so. We are both lovers of peace (we are not a fan of fighting) that we'd rather kiss and make-up than let pride get in the way of having fun.

One thing I love about our Marriage is that we never take the small things for granted. We actually believe the opposite--that it's always the small things that matter. Small things such as the way we greet each other when we arrive at home, how we never seem to get tired of saying "love you, love you!" (yes, we say it twice), how after all these years of being so familiar with each other we say "please" when asking favors from each ther, how we still like holding hands, how we respect each other's personal space, how until now we still get surprised when we discover some things about each other and how we always say "thank you" for being there for each other.

Everyday is a gift and everyday we celebrate our marriage and togetherness by finding joy in the smallest of small things.

On Marriage (Thoughts on Our 28th Month)

"I've learned this much about marriage. You get tested. You find out who you are, who the other person is, and how you accommodate or don't."

"...there are a few rules I know to be true about love and marriage: If you don't respect the other person, you're gonna have a lot of trouble. If you don't know how to compromise, you're gonna have a lot of trouble. If you can't talk openly about what goes on between you, you're gonna have a lot of trouble. And if you don't have a common set of values in life, you're gonna have a lot of trouble. Your values must be alike."

"I think marriage is a very important thing to do, and you're missing a hell of a lot if you don't try it."

- from Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom

Husband and I are celebrating our 28th month today. Last night, before he tucked me into bed, he surprised me by saying "Good night!!! Happy monthsary!!". Being busy with so many concerns for the past weeks, it was only last night that I realized what day is today. I'm the kind of person that takes note of little things and whenever the Husband does any little thing of thoughtfulness, generosity or anything good, I appreciate his gesture with all my heart.

I shared an excerpt from Tuesdays with Morrie which tackled about Marriage because it is all true--in our case, that is.

So far, in the past 28 months that we have been together, we are doing good as a married couple. At a very young stage of our marriage, we have weathered a few challenges here and there...laughed so much, cried a bit, pissed each other off once in a while. Lots of crazy but fun times.

With each day together, I discover how lucky I am to have him for a husband, partner and bestfriend. Marriage is a challenging thing but what makes it easy is that our center has always been our Faith and our values in life.

To my dear Husband, happy 28th month! Because of you, I'm never without love. :)

Dr. Phil's Advice On Getting Married

Sharing with you a very logical advice on getting married. I highlighted the values that my Husband and I believed in when it comes to our concept of preparing for a marriage. We read this a year before we wed and it was one of those things that gave us additional realization that we were indeed ready for marriage.

I hope soon-to-be newlyweds (and maybe even married couples) could learn something from this. Read on and enjoy!

Dr. Phil's Advice On Getting Married

Everybody has core characteristics in their personality. Any incompatibility you experience with your partner won't magically change. If you don't address it before the wedding, they will only get worse and worse. Wedding papers change nothing!

If you're divorced and have children, and ditto goes for your partner, that's a huge deal! You're not only merging two lives together, you're merging two families with history. Work out issues until the threats of canceling the wedding stop, before walking down the aisle.

Too many people fall into the trap of preparing for the wedding, and not the marriage. Prepare for the marriage, and enjoy your wedding.

Remember your wedding is just a day, marriage is a lifetime.

You shouldn't say we're going to get married on X day. You need to say we're going to get married when we've done the work to resolve the problems and we have a plan. Then, and only then, when you have a life plan and you feel good about each other, should you claim that victory by walking down the aisle.

If you really love each other, and want to get married, you will do the work to get to that point.

For people very young and in love, don't put the adult phase into a preparation phase. You need to be an individual alone, before you can be an individual in a partnership. Grow and experience by yourself, before making the decision to get married.

If you haven't done your homework, and things start to fall apart in your marriage, your child pays the price.

Couple Reflection: The Direction of Your Thought Life

The direction of your thought life can determine the course of your marriage.

"Keep thy heart with all diligence, for out of it are the issues of life." Proverbs 4:23

As train 8017 made its way through Salerno, Italy on March 2, 1944, it gave no sign that disaster was in the making. The chugging train didn't collide with anything on that rain-soaked evening. It didn't derail or burn. But........shortly after 1:00 am, the train loaded with 600 passengers lumbered into the Galleria delle Armi. When the two locomotives pulling the train reached midtunnel, its driverwheels began to slip. Sand was sprayed on the tracks but to no avail. The wheels lost traction and the train stopped. All else is speculation since both engineers died. Carbon monoxide snuffled out the lives of nearly 500 people.


As analysis surveyed the wreckage, they found that the leading locomotive was unbraked, its controls set in reverse. The second locomotive was also unbraked, but its throttle was positioned "full ahead." The two locomotives had pulled and pushed against each other, their engineers obviously having fatally different ideas about what to do! Some have speculated that no lives would have been lost if the engineers had only been in agreement about which direction to go.


Make a decision today with your spouse that you will both move your thought life in the direction of God----then stay close by the controls of your minds.

Source: from an email forwarded by Gary.