When One of Your Dearest Friends Blogs About You

I was feeling a little low at work today due to one of my participant's little dramas and I found it really hard to jumpstart my morning and so the rest of my day was like so-so.

When I got home I found a new entry on Armi's site entitled "Photos with Ibyang" and it made me smile and teary-eyed at the same time. I'm so touched!!!

So after dinner, I surprised her by calling her :) What joy it was to talk to her again. Laughtrip galore talaga pag magkausap kami. It's been a long while since I've heard her voice and its such great comfort to catch up with her even for just a bit. After talking to her, I feel good now, i'm happier.

I planned to do something for her as well, I just haven't worked it out yet and I'm trying to find the right time to upload/write it. So before we hung up, I told her "naunahan mo ako hane!!! dapat gagawa rin ako ng entry for you."

Basta, I'll do it later.

Here's the link to the entry if you want to see: Photos with Ibyang

Thank you my dearest Armi...know that I love you always.

Make Your Day-offs Worthwhile

Don't you just love it when you have an extra day of no work in a week?

To make your day-offs worthwhile, emphasize on two things: (1) do something for yourself and (2) accomplish a chore or an errand that you never get to do during weekends.

Here's some suggestions:

Do something for yourself

1. Give yourself that much needed pampering by going to the salon or spa. Get yourself a haircut or your nails manicured/pedicured. Get a massage or a facial.
2. Watch a movie at home or at the cinema.
3. Shop. Buy something for yourself, something you are not able to buy when you're with family.
4. Relax at a cafe. Indulge by ordering your favorite cake on the menu.
5. Take a walk at the park.
6. Have lunch with a friend.
7. Finish a book you are reading.
8. Spend time with your kid/s. Take them to a musuem or the zoo or to some place they haven't been to.

Accomplish a chore/errand that you never get to do during weekends

1. Organize your closet. Get rid of clothes you haven't worn for two/three years. Get rid of make-up that's been there for too long.
2. Learn a new recipe.
3. Have your digital photos developed and put them in photo albums.
4. Make a scrapbook of your recent vacation.
5. Sort out files or documents, then throw away unimportant mails/documents you've kept for years.
6. Make a back-up of your computer files.

With these two things in mind and you're able to do at least one for each category, you will get a sense of accomplishment when the day ends. You will realize that your day-off was not put to waste because you did something for yourself and you're able to catch up on chores you seldom get to do.

Writings on Sand

Dear Husband,

Last Saturday, as I was aboard a ferry going to the beach, I saw an elderly couple sitting by the front deck with arms around each other. The woman caught my attention because we both had the same digital camera. Then suddenly, I saw the man holding a DSLR camera taking photographs of the woman. It reminded me of us. Of how we love going places and taking photographs together. Of how we love taking photos of each other. Of how we love just being near each other and making each other laugh. For the most part of the ride, they just sat together and enjoyed the view. The husband wrapped his arms around his wife, while the wife leaned on her husband's shoulders. From time to time, they would talk and laugh.

While watching them I asked myself "Will we be like them when we grow old?", "Will we still enjoy each other's company?", "Will we still look at each other tenderly even if we're old and tired?"

I sure hope so. My heart believes so.

Yours always,

Wifey :)

Manly Beach!!!!

This was a first time for me!!!!! Finally, I was able to go to Manly Beach after almost two years of being here in Australia.

After only 4 hours of sleep (Hilda and I slept at 1:30am) I woke up at 5:30am just so I could meet up with my Tita Bess and cousins Rachel and Patrick in the City.

I wasn't prepared to go to the beach on Saturday morning. Friday morning inside the train going to work, my tita told me that we were going to Manly beach. I said "What? I didn't bring clothes with me." Yeah, I planned to go home in work clothes again the following morning coz I was just going home anyway. So Friday after work, I stopped by a shop and bought a cheap shirt. I also borrowed a pair of sunnies from Hilda and then Rachel just brought my Havaianas with her.

At 6am, I was out and about. Arrived in the city at 7am. The city looked like a ghost town on a Saturday morning.

At 8am, we were off to Manly Beach via the ferry. Weee!!!! I was such a very excited child getting on a ferry, arriving at Manly, seeing new things---i love it! Ang saya-saya ko, grabe!

Oh I love Manly!!!! If I ever become rich I'd buy a house and live there. For the first time since I've lived here, meron na akong "dream place to live in Sydney."

Manly reminds me of The O.C. (you know the US TV series?) Ganung-ganun sya. It has a beach, it has shops around the beach and at the same time it's a residential area so it's a conducive place for settling down and having a family.

From 8:30-10am, we hung out by the beach area, playing with water and sand while enjoying the fresh air. It was cloudy at first but at around 9am, the sun finally shone.

After that we hung out at the shops and the markets. There was a Quicksilver shop that I really liked because of their interiors: they have walk-in closets where you can try your clothes on, a waiting area with cool sofas and lounge chairs and an aquarium.

We ate lunch at Ivanhoe where you can find the best $10 steak in Manly.

After lunch, we went back to the city and had dessert at Max Brenner at David Jones. We were a bit tired already by this time but before going home, we still window shopped at Myer because it is very seldom that we go to the city.

When I got home, I had this massive headache due to stress and not much sleep but nevertheless, I was so happy I was able to go somewhere I haven't been to today, plus I was able to spend time with my relatives. Happy :)

For more photos, please click here: Manly Beach Photos