Thank You 2007!

The year 2007 will always be special to me because it is a year of Transitions and Discovery. This was a year that has given me so much opportunity to grow and spread my wings. This was a year that tested my strength to the limit. This was a year of finding out what I am capable of doing, feeling, thinking and sharing.


As my Daddy said yesterday over the phone, "Nakaraos din." and I couldn't agree more. This year was one hell of rollercoaster ride for me as I had a lot of highs that made me love life even more and some lows which made me get up and say, "Bring it on!" Thru God's grace, the year was very kind to me in lots of ways and so here goes my Thank you's to 2007:


Thank you for giving me a lot of reasons to celebrate: my marriage to Chris, my 30th birthday, healthy parents, Chris passing his interview and medical exam for his spouse visa application, getting a permanent job in a government office, acquiring a learner's license, my 5th syota-anniversary with Chris and my 2nd year in Sydney.


Thank you for the challenges that made me stronger: changing my name, adjusting to married life, leaving the Phils again, being apart from my husband, robbery of our house in Taytay, dysfunctional dramas of our car in the Phils, being interviewed for the position I applied for, waiting for Chris' spouse visa approval and going thru an ultrasound exam alone just to know whether I'm healthy or not.


Thank you for the biggest transitions I've experienced so far: being a wife, being 30 and becoming one of the senior member of our team in the office.


Thank you for the gift of travel: Going home to the Phils for a visit, my honeymoon with Chris which took us to Boracay, Bohol, Cebu, Hongkong and Shenzhen, China, and I was able to visit more areas in Sydney.


Thank you for family and friends: Chris who loves me unconditionally, my parents and relatives who supports me, old friends who never tire of being there for me and new friends that added vibrance to my life.


Thank you for the gift of learning acquired thru my passions in life: people, food, coffee, travel and photography.


Thank you for re-uniting me with activities I love: watching theatre plays and playing badminton.


Thank you for the opportunity to do something I thought I never could: to model and be photographed.


Thank you for the gift of writing: I am able to reach out to people and share my thoughts.


Thank you for a lot of material blessings and comfort in my everyday living, some of which I am able to share with the less-fortunate.


Thank you for the little things: the ones I notice and the ones I seem to take for granted.


Thank you for the gift of inner peace and faith: that even if circumstances sometimes give me uncertainties, I am able to sleep well knowing that tomorrow will be a better day and that God will always be faithful to me.


With all the memories made this year--with all the joys, challenges and learning--I will say goodbye to 2007 a little more better and bigger of a person. I will leave 2007 with more hope, faith and love.


And to my dear family and friends, may your 2008 be as sparkling as you hoped it to be!


Credits: Photography by Jonathan Dael and Graphics by Chris Sanchez.

Getting Ready For Next Year

Three reasons why I had to go out today: (1) To buy personal stuff that I would need for next year; (2) To visit a travel agency and inquire flights and costs of flights going to Dubai; and (3) To spend some quality time with myself, just to think and relax and de-stress.

I decided to finally finish shopping for things that I will need for next year (personal effects like undergarments, socks, moisturizers, facial sunblock and a cure for my Tendonitis) so that I won't have to think of it anymore. I will have a pretty hectic year next year so in order to focus on what needs to be done, I have to have my personal stuff handy should the need arises. I have carefully made an inventory of what I have right now and I'm good to go for next year. I can practically not buy any vitamins, cosmetics, bags and clothes for the whole year of 2008. I realized that everytime I shopped for the past few weeks prior to Christmas, I was unconsciously buying stuff I will need for next year. And that is good. At least when the husband arrives, we will be able to focus on what he needs especially that he's starting a new life here.

I finally found the time and urge to visit the travel agency. It feels good to finally be able to talk to someone about my travel plans for next year and know the flight schedules and how much it will cost me to go to Dubai. I had a very giddy feeling when I left the travel agency while holding the paper that states my tentative booking. I'm sooo thirsting for travel talaga. Other than wanting to see my husband, I have this aching feeling of wanting to step on an airplane and just go far far away.

I ended my day-out by hanging out at Starbucks. I ordered a tall Americano and Caramel Cheesecake and savored it while thinking of what I have to thank for in the year 2007. I just had to diligently think about it coz my year was really "Whoah!". There's so much that happened this year that I just had to carefully think about it and organize my thoughts. I have to say thank you to 2007 properly so I can welcome 2008 properly too and I can only do that when I write it down.

How about you? What are you grateful for in 2007? What are your personal highlights this year? And what are your preparations for year 2008?

My Tefal Collection

Another Tefal non-stick frying pan to add to my collection:

This was on sale and the moment I saw it, my immediate reaction was "Lutuan ng Pancit!!" Pero hindi naman ako marunong magluto ng pancit dahil hindi ako mahilig dun. Pero why not? Basta, at least may lutuan ako ng Pancit. Matututunan ko rin siguro later kung paano magluto nun.

So now I got three non-stick frying pans (20cm, 26cm and 32cm)

Oh ha? Aliw na aliw ako nang mapag-sama-sama ko ang tatlong non-stick pans ko. Para akong batang nakabuo ng puzzle bigla.

And just today, I realized that my pots and pans are all Tefal. Lalo akong naaliw. :)

At least may stainless steel at non-stick pots and pans na ako. At may malaki pa akong Kawali (Wok) na pwede ko ring gamitin sa pagluto ng Pancit na pang-maramihan.

Okay, one of these days I really have to learn how to cook Pancit...nai-inspire ako nang dahil sa mga baby kong Tefal hehehe.

Coffee Cups

I just finished talking to Husband and I'm more excited to see him coz he's giving me coffee cups from Portugal.

Babaw ba? For me, it isn't really. One of the things I will make sure when we have a place of our own is that all the guests that will visit us at home will have a very good experience drinking coffee with us. Drinking coffee is very important to me, it's an art. I want our guests to love the taste of coffee that we serve them and we want them to feel very special when they see the kind of coffee cups we let them use.

I saw the photos of the coffee cups online and they looked cute to me and they're made in Portugal. So there goes my love for coffee and travel in one coffee cup--though we've never been to Portugal but still the thought that it was made there would give me a certain high while using those coffee cups. Maybe a lot of you won't understand my passion when it comes to the art of drinking coffee, but my Husband surely knows me well to get me those coffee cups.

Those cups are also available here so the Husband told me, "So I don't have to bring it pala, we can buy it there." And I said, "No, those cups are mine, mine, mine." At least yung bigay nya galing pa sa Dubai so it will always remind me of where it came from other than Portugal. MY coffee cups has a story to tell and for me that has more value.

And so I thought we'll be using Starbucks coffee cups (which was the initial plan), hindi pala. We'll be using a different brand now that Chris already got a set of those coffee cups he got for me. But I'm not closing my doors on having Starbucks coffee cups---maybe later. But for now, I can't wait to get my hands on those cutie coffee cups.