INSIDE OF ME

Masterplan (Our Humble Abode IV)

2020-09-26T15:34:00.008+08:00

Welcome... 😘

²⁰ Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine

Ephesians 3:20a (NIV)

The Living Room

When we got married we'd been allocated one bedroom and one bathroom at our 2nd house in Sta. Mesa because the rest of the property were used by lady bed-spacers. It was a tight-space, although honestly we didn't really mind back then, we're just thankful we had a place to live in. As you might have figured out, we didn't have much privacy and this included our embarrassing and not so pleasant fighting and shouting (okay I admit I always struggle with my temper and have a super loud voice when I get mad😛which we'll cover probably in another testimonial post...and that's a big probably😀)...

Fast forward from a one-bedroom abode..to having the whole house to ourselves renovated, to buying our first townhouse out of the country...then in 2019 moving to a house on a masterplanned community. I guess you can understand now why Ephesians 3:20 is very special to us!💝 And we've even put it in our entry wall as an opportunity to tell our guests of God's graciousness.

Entry, Study, Laundry

It was a difficult decision to move though, having all our memories and both kids growing up in that townhouse for almost 6 years... plus we're creatures of habit, we're settled back there, complacent and comfortable. We only bought the lot in 2017 as an investment, heeding our parent's advice and thinking of something to give to our kids in the future. After one year, our investment property got $50k of equity allowing us breathing space that we did the right thing. Then 2019 came and prices plummeted...rental assessment in the townhouse which is a much smaller place was just the same as the projected rental of the new house which is almost twice as big in living space, we're devastated. But since we have a big God who knows everything, we sought His guidance on what to do. After several confirmations through our prayers and Bible readings, we chose to obey the Lord to move to the new house with bit of heavy heart (I will not lie) as moving is very difficult. But we put our trust in God's promises, among these are these two separate confirmations given to me and hubby that triggered our decision to rent out our townhouse and finally take the leap to move once again.

Haggai 2:9(NIV)

⁹ ‘The glory of this present house will be greater than the glory of the former house,’ says the Lord Almighty. ‘And in this place I will grant peace,’ declares the Lord Almighty.”

Psalm 18:19(NIV)

He brought me out into a spacious place;
he rescued me because he delighted in me.

The Bedrooms

The Master

Our color palette are the simple and safe grey, white, and black colors all throughout the house. They're pretty boring I know but it is easy to match them with other colors including vibrant colors like my favorite: Yellow. It took me a while to find this color combination for bedroom sheets though so I was elated when I finally did. Can't blame my love for my happy color... I'm trying not to be over the top with it but when I found these cute kettle and toaster range, I just had to convince the hubby that it's worth it to have them😜because our old toaster was already rusting.

View this post on Instagram

more of my happy color with this breakfast range💕

A post shared by Honeylou May (@meideguia) on Sep 2, 2020 at 4:24pm PDT

Ahia Yonky's initial favorite color was Red but it now changed to Green so the kids' bedrooms have pink and green feature walls and have almost the same size except ahia Yonky's has more wardrobe space courtesy to papa when he redesigned the robe space to go towards the garage for us to have a proper powder room. The standard separate toilets here don't have sinks!...That's probably why everyone's after toilet paper rolls at the initial stages of the #covid #pandemic💥.

Only ahia Yonky got to pick a new bed, which we'd explained to both of them, as he's the firstborn and Sophie got our old bed from Ikea when we were still renting because it's still in good condition. We'll just changed it when she's bigger.

Kids' Rooms

Most of our living room stuffs in the townhouse were able to fit in our rumpus so we didn't change much in that space as we didn't want to waste perfectly working appliances and furniture. As part of the build, we'd just added a library wall for our books, DVDs(most documentary collections given as gifts from Tita Nitz), photos and knick-knacks and planning to add a feature wallpaper in one wall. Ever since I got the shifting work late last year, we'd turned part of the rumpus as my workspace and the other half as the TV room while the guest bedroom which we initially planned as the office-guest bedroom, is temporarily a playroom so there's only one room that's messy at the end of the day😉

Guest Room and Playroom

Papa and Mama told us they'll buy their own bed when they come to visit which we'd planned for May this year but that got cancelled due to the world crisis. Luckily, I haven't given away the daybed that I used when I gave birth to Sophie and couldn't go up the 2nd floor of our townhouse, so for now the daybed stays in this room and I just added a relaxing painting on the wall until they come visit us.

The D-I-Y Gardens

For the gardens, it started out bare...

pre-DIY

and to save money, we did all the landscape planning layout, plant beds, planting, top-soils and top-dressing applications and even laying the actual grass! Tita Leonie, Frank and Jhen had given us some beautiful plants for our garden and they're still alive👍Some parts of the lawn though have suffered from the last bush fire season (or probably from our inexperience hehehe), a bit unleveled and had since started browning so we're doing our best efforts again trying to make them lush and green with the help of google😄

The concreting, pavers and any cement work were the only ones done by professionals and after all the hard-work, happy with how everything turned out. Our current project is setting up a vertical garden to add some flowery plants, herbs and small vegetable planters because I'm not sure if you've noticed but most plants we'd picked are really low-maintenance as we didn't trust our gardening skills initially. But to be honest, lately I'm finding gardening really therapeutic during this time of #covid2020

Back Garden post-DIY

We still have some small projects to tick off our list but for now during this slow-motion, covid-induced lifestyle... we just appreciated God's perfect timing and protection moving us to this new community where there's so much greenspace and not so many houses yet to worry about social distancing... Now more than ever, houses become our workplaces, hobby-spots, vacation-spots and most especially safe haven and sanctuary💛

Our first New Year in the new place #nye2020

TO GOD BE THE GLORY

Our Princess Sophie - Pure Wisdom

2017-05-05T23:41:00.002+08:00

Cutie Patootie born on January 2015

I can't believe it's been 3 years since my last post, wow! Reflecting back, I initially thought I lost the young me with so much zest in life but as I see how things are right now... my old me just took a step back cause I'm now a mom and not just a mom of one but of two! - our darling victorious prince Yonky bonky gained a sister... the newest (and yes the last) addition to the family - princess Sophie whopie.

The reason I wanted to post this is because I don't want our Sophie telling me one day why I didn't have any posts about her so I'll try to catch up as much as I could. And can you believe it, I finally got some true down time at work after 5 years in OZ land so yey!

So what's the meaning in the name?

I firmly believe, we should start calling our babies by their names right from the womb. So after we'd brainstormed for names, we'd decided with these two:
Rykel Caleb if it's a boy - that means Faithful Rich One
and
Honeyclaire Sophia if it's a girl which means Clear/Pure Wisdom

20 weeks

As soon as we found out the gender of our baby close to 20 weeks, we started calling her by her baby name Sophie. And probably because God knows she'll be our last child by birth method, she seemed to also exude the personality of a faithful rich one as she really has a strong rich personality even from the womb... strong kicks like she's having a party inside my tummy ;p

Much like her ahia Yonky, Sophie didn't give me an easy pregnancy. If our little prince overextended his stay in my womb, little princess wanted to come out fast in a bang! One day I just went to pee and found so much blood, I screamed in panic! :_( Can't describe the feeling of helplessness then, we thought we're going to lose her after the long wait...everything just flashed back slow motion.

But God is really good, even though I started bleeding at 32 weeks, we praised God for protecting Sophie. She's after all one of our testimonies of God's faithfulness. We finally have our own house and our prayers before moving to Australia all answered before He decided it's time for us to have another child. Sophie, even though a premmy, was also just a day short of 37 weeks when she welcomed the world! Special thanks to Dr. Tien Huynh for being proactive in our care. I would truly advise every mom if they could at all (because it's only optional here) to get a real OBY-GYN from day1 to ensure right care is given throughout pregnancy and delivery.

35+5 weeks - a week before she came out

Our kids are almost 7 years apart... it's been a long wait. We never did pray to have Yonky early in our marriage but we did pray for Sophie when we're already ready to have another one especially when we're seeing Yonky so lonely not having anyone to play with.

As for raising another kid again, it felt like first time for us all over again plus we didn't have the luxury of having nannies and families here in Australia. First time I gave birth, I had tons of people assisting me during recovery and after we came home like helping me in bathing a newborn and cleaning newborn's umbilical cord... pretty scary that time mind you. Here in this foreign land though, dada had to look after Yonky while I had to stay by myself in the hospital. And I had to be admitted early due to the bleeding so the last few weeks, it was really a painful wait as I was in and out of the hospital. Not that I didn't receive proper care from the nurses in Westmead Private because I really did and also not that I didn't recover quicker because I also did even with double procedure done to me because we also opted for me to have tubal ligation immediately after delivery because it's already my 2nd time under the knife (yup C-section again)... It's just that it's different without family, extended family and friends coming over constantly and fussing over you and the new baby...really made a huge difference. Since Sophie came out earlier than my due date, my parents also were not around during D-day.

Nevertheless, we survived and now she's two!(another post for toddlerhood). Surprisingly also Sophie loved latching on to me. So even if i didn't have too much milk(mix feeding from birth), we bonded a lot until I felt I had to give up breastfeeding completely at 5 or 6 months of age in order to function properly at home and get ready to go back to work because Sophie by then had been cuddling and milking almost for extended hours at a time which really stressed and exhausted me (please don't judge) and I have another school kid to look after.

We'd trained Sophie same way we did Yonky (cause what else should we do?!...that's what we know how to do parenting!). We fed her well during day time so she would be full enough for a good night sleep at night. And guess what..she's pretty much sleeping the whole night by 2 months (thank you Lord!). The cool part like what God said in His word:

14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. Psalm 139:14 (NIV)

is even though we raised them same way, each kid is really unique. Sophie has a strong independent personality. At an early age, we can see her intelligence leaning towards bodily-kinesthetic as her motor skills are very refined and very agile at an early age. There were few differences in raising them which I'd like to note down for Sophie and Yonky to laugh about when they grow older.

Aside from my favorite Christian songs, my favorite lullaby for Yonky was "Moon River" but to Sophie for some reason "Atin Cu Pung Singsing" hum always came to mind hahaha :)
Sophie didn't get too much exposure to music because she likes peace and quiet to sleep. Nevertheless, we're seeing her love of dancing and lately singing to funky upbeat songs like Zumba.
Sophie inherited my OCD tendencies. She'd automatically flagged "ah ah (aka dirty)" if she saw one teeny bit of dirt anywhere. She also packs away her toys neatly at an early age.
(I'll keep adding as I remember more)

As a mom, I love taking pictures of Sophie same with what I did with Yonky. We also made every monthly birthdays leading to her 1st birthday a mini-celebration like what we did with Yonky. Unfortunately, if I have to post each and everyone here, that could easily take up a couple of pages :).

So let's just choose a few: Fast forward to her first trip to the Philippines and her first official photo shoot with a real photographer... our bodies and hence moods didn't adjust well to the weather back home so hats off to the photographer Cliff from Giggles and Chuckles for these adorable photos! Sophie looked too cute crying or smiling!

awwww!

little tinkerbell

On her actual 1st birthday, I dressed her with the clothes that Owa gave her and put on her Princess Sofia tiara. Our little chinita was just so pretty showing off her pearly whites. For some reason, remote control and bubbles were the only ones that can make her smile then hehe.

Jan 2016 1st birthday

Then for her 1st birthday party, we dressed her as Sofia the First(smart choice huh?! hehehe) We soon realized that organizing a party here is soo difficult because it's soo expensive logistically at least. We didn't have the party we envisioned but we did the best we could. We DIY'd most items to save but in the end we did want to celebrate it with love, grace and most of all great food as it's her 1st birthday after all and we wanted it to be memorable and celebrate this great blessing with the people we love and can attend. We'd just decided that all her major parties going forward should be done in the Philippines c/o lolas and lolo hehehe.

Our Princess Sophia at her 1st birthday party

Thank you JESUS for Sophie's life. Please continue to cover her with Your love and protection. TO GOD BE THE GLORY

That Which We Call Ours

2014-02-27T20:07:00.002+08:00

²¹Let them praise the Lord for His great love
and for the wonderful things He has done for them.
Psalms 107:21(NLT)

What can I say... at this point I'm really drowning from my responsibilities at work. Blame it to organizational changes which as much as I'd like to complain we can't really avoid. So why not remember God's goodness to us... as I always like to say to myself... fight bad memories with good memories or in this case... stressful work with God's provisions.

So I know this post is already so delayed in the making, but I now feel much better after compiling the pictures (mind you they're taken as early as last year two weeks after our move but didn't quite find the time to post them... so it's kinda a mixture of some old and new pictures of our new house... better visit us if you want to see which is which hehe).

So to start, as you enter the front door, you'll see my statement wall. If you haven't figured out yet, I love yellow... it makes me happy =)... and I also love autumn, my favorite season of all times... so I'm just sooo happy I found this decal online... (more decals below)

I'm a frustrated interior designer... as opposed to my college bestfriend who I visited in Melbourne last year and likes country decor... I, on the other hand, like modern, bright, clean and somewhat magazine-type look in the house...
If I can change careers and has opportunity to do so I'd probably choose interior design or follow the footsteps of my father in civil engineering. There's just beauty in building things and accomplishing new projects.

I'm also very thrifty... so instead of buying new things, the furnitures that we owned, we still kept (why waste perfectly working pieces right?)... and just somehow make it work in the new rooms which have entirely different sizes than our previous rented houses...

Be warned I don't like things to be moved from the way I initially envisioned them although I do make sure each of us in the family has our own respective nooks to mess around(yup OC-mode kicking in!... you can just imagine how I pester my husband and son to keep things the way they are, poor boys)

decals all over the house:) once I've tried them, I can't stop. I still have one piece in storage that I didn't put coz hubby is complaining it will be too flowery at the house hahaha.

Before we explore the rest of downstairs... let's move to the bedrooms! This house has 3 bedrooms and 2 full baths and a powder-mix-with-laundry room.

The master's bedroom is just one big bed of haven. My place of relaxation.

One of the things I appreciated in this house although it's not my first and second choice but definitely what God gave to us is that we have our own en suite bath. It's definitely an adjustment from our first and so years to have only one full bathroom in the house.

We also now have a separate guest bedroom/study room. Our sofa-bed can finally rest from being a bed(except probably in the winter when the three of us love to snuggle-in by the heater). We put the computer table and ottoman in this room as well as it cannot fit in the current layout of the living room.

guest bedroom with two different combination sheets depending on my mood :)

And last but not the least, the biggest room = Yonky's room. You'll just never know if God will bless us with another child, it doesn't hurt to be prepared right.... there'll be lots of space for a nursery.

So aside from the en suite bathroom in the master's bedroom, there's a common big bath which is bigger than the one in our room. Yonky is really very lucky to have bubble bath time:)

yup... I do love indoor plants in the bathroom

Aside from the rooms and bathrooms upstairs, there's nothing much up there except a good view of the neighborhood... some good view of faraway fireworks last Australia Day and also a good linen storage.

Now let's go back downstairs at the kitchen with the adjoining dining... I've always always dream to have kitchen island but what we're given is still a pretty good size and lots of storage. I mean cooking is not really my passion so it's more than I can handle really. And although we have a dishwasher, I'm not really using it coz I'm afraid it will increase our water bill ;p.

and finally the living room....
If there's one thing to fault in this house... it's that the living room area is not as big as I'd like it to be coz a chunk of the land area went to the garden and additional storage room in the garage. Not that I'm complaining, I don't deserve to complain period. I firmly believe God gives the perfect gifts... we might not initially figure it out but He does. I mean there's only three of us and I'm not really a social person...so you can count the times we'll have visitors in the house in one hand in a year (although we're praying to start a Bible study at home with some friends... it is afterall God's house).

Also my hobbies are just reading and writing and God gave me a perfect spot with a perfect view of the garden to contemplate and observe... so God really knows best.

For the location, it's again more than we expected... walking distance to KFC, Chinese restaurant, Aldi grocery and Hungry Jacks (Aussie's burger king version), 20-minute walk to the train and less than 5-minute walk to a bus stop... with kid's park and childcare services in the neighborhood... we can't ask for more.

TO GOD BE THE GLORY... all praises and thanks to our LORD JESUS who's the only LIVING GOD who provides and answers prayers in the most unexpected ways...

One Year :):):)

2013-11-28T18:43:00.000+08:00

Last Oct 30, 2013, I celebrated my first year back as full-time employee... so I thought I'd share with you (I know I've been neglecting my blog for ages ;p don't blame me blame my boss)

So I received this email from our country director and even though it looks to be generic, I really feel proud I've reached this far in my career

Congratulations on your first 12 months with the company.

I want to send you this note to recognise the anniversary of your commencement, applaud your decision to join XXXXX and celebrate your accomplishments to date.

I hope you are enjoying your career experience and wish you continued success and happiness throughout your career with XXXXX.

So what have I been up to lately? Well let these recognitions speak for themselves:) (only reason I'm sharing these is because I deserved them... they're arranged from oldest to newest)...It's difficult enough to succeed in your own country given the competition... but to keep the momentum up in another country by God's grace with language and cultural barriers and all... that for me is something else and just to be personally recommended by my manager to level-up is enough of an achievement for me

Let's just say my kitchen is getting happier from the points that I got :):):)

Performance Factor: Builds Technical Capabilities

Outcome: Mei, your techincal growth over the past months has been amazing and you've overcome every challenge which has come your way.

Performance Factor: Organizes and Directs Quality Work Efforts

Outcome: Mei's rapid adoption of the ODP team's new software logistics tools/processes into the Accenture team's workflow has been met with praise from the bank, and has helped to build our credibility. Beyond this, her efforts have helped to organise the team's work and ease the transition for newer team members, which has been especially valuable under the presently unstructured commercial arrangement.

Performance Factor: Maximizes Team's Performance

Outcome: In lieu of you achieving the ITIL v3 Foundation Certification within time constraints while delivery project objectives.

Performance Factor: Builds Technical Capabilities

Outcome: Outstanding achievements and high Customer Satisfaction in delivering T&I services for the XXXX Core Banking projects.

Personal Message:
First year in Australia! Time flies Thanks for all your help over the past year, Mei. I know these non-monetary cards are a bit annoying. We'll fix that up when they sort out my points budget.

Again thank you to my God, my Provider and my Redeemer who makes all things possible in His time and in His own perfect will.

³¹but those who hope^(A) in the Lord will renew their strength.^(B)They will soar on wings like eagles;^(C) they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.^(D)Isaiah 40:31(NIV)

TO GOD BE THE GLORY

Outback Steakhouse Australia

2013-07-28T21:51:00.002+08:00

Outback Steakhouse

South Wentworthville, NSW

www.outbacksteakhouse.com.au

Now I'm just too excited today at finally been able to eat at Outback Steakhouse. We've been planning to eat at any Philippine branches of this chain for as long as I can remember ever since we've heard this from Boys Night Out radio program. And after more than a year or so... we'd finally made it to the resto (just 5-min drive to our place)!!!

Been down and out lately...I mean the weather is just really killing me... almost bearable 20s then suddenly back to 6 degrees, I'm just really not used to cold weather!!! So this is one of my ways to cheer up and bond with my boys - pig out, movies, and our usual house hunting this weekend.

Plus we really have reasons to celebrate... I mean we've met our target budget savings (even without my expected tax returns thank you very much) due in part to hubby's relentless hard-work... salary increase is just round the corner(or so I hope) and just 2 more weeks before our Snowy Mountain trip with church friends so I am just ecstatic and I had no reason to sulk(like what I'd been doing this week) just because weather is not to my liking right?!

So here it is... my food blog in ages!!!

For starters... we had the Bloomin' Onion(picture next to dessert below) which basically is a fried onion except for the exceptional flowery presentation... I actually liked the taste and was enjoying my every bite until dada told me we're just paying for the presentation (killjoy on the house :$).

Next they served Yonky's meal (not in the pictures) which is a Nippers Red Pasta with Apple Juice from the kids' menu. I just thought Yonky might be so sick of just eating chicken varieties at restaurants... that he can try kids pasta for a change... and what a successful choice... he chewed fast hurrah! Also loved their kid activity booklet with kids menu... very creative and kept Yonky entertained the whole time we're eating unlike just one page activity/coloring sheet in other restaurants.

The wait is looong (with dada pointing this out but I really didn't mind as I just want to chillax with my son and hubby) as we met with a realestate agent from 1:20 to past 2pm before we had our lunch and we're off to Church service by 3:45pm... so hubby was really getting impatient. Eversince he started leading at church, he's really become more responsible about our duties and being on time at church so one responsibility off my list and dada is now the one getting stressed on Sundays if we're running late on schedule :)

Finally our main course were served - Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad (surprise surprise this was Dada's choice...we're really going for the healthy are we?!) and to satisfy our cravings ... Baby Back BBQ Pork Ribs. One of the posters outside the resto said, 'home-cooked meal is overrated' and with my background and laziness in cooking I really couldn't agree more especially as the price is reasonable and most especially since labor is way up high here in Aussieland(and my rate is high chos hehe;p).. so I'd rather eat out if not constricted by budget.

We ended our meal with Chocolate Thunder dessert... a winner for all three of us. The brownie base is just yum yum yum.... a perfect way to celebrate food and family time and it had put a wonderful smile on my face... indulgence is the word :)

Church Camp

2013-07-22T22:06:00.000+08:00

Family Church Camp

Mount Victoria, NSW

lutanda.com.au

I couldn't sleep today.... thought of watching movies, TV replays or reading then decided to just blog as I've neglected my site for ages!!!

So apologies, this post happened early this year... a good way to get inspired. In the Philippines, we usually have prayer and fasting week to kick off the year while here in Aussie, we start with a church camp to align us back to the importance of prayer. The theme this year is Prayer and Revival....and we've been doing it for a couple of months now and we're seeing a lot of movements happening by faith and by grace...

For our family, we started serving which is one of our life long dream as a couple; and one of our foremost reasons to migrate is actually to grow in faith...

Dada is leading one prayer group and leading prayers for some activities in the worship service
We also volunteered to teach at least once a month in Sunday school and we're loving the kids
I'm doing monthly bulletin

It's quite fulfilling to be helping in the body of Christ, knowing that we're using our spiritual gifts for the good of all... But I wouldn't deny that sometimes when we lose our focus and become self-centered, it can get tiring until God snaps us once more to remember and purify our motives to only bring glory to His Name.

So found these pics... pictures are taken by our church resident photographer kuya RG so I'm not even attempting to put my copyrights in them :p At one of the nights, some of us performed. We're actually hand-picked by Tita Rose to join her in the skit that she prayed about while my son sang "Lord I Offer my Life" which is one my lullabies to him as he was growing up... but we actually didn't plan for him to sing...until later on when we're told we had to prepare something, we requested our son to be our representative not expecting that we'll be performing too. My son won first place while our group won second place =) As bonus we even had good sponsors from the couple Kuya Vince and Ate Emie for our prices so all is well that ends well.

I just feel really blessed... 6months had passed once again for 2013 and it is just good to reflect and remember how God is working in our lives...

¹⁹How abundant are the good things^(A)
    that you have stored up for those who fear you,
that you bestow in the sight of all,^(B)
    on those who take refuge^(C) in you.
²⁰In the shelter^(D) of your presence you hide^(E) them
    from all human intrigues;^(F)
you keep them safe in your dwelling
    from accusing tongues. - Psalm 31:19-20(NIV)

THANK YOU GOD

TO GOD BE THE GLORY

Modeling: A Salute to My Wonderful Parents

2013-06-10T19:29:00.001+08:00

There was a point in my life... while growing up.. where I always question(just to myself) why we don't have updated nintendo games yet my parents can help other kids and send them to school. The only "gadget" I remember we had as kids was the family computer with a 40-in-1 game (not even a 100-game-in-1 mind you) and we had that just because papa worked in Saudi and bought that for us as present. I had to buy my own brick game because my parents didn't bought me one but only after a few hours regretted that I had to spend for something that I'll eventually grew tired of...When I became a Christian... I finally understand what my parents were trying to teach us that not because you have money to buy things doesn't mean you'll buy things.

Pastor Bong Saquing even said at one of his afternoon messages that "naaawa siya" with those people whose happiness depends on getting what's "in"... and focuses on always updating their cellphones and laptops(ie gadgets). When I read a book from the founder of Gospel for Asia, the message is also the same that why do we need two TV sets when we can have one and donate the cost of another TV to missions.... He even went as far as selling his new car to buy a second-hand car so he can have funds to start his mission work in Asia. He said just normal sacrifices in the western world like skipping your cup of coffee for a week can already start one church planting in Asia!

My parents were that way too... they've provided us the necessities...and probably some wants but never did they spoil us when we're growing up....You see we're trained not to be the "bili mo ko" kids...

I don't know exactly why, but I'm scared asking for something when I was young... we had that respectful fear towards our parents. Almost graduated with honors from HS with a worn out shoes with holes just because I didn't want to ask for a new shoes which I will only wear for the graduation day (my mom of course thought otherwise)...but the point is our parents trained us to have "delayed gratification" not necessarily on their sermons or family discussions but more by their own actions and examples.

I'm hearing from other people that we have enough, but inside the family, we're never taught to think that way... we're not perfect kids, we also had our setbacks...but I value that early on, it was shown to us by our parents how to be good stewards of God's blessings... that the blessings are not just for our own use and happiness instead if there's a way to help out people really in need especially of basic education, good health and shelter that we should help.

Now that we're all grown up and have our own means...our parents spoil their grandkids (cascading the benefits to us as parents) but that's for another story.

There's a scenario in my childhood where the wife of an employee was crying out to my mom one day because their kid needed blood as the kid has leukemia and I remember vividly my mother telling the mom that "it's the life of the kid" and of course they'll help. If I'm not mistaken they'd used up every means and connections to get blood for the kid. Another story is about a second cousin of mine crying out to me and sharing that she wouldn't know what to do if my mom is not there helping out my deaf niece get equipped to survive this world... actually there's too many stories to put in writing...

Now that I'm a parent myself...I'm trying to recall if there's a formula in raising up kids...checking every verses in the Bible and remembering parenting seminars at church; it always says to teach and to model what's in the Bible. It will not guarantee what will happen to them, but they'll have solid foundation on the truth... and hopefully they'll choose the same belief as ours.

Yonky's Quotable Quotes #3

2013-04-12T18:44:00.002+08:00

4 years old 2013

wala na mas magaling na si pogi:(topic food group while eating pork binaggoongan)
Dada:meat is my favorite
Yonky:I like vegetables.
Mei:i think you like fruits coz u eat them faster than vegetables
Yonky: no!i like vegetables, hw about you,what's your favorite food group?
Mei:fruits
Yonky:there are red,yellow,green,blue,purple
Mei: ow I knw, meat is red,yellow is fruit, green is vegetables..(interrupted)
Yonky:no yellow is oil, because oil is small line..I'm correct teacher told me so I'm correct
Dada:are you learning about fud triangle?
Yonky..it's fud pyramid.red is fruit,blue is dairy, green is vegetables, purple is meat, yellow is oil

(watching kailangan ko'y ikaw marathon...)
Yonky: mommy is that kris aquino?
Mei: yes
Yonky: I saw Kris Aquino kissing a boy (oh no...)
...(after episode their mom died)
Yonky: that's a nice story mommy but it's just a bit sad

(pretend play wacky poses)
Yonky: "mommy put your eyes down"...
Mei: "like this?" (then put my eyes down)
Yonky: "no, there should be now black in the eyes"
Mei: "oh I don't know how to do that"
Yonky: (wide eyed and bouncing with excitement) "tita leng knows how to do it"

Yonky: I want krisTV melai
Mei: Melai? Who do you like more melai or maricar?
Yonky: Melai
Mei: eh who's more beautiful melai or maricar?
Yonky: Melai

Confessions of an Alpha Female

2013-04-04T18:40:00.003+08:00

For the longest time I resent as in R-E-S-E-N-T working period. I always dream of everyone taking care and treating me like a princess... somehow, someway in a weird unexplainable way... that resentment actually made me work harder at trying to be independent, learning things on my own and surviving (you know just in case)...

and turned into 100% Alpha Female... I'm an achiever and always want to be the best. If I want something, I get it done bulldozing everything (people, thought, emotions, advice etc) along the way... until I get it, and get it the way I want it...not to mention I'm just overwhelmingly blessed that I feel I get things a lot easier than others... which for your information I do not take for granted, in fact sometimes I get scared but mostly I'm thankful.

still at the back of my mind... what if I just stayed at home and be a full-time mom and wife? I always dream of having the traditional family with the husband busy working somewhere and the wife busy taking care of the household (not that I grew up in that kind of setup or maybe precisely because I didn't grow up in that type of family that I long for it...who knows?!)... but then my resentment in working grew and my restlessness grew, not that it stop me from being great at what I do but still a part of me object that I work hard and can't help myself to do overtime just because I don't want to fail at what I do.

Confusing... I know! It confused my life for years... but I love being 30 and being on our own in this foreign land. Somehow God gave me better perspective on things. That I'm really good at what I do at work and being good at it means I have responsibility to my team (the things I need to do is not yet clear but I knew I'm in the right place at the right time even if circumstances sometimes drive me nuts). And there are people around me that enables me to be good at what I do. Like I have a husband who supports me one hundred percent whatever path I choose to take or if not gives me better alternative... that he can do so much more household chores than I could ever do and doesn't complain that I'm not the dutiful "masilbing" wife that culture and tradition expects of a wife... that he learned with God's grace to prioritize family over friends and vices...that he learned to give up better opportunities because he works around our son's schedule. And I have parents who no matter how strict and conservative they are I'm sure I can surely rely and turn to when I fall down and make bad decisions... And most of all I have a God that watches over me and blesses me not because I'm better or I'm a good person but to bring glory to His Name.

And besides... never in the Bible does it say not to work... in fact the Proverbs 31 wife works and works hard!

Epilogue: The Wife of Noble Character

¹⁰^[b]A wife of noble character^(K) who can find?^(L)
    She is worth far more than rubies.
¹¹Her husband^(M) has full confidence in her
    and lacks nothing of value.^(N)
¹²She brings him good, not harm,
    all the days of her life.
¹³She selects wool and flax
    and works with eager hands.^(O)
¹⁴She is like the merchant ships,
    bringing her food from afar.
¹⁵She gets up while it is still night;
    she provides food for her family
    and portions for her female servants.
¹⁶She considers a field and buys it;
    out of her earnings she plants a vineyard.
¹⁷She sets about her work vigorously;
    her arms are strong for her tasks.
¹⁸She sees that her trading is profitable,
    and her lamp does not go out at night.
¹⁹In her hand she holds the distaff
    and grasps the spindle with her fingers.
²⁰She opens her arms to the poor
    and extends her hands to the needy.^(P)
²¹When it snows, she has no fear for her household;
    for all of them are clothed in scarlet.
²²She makes coverings for her bed;
    she is clothed in fine linen and purple.
²³Her husband is respected at the city gate,
    where he takes his seat among the elders^(Q) of the land.
²⁴She makes linen garments and sells them,
    and supplies the merchants with sashes.
²⁵She is clothed with strength and dignity;
    she can laugh at the days to come.
²⁶She speaks with wisdom,
    and faithful instruction is on her tongue.^(R)
²⁷She watches over the affairs of her household
    and does not eat the bread of idleness.
²⁸Her children arise and call her blessed;
    her husband also, and he praises her:
²⁹“Many women do noble things,
    but you surpass them all.”
³⁰Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting;
    but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.
³¹Honor her for all that her hands have done,
    and let her works bring her praise^(S) at the city gate.

So I am an alpha female... not by choice and I recognize not because of my own efforts. I am what I am because of the people around me and with the guidance and grace of our Lord Almighty who never fails to arrange schedules perfectly and transforms husbands and wives to complement each other for the sake of His Glory for the praise of His Name.

Going North to The Entrance

2013-03-13T19:44:00.000+08:00

The Entrance

Central Coast, NSW

www.theentrance.org

This trip is again courtesy of some weekend getaway articles from weekendnotes... a big thank you hehe:)

It's one of the trips we had with our Auntie Juling who's been taking care of our son when my husband and I had work conflict schedule. We borrowed her for a month in January during the break so dada can work morning shifts and double shifts to make up for what we spent over the holidays (poor dada, but so thankful he's so hard working!)

Again, we didn't have to spend except probably top-up on gas. It's a one-hour drive up north. The best freeway ride I had so far in this land down under - very very scenic. I totally enjoyed it even dada who was concentrating on driving =p.

Kids will surely have a blast on Vera's Water Garden. It's actually one of the selling point for my decision to go there. You might already guess that Yonky had a blast even if the water was not even knee deep. He got totally soaked from all the water fountains and splashing. I actually got tempted to play but chickened out as I don't want to be only adult there.

The view of the Entrance is spectacular and picture-perfect... a little bit fishy smelling and very weedy beach but all in all can still be a great bonding location for the entire family. Among the famous activities is of course fishing (hence the fishy smell on the middle area) and Pelican feeding.

In fact The Entrance is actually known as the Pelican Capital. The pelicans' mouths just got so huge I kept on thinking of Nemo lolz =). We didn't get to see the actual feeding which is normally scheduled at 3pm because we had to attend church but we still see two isolated pelican eating so all's good.

I wouldn't suggest going swimming there but if you'll want your kids to enjoy then this is the place to be.

Girl Power: Saluting all the Women in the World 2013

2013-03-09T08:23:00.000+08:00

Hello... hello to my younger self when I reread this down the road:)

I'm at the point in my life where I "think" I'm ready to go up one level. I've been offered countless times to lead a team but I turned my bosses down... I just felt I was rushed... that I'm not a people person and all and that I would just bring my team down instead of lift my members up.

Well, maybe I can blame it to my age which is almost non-existent from the calendar... or maybe I just had a change of heart. I attended International Women's Day conference yesterday and normally I wouldn't sign-up for such events but I do want to make a difference in the world. I know that I can make a difference with the people I work with no matter where I am but isn't it more fun and has broader scope when you're actually in the authority to do so?!

I hadn't seen before so much number of creative, powerful, skilled and brilliant women gathered into one event and I was just glad I made the decision to go there. The energy was just captivating, it engulfed me... plus the food and speakers were great and inspirational... from the first girl partner in the firm, to a vocal intelligence coach and to the first female deputy senior public defender... it's really "girl power".

The UN's theme for this year 2013 is "A promise is a promise: Time for action to end violence against women" and for our company it is "Defining Success Your Way"... combine the two and it's a powerful message to all men and women around the world. I like it that you can't define success in a closed box... gone are the days where success is seen only as having more money, being famous, being a CEO... instead now... success can be personal, it can be being content with where you are or just achieving your goal... and just being happy. We can define it whichever we want so long as we're happy with it.

So yep... ready to take my life one notch higher and sign up in classes that would get me there... with God's help, in God's perfect time.

Closing this with the note that I received from that event

No matter what has happened in the past. It has all worked together to bring you to this very moment. And this is the moment you can choose to make everything new. Right now.

Yonky's First Taste of Theme Parks

2013-01-04T13:35:00.001+08:00

For his first Christmas in Australia, we brought our son Yonky to Gold Coast, Australia. It is only an hour away by plane from our Sydney home. At four years old, Yonky finally had his first taste of theme parks... =) Happy Mommy and Happy Daddy! (may kasama na kami maglakwatsa hehe).

When he was a lot younger, my mom would constantly tell me to bring Yonky to Disneyland... At that age though I felt he wouldn't appreciate anything yet... He even got scared of his birthday parties because he's not used to a lot of people so what more if he's out of the country and all... so there, we waited until he's bigger and wiser.

I availed the VIP-pass unlimited visit to three theme parks until June 2013 so we can maximized our stay and adventure at Gold Coast. The first ever ride he tried with us was Mammoth Falls at Wet n Wild. He's still minor so the rides we'd chosen are those that met the height and age requirements. Most rides already allowed him entry but he needed to have an adult with him. But no worries, we wanted to try rides with him anyway as we wanted to gauge how he'll take the new experience =).... He expressed that he's scared on the bumps and twists of the ride but in the end, he's full of newfound confidence and boasting that he's done it hohoho =p.

At Sea World's Viking's Revenge Flume, we got Yonky his first ever photo-ride souvenir. I wanted to buy some more from the other rides that we tried but unfortunately either he's not seen or dada was not properly focused so we only got this souvenir.

This ride is a lot like Jungle Log Jam in Enchanted Kingdom so because Yonky loves the water, instinct told me he would enjoy it and coached him to shout when the boat would start to plunge down... based on the picture, I guess he didn't obey me :$... nevertheless, he's still full of confidence at the end especially when all of us got wet from the splash so I hoped it didn't traumatized him =p.

Yonky enjoyed his day at Sea World because he saw a lot of animal shows, touched some of them and met and greeted some of his favorite cartoon characters Dora and Diego from Nickelodeon. Sea World according to him is his most favorite theme park from all three we'd been to - Wet n Wild, Sea World and Movie World.

At Movie World, he enjoyed some shows too like Batman, Scooby Doo, Stunt Driver and Ice Age 4D... but because the park is smaller than Sea World, we had more time for rides....

And because Wild West Falls Adventure (bottom right picture from below) looked similar but only higher than Viking's Flume ride, I suggested we tried that first. Yonky got a little bit scared when he saw that the boat doesn't look the same as in Viking's... but we comforted him that it is the same kind of ride... He still exuded confidence and so enjoyed the surprise back pull of the ride which he told us as more fun than Viking's but when there were already some bumps and sound effects plus we got wet from waterfalls... that scared him. This ride was also a lot longer than Viking's so the anticipation must have gotten into him he just bent his head when the boat took a final turn and plunge down hence no good picture for us... In the end, he removed this ride in his favorite list hehe.

Since he still hadn't gotten over the fear from the last ride, when we tried the Road Runner Roller Coaster, he started bawling his eyes out... being the strict parents that we are though... we stated firmly for him to try and see first... so when he settled in and on went the ride... I just held his hands... At the end of it, he expressed that he's so brave he didn't get scared (yeah right haha but we cooed our agreement because we're pleased he has tried it).

Kids are really kids no matter where they are... by the time all the excitement from the rides and adventures had wore down... He started asking us about why there are no gifts and Santa wasn't there yet. We explained that it was not yet Christmas day and all his gifts were left back home. We're trying to avoid making Santa as the center of Christmas Day celebration because we learned from church that Santa is a jumbled word for Satan... and if you think it through a lot of people are celebrating Christmas or at least the holiday but they didn't understand..or much less interested to know that it was name as such because of Jesus Christ not Santa Claus!... To balance and let him enjoy the holiday without forcing the truth to him, we still let him enjoy Santa if Santa is there but would always explain that Christmas is Jesus' birthday and what that birth signify to the entire world...

So since we flew back home Christmas Day... we let him enjoy opening his gifts because he was so looking forward to it even if we're tired from our trip.

Hope this is the start of more fun-filled...thrill rides with our son. We're just blessed we can experience these things with him because for the life of me I couldn't even remember our parents riding with us in any of the rides that we tried growing up...

HAPPY 2013 to ALL... STAY LOVED, STAY FOCUSED, STAY FAITHFUL... ALL GLORY AND PRAISE TO GOD ALMIGHTY

Good Vacation = Good Accommodation at Watermark Hotel & Spa

2012-12-29T16:26:00.000+08:00

Watermark Hotel & Spa

Surfers Paradise, Gold Coast Australia

www.watermarkhotelgoldcoast.com.au

I believe it's just normal that aside from compact itinerary... the next thing I'm very particular about when making bookings for a nice vacation aside from cheap/on-sale airfares and access to transportation is a good place to stay. When we went to Bohol with my entire family (our very last one that we're complete =(), ate opted to choose the cheapest accommodation (I believe just Php800/night and that's even with free breakfast) and for practicality and budget, this was really a good choice since the reasoning behind that is we're just going to sleep on it for a few hours anyway.

However, when I had my son... practicality sometimes doesn't merge with safety and security so I started becoming choosy and would hope for at least a 3-star hotel accommodation. Most especially during summer, I'd really prefer accommodation that has good air-conditioning, very very clean room and amenities and with bed sheets that smells heavenly to cool-off and relieve the hotness of the day and tiring activities. Isn't it nice to just lay your head on pillows and beds that smells fresh and clean? =)

For our trip to Gold Coast... since honestly we're not yet that established here in Aussie ( I mean I just had a good permanent job end of October right?), when I booked our airfare from Jestar, I felt I must booked the cheapest hotel right away because they go hand-in-hand since the dates are fixed and booked days should coincide with each other. I had been browsing for a few weeks before our trip for a good accommodation searching on several compare websites and directly to the hotels themselves. My first choice would be an inn like Holiday Inn or Travelodge since Kuya Bob is working there but couldn't find any that's near to the theme parks...until in the end I found a good deal from expedia.com. I'd used them before for our trip to Lake Tahoe so I was secured that my bookings will go through safely. I've chosen Watermark Hotel & Spa because it's so near to public transportation and near to theme parks... and in the midst of Surfers Paradise where all action happens (party-life I mean)... the price was also about 70% off when I booked and only 3 rooms are left on that price plus they were offering 1 night free if you booked at least four nights with them...

THE GOODS
- fast check-in/check-out
They allowed us to go to our room 2 hours earlier than normal checked-in schedule. And it's super fast, I just gave them my name and credit card for any incidentals and we're given electronic cards to our rooms... During check-out, I just gave them back the keys and that's it... and since it was Christmas, they gave us lollies =)

- clean room and fresh-smelling beds

I mean just heavenly sheets and beds... we all had a wonderful rest during our 4-day stay and I got totally oblivious to the time and immediately fell asleep when I lied down. We also have a nice view from our room... not of the beach but at least the river in Paradise Island(view below on the third picture).

- very secure

Though similar feature also exists in hotels in the Philippines, it is still noteworthy to state that only checked-in guests can use the elevator. You'll need the room key to be able to press your room floor which provide security to guests.

- nice amenities

I didn't particularly research the amenities so I was totally pleasantly surprised when I found out they have jacuzzi and sauna... I mean back in the Philippines, I always liked to have jacuzzi included in my accommodation and I got it here so I'm totally pleased.

- just short walk to beach, CBD, and other tourist attractions

The hotel is just in front of SkyPoint where the only beach observation deck resides at the top for tourists to appreciate the view of the entire city. It has similar concept with Sydney Tower Eye... It is also very near to convenient stores, grocery, restaurants, shops and most especally the beach. It is also walking distance to whale-watching tours, surfing classes, Ripley's Believe It or Not, The Wax Museum, High Street Hilton, etc.

- near bus stop for theme parks ride

Since we were on a compact schedule on our first three days because we wanted to maximize our VIP-pass on the 3 theme parks, it was really a blessing that we were so near to bus stops which directly lead us to the theme parks in just one ride.

- very friendly staff

We met a Filipina and she allowed us to the VIP room. The concierge and reception staffs were also very nice when we left our things there after check out so we can still walk around the city and maximize our vacation.

THE BADS
- no buffet breakfast included in price

Well this note is already stated before booking in expedia and I totally understand that it lowered the cost of a night's stay but still it would have been nice and convenient to have free buffet breakfast included in the accommodation as food in Aussieland is truly very very expensive compared to other countries. Eating out could really get a good chunk out of the budget we could otherwise have spent on tickets for other attractions or buying souvenirs.

- sauna not working

We only have our last 2 days to enjoy the amenities as our first three days are jam-packed with theme parks' activities from 9am-5:30pm... so I only got to try the sauna on the last night... but to my disappointment I'd already put many waters and waited for sometime but still the room was only getting warm and not as hot to the point of sweating... compared to the ones I tried in the Philippines.

- no cable and free wi-fi included in price

I'd been looking forward to watching HBO, Discovery or National Geographic during our trip because we don't have cable at home... but the hotel's television only offered digital TV.. not that the selection was not good because it was.. we're able to watch a lot of Christmas movies when eating our dinner at our room but... I've seen a lot of holiday apartments while walking around the area that are offering foxtel on the accommodations so I just wished that's the same with the hotel.

Overall, it is still a very wonderful vacation and since the room and hotel service met my expectations, I'd like to go back there when our family comes for a visit. For budget travelers like us, having it so near the outside world is a plus as there are other options available and convenience stores to budget our food consumption properly by just buying cheaper dishes outside the hotel instead of eating at the hotel.

Christmas in Gold Coast

2012-12-26T12:00:00.000+08:00

We're back!!! home sweet home

We enjoyed our vacation at Australia's tourist capital - GOLD COAST!!! If my mom hadn't suggested we go there instead when our plane ticket estimate going home to Philippines amounted to at least $7,000.. it will not even cross my mind that we're going for a vacation this Christmas season but sure glad we did=)

I must say I haven't seen a lot of places with one-stop-shop family fun for all members of the family in one city except Orlando, Florida.... and now Gold Coast, Australia!

From thrill rides and huge theme parks

to shows and our favorite superheroes and cartoon characters,

kids' zone,

exquisite surf beaches,

affordable and high-end shopping, wildlife sanctuaries, foods, drinks, fun and nature... really a must-SEE for everybody! Trips are not more than 1-hr long each and their transportation system is very tourist-friendly... just one-ride from Surfers Paradise where we resided from Dec21 to 25 =)

GO and HAVE FUN.... they're even adding a light rail system which will be operational 2014 so more time to explore everything!

ISTQB Certified!

2012-12-14T19:54:00.002+08:00

At long last.... after confusing thoughts... mix goals... changing priorities...
I finally got my first ever international qualification from Australia and New Zealand Testing Board(ANZTB) as ISTQB Certified Tester Foundation Level (CTFL)

When I initially went here in Aussie, I'm contemplating on SQL, ITIL or ISTQB certifications.... until when I'm about to start work and found from job sites that there are a lot of openings for ISTQB so without meaning to and without planning.... I just found myself reviewing for it on my hour-long train ride to work when I was still on my first job. I really wanted to pursue the technical track but found out that I need to take this foundation level first before I can pursue the more advanced levels.

Due to schedule and other commitments however, I wasn't able to find the right date to take it right away. I felt now, there's really a bigger hand watching over me... because when I started at my current company, I found out that I could reimburse the course from them so buti na lang. Now, I was able to claim the test amount from my company...happy happy me =)

My name will come out on the website in 6-weeks time so watch out for it haha... Mama, Papa... I'm gonna be on an international website =)

TO GOD BE THE GLORY

12-12-12 CFF Food Outreach Program

2012-12-12T20:10:00.000+08:00

How Time Flies!!!
13days to Christmas... our first in Aussie =)

I'd like to catch-up on my posts... time here is really a luxury and with my more than 2-week holiday break coming up in a week's time, I do hope I can do that.

In the Mayan calendar, they believe... today is the "end time", but really in the Bible, no one knows the exact day and hour.

The Day and Hour Unknown^(A)^(B)
³⁶“But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son,^[a]but only the Father.^(C)- Matthew 25:36 (NIV)

For a supposed belief that has gone on for ages... surprisingly, it has gone (or about to pass) sooo quietly... the movie 2012 even got more hype than this... tsk tsk tsk

Those are just trivial matters but "As for me and my household, we will serve the Lord" - (excerpt from Joshua 24:15)...

Main reason we came here in Australia is actually to know and follow God's will for us. We're probably so sheltered in the Philippines or our parents so involved in social, community and church activities that we're just not given the chance to expand our boundaries too.... so our desire is to be involved in the ministry here. At present, the ministry that God gave us is the CFF Food Outreach program in partnership with Christ Mission Possible... CMP provide the food through sponsorships and our church provide the workforce every 2nd Saturday of the month...

It has been so fulfilling... even if it led me to the sickbed just after this Saturday. To just have the chance to serve the people.... thinking Jesus' words in Matthew 25 that whatever I do to the least of my fellowmen... I do for God... it is just amazing... it gave me joy that I'm at the right place at the right time where God wants me to be. My husband only had 1-hour sleep but he too felt energized to serve free bacon and eggs for breakfast to the community and so committed to be part of this ministry.

Normally, we don't bring Yonky so we could focus on feeding the people and talking with them but for this particular Saturday we did. Tita Juliana, who normally takes care of Yonky when we're at work or have some adult time to do, celebrated her birthday with our cousin Ate Marlet that day, so we brought Yonky with us. When we got there... he's so psyched to help serve the juices.... but kids will be kids...when he saw his friends, he just run and run and plays with them hehe...

Last Saturday was a particularly jam-packed morning... most of the supplies ran out and Dada and I took turns eating breakfast so we can alternate in serving...unlike on previous outreaches where we had time to eat together. Men usually are assigned in the cooking section and girls are front-of-the-house. I was mostly assigned to the bread station but lots of church mates are helping me out. Dada is the bridge between us and the cooked food while Ate Diane is normally assigned in the drinks section but since she's out to look after Candace, Ate Gina took her post.

Crowd varies... some are shy to get food, some wanted to pay and give donation even if we told them it's free... some are snobs... some came back for 2nd round or more... and some bring friends.... but the most important common denominator is... all of them need Christ in their lives... and when they begin asking we answer truthfully...

Please help us pray for this outreach program... that we'll touch more communities and more lives.

In God's time... through this program and God's guidance, hope we can win more souls for Christ.

TO GOD's AWESOME NETWORK.. ALL GLORY AND PRAISE FOREVER

Yonky's Quotable Quotes #2

2012-11-29T15:46:00.001+08:00

Age: 3 to 4 years old 2012

‎(eating breakfast...)
Yonky: wow...it's like going to a tea party, yes mommy?
Mei: (skeptical)talaga san mo natutunan yan...Wats a tea party?
Yonky: it's a party....with tea in them (honga naman)
Mei: wer did u hear that?..from a story in the skul? Yonky: no...i heard it from my head (nyahaha..honga ang kulit kasi ni mommy...the joys of being a parent=))
Yonky: "Daddy you're my bestfriend because you're not a good person..."
Dada: (kabado)
Yonky: "...you're just VERY good person" (awwww...nakapasweet)
dada said previously to not have cake and just celebrate sa Sunday but Yesterday at train stop...)
Mei: what can we buy for dada?
Yonky: cake
Mei: okay hope may bukas pa(then we found a small but cute one at westfield).. yey we have a surprise for daddy. When daddy wakes up tom you sing happy birthday with cake ha?
Yonky: okay po

Mei: that's our surprise ha?
Yonky: yes

at the house, dada called during his break(yonky answered the phone..chikachika and then all of a sudden...)
Yonky: Daddy! we bought a surprise cake for you!(excited pa)
Mei: waaaaaaaaah
Daddy: (laughing...)
nakow... marunong na tumipo ang bebi ko
(while watching kristTV richard poon & maricar reyes episode)

Yonky: "Mommy, i like that girl"
Mei: "why?"
Yonky: "she's so beautiful"
Mei: "like mommy?"
Yonky: "like mommy and owa"
Mei: "hehe, she's so beautiful?"
Yonky: "yah, who's she?"
Mei: "Maricar"
Yonky: "Maricar"
during our roadtrip today...(ang kainosentehan ng bata bow)
Yonky: "Wow mommy look! It's soo beautiful" (with feelings)
Mei & dada (looked and sniggered because what our son was pointing to is a cemetery hehe)...
Mei: that's a cemetery baby
Yonky: "I want to go there, why are there no people?"
Mei & dada : (laugh some more
Oh no nagqquestion na si pogi
Yonky: "why ur going to work everyday?!"
Mei: "ayaw mo ba si mommy go to work?"
Yonky: "yeah...don't leave me mommy"(emote face)
"Scene: watching pls b careful w/ my heart where sir richard is helping his son w/ the guitar...
Yonky suddenly became sad and said "I miss my dad"...(emote talaga tong bebi ko hehe)"
Yonky said, "They give me lollies because I'm good in dancing and singing and holding the gifts!""
"‎(While retelling his day at school)
Mei: did you say present like in mickey mouse clubhouse when teacher called ur name? Like Donald!..Present!
Dada: goofy!..Present!
Yonky: no no no i didn't said dat,teacher only said "gud morning Rhyon"..& I said "gud morning joanna"
Mei & dada: no u need to col her teacher joanna not joanna only!
Yonky: (w/o paying attention continued to ramble) then she said gud morning class and everybody said "gud morning teacher joanna"...(pause)then I start my skul edventure"

Take Time to Remember...

2012-11-14T20:33:00.000+08:00

This week I was reminded in the Joshua series of Drive Time Devotions that we need to remember God's blessings...

In Joshua 4.... the miraculous crossing of the Israelites from the Jordan river was commemorated by the stones taken from the middle of the river when the water flow was stopped... the same way according to Pastor Tom Holladay, we need to set-up pillars of some sort to remember those times when we see God's hands at work in our lives... As was said in the devotions, this remembrance can be in the form of personal testimony(even just to one person or more)... or by writing a journal(yey check to for me through my walk by faith posts), diary.. and several others...

Then coincidentally as our CFF Pastor Ding blessed our house yesterday... he also mentioned that we should not forget God after He has blessed us... almost as if God wanted me to remember Him and what He did for our family here in Aussieland...

So here's my post of remembering and shouting God's graciousness and faithfulness....

As you've probably known by now, 9 months ago (has it only been that long...felt like ages ago) we started from scratch here in Australia.... and now....I could say we've gone a long way through God's infinite grace

God has proven time and again His promise to me in this verse...

^"8 Taste and see that the LORD is good.
Oh, the joys of those who take refuge in him!" - Psalm 34:8(NLT)

Spiritual Blessings
- Been part of a church family (Christian Filipino Fellowship) right from the start
- Bible study with the pastor himself enabling us to get answers on our spiritual questions/challenges right away
- Spiritual maturity as Hubby leads weekly devotions with Yonky and I
- Hubby volunteering in Church earlybirds to help on the setup
- Food feeding outreach every 2nd Saturday of the month to win souls for Christ
- Being part of Gospel for Asia's(GFA) missions to reach the unreached in Asia
- Full dependence on God's provisions and comfort

Physical Blessings
- Health(no fevers for entire family)
- Yonky's atopic dermatitis significantly reduced to almost non-existent
- No accidents and safety of family

Material/Financial Blessings
- Roof over our heads at a perfect location
- Beautiful house, nice community
- Good jobs for dada and me
- More than enough foods
- Opportunity to travel
- Car
- Investment opportunities

I can even funnily remember my backache when we didn't even have chairs to sit into after cleaning our apartment... and now we have a fully functional house.... that I only requested for a means to contribute to GFA... and God gave me not just one job but 2 jobs... and knowing I'll not be able to bring a single centavo with me when I say goodbye to this world... having a job meant I have the privilege to be a tool for God's mission... and that for me is an awesome opportunity.... that God only asked me to give up 1M of savings for His church building... but now God tripled that in just a year and more importantly we learned that we can have enough even starting from scratch... that I had to sacrifice a blossoming career (but few trainings) knowing that to be jobless for more than 3 months in IT is career suicide with the current fast paced technology.... still God intervened and even gave me a job that trains me for almost 3 weeks already with pay!... that I asked God for my husband to learn how to lead the family.... and God gave us a Filipino church right away and allowed for all of us to grow...that I prayed for school for Yonky and God gave me a Christian school!

In all this... a light bulb will just popped as it can only be God's powerful and perfect hands who can do this and turn our life around for the better

³³But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. - Matthew 6:33(KJV)

TO GOD BE THE GLORY

Our First Christmas Tree in Aussieland

2012-11-03T19:30:00.000+08:00

Technically, this is just not our first Christmas tree in Australia but literally our first Christmas tree ever! I'm used to just riding along the Christmas decorations of my parents, sister and aunt(known to have over the top decorations at her mansion) that I never really bothered to think about Christmas decors before as I am really kuripot that way...

When I found out however that nobody will be visiting us for the season.... I thought of just living up the season even if it is just the three of us here and just start our own family tradition of setting up the Christmas tree...

Yonky got sooo excited when we told him we're going to buy a Christmas tree and also got impatient when after two stores we still didn't bought a single decor because they're just way so expensive. I've already gone to BigW the previous weekend to buy stuff for the laundry bathroom and noted the prices of Christmas decors which got me so excited because they're affordable... so to my disappointment when we went to Christmas warehouse stores here announcing as much as 70% off the prices but found out they're even more expensive than BigW, we opted not to buy.... Yonky started getting sad and throwing tantrums at the car but dada step his foot down and explained to him that we need to canvass properly and find the more affordable items so we can buy a lot.

In the end, we got to buy the Christmas balls, santa socks and other decors at Kmart(all China made by the way) but the tree and the train we bought at BigW because they're the only ones who sell affordable white Christmas pine. Those are the decors we can afford for now and we just plan to add items in the succeeding years =)

Our house's theme is red, white and black so naturally... the colors that I picked for the Christmas decors complement those as well... The light that dada chose is blue (LED-type as they're more safe to kids as per KrisTV) and it gives such a nice glow to our Christmas tree..

I'm just so blessed our son Yonky is really turning into such an appreciative and helpful young man. He compliments us without fail every day whether with our looks, our sweetness or goofiness/funniness and even with the food that we cooked! In contrasts to when he was a babe where he just picked-up and threw decor balls... now he already knows they are decorations and puts them so nicely and enjoys himself while doing so....feeling proud to be a good helper. I honestly got a kick out of just watching him enjoy and have fun hehe... this is what Christmas season is all about to make our bonky happy and laugh =)

We forgot to buy batteries for the Christmas tree train though so we weren't able to turn it on on the same day but after we bought one, Yonky had a wonderful time watching it during dinner time. He even requests for the tree and the train to be turned on before we eat....and gets giddy when the christmas lights blink because he said it's winking at him haha...

A VERY BLESSED CHRISTMAS SEASON TO ALL

Rainy Canberra Day: Floriade 2012

2012-10-26T20:00:00.000+08:00

Our cousins wanted us to go to Canberra as far back as when my parents were here for a visit. However my mom declined because of the long drive and some of them including my husband had work during those times....

So when a long weekend came up because of Labor Day holiday which coincided luckily on our anniversary weekend and spring break, my husband and I planned to explore Floriade because tulips are my favorite flowers of all times =) After planning and chatting with cousins, we've decided to just rent a van so we could go together and bond during the long drive on our first out of state "lakwatsa" plus it would be more fun!

We'd hoped to spend overnight there as it is a 3-hr drive but due to budget restriction and early booking to Sydney Tower Eye, we'd later on decided to just do a day-tour.

Canberra is Australia's capital which really surprised me as I thought all along back in the Philippines that the capital is Sydney!

1st Stop: Parliament House

The van rented by kuya Bob was huge and new, so the drive up there(or should I say down there since it's south of Sydney) was very comfortable but much to my chagrin the weather didn't cooperate. By the time we reach Australia Capital Territory(ACT) where Canberra is located before 10am, the rain already started pouring...

So instead of going straight to Floriade to look at the flowers and ride the ferris wheel, our cousins brought us to the Parliament House....(their version of Batasang Pambasa hehe). The Parliament House complex is very nice and very open to tourists... it also have a huge garden with great landscapes and artistic structures but unfortunately we couldn't find the way out to the grounds so we contented ourselves just looking it over via the glass windows. Yonky (lower right at the above picture) also had a picture with a much younger portrait of Her Majesty the Queen =)

2nd Stop: Questacon

Since it was still raining by the time we're done at Parliament... I decided to just treat them to Questacon from my first paycheck :p Basically we availed of the family pack + 2 adults fee. Questacon is such a huge science and discovery complex with at least 6 sections if I remember it correctly... I wish I'd be able to compare it to NIDO Science Discovery Center in MOA but I'm ashamed to say I haven't tried that because Yonky was just too young before to enjoy such exhibits (still... I'm a firm believer "na dapat tangkilikin ang sariling atin")

Most of the attractions, activities and exhibits there are really catered for kids to enjoy and learn but I enjoyed their lightning demo and simulation of intensity 5 earthquake... Dada was also able to try free fall(lower left) and said it was scary at first... We both wanted to try the 360 degrees swing but due to a long queue plus we're getting hungry as it was already past lunch time, we'd just skipped it (for now).

We then hurriedly went to try Kingsley's chicken which was recommended to Kuya Bob for our lunch and got satisfied by their Filipino-like fried chicken =).

3rd Stop: Floriade

Finally, we couldn't just leave the city without dropping by Floriade right?!... So even if the rain was pouring even more harder, dada just bought a makeshift rain coat for the kids and for himself while the rest of us used our handy umbrellas...and off we walked to the muddy but still awesome garden!

The flowers on display are just soooooo gorgeous!!!! Our pictures would have been better if it was not raining as we could get up close and personal with the tulips but maybe that just gave us another reason to visit again some other spring time. Floriade entrance is for free but if you want to participate in the NightFest music and other programs, you've got to shell out some cash. There are also some booths and market stalls selling interesting items but Ate Diane and I weren't able to find tulips seedlings for sale. I found out on our way home through facebook... that Nightfest on the day of our visit was cancelled due to really bad weather.... so fortunately we didn't become so hard-headed to insist on staying until night time.

Till next time Canberra!

Celebrating Our 6th @ Sydney Tower Eye

2012-10-21T19:00:00.000+08:00

Sydney Tower Eye
Sydney CBD
www.sydneytowereye.com.au

As you've probably read from my several travel posts here in Australia.... we're trying to avoid going to places which have > $10 entrance fees. If you've just tuned in, it has been about 8 months already since we've decided to take a leap of faith(biggest decision by far) and move here in Australia from our comfortable life(by that I mean we have nannies, school bus, and house helps) in the Philippines.... throughout this time, God has been faithful in His provisions (sumosobra pa minsan =))

For our 6th Wedding Anniversary though... we decided to make an exception. Like making exceptions in eating expensive meals during special occasions, we decided to explore the city like tourists hehe because last year due to the stress and preparations of moving here, we didn't get to celebrate our 5th wedding anniversary properly. We prepared for it but the plans (like going to Bali because we have free accommodation, or eating at Chocolate Fire because we always pass by it whenever we treat our son to a night in the park) just didn't push through for some reasons :$

So this year, as early as August, I've already booked our tickets to Sydney Tower Eye online. Prices vary per day and time of visit. If you've searched google about things to do on a few days in Sydney, this tower will most probably come up among others along side the world-renowned opera house.... it's the tallest tower in Australia after all but not the tallest in the world.

I've been to several "tower" attractions in different parts of the world before showcasing the same concept of viewing the city from the deck... i.e Empire State Building in New York, Sears Tower in Chicago, our very own Crown Regency in Cebu, and this year Sydney Tower =). I really wanted to try it for several reasons:
1. I wanted to get a general picture of what the city has to offer from the top
2. I wanted to compare it from previous experiences
3. We plainly wanted just to act like tourists for a change hehe

We made an agreement that all of us will have fun that day... no mood swings and tantrums and everything went well...

We were more than an hour early... so we decided to eat lunch first (we already knew we wanted Japanese that day)... I searched my mobile's GPS for a Japanese restaurant nearby that's not in the mall but unfortunately they only open 12nn. That time didn't seem wasted though as we got to see interesting shops while Yonky ate his pancakes as we walked around... (I now know where to bring my mom when she comes for a visit!).

This section of the city from Pitt St. to King St. has Tiffany & Co, Hermes, Louis Vuitton, and other designer brands.... I really don't like to shop (okay maybe I was tempted to peek a little haha) and just wanted to know where to go if my parents wanted to buy something.

Upon entry, we're given 3D glasses and brochures and they immediately ushered us to the 4D Cinema section and of course Yonky enjoyed the short movie showcasing Sydney Tower and its surroundings. At the top, I got to see what else we can check out for free in areas nearby... they have telescopes at different sections and interactive touch screens monitors that contain information about certain places within and around the CBD may it be historical or trivial. It is not open-air in contrast with what we experienced from Crown Regency. They also offer SkyWalk for a price but since we've already tried that before plus it is expensive we skipped that part.

After the tour at the deck, we decided to eat at the food court of the tower. We're kinda surprised that their food court is kinda high-end as we passed by it going to the top deck so we defaulted to eat there when we're done instead of going back to the restaurant we initially wanted to try earlier in the day.

Sushi Hon

5th floor Sydney Tower

Sushi Hon

I love their dishes... has both traditional and modern blends. They have ala carte or rotational/sushi train sections... We've chosen the ala carte but also tried an interesting salmon maki (lower right above).

Because we wanted to be all touristy... we also availed of the $20+ worth of photo souvenirs from magicmemories taken before tour starts and picked-up after tour ends even though we already shot good pictures on my camera... here's the funniest(we're told to look scared at the entrance ;p)

This package also includes slideshow which you can check out here at magic memories.

I've heard from Dimples Romana while watching KrisTV one day that every year added to a marriage is worth celebrating about and being thankful for.... after all you've survived yet another year of happiness mix with conflicts without killing each other haha. We're truly very very thankful our God has kept our family intact.

TO GOD BE THE GLORY

Our 2nd Apartment in Sydney

2012-10-18T18:57:00.002+08:00

I told my husband to start praying whether we will move to a new house or renew our contract when our lease was nearing the end... He said a couple of days later that if we didn't find one at a certain time then we will renew...

Honestly I was busy working already at that time so I let him lead and control the direction of our lives for a change (after all that's one of the reasons we moved here in Australia). Since he is working night shifts, he and Yonky were the ones doing the house inspections which fell on weekdays whenever a property comes up for rent in domain app. You can't rent a property here unless you did the inspection so there will be no complaints later on because you've personally seen the property. For our first apartment, it was our cousin who did the inspection after we've asked the agent a favor for that to be enough because we were still at the Philippines that time.

I am very fortunate to have a husband who knows my taste...so after several inspection, he would tell me that I wouldn't like the properties he saw so I should not bother looking it over. On that particular Saturday though, my husband woke up early even after coming home at dawn from work informing me that we have properties to inspect that day...(I was actually very pleased for him to start taking charge... if you know me, I am the take-charge-type-A personality...so to be led for a change is pleasantly surprising... prayer answered if you ask me =))

That time we had few requirements that we're looking into our new house to-be... (not that we necessarily wanted all of them fulfilled but we knew if we get the "feel" of it that we would know it to be for us)
1. House should not be on a busy road
2. It should have gas cooking
3. It should have gas port for heater (so our expensive heater will not be put to waste)
4. Has backyard for Yonky to play into
5. Should not be high (stand-alone house preferred or villa but 1st floor units also okay)
6. Should be quiet and safe for kids
7. Near transportation (bus or train stops)

We inspected 3 properties...
- First one was a stand-alone house near our previous unit, kinda old with fireplace...lots of touchups needed but it is getting painted that day by the owner and it has big backyard... Price $360/wk
- Second one was about a block away from our previous unit, across McDonalds and KFC, very modern just the way we liked it but it is still a unit and still kinda high... Price $390/wk
- Third one was a lot nearer to our cousin's place so a little bit to the west of Sydney. It is a villa near a swimming pool complex, near train station(10-min walk), has nearer bus stop as well, and practically has everything we wanted on the list. My husband said he liked it already after inspection and that we should apply for it.... Price $400/wk

Luckily for us, the 2nd and 3rd property we inspected were from the same real-estate agent and they told us we can just use the same application and just put our priority properties in order so they'll know what we liked more. We applied to both properties the day after and started praying about it and after about a week we got the property we liked best - property no.3 =) We needed 3-weeks notice from our previous agent so we were not able to move right-away.... As per suggestion from our cousin, we overlapped one-week of rent between our old and new apartments so we have enough time to move all our things...kinda heavy on the pockets because that's $780 in just one week but we're just so psyched to move I didn't even stress about it! (for clarification of terms, what they call apartments here are technically condo units in one building but for the sake of knowing that we don't own the place and we are just renting, even if it is a villa... I prefer to call it apartment.. got the picture?)

For the big move.... we enlisted the following suppliers and we're very satisfied with their services:
1. CompareQuotes - to get list and quotes of the best providers near us
2. MD Express Transport - mover we selected from Compare Quotes list. Entire move took about 3.5hrs from loading furnitures and appliances in our old apartment to putting and assembling them back in our new house.
3. Austar Cleaning - for our exit cleaning in our previous apartment (this is in the hopes of getting our full bond back because our previous agent gave us a list to do before we hand-off the keys back to them including carpet shampooing.... we're just so glad we got a full refund of our bond = $1520! =)

We didn't pay much attention during inspection to the backyard...but we were very satisfied after we've moved (not too big and not too small)... it has clothesline already so we were not provided with a dryer. As per our cousin Kuya Bob, you'll always get either of the two.

This is the part we fell most in love with... lounge is huge, has gas port (currently hidden by that white buffet storage with glasses on top which we just bought), has ducted air-conditioning & heater (centralized in short if turned-on), lots of natural lighting and high ceiling. To its left is the dining and entry to the backyard... on the front is the living room, to its right is the laundry room with a bonus 2nd toilet(back in our apartment days... I always wanted a house with two-toilets so guests can just use this instead of using ours or to avoid waiting when someone is showering and one wants to pee hehe) plus indoor entry to the garage.

If you've been following my lifestyle posts for a while now, you've probably noticed I seldom post toilet pictures in bathroom shots... I feel they are so private so I only take silhouettes hehe.

The kitchen and bathroom are not as modern as our old apartment but as you can see they are still very livable and decent... the house also has bonus dishwasher to make my hands rest sometimes harhar.... and still has bathtub for the hot summer days ahead.

A big change for us is...the bedrooms are not carpeted.... so it will be cold in winter but we're trying not to worry about that for now and we are planning to buy carpet mats so our feet will not be surprised with cold floor in the mornings...

As you can see, it is still our old furnitures and appliances arrange in a different setup but they're still the same =). What I probably don't like here in this new house is its lack of storage... We were actually surprised that it is bigger but when we were unpacking our stuffs, we don't have enough storage to put them into... hence it took us less than 2 weeks to unpack everything and only because we bought 3 more storage(which requires assembling) - that white chest above for the bedroom, buffet chest in the dining, and a shoe/tool/miscellaneous storage for the rest of our stuffs.

Before we moved in, we were given a checklist of some sort that we need to complete and submit within a week's time(we also did this in our old apartment by the way). That list contains items/features that are in the house for every room it has and if those items are clean and in good condition. The first part was done by the agent and the second part will be done by us. Basically we need to put if we agree with the agent's assessment and to put comments if we disagree... like if the lights are not working, the door frame are damage or even if the walls has hooks or scuffs.... so that upon exit later on, this checklist will be the basis if you've damaged anything which will in turn be deducted to your bond (that is what we're trying to avoid).

Another disadvantage also is that we have no park area nearby... We have two parks - one on the left, and one on the right(picture above) upon our exit to the road - but both are 900m away from us unlike before... In its place though is we are walking-distance away from swimming pool area(~$4/adult) and shops(a.k.a market), banks, real-estate agents, massage and spa(hoho) and tailor.... so we don't have a right to complain hehe.

All in all... our first few weeks have been great especially now that there are no more boxes left to unpack so the place is looking better and better. It is a lot colder since it is bungalow... has few insects(which is probably due to having a backyard) especially at night like baby cockroaches(I call them that because they're not scary and big like the ones in the Philippines...very very tiny I don't event know if they're really cockroaches), occasional flies when doors are left open for too long... so we tried to seal every door with snake door stoppers and so far so good.... it is also one of the things we requested from the landlord to be treated but not urgent... The house is less dusty compared to our previous house(because it is not on a busy road)... we can go for a week or more without dusting =)

If before we were just in a square-type apartment with no additional space to be creative at.... now this house has lots of twist and turns and spaces to put my inner interior-designer to work... I even know where to put my Christmas tree already. Hope our parents will like this new house because we liked it a lot and we will be living here for a year or so until we find a house to buy...it's more comfortable and has more space you wouldn't feel claustrophobic....Like it?

All The Earth Will Sing Your Praises

2012-10-16T18:15:00.000+08:00

Had fun and inspiring songs at church last Sunday... People's testimonies were also encouraging especially tita Ida's. She's one of those who's so fond of Yonky at church. And she's so positive you can't help but admire her strong conviction and faith that God is with her throughout her sickness. Hope God will continue to heal her and use her mightily to bring more people to His kingdom.

This is one of the songs that constantly played on my head from church (LSS =p) Enjoy the week!

All the Earth Will Sing Your Praises

by Lincoln Brewster

(lyrics taken from www.christian-lyrics.net)

You took and You take our sins away, oh God

You give, You gave Your life away for us
You came down, You saved us through the cross
Our hearts are changed because of Your great love

You lived, You died, You said in three days You would rise
You did, You're alive
You rule, You reign, You said You're coming back again
I know You will and all the earth will sing Your praises
All the earth will sing Your praises

You took and You take our sins away, oh God
You give and You gave Your life away for us, yeah
You came down, You saved us through the cross
Our hearts are changed because of Your great love, oh

You lived, You died, You said in three days You would rise
You did, You're alive
You rule, You reign, You said You're coming back again
I know You will and all the earth will sing Your praises
All the earth will sing Your praises
And all the earth will sing Your praises

You lived, You died, You said in three days You would rise
You did, You're alive
You rule, You reign, You said You're coming back again
I know You will and all the earth will sing Your praises

You lived, You died, You said in three days You would rise
You did, You're alive
You rule, You reign, You said You're coming back again
I know You will and all the earth will sing Your praises
And all the earth will sing Your praises
And all the earth will sing Your praises
And all the earth will sing Your praises

Yonky @ K1

2012-10-13T12:00:00.001+08:00

We had probably visited 10 schools/preschools in order to find Yonky a good school that he can grow up in (I'm not a fan of those kids who jumps from school to school). The public schools told us he is too young for kindergarten so we're only hoping for at least a daycare with individualized or structured lesson plans. In the end, the one that we felt most comfortable with and truly an answered prayer for us is Redeemer Baptist School (catering from K1-Y12 (or high school for us)) because they accepted him as K1(kinder one) at half-sem already (Term3) for 3 days a week which is already a good schedule for him to adjust to schooling here... He'll probably extend at K1 till next year and we'll see when he turns five in August (proper school age here) if he can already transfer to proper kindergarten(K2). We felt at Redeemer both his academic and spiritual growth will be nurtured... and the bonus for us are Yonky immensely liked it, it has a state-recognized learning curriculum for kids - WRAP, they have chapel time every morning before school starts, older students are required to have prayer diary, it has humongous land area with library, sport field, science hall, and arts and crafts hall...

plus the uniform is sooo cool very preppy =)

The winter uniform set has
- knickers -- which for me is just a short but the garment is like that of the trousers of an office suit - double layered (sorry I'm not much of a fabric gal)
- jacket -- which for me is a blazer
- shirt -- a.k.a polo shirt which is grey color
- jumper -- a.k.a tight sweatshirt
- sox -- a.k.a socks
- 2 set of shoes -- one black, one white for outdoor playtime (they're very particular about this and they can reject those that don't meet the requirement)

Most items for winter are navy-colored. We took a long time finding his shoes not because it's rare but because most shoes here are way so expensive=p

Redeemer Baptist School is a labor of love from the Baptist church congregation who bought the land with their own money (mostly selling their old houses, giving up majority of the money to buy the school's land and buying new and smaller houses near the area to really support the school much like what happened to one of Paul's letter in the Bible). The staff are mostly volunteers from the same church doing their service for the Lord(you gotta love the Christians). So because they are teaching Yonky values and Bible stories and lessons... I'm more at peace that whatever I taught him at home will be reinforced in the school as well.

Yonky's first major activity in K1 where parents are invited was the K1-K2 Open Day last August 2012. He only got to practice this term as he just started but we're soo proud he did very well and seems to love the songs of the play which pretty much has a moral story of Jesus(a.k.a. the prince) saving the citizens.

He played one of the sailor men and therefore we're able to introduced to him Popeye's song and cartoon series to relate to his role hehe. He was tasked to distribute the gifts from the ship even though older kids in his class can do it (galing galing)...

Every term here, they have a 2 week break except at the end of term 4 where they have at least 3 weeks break. So his break was late Sep to early Oct and we brought him to Canberra and Sydney Tower during his break.

He just started Term 4 this October 9 and even though it is still Spring(where some days are still chilly), they're told to wear their summer uniforms already.

The summer uniform set has
- shorts -- now we're talking
- shirt -- polo shirt but this time it is white
- jumper - same with the winter one
- sox - shorter than the winter one
- shoes - same all year

Most supplies comes from the school so I don't need to worry I need to buy something after work because most stores close by 4pm. Students are required to wear hat because they enforced a "NO HAT NO PLAY" policy including applying sunscreens because this country has the highest rate of skin cancer. Other supplies required are a badge and an art smock for art time. K1 still don't have PE uniforms so less expense for us and we should enjoy it while it lasts hehe.

School kids are less stress here compared to the Philippines... In fact, based on his school handbook at Redeemer, homeworks starts only year3 (grade3) and the school recommends at least 30mins on doing homeworks upto year4. Homework times increases per year after that... but what surprised me is there's no homework time for kinder to year2 which is in such contrast to his previous school in STI Prep where he already had assignments and exams at nursery. Their belief is kids have more time to be creative and to read and learn things that interests them if they're not swamped with homeworks and exams.

So far so good... he is enjoying his school, learning to eat on his own during his own break (although most days he plays instead of eat which the school allows because they want kids to be active). He wasn't getting watched-over a lot like in his school in STI... I mean here, nobody will reprimand a child to wash their hands before they eat or to be careful at twigs in the grass... they just let the kids roam free (well except in crossing streets of course)... I would normally worry but by this time, I just leave it all up to God. I really can't have a nanny forever watching his every move and making sure they're up to my standards right?!

So just enjoy your youth YONKY BONKY... enjoy learning and enjoy making new friends from all nationalities hehe. GOD BLESS and WE LOVE YOU SO SO MUCH.

Being Part of Gospel for Asia

2012-10-10T16:56:00.000+08:00

If before I chose health/life over sending children to school in UNICEF, after reading Revolution in World Missions, I suddenly realize "Oo nga noh, buhay nga sila dito sa lupa kung impyerno din ang bagsak nila...did I really help?"...

So on to my prayer and devotions asking God to please bless me so I can bless others too and helped in Gospel for Asia's (GFA) cause to reach the unreached. It is really one of my burdens to be in missions ever since my first ever college retreat with CCF, but every time I tried to go to that thinking and become so passionate that I wanted to be full-time, my career and events suddenly turns sour...

I really don't understand until after reading that book... that "maybe" just "maybe"... my calling is to be in corporate and in return to channel those blessings to helping missions work. I am a believer that we don't own a single cent in this earth... we are but stewards of the earth, the finances, the nature, and all other blessings... maybe that's why I take risks (calculated risks) and it's in my genes to just pick up and move wherever the mood and my prayers lead me... because I know that "God will not leave me nor forsake me"

So this is it... as soon as God gave me my first work more than a month ago, I started being a donor to GFA - helping the missionaries so they can in turn do their calling of reaching unbelievers in Asia=)... and God is faithful, if I really obey Him.... I am confident that He answers my prayers (not that I help so I get something from God in return right?! that's totally wrong theology and the best way out of it is to always check the heart's motive) because that's His promise... (probably not in the time that I'm hoping... most times not with an easy Yes or No... but He answers in His perfect timing because He is holy and He is love)

¹⁴This is the confidence^(A) we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.^(B)- 1 John 5:14 (NIV)

⁶being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion^(A) until the day of Christ Jesus.^(B)- Philippians 1:6(NIV)

GOD BLESS AND SHARE SHARE SHARE (most especially SHARE in GOD's CAUSE... in the reason why CHRIST died in the first place... so that no one (not a single lamb) will perish for all eternity)! Join us in Gospel for Asia!

INSIDE OF ME

Masterplan (Our Humble Abode IV)

Welcome... 😘

The Bedrooms

The D-I-Y Gardens

Our Princess Sophie - Pure Wisdom

That Which We Call Ours

One Year :):):)

Outback Steakhouse Australia

Church Camp

Family Church Camp

Modeling: A Salute to My Wonderful Parents

Yonky's Quotable Quotes #3

Confessions of an Alpha Female

Epilogue: The Wife of Noble Character

Going North to The Entrance

Girl Power: Saluting all the Women in the World 2013

Yonky's First Taste of Theme Parks

Good Vacation = Good Accommodation at Watermark Hotel & Spa

Christmas in Gold Coast

ISTQB Certified!

12-12-12 CFF Food Outreach Program

The Day and Hour Unknown(A)(B)

Yonky's Quotable Quotes #2

Take Time to Remember...

Our First Christmas Tree in Aussieland

Rainy Canberra Day: Floriade 2012

Celebrating Our 6th @ Sydney Tower Eye

Our 2nd Apartment in Sydney

All The Earth Will Sing Your Praises

Yonky @ K1

Being Part of Gospel for Asia

The Day and Hour Unknown^(A)^(B)