Thirty and Terrific

Gosh, I'm 30.  

While a lot of people fuss about getting older, I look at it as a chance at a new year of happiness and opportunity.  My birthday this year may not carry the same excitement as it did on my 18th but it shares the same significance.  It was after I blew my 18 candles that I threw myself into the real world (literally) and now that I am 30 I look back at what was. 

Five months after my debutante party, I met Lloyed.  He was the new teacher.  Who would've guessed that a few months after he'd ask me to spend the rest of my life with him.  Just like that, a crazy teenager who was head over heels in love, I dove in.  I was 18, he was 22 and we were chasing true love.  Now we're both in our 30s and we're chasing our dreams.

We thank our three beautiful children for making us dream even more.  Say what?  Three children!  And do you know that I was actually in labor on my 20th birthday? So Jim is turning 10 in two days, too!  How cool is that?  I can't even imagine how my body managed to carry these three loveable creatures (of course not all at the same time! haha)  But these kids make me remember that birthdays are not about getting older but about having more years to spend with them.

He's growing up to be such a handsome young man. Look at the little girl in the background!

Shot while the little girl was still in my tummy

The boys wanted to join in the shoot as ninja gos (I remember sewing their costumes hehe)

Now the little girl in my tummy turned out to be such an adorable sweetie

Thirty and a mother of three, that's Me.

This was inside the CN Tower in Toronto

Travel.  I remember when I was 12 my parents brought us to Hongkong.  It was my first ever plane ride and I remember being so ugly.  Hahaha. Honestly, what I remember most in that trip was how horrendous I looked.  When everyone was wearing leather skirts and knee-high winter boots I had to stick to my big shirt and jeans because nothing seemed to fit (Thank God I don't have any pictures here to prove it lol).  Ok, so now I'm getting a bit sidetracked.  Haha  But I told myself that when I grow up I would travel the world (in more fashionable clothes).   And I did.

Singapore, Hongkong, Macau, China - Beijing, Shanghai, Thailand - Bangkok, Japan - Tokyo, Canada - Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, Australia - Sydney and France - Paris.  If my transit counts, the list would include Chicago, Korea, Dubai and Vancouver.

We brought the kids to Singapore to Singapore

Disneyland Hotel in Hongkong

Hockey Hall of Fame

The boys' first snow

Posing with the Sakura or Cherry Blossoms in Japan

Watching Lloyed taste some scorpions in Beijing

I have traveled the world some from my own pocket, some fully paid by the company, some with Lloyed, some with the whole bunch, some on my own.  I love traveling because the lessons and experiences I take home are priceless.  It expands my horizon and somehow the world doesn't feel so big and the people not so different after all.

Churrasco Dining in Braza Restaurant, Sydney

Before going in to Versailles in Paris

Via Rail Station in Ottawa

Orient Pearl Tower in Shanghai

Yummy Poutine in Montreal.  I missssss this!!!

So now let's talk about my profession.  I have shifted to a totally new career.  From software programs, I managed to embrace the world of a life insurance agent.  It was a tough call.  I gave up my residency in Canada, my 4-year Computer Science course (which I did fairly well) for a job as lowly as selling insurance.  I use the term lowly because a lot of people still refer to my job as such.  Yet, it has opened a lot of doors for me, my family and my clients.  I have learned to love the fact that I take out financial risks in people's lives and in one way or another I leave a lasting impact to their loved ones (and hopefully to the society).  I am a life insurance agent and very proud of it.

In December 2013, during my brother's wedding.

My dress sizes have evolved from being size 8 (when I was 18) to size 18 (when I was 28.)  Hahahaha.   In 2011, I posted the photo above on fb.  The photo was taken when I was 18 and skinny.  So I declared to the world that I'll be back in that form when I reach 30.  Did I make it?  Not yet but I am certainly on my way there. 

Early January in Dumaguete 2015

Dressed up for the management meeting. Hehe  Last week Jan 2015

The last 4 months have been both challenging and rewarding. But Congratulations to me because I lost a total of 48.3 lbs!!!  That's a whopping number all because of Cohen.  Although I had a bit of a lull due to the holidays I claim that I'll be back to a size 8 in the next 4 months. <3

My biggest achievement for 2014 was getting back in shape and learning to give importance to myself first.

In the same way I realized the value of real friends.  They are hard to find.  Now that I'm 30, I don't settle.  I don't even attempt to please people.  I just stay the way I am and if some people don't like it, I don't give a damn.  I strive to achieve simplicity and focus on what makes me happy.  Maybe that's what happens when you get older hahaha =)) So I treasure real people because I've decided to be real as real can get.  To those who've stuck with me through these years, you know who you are and I lab you!

Remember that FAMILY is the ONLY people who will ALWAYS watch your back.

Family is everything.  When we're young(er), there's so much we want to achieve, countless things we want to do and a lot more we want to prove.  But after years in the rat race, I realized that while we focus so much on reaching success, we tend to forget to appreciate what and who have always been there.  So to my parents, mom-in-law, brother and brothers-in-law, sister and sisters-in-law, thank you for your love and support through all these years.  Of course, to my dear husband and lovely kids, for the constant inspiration.  As we get older we realize that we need to spend more time with them because they're the most important people in our lives and every day with them counts.

Lastly, failures.  I had a lot of them.  In fact, the biggest one I had to deal with very recently.  But by God's grace I have been able to pick myself up and start anew.  It is in these moments that I look into my life and appreciate everything that I have.  EVERYTHING.  So today as I celebrate my 30 years in this world, let me end this post with this very meaningful song by Jose Mari Chan.  Do sing with me, if you like:

When I'm worried and I can't sleep
I count my blessings instead of sheep
And I fall asleep counting my blessings

When my bankroll is getting small
I think of when I had none at all
And I fall asleep counting my blessings

I think about a nursery and I picture curly heads
And one by one I count them as they slumber in their beds

If you're worried and you can't sleep
Just count your blessings instead of sheep
And you'll fall asleep counting your blessings

And (you'll) I'll fall asleep counting my blessings

I thank the Lord for good health
For the gift of love He sends
But most of all He's blessed me
With my family and friends

When you feel that you're down and out
Just count your blessings, I have no doubt
You'll soon be on your feet, counting your blessings

I love you my labs, jimmie, coby and ysabela!

There's nothing more I could wish for today.  I just want to glorify my creator and our Lord because it is only through Him that everything is possible.  Thank you Lord for another year and thank you for this beautiful life.  So as we work hard towards our personal aspirations, let's also remember that in order for things in our life to be in place, we should always put God first.  May we all reach our dreams! 

Top Five Things You Learn After Not Having a Nanny and House help for more than Three Months

Ever since the last remaining nanny was fetched by her insecure husband, Lloyed and I decided to go with the flow and accept our fate.  That meant taking turns in all our responsibilities as a couple, parents and business people.  It has been a miracle how we have been doing so far especially with the demands of each of our professions.  But of course with God's help, everything has been manageable.  

We are still on the lookout for staff who could help us out but like most of us parents, finding good help or even just help is but a challenging feat.  But let me share with you the lessons I learned after living the "American Life" in Cebuano soil.

1.  Your child's cry is music to your ears.  Whether it's a legit cry coming from a toddler or a made up dramatic scene from a boy of 4 or 9 years, they all carry a symphony of emotions that can shake up your senses. So if you don't have a nanny and househelp and the crying won't stop even if the list of chores seem to grow, make sure you master these three things: a.) look your child seriously in the eye and reassure him/her that things are going to be fine b.) distract him/her with your humor and if all else fails c.) take a deep breath and transcend to a higher place until you reach a state of silence. Pure, calm, roaring silence.  You'll master this after three tries.

2.) Art is fun.  Colors make the world vibrant.  So if you see your white wall with scribbles or your bed/floor with piles and piles of colorful toys, APPRECIATE.  Because that's what they call Abstract.  Just make sure to put on your super steel soles or else be prepared to scream because these tiny lego pieces come in the middle of the night, they're scary. You never see 'em coming because they're so little!  But the pain they strike reverberates from your sole throughout your whole body!  If you had a choice, you wouldn't want them to see the light of day.

3.)  Know that nothing ever gets lost when there's three kids in your house.  They just get misplaced.  Oftentimes you find them when you don't need them anymore.  You realize you try your best to organize everything but you're too tired from all the cooking, scrubbing, washing the dishes, doing the laundry on top of your responsibilities at work.  The chaos seems to have developed its own system that everything somehow falls into place ALL the TIME. And even when you can't find your coin purse at that moment you needed it, you rely on the belief that one day when the time is right you will. Yes girl, you will.

4.)  "Me" time or "Hubby and Me" time is reduced to a total of more or less one hour.  Two would be a gift!  In between the chores you divide yourselves with and the work you have to do in between. The conversations about regular things not related to children, work or expenses can be compressed in less than 60 minutes. Most times even less. Yet even so you are fulfilled knowing that you are sharing your life with the most supportive partner who shows so much love and care for you especially in the most challenging times.

5.)  You become more stretchable than rubber.  Who would've thought you'd be able to cook 5 meals in one and a half hour? Or bathe three children all at once in a span of 15 minutes tops. Or think of your PowerPoint presentation for your management meeting while doing the laundry?  Who could've imagined that you could devise a system of clearing a pile of dishes and pots in the shortest possible time? Yet through this all, you manage to keep a smile on your face and a heart that is full.  Because at the end of the day, you see your beautiful children and your wonderful spouse all wanting to make every moment with you count.  

And every alarm you've struggled to wake up to just to prepare breakfast, every little thing you had to put off for yourself and every ache in your body after a long day's work in and out of the house is simply worth it. <3

Failures and Resolutions

They often say that our courage and strength are better defined by our failures instead of our achievements.  2014 was a year of sorts.

I usually coin my experience as "kamang sa yuta". Direct translation is crawled on the ground, gumapang sa putikan (to exaggerate a little hehe). It was the year when my job felt so thankless and unfulfilling. It was the year of knowing what it means to have personal boundaries, to be wary of giving away trust. It was the year of letting go of toxic relationships, of people who say they're with you but then they do differently when you turn your back.

What I had to go through was so difficult but liberating at the same time.  I learned to listen to myself more, I learned to be confident in who I am and what I know and somehow by the end of the year I was back to who I really was: happy.  I rid myself of all the negative emotions and in the same way, all the pain went away.

I ended last year on a high note only to receive some bad news today.  This is probably the most record breaking in my whole career (but I decided to keep it to myself).  For a drama queen like me, I didn't weep and wallow in misery.

With God's grace, I have learned to accept that everything is always in accordance to His will.  I have been extremely blessed because I am not broken in spite of my failures.  In Him, there is strength without arrogance.  In the end, God has put me where I am meant to be.  Here and now.

So this new year, let's look at our failures as reminders of how we had to pick ourselves up.   And we shall claim this year to be the best there ever was!  

Happy New Year to us ALL!!!!!!