The Anniversary Blog Post

Anniversaries are so exciting (especially for women).  It creates memories of how it was and longings of how great it will continue to be.  Overall, it builds up amazing memories that reaffirm our undying love for our spouses.

I met Lloyed in 2003.  He was the most gorgeous teacher you'll ever meet in your lifetime.  I will never tire of telling this story for the generations to come.  We were both young and ideal.  Our love story is one that you get to read on a romantic novel where the protagonists go against all odds to fight for their love.

Our battle though was a bit different.  It was having PhP 20,000 for the baby who ended up being delivered via C-section.  It was believing that we can give our family a great life even when we had practically not a single penny to our name.

It was walking along downtown Toronto feeling miserable and alone (wondering if leaving a 3-month old baby was the right decision).  It was giving up the Canadian dream when everybody said it was a wrong move.  It was braving the difficulties of a three-year long-distance relationship for the promise of a better life.  For me, it was pretending to be strong and mature even when I was scared stiff to raise a little boy on my own at 21 (when Lloyed had to work in Japan).

For Lloyed, it was having a non-existent social life.   It meant turning down one invitation after the other believing that time and money was always well-spent with us instead of others.  It was not having to experience becoming a bachelor because he decided to be a responsible family man since day one.  Nobody told him so, or even asked him to. We were everything he needed and we were more than enough to make him happy.

Now more than a decade forward, we have grown so much more than we ever thought we would.  We had different dreams then but God led us to where we are now.  To be honest, never in our wildest imaginations did it ever occur  to us that we'd both be working in two entirely different professions.  But through these years, it was only through Him and Him alone that we got through every challenge and hurdle.

So today, I want to glorify the Lord first.  Thank you God for being our light, our friend and our confidante.  We pray that you may continue to bless the work of our hands.  We thank you for EVERYTHING.  Lord Jesus, we hope that whatever we do in our lives will be for the glory of Your name.

I also want to say thank you to the two sets of parents who have always been there for us.  We wouldn't have made it this far without your love and support.

Lastly, to you honey my labs.  It is two days late but I want to greet you a Happy Anniversary!!!!!  Everyday, I thank God for you.  I love you very much and I will always be grateful that I wake up beside you every morning (technically, since Ysa's in between us lol).   We are all very proud of you and your craft and I know that in God's perfect time, He will grant your heart's deepest desires.

Thank you for sticking it out with me inspite of my shortcomings.  I know sometimes it can be challenging for both of us especially when it comes to scheduling.  But I hope you will always remember that YOU are my number one, my only one ALWAYS.  I am sorry because sometimes I fail to show it but I hope you believe me when I say that I'd drop anything and everything for you.  I always have and I always will.  Honey, I love you.  Happy Anniversary.

Respect begets Respect

I look at my news feed and see a video of a Baranggay Kagawad slapping a security guard .  Instantly my initial thoughts were "Was it really necessary for this person to do what he did?" and then  somehow I form a slow judgment in my mind.  But then I thought about my own experiences and decided to read through the article.

Here's what I realized.  As my mom would always put it, there are always three sides to every story.  Mine, the other person's and the truth.  Sometimes, people are fixated in digging up the truth that they lose out on the fact that along the way somebody else (other than themselves) is probably hurting as much or maybe probably more. Who knows?  In such cases, what good does it make if we dwell on a barrage of stories that ping-pong back and forth?  What good does it really make to point out who was right when only God knows the real story.

The fact is that we supposedly live in a non-confrontational society.  And when people point out each other's differences, the initial reaction is usually not very nice.  When faced with ridicule, some put up a fight and carry their weight around while others stay on the sidelights and keep their mouth shut.  Some people say they're okay with criticism but they go to sleep with bitterness in their hearts.  Some people, on the other hand, take criticism to heart, get what they can from it and change for the better.  

Before the Brgy. Kagawad slapped the security guard, there were probably a series of events that provoked him to.  In the same way that the security guard believed that he did nothing wrong (which probably he might have who knows).  Obviously a case of miscommunication that went out of control.  In this case, would it help if we dissect everything by asking who said what or who did what first?  I honestly think not.  What difference would it make to point fingers and trace every little detail, really?  Nothing.

The golden rule says "Do unto others what you want others to do unto you."  But don't we all fail in this regard every other time?  It's the sad truth.  At the end of the day, I believe that everybody deserves respect.  You don't have to like someone, you just have to respect them.  It is supposed to be given to every single soul in this planet.   

In this regard, the planet is divided as well.  Some say respect is earned, some say it is deserved.  I say let's all agree to disagree. Just like in marriage or every other relationship for that matter, when respect is lost things are bound to fail.  So for me it is something that should be given to everybody - a right every person deserves.  Then again, that's just me. <3

Ma Belle Soeur

The hullabaloo of Paul and Toni’s wedding of the century has died down.  I was not a fan but their interview after the engagement changed it all.  You probably think this post is about it.  Well, it’s not.

One of the things about their wedding that made me weep my eyeballs out was the part where Alex (the sister) tells the groom about her sister’s quirks.  I suddenly remember my own sister and the day I left Canada to build my own life in the Philippines.  She was the only one who knew I wasn’t coming back.  It’s been nine years.  That’s almost half her life (see, I love her so much I still pretend she’s 18 haha). I just had to put that there to avoid some emotional fit here in the office! 

Le Anne is younger than me by four years but five years in school because I was born a genius.  I rub it on her every single time.  I was in college while she was still in high school so I was her FASHION ICON!  Even with a closetful of clothes, she’d ransack mine in the middle of the night.  I later on learned to put my spidey sense in full swing because while I pretend to sleep it starts with a small creek from my bedroom door and then I catch her redhanded in the middle of her little tiptoes! Her reaction was priceless, it was awesome.  

During her formative years my mom was away somewhere in the Middle East.  She was a bit slow compared to me (did I say I was a genius?)  It was difficult for her to read and her grammar was sick. And in a family where your mom writes and speaks so awesomely well, it was a disgrace.  We constantly fought about clothes and food she didn’t finish.  I would tell her about the many underprivileged people who’d love a piece of what she has.  I end up eating her leftovers and of course I became fat.  (Who knew there was wisdom in that? haha)

When we came to Toronto, she joined the music class after my prodding.  Only to find out it wasn’t glee club but a school band!  So one day she came home with a real flute and with all despair told me she’s planning to back out the next day.  We both didn’t know how to play the instrument!  So I thought maybe those days with the Bamboo flute in Cebu would come in handy.  And it did, we tried learning “Wooden Heart” and she ended up one of the great flute players in the band.

One time in Canada, I wanted to commit suicide and drank pills in front of her.  She didn’t even react or stop me so I felt kind of bad that she didn’t care.  Later on she told everybody I was drinking Tylenol (for night) so it would make my cough and colds go away.  No biggie.  Hahahaha  (and NO I also wasn’t REALLY killing myself)

I could go on and on with every other story about us.  But even then I knew in my heart that she was awesome.  I believed that she can be greater than what she saw in herself.  I have always known there was strength amidst her being fragile.  

She graduated high school as an honor student, a cheerleader (I hate that she lived that dream and I didn’t lol), a school band member and a member of the Key Club, an organization I know nothing about.  From several fashion faux pas to now being a certified fashionista.  From her grammatical blunders to an Honours Bachelors Degree in English and History minor in Religion from no less than the University of Toronto.  

To my sister, 

When I went back to the Philippines, it wasn’t about whether I could make up a life here - that wasn’t my greatest fear.  My biggest fear was how you were going to make it out on your own.  But you’ve grown with so much gracefulness as a woman with a good head on top of her shoulders and a heart filled with so much tenderness and love.  All this, without me and you have made me so proud!  

So even though I may be a few days late, I want to greet you a HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY!  In a stage in my life where I can only pick a handful true friends, nobody can ever measure up to what we have.  I will always love you and I believe in you.

Love Always,

Ate.