The Power Of Three

Paybacks!

2008-11-08T16:47:00.000-08:00

Do you realize how much sacrifices your parents have done for you? We are greatly pampered by the unconditional love of our parents, but oftentimes we take them for granted. We’ve caused them problems and heartaches but their love for us is never broken nor shaken.

When we were younger, our parents worry about the bills and we let them do most of the errands around the house while we are busy playing and having fun, not so enthusiastic about helping them out. They toil without complaining to continuously bring food to the table and to make sure that the family is intact.
Eventually, the table will turn. When we start our own family and have our own house and bills to pay, maturity kicks in! We learn to care less about ourselves and more about our loved ones. We try our best to always make them happy and we work really hard to provide the best care we can give them. The important things come first and priorities are set in stone. We become more like our parents!
I remember what our Mom tells us every time we make mistakes that upset or annoy her. She’ll say, “when you have your own family someday, you’ll understand what I’m saying!” And yes, she was not mistaken! Now that I am married, it’s like a déjà vu. What my parents have experienced in the past are happening again… but they’re happening to me! It’s indeed a vicious pattern and cycle of life! I love my parents a lot, and I have come to appreciate them even more… now that I am married and now that I have a family to take care of! What about you, how much do you value your parents? -Mabel-

Let's Talk Food

2008-10-28T19:36:00.001-07:00

Living thousands of miles away from the Philippines can be difficult at times for Filipinas like me. I moved here about 4 years ago, and yet, my taste buds have remained a hundred percent Filipino. I have everything that I need here, but oftentimes I crave for food that is nowhere to be found here in the US!

Picture by MonkeyDLuffy of Flickr

Kinilaw: The freshness of raw fish cooked in vinegar is complimented by the flavorful taste of tomatoes, onions, lemons, and several other ingredients. This dish has marked a special place in the hearts of every Filipino- especially the ones abroad like me.

Picture by o sara of Flickr

Lato: I am crazy about this seaweed. My mom prepares this as a salad combined with tomatoes, ginger, lemons and onions-- dipped in a mixture of soy sauce and vinegar. Lato is a type of seaweed which is rich in iron, iodine, calcium, and vitamins A and C. It is grape-like in structure, and is soft and succulent in texture.
Picture by Geekdope of Flickr
Manggang hilaw: nothing can top the crunchy unripe mangoes in the Philippines. A few days before my “red week” starts, I get the urge to eat this fruit. It’s great when you dip it in shrimp paste or fish sauce (bagoong). Most pregnant filipina women experience an intense appetite for this fruit during the early stage of their pregnancy.

Picture by Simply Anne of Flickr

Bibingka: a classic Filipino sweet rice cake. It’s a delicious treat served during special occasions in the Philippines. I’ve always wanted to make my own bibigka here but never got around to it. I am not an expert cook too so I don't have much confidence in my cooking skills. I only know a handful of recipes and that’s about it!
Picture by The_geek of Flickr
Banana-q/Camote-q: commonly known as a street food coated with a thick layer of caramelized brown sugar, and threaded on a thin piece of bamboo skewer. This is traditionally served as a form of snack.

Picture by PocketLim of Flickr

Lechon Baboy: Roasted Pig is usually the highlight of every occasion and festivities in the Philippines- birthdays, fiestas, graduations etc. The crunchy skin is to die for! It is usually dipped in either soy sauce with lemon, or in ketchup. Sarap!!

Picture by Elmer Nocheseda of Flickr
Malunggay soup: This is a very affordable yet very nutritious meal for the family. You can add fish or chicken to make it a delightful soup recipe. In the Philippines, they say that lactating mothers and pregnant women should eat more of it to aid in the production of breast milk. How true? I don’t know!

Picture by eddie "gutierrez" de leon of Flickr

Biko: this recipe is made of glutinous rice (malagkit), coconut milk, and brown sugar. It takes a while to cook it and it requires a long period of constant stirring. My mom usually prepares this together with “Binignit” during All Souls Day.

Now I’m ready to book a flight for the Philippines!

Wandering Thoughts

2008-10-23T13:39:00.001-07:00

A cold front moved in yesterday and rain poured down hard last night. I'm happy that it did, because I have been wanting to get a few droplets so I could take a break from manually watering our lawn every single day. We don't have sprinklers yet so someone has to provide some TLC for the grass. On the other hand, wishing for rain has it’s own down side too, because my husband Mike spends most of his day working outdoors- I don’t want him cold and soaked in the rain!

It’s funny because household chores and the likes are some of the things that I was not so mindful about during my younger years. I was more concerned about myself, my appearance, school, and friends. I guess I’m getting old! I have learned to embrace responsibilities now as maturely as possible. It’s a great feeling though! It feels wonderful to have a sense of independence and strength.

Anyhow, it turned out to be a pretty relaxing day today. The sweet breeze of the holidays is stirring my excitement. Halloween is coming up soon and I'm very eager to see all kinds of costumes worn by cute little kids running around the streets. The treats are ready too, and I stored them away somewhere safe to avoid sneaky people from pigging out on the kitkats-- including myself!!

I am looking forward to Thanksgiving and Christmas also. We are planning to merge the celebration of Thanksgiving and our housewarming party next month. It will be fun to see my in-laws and close friends again. Christmas will be very special too because it will be the first time that we spend it in our new house. I'm sure it will be a memorable one for Mike and me! -Mabel-

Shower Of Awards

2008-10-18T13:37:00.000-07:00

We need Friends for many reasons,
all throughout the season.
We need Friends to comfort us when we are sad,
and to have fun with us when we are glad.
We need Friends to give us good advice.
We need someone we can count on,
and treat us nice.

We need Friends to remember us
once we have passed sharing memories
that will always last.

We extend thanks to our dear friends for gracing our blog with flattering thoughts of admiration and appreciation. We are very grateful for your awards!

Brilliante Award From: Emirie of Mixed Reflections
I Heart Ur Blog Award From: Candi of My Candi and Rechie of My Hideaway
Butterfly Award From: Benchiegrace of Life Rocks , Anne of My Little Home , Lollii of My Kawaii Life , and Irenie of Sweet Heaven
Friendship Poem From: Jeff of Life As Experienced Daily

We are passing these awards to Jaidie, Atenean101, Dhemz, Mhay, Tintin, Kikai, Raine, It Mom's Corner, Suzanne, Twerlyn, Mentor, Rosemarie, Cely, and to all the bloggers who spend their precious time posting new interesting topics for everyone to read! Feel free to grab any of these awards if you feel deserving of such prize. -GMG-

60 Candles To Blow!

2008-10-16T22:24:00.000-07:00

Happy 60th Birthday Dad! We're telling you...
You cannot have a slice of your own cake today!!
But don't feel bad...
because the love that we have for you
is the best kind of icing you'll ever have!
We love you always!
-GMG-

Labor Fright!!

2008-10-12T18:19:00.001-07:00

Picture by Mark Parisi WEBSITE

I happen to accidentally run into a baby delivery video on Youtube. There was no warning or information about the content...or maybe there was but I overlooked it. The video started playing and I had no idea that I was in for a not so pleasant surprise. I was basically clueless the first few seconds of what was going on in the video, until it started to look really freaky. When I realized that a baby's head was slowly popping out, I closed the tab instantly! My jaw dropped seeing the teeny-tiny hole painstakingly stretched out into an unimaginable size. I know that a baby's birth is supposed to be special and beautiful, but I was not prepared to see that yet...not now!! No wonder why some dads pass out inside the delivery room. They probably can't handle the feeling of excitement and stress at the same time!
Picture by Dan Reynolds WEBSITE

The idea of having a cute adorable baby to care for is very exhilarating. But the excruciating contractions and the never-ending cycle of pushing is something that I can live without! I already told Mike in advance that someday when I get pregnant and when I'm having my labor, nobody is allowed to look down there except the doctor! LOL But of course in reality, I'm pretty sure that my energy would be so drained to actually care about it!

To all the brave moms out there.. you have my utmost respect and admiration! I salute you ladies for the months of carrying the baby inside your womb and the strength you've all shown during the hours of agony in the delivery room. I don't know how you ladies did it but I'm hoping that someday, I will be brave enough to bear the whole process too! -Mabel-

A Hopeful Heart

2008-10-05T12:36:00.000-07:00

My dad has been long suffering from the complications of diabetes. For a long time, he refused to believe that there's still hope for his condition through hospitalization. His illness crippled him causing his legs to swell, turning his skin yellowish and giving him major breathing problems. It’s very alarming to the family knowing that a loved one is fighting for his life. A couple of weeks ago, he expressed his goodbyes to the family saying he might not be able to live long enough to see his two daughters again and witness his future grandchildren grow. My heart was shattered into pieces when I talked to him on the phone, hearing him say that he is very tired and he is ready to die. Right at that moment, I felt like he’s drifting away- ready to accept his fate, awaiting for his journey ahead...and never coming back.

Last week we were able to convince him that he needs to be admitted to the hospital. He’s pessimistic about recovering through hospital care because he has heard a few horror stories and death experiences of neighbors and relatives in the hospital. They all left their families behind cringing for all the financial burdens caused by the piles of bills charged by the hospital for their services. My dad thinks his condition is hopeless and he said if he's going to die anyway, might as well die without leaving serious debt to the family. But all these negative thoughts faded when he got admitted and started to feel a lot better with the great patient care he received from his doctors and nurses. The doctor said there’s no need for surgery or any intensive treatments like dialysis for his kidney- they gave him a lot of pills to take though. His swollen legs are shrinking now, which we're really happy about. His breathing is a lot better also but they’re still seriously monitoring his sugar, blood pressure and creatinine levels. Hope is strongly growing inside our hearts again. I am very thankful and very optimistic about his recovery. Although everything is not back to normal yet, the important thing is that he'll recover slowly. I love my dad and I would love to see him live many more happy years with his family. -MABEL-

Moving On....

2008-09-28T19:55:00.000-07:00

Do you remember what it felt like to buy your first house? Yesterday, we finally closed on the house that would have been ours before Hurricane Ike side tracked our plans. Mike and I are both excited because this is our first major purchase as husband and wife. We are a bit nervous too about the impact of change in our lifestyle now that we have a house to pay for. It's a great financial responsibility and there will be adjustments to do when it comes to our budgeting. Now that we have a mortgage payment, we’ll need to set aside the nonessential things and concentrate more on the important needs. It will not be like it used to be where we could eat out anytime, travel at will, and shop by urge.

The whole process of buying a house was very overwhelming! We walked through over 30 homes before we figured out what we really wanted to have in a house. It was fun but at the same time it was challenging and time consuming! But our eagerness to start a family in a house that we can call "our own" has offset all those tiny hurdles along the way.
After closing the house noon of yesterday, we worked our butts off to box up our things and transfer all our furniture to the new house. We were a little pressed for time because we only have one and a half days to move everything and clean up the apartment. We've been working like crazy for two days in a row now!
Although there are pressures, I'm still ecstatic to start the interior decorating! My mind is restless thinking about the endless possibilities of how we'd like the interior of the house to be. I am not a professional designer but this is the best chance for me to incorporate my sense of style and taste when it comes to decoration.. but of course Mike's opinion matters a lot too! Mike and I have different tastes... so we need to compromise in some areas to arrive on a decision that will make both parties fairly satisfied. This is where we'll be living for years so we have to be comfortable with the atmosphere and whole setting of the house. We are thankful for being so blessed with all the things that we've achieved in our marriage. I can't wait to continue our life together and build a family in a house that we will soon call home!! -MABEL-

A Note Of Love And Appreciation

2008-09-24T09:59:00.000-07:00

Noise reverberated throughout the bedroom as the loud sound of a commanding alarm clock went off. I lazily curled up under the blanket trying to avoid the annoying sound keeping me away from my peaceful slumber. As I was comfortably lying on the bed, a sudden spark of idea came to mind. A simple gesture of appreciation through a short message will help my husband cope with the daily stress he encounters at work. I hastily moved towards the kitchen while Mike was enjoying his usual morning hot shower. I grabbed a pen and a paper, and as thoughts started to flow, my hands obediently scribbled over the flimsy piece of paper. My eyes glowed with enthusiasm as I was finishing up the letter. I hopped down from the chair and rushed to the parking lot anxiously imagining the surprised look on Mike's face when he finds the letter on his truck seat. I went into the truck... and there, I left the note sealed with all my love:

I thank the Lord everyday of my life for blessing me with a partner who’s love has always remained unfailing. With your love, I found my shelter… you nourish me and you protect me. You’ve provided me love more than what I have ever hoped for.

When I feel sad, your arms are always there to wrap me with those warm comforts. When I cry, you wipe away my tears with your firm but gentle fingers. And when I feel like I couldn’t stand the pain anymore, you are there to carry me until I become strong enough to stand again.

From time to time, I utter the words I love you to express how much you mean to me. I hope you feel the truth behind these precious words…because these words mean you are my life, my happiness, my strength and my forever love!!! I am yours until the end of time…

Love, Mabel

Spreading Love To Fellow Bloggers

2008-09-19T11:20:00.000-07:00

Our hearts are full of love right now so we are shelling out friendship awards to our devoted fellow bloggers. Our experience in blogging has been so much fun because of you guys!
This award was passed on to us by our friends Sara of News From Nola and Rechie of My Hideaway. We would like to share this award to our special friends to let you know we are delighted to read your writings and stories. The world of blogging has opened a new door for us to expand our horizon in discovering new things and meeting wonderful people.This Friendship award was bestowed to us by benchiegirl of Life Rocks, Rechie of My Hideaway, and Tintin of Footnotes and Paper Trails. A bunch of thanks to you ladies! Some of you might not be too enthusiastic about this whole idea of award distribution- but if you help these awards to propagate, it will be greatly appreciated. Let's give them more attention and let's spread some more love to the world! :)

We are granting both of these awards to blogger friends JUDITH, CONY, TUMBLEWEED, JEAN, DALE, ARNIE, JOANNE, CASHMERE, NAOMI, CELY and BINGKEE.

-GMG-

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SURVIVING HURRICANE IKE

2008-09-17T23:39:00.000-07:00

Picture by: G.J. McCarthy / DMN Staff, host webpage

The lively and busy city of Houston was filled with gloom on the 13th day of September. Hurricane Ike lashed through the city causing billions of dollars worth of damage. The island of Galveston which is situated an hour and forty five minutes away from our place (Spring), received the full front of the hurricane. The strong winds knocked out power to 99% of Houston’s residents. Ice and generator suddenly became valuable commodities.

It was noon on September 13 and the power was out for almost nine hours. We were stuck in the house with nothing much to eat and nothing much to do! Out of boredom, we decided to brave the bad weather to see the aftermath of Ike in our area. It was awfully messy outside! We saw snapped trees, down fences, flooded roads, submerged vehicles, demolished billboards, broken streetlights, trees falling on houses and severely damaged properties. I was staring at the destruction left off by the unforgiving hurricane, and right at that moment I was deeply hoping that the people living in the coastal areas were okay.

Life was hard without electricity, internet, radio, television, hot food and hot shower! You don’t really know how dependent you are to electricity until it’s taken away from you! But despite all these catastrophe though, I am still thankful that Mike and I were safe. You can replace all the material things lost from the hurricane, but you can’t bring back life once it’s gone.

After being bombarded with Ike’s wrath, we learned some important lessons. Here are some tips to keep in mind prior to a disaster:
BE WELL PREPARED!!

Stock plenty of food that doesn’t need cooking and refrigeration. Keep can goods and can openers.

Candles, batteries and flashlights come in really handy when there's no electricity.

Store lots of ice in coolers just in case there's a power outage.

Prepare cases of bottled water. Stock water in containers in case you lose water supply or water gets contaminated.

Make sure to keep a battery powered radio to stay well-informed about the warnings and the latest update on the calamity.

Do all the laundry and dishes before the calamity.

Take out garbage.

Keep board games, cards, toys and books- it will help you keep entertained when you get bored.

Fill up your vehicle's gas tank at least one day before the hurricane.

Our power was finally restored after 5 long days of agony! Everything is starting to get back to normal again. I’m really grateful to all my friends who showed thoughts of deep concern to us here. You know who you are guys! We appreciate all your calls!

-Mabel-

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8 Random Things About Me

2008-09-12T18:42:00.000-07:00

Yay!! After a month of serious blogging, I finally got my first tag! Thanks to Ate Bing! I'll try my best to share the things that best describe me and my life from the past to the present. Just in case everyone is wondering who the young lady is in the picture...that's me! I was taking a walk down Galveston beach while enjoying the warm splash of the gentle waves on my feet! Anyway, here's what I can share about myself:

1) When I was a child, my family went through some rough times. We lived in a tiny old shelter with an extremely messed up roof. So whenever it rains, our floor ends up getting flooded because water drips through the tiny holes of the roof. We hide under the umbrella tucked tightly into one corner to keep ourselves dry. While it's raining, we hear our neighbors joke loudly about our situation. It's very disheartening to know that some people find amusement on the suffering of their fellowmen. I hold this memory special even if it's painful, because it reminds me of my simple and humble beginnings.
2) My personality is very transparent. I am shy but friendly. If you're nice to me, I will treat you better. If you're not, then you better watch out! ;)
3) I adore babies and would love to have a baby girl someday! Maybe in the next year or two!
4) I don't drink or smoke. I strongly believe that staying healthy is the key to a long happy life! :)
5) I love to sing! I discovered my passion for singing when I was about 7. I have joined a couple of local singing competitions back in the Philippines.
6) I am married to a great guy for almost 5 years now- his name is Michael. He's the love of my life and I'm looking foward to growing old with him.
7) I love to go swimming even if I suck at swimming! I have this funny fear of water getting into my ear.
8) I believe that it's never too late to dream and it's always good to set goals in life. Having a target is like setting an inspiration and a guide that leads you to a better future! :)

Now I tag 8 people!

Simple Rules:
1. Each player starts with eight random facts/habits about themselves.
2. People who are tagged need to write their own blog about their eight things and post these rules.
3. At the end of your blog, you need to choose eight people to get tagged and list their names.
4. Don't forget to leave them a comment telling them they're tagged, and to read your blog.

JUDITH
KIM
CONY
JOANNE
JEAN
TUMBLEWEED
RECHIE
JANIZ

-Mabel-

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Charice Pempengco Rocks The Oprah Winfrey Show!

2008-09-11T22:12:00.001-07:00

Who is Charice Pempengco?!
.... she is an ordinary filipina girl with a big beautiful voice
....she comes from a poor family and dreamed of becoming part of the music limelight
.....at a young age she suffered from the mental, physical and emotional abuse of her father
...she draws strength from her supportive mom who took care of her after her parent's separated
...joining local singing competitions is her way of helping her mom cope with their financial strains
...at times she's criticized by people who think she's not pretty and not good enough
....but her zest to follow her dream has pushed her to continue on
.....now, she is 15 years old and she is living her dream!
....you're a great source of inspiration to us all Charice
We're proud of you!

Charice's First Appearance On The Oprah Winfrey Show Belting The Song
I Have Nothing By Whitney Houston

Performing My Heart Will Go On,
During Her Second Appearance On The Oprah Winfrey Show

Recently, Charice was featured on The Ellen Degeneres Show, twice on Oprah Winfrey, and David Foster's tribute concert where she performed songs alongside with Josh Groban, Katharine Mcphee, Andrea Bocelli and Michael Buble. Andrea Bocelli also personally invited her to perform songs and a duet with him at his birthday concert. During Charice's second guesting on the Oprah Winfrey Show, Celine Dion appeared via video conference from Washington, D.C. The legendary Celine Dion gave her sweet words of advice and encouragement... and she invited Charice to sing a duet with her at the Madison Square Garden on Sept. 15! What a great achievement! Mabuhay ka Charice!

-Mabel-

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Am I Getting Bald?!

2008-09-07T22:19:00.000-07:00

Picture by: Cryptia on Flickr
Losing clumps of hair during my daily shower has been freaking me out the past couple of months! I am not sure how much loss is considered normal. I even dreamt that a stack of hair fell off while I was braiding my hair. It's obviously stressing me out because even in my dreams it's haunting me! Horrible things started to play inside my mind. Am I going to be bald? How am I going to deal with self esteem and social life if it happens?!

I came across a helpful website about my problem. A good sigh of relief bursted out from my chest after finding out that hair loss is typically normal.
"Everyone loses between 40 and 120 strands a day, depending on how much hair you have, your age and your hair's growth cycle. People with fine hair tend to have more of it and therefore will lose more of it than their thicker-haired sisters and brothers. Your hair also thins as you get older, particularly after menopause for women. But unlike aging men, the thinning tends to stop after awhile." -Full article-
I guess there's no need to panic unless you see significant patchy bald spots on your head. But when the hairloss has evidently gone too far, you'll have to seek preventative treatments to possibly cure the condition.
If you wish to keep your hair thick, then keep in mind that prevention is better than cure. There are things you can do to stop hair loss before it occurs, unless it's something genetically inherited. Read these articles to learn more about hair loss and to educate yourself on the appropriate haircare to minimize hair shedding. article 1, article 2, artice 3

-Mabel-

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Thoughts On Gratitude

2008-09-05T06:30:00.000-07:00

The gentle sound of the door shutting woke me up around 6:30 yesterday afternoon. Mike just got home and I was eager to hear what he's gonna tell me about his day. After a few minutes of chitchatting, he asked me if I wanted to go to Walmart so we could grocery shop. I said "not really...it's boring...but we have to!" I guess when you do something very often, it slowly becomes tedious and dull like a chore.

So anyway, while I was pushing the cart busy picking out our necessities, I suddenly remember how modest my life was back in the Philippines-life there was undeniably prudent! We are not very poor but we can't afford the expense of a bountiful grocery shopping every two weeks- so we do a tightly budgeted one approximately once a month. The funny part is that, it's like a treat for us every time we go to the grocery store. We chuckle for joy whenever mom invites us to shop with her.

Mike called out my name waking me up from my dreamy state. I regained back my senses and guilt started to grow inside of me. I realized I can have anything that I want at present and yet I was still complaining! I felt ashamed! I guess I need to occasionally slap myself on the head to constantly remind me of how lucky I am for what I have now! These flashbacks should inspire me to appreciate my blessings- big or small, great or simple.

Life is too short for us to always pick on tiny little things. We should probably look at how much we have that others don‘t have--maybe then, we'll be happier and we'll be more gracious for the things we're bestowed with!

-Mabel-

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Dream Destinations in the Philippines

2008-09-02T09:11:00.000-07:00

Before I die, I already made a promise to myself to gradually tour the Philippines with my husband at our leisure. Touring the country was not a priority when I was still residing in the Philippines, but not because I didn‘t want to. I did not come from a financially privileged family so our life was really simple and frugal. Now that I’ve migrated here to the US, the desire to travel has started to grow inexplicably strong. I want to see countries like Europe, Singapore, Hong Kong and Australia but I feel emotionally compelled to begin my adventures in my homeland--the PHILIPPINES!

BOHOL

A Breathtaking Scenery of Panglao Island Nature Resort

Picture taken by: Karlo Bonifacio on Flickr

I miss this place! We stayed there for three days in May of last year. For me, Panglao Island is the main attraction of Bohol. It is a great choice for an ultimate beach getaway. Snorkeling, whale-watching, and a half-day tour (Loboc River, Chocolate Hills, Man-made Forest, Tarsier sighting) are some of the engaging activities that will keep vacationers well-entertained. As far as I can remember, we paid 3,500 pesos for the tour. I aim to visit this island again to explore and discover more! If you’re planning for a Bohol trip, here‘s a link that will help you get started: Click here

BORACAY

The Majestic Boracay SunsetPicture taken by: kael06 on Flickr

Who doesn’t know about this paradise?! It is probably the most famous and most visited tourist spot in the Philippines. Boracay has captivated nationals all over the world through it’s amazingly powdery white sand and crystal clear blue water. A wide range of accommodation is available to meet everyone’s needs and comfort. What a shame, everyone has been there except me!! Anyway, here’s a related link: Click here

CAMIGUIN

Mystic Beauty of Katibawasan Falls Picture taken by: Storm Crypt on Flickr

It’s a small island really close to the city where I grew up. My two sisters went there a couple months ago to escape from the hectic city life. Like Bohol, you can also rent a van to drive you around the island‘s charming sceneries. For more info about Camiguin click here!

PALAWAN

The Grandeur of Kayangan Lake Vista Picture taken by: chona_p on Flickr

Palawan is probably my top pick dream destination in PI. I don’t know how challenging it is to get there but I’m willing to try. The thrillingly superb stone formations, white sand beaches, beautiful marine life, and the lush rainforest which homes a great number of wildlife species provides extra inspiration to brave the minor impediments along the way. So if you crave for a vacation close to nature, this is the way to go! Helpful link: click here

CEBU

The Unparalled Beauty of Plantation Bay courtesy of Plantation Bay website

Plantation Bay in Mactan-Cebu Island: This is one of Cebu’s prides when it comes to hotel accommodation. The experience of this luxurious 5-star resort is indeed a must try! If you want a quiet and secluded vacation but still close to the major metropolitan area--the Plantation Bay adventure would be perfect for you! The next time I visit the Philippines, I’ll put this in my priority list. Room rates are high but a night of stay will not hurt! Click here for more info!

TAGAYTAY

A Commanding View of Taal Volcano Picture taken by: Red Sea Project on Flickr

My relatives in Manila say that Tagaytay is a place worth visiting. You can go horse-back riding, have a picnic, sight-see and partake in family friendly activities! This is probably my least favorite dream destination because I’m more drawn towards beach vacations--but I do want to see the awesome view of Taal Volcano in Tagaytay! Visit their website for more info: click here

Have you been to any of these places?!

-Mabel-

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Finding Courage to Say "I'm Sorry"

2008-08-29T18:24:00.000-07:00

“It‘s your fault!”, “What did I do?”, “I deserve an apology!” Sound familiar? These are the typical exchange of words we experience in a heated argument with someone. What happens next?! Both are hurt and both are too stubborn to say sorry!

Saying I’m sorry is not an area of my expertise. But today, I managed to become a better person by humbly apologizing to a loved one that I did hurt. You see sometimes, we hardly realize the importance of swallowing our pride to tell our loved ones how sorry we are for hurting them. I guess we don’t really intend to appear rude or uncaring, it’s just that sometimes it is difficult to utter those three important words because we‘re not used to saying it.

For people like me, maybe learning how to apologize in small mistakes will help us build more courage to recognize our shortcomings. We should probably start small and try our best to work our way up. Maybe practicing and saying it more often will help us mold it as a form of habit. If it becomes a habit, it will be a lot easier to acknowledge our own faults.

I think it is necessary to cultivate in our minds that we need to pay more attention towards the feelings of others. Having loved ones and being in a relationship comes in the form of a package with misunderstandings and arguments. So for us to maintain a healthy and harmonious relationship with the people close to us, we should be willing to say “I’m sorry.”

Today, I’m happy to say that I have increased my level of maturity by lowering my pride and admitting my downfalls. Here are 15 ways to say "I'm sorry" to a person you love: Click HERE

-Gerryl-

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Olympic Mania!

2008-08-21T19:07:00.000-07:00

I've been a sports enthusiast since I was a kid, but for some reason the Olympic games did not really fascinate me...not until I got here in the US. The Summer Olympics in Beijing captivated me in many ways. I couldn't help but get mesmerized by the enchanting presentations and fireworks during the opening and closing ceremonies. I give China a great credit for the spectacular hosting of the Olympic games this year. Of course there were snags (which I will not mention anymore) but overall, it was a marvelous and memorable event.

When the games started, I began to form special affection for some of the athletes. One of them is Shawn Johnson, she is my top pick among the US gymnastic team. I admire her not only for the powerful and strong performances that she had but also for her lovely and endearing personality. I watched her compete in all of the exercises and was overjoyed when she got the gold medal award on the beam balance. In swimming, my heart belongs to Michael Phelps. He obliterated world records in all seven swimming events he took part of, except for one (100 m butterfly). On his final swim, he snatched away the gold from his leading opponent in just a hundredth of a second. It was phenomenal! He has indeed solidified his status as one of the greatest swimmers in history by bagging 8 gold medals at the Beijing Olympics.

On the other hand, it was a little sad not seeing the Filipino athletes compete. I guess they didn't excel in any of the games/races. Oh well, watching the success of the US team preoccupied me the whole time. Hopefully, the filipino athletes will bring more pride to our native land in the next Olympics which will take place in London.

I look forward to the next Olympics! It will be great to witness different nations and players gathering together again to celebrate the spirit of sports!

-Lesly/Gen-

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Unpleasant Twitch

2008-08-18T15:17:00.000-07:00

Three days ago, my left lower eyelid started to twitch briskly. I handled it pretty well the first day hoping it would go away soon. It kept on going for two days, and I finally decided to stop pretending like I’m not worried. The sensation was too annoying to bear and the thought of having eye spasm forever is not exciting at all! I went online to search for it’s underlying cause and to find out what I can possibly do to stop it.

I discovered that involuntary spasms of the tiny muscles surrounding the eye can be triggered by tiredness, consuming too much caffeine, fatigue, alcohol, stress, allergies, nutritional imbalance, and dry eyes. A sudden-onset of eyelid twitching is not serious or a sign of a medical problem, but they can be vexatious because they could last for days, weeks or even months.

I felt relieved finding out that most eye twitches are harmless, unless it‘s persistent and more violent. I concluded that exhaustion, stress, spending long periods of time in front of the computer, and watching too much Olympics are the causes of my eye-twitch. I decided to take a break and have a lot of sleep. When I woke up this afternoon, my ugly twitch was gone!! I guess I learned my lesson well. I need to be more aware of my vulnerability- if I don’t take good care of my health, I’ll have to suffer the consequences. So guys and girls, if you don’t want to experience a bothersome rippling eye tic, do not take your health for granted. Eat well, get enough sleep and live a healthy life!

-Mabel-

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A Trip Down Memory Lane

2008-08-01T11:44:00.000-07:00

People often call us as the Tres Marias. We grew up like best of friends. When one is in trouble, the other two are always there to back her up. These are the things that we are proud of about our family. We always treasure the tie that binds us together. Today we chatted about our unforgettable childhood memories, and we would like to share some of them with you:

Gerryl: When I was about 4 years old I vaguely remember giving Mabel the first haircut of her life! A sudden itch to play around with my sister’s hair came over me when I was left alone with her. First few cuts were really crooked so I decided to cut more and more, until it became really short. Mabel’s eyes grew big when she saw her reflection in the mirror- she looked like a boy! Keeping her hair long is precious to her, so she was really upset about losing her rich beautiful curls. Mom had to come to the rescue to fix the haircut, but it was too late! It was a disaster and I was in big trouble!! After that experience, I never played with scissors and hair again.

Trivia about Mabel: She loves to sing in the shower and she likes to fondle the tip of her pillow when she gets the chance!

Mabel: One of the things that I remember most about my childhood is dislocating my collar bone. Oh God, it was awfully painful!! As my Ate Gerryl was running cheerfully up and down the long skinny bench, my curiosity enticed me to do the same thing. Unfortunately, I wasn’t as nimble as my sister. I fell down and hurt myself badly. Manong Padoy our neighbor came to help put the dislocated bone back into place. Luckily, they didn’t have to rush me to the hospital. It took me a couple of months to recover. Good thing my mom was there to nurse me back to health! From that day on, I was more careful about my actions and I tried to shy away from doing the dirty little stunts of my dear sister.

Trivia about Genevieve: she is crazy about rubbing her feet on the mosquito net. She carries it with her wherever she goes.

Genevieve: I was in the third grade when Ate Mabel and I joined a dance competition in our community. Day and night we practiced patiently to perfect our steps. Our most awaited day came and we were both so confident that we'll do great. However there was a wee bit of a setback because our tape did not cooperate during our presentation-- we can barely hear the music!! Ate Mabel started dancing--to my surprise she changed all of our dance steps! I had the most difficult time catching up so I was really dismayed. I can’t believe our shining moment has turned out to be a really embarrassing experience. All throughout the dance, I kept on frowning at her!! Despite our catastrophic unlucky experience, we ended up winning the second prize. After the contest, Ate Mabel explained to me what had happened and so we’re cool again!

Trivia about Gerryl: She used to love keeping her feet wet and moist all the time! She also likes to apply vicks vapor rub on her nose- a.k.a. addicted to vicks!

Even though the three of us have taken our own separate paths in life, we are always here for each other. We might be a few thousand miles away, but the distance is never a hindrance. The precious memories are there to remain- silly, embarrassing, painful and happy. The present might be a little different, but we will never fail to remember where we came from. The past will always be a part of who we are now and what will become in the future.

-GMG Sisters-