Wishes, Hopes, Dreams and more

"A NEED is something you have to have because you won't be able to live without it."
I need air, water, food, clothing, shelter and love.

"A WANT is something you would like to have although without it, you would still survive."
I want Tiffany diamond earrings set in platinum.

"A WISH is something you fancy to happen magically."
I wish I could go shopping around the world to my heart's content.

"A HOPE is something you want to happen in the future that you await with great expectation."
I hope that my son will grow up healthy in mind, spirit and body.

"A DESIRE is something your heart intensely wants."
I desire to send my parents to a luxurious vacation to a place of their choice.

"An AIM is a purpose or reason for doing something."
I aim to be the best daughter, sister, wife, mother and friend that I could possibly be.

"A GOAL is a specific target you want to achieve."
My goal is to lose another 20 pounds before the year ends.

"A DREAM is something that you want that you see or imagine in your mind."
I dream of having a big house in the city.

"A VISION is a noble dream."
I have a vision of growing old in a happy home strengthened by the love of my family.

Rain ... Yesterday and Today

It's a wonder how the significance of a particular thing can change over the years. For instance, rain meant something else back then compared to what it means to me today. Let me elaborate...


Y - Yesterday
T - Today

Y: It felt romantic to go out on a date during a rainy night.
T: As a parent, I worry that the rainy season will bring diseases like dengue fever, flu and common cough and colds.

Y: Perfect time for a drink with friends at ESL Q.C. (the glass windows made it perfect to watch the rain from inside).
T: The rain will take the laundered clothes longer to dry
than usual.

Y: There is a chance that exams will be moved if classes are suspended.
T: My child won't be able to go out to the park to play.

Y: It was exciting to drive to Tagaytay with friends to have coffee.
T: I feel more vulnerable travelling by car because of the slippery road.

Y: Suspension of classes due to typhoons was a great excuse to relax and head to the mall with friends.
T: Prices of basic commodities often go up during typhoons.

Family Brunch

The family had a simple brunch last Saturday (July 22, 2006)at our place to celebrate Yohan's 3rd birthday. Yohan did not have a big party this year but he didn't mind at all.

Swamped with gifts, my little boy couldn't ask for more.

A child's birthday wouldn't be complete without a cake. His Mama Norma gave him a nice Thomas the Tank Engine cake. He even had a tarpaulin with matching theme. Thanks to his Tita Dada.

It was an extra treat when Tisha stayed behind. The two happily spent the rest of the day together.

The birthday boy had a wonderful time.

A Wonderful Reunion

Tita Maan is here on vacation with her family. She invited us to her daughter's birthday celebration at Max's Q.C. It was a triple bday celebration. It was also the birthdays of Joshua and Jurice.

I remember how Tita Maan loved organizing family get togethers. She was like the family's official events organizer.

The birthday party was also a family reunion. Tita Memia, Marmie and Marc are also here on vacation and they were with us at the party. It was indeed nice to see relatives that I haven't seen for a while.

Yohan had a wonderful time playing with his cousins Alex and Cuatro. I admire Cuatro for being a great kuya. He generously shared his toys with Yohan.

Too bad Yohan wasn't able to grab one of the sunflower tags at the pabitiin. Each one was equivalent to a cute puppy stuffed toy. Alex was one of the lucky ones.

But Yohan didn't go home empty handed. In fact, Yohan happily went home with Simba. The stuffed toy was given to him by Tita Maan and family. What a lucky little boy. Cuatro also received an equally cute bear. All the kids were very happy and so were their parents. ha! ha!

It would be nice to have family get togethers more often.

Bathroom of Ducks

Toilet trained for months now, we decided to liven the bathroom a bit. Yohan adores ducks so we designed his bathroom with cute yellow ducks. The bathroom still needs more duck accessories to complete the effect. We'll just add more stuff like matching soap dish, liquid soap dispenser, towels, waste basket and pail later on.

Lootbags

Yohan handed out lootbags to his classmates and teachers at The Little Gym today.

It also happens that today is the last day of Yohan as a Superbeastie. Next week he will transfer to a higher level/section called the Funny Bugs. It will be a new experience for Yohan because this time, he will be on his own. His previous classes always involved parent-child activities. Since he already turned three years old, The Little Gym aims to teach his age group about independence. Jules and I also feel that we have graduated... since we were used to accompanying him inside the gym.
Teacher Michael took time for a souvenir photo. Hope Yohan will enjoy his Funny Bugs classes.

Yohan's 3rd Birthday

It's Yohan's 3rd birthday today. We bought him 3 cupcakes and placed a candle in each one. Yohan was thrilled when he saw the cupcakes. Everyone in the house joined in singing Happy Birthday and Yohan blew the candles on his own.

He enjoyed blowing the candles that we let him do it several times. Jules and I put some candles on three pieces of mamom so Yohan could have another go. It was like a candle blowing frenzy. ha! ha! We ate the cupcakes and the mamon afterwards.

Yohan had a great time opening his presents. He received lots of Thomans and friends die-cast trains and two new connectible playsets. We could read how happy he was just by looking at him.





The three of us continued Yohan's birthday celebration by having dinner at Alabang. We tried a new restaurant called French Corner. We had some lovely green salad followed by my Chicken Roulade and Jules' juicy angus steak. Yohan and I shared the chicken. The food was very good. As usual Yohan's favorite part of the meal is the dessert. He merrily ate his chocolate ice-cream and gave me the cherry.

Yohan received a wonderful surprise from the restaurant staff. They sang Happy Birthday to him and gave him a beautiful cake. It was a very pleasant surprise.

We brought the cake home. Yohan was upset for a while when his Dad sliced the cake. But his mood changed for the better when he tasted the delicious chocolate cake.

What a lovely evening ...

Happy Birthday Yohan!

Duyan

The duyan or hammock is like a pleasant invitation to relax both the mind and the body. I believe that the gentle rocking of the duyan helps soothe the aching senses. Whenever I'm on a duyan, I feel carefree. The duyan somehow gives you time to unwind and set aside your worries ... even for just a few minutes.

Text bearing good news

I just received a text message from my friend's husband. My friend is doing better now. She has been free from fever for three straight days now. She has also started talking again. I'm very happy to know that she can now recognize faces, remember names and events.

It's amazing how powerful prayers can be.

Footsy

Yohan and I love our Havaianas but it seems we need to find more appropriate footwear now that rainy days are here.

South Park counterpart

This is my personal impression of my own southpark character.

An Ode to Miko ...

Yesterday, we buried a companion, a friend and a sweet little dog ... Miko.
He passed away on June 10, 2006 around 4:00 in the afternoon.
He was nine years old.

Looking back ...

It was the summer of 1997. I was in school taking summer classes [college].
I was at Aristo (canteen) with Tech.
I saw a lady going around with a cute, white, fluffy puppy.
I thought she must either be parading the puppy to her friends or selling him.
She didn't approach our table.

She was going out of the canteen...
Something inside told me to go after her and ask about the puppy. So I did.
She was indeed selling the puppy. Apparently, her dog gave birth to a litter of seven.
She was selling the puppy, a mixed breed of sorts for P750.
I didn't hesitate and bought the puppy on the spot.
Tech and I got a cab and took the puppy home.

I named him Miko.

I wasn't looking for a new puppy.
In fact, I told myself that after Spotty and Bunny, I would never get another dog. It was a big responsibility and I realized that losing a pet could be devastating.
I asked myself, did I make a mistake? May be I was too impulsive (as usual).

But Miko was such an adorable little puppy that everyone just warmed up to him in no time. We just fell in love with him.

He was cute but also full of mischief. He simply loved chewing on things around him. Miko was so full of energy. He was like a ball that never got tired of bouncing to and fro.

Lyonnel and I bought him a cute basket bed at Bio Research and a collar with a tiny bell. Perhaps, Miko mistook the bed for a chewing toy 'coz he slowly chewed on it the moment he saw it. hahaha!


A Strong Fighter ...

Parvo Virus

During his early years Miko got sick. He contracted the Parvo virus. Apparently, many unvaccinated dogs in the area were getting sick at that time. Miko became very frail because of fever, LBM and vomitting.

The vet, Dr. Feliciano, gave me a poor prognosis. Many of the sick dogs in the area already died. But he said, there was still hope. He gave Miko some medicines and instructed me to force feed him with amm (from rice) every now and then using a syringe.

I let Miko sleep in my room while he was sick. I gave him his medication and made sure he was always warm. I patiently fed him with amm until he regained his own strength to eat on his own.

When the vet made a house visit, he was glad that Miko regained his strength very quickly and was told that he seemed out of danger. He said that aside from the medication, my constant care made a big difference. Deep inside, I knew Miko was a fighter.

Bladder Stones

Around two years ago, Miko went through an operation because of bladder stones. At first Miko slowly lost his appetite. Then we noticed that he had some difficulty urinating. We brought him to the vet, Dr. Yatco.

He gave Miko some medicines and we were told to observe him in the next couple of days. After a day or two, Miko urinated blood. I was terrified. Jules and I brought him to the vet immediately. He was scheduled for an operation the same day. He was confined for several days at the doctor's clinic.

I cried on the first night that Miko was confined. I just couldn't help but feel sorry for him. I thought he might be scared to be in a strange place with strange people around him. I was afraid that he might thought that I have abandoned him or something.

Jules took me to see Miko the following day. He was still sedated and hooked on an IV. The vet showed us the stones that he got from Miko's body. They were very small, pea-sized. I had mixed emotions. I was happy that the operation was successful but I was sad that we couldn't bring him home with us.

We visited Miko several times while he was confined. On our third visit, he was back to his normal self again. He just needed to stay for one more day or two. Everyone was happy when we took Miko home, inlcuding his labrador friend and companion, Bruno.

To ensure his continued progress, we were told to change Miko's diet. We were advised to feed him with Science Prescription Diet U/D. He also needed to take some medication and vitamins.


Goodbye Miko ...

Miko's health deteriorated these past few days. He expereinced slight fever and I immediately gave him some medicines. He recovered from his fever but he slowly lost his appetite. I forced fed him with amm but he would throw up after an hour or two.

Yesterday morning, I fed him with amm. He didn't reject it but there was a sad and different look on his eyes. I felt that he was saying goodbye and might be going away soon. I talked to him and told him that I love him very much. I told him to keep on holding on.

I prayed to God and asked Him to do what is best. I wanted Miko to live but I knew Miko was getting old and after a major operation, I just didn't want him to suffer again. I entrusted Miko to God.

Miko has always been a fighter but when I saw the look on his eyes that morning, I knew he wanted to rest.

Jules and I were supposed to bring him to the doctor that same afternoon but before we could do so, I was told by Yaya that Miko passed away. I didn't cry when I heard the news. Perhaps, I was still in denial. I even asked Yaya if she was sure. I only cried when I saw Miko's lifeless body. I asked Yaya to cover Miko with his beddings. I didn't want Bruno to see him like that. I felt very sad for Bruno as well, because they have been companions for several years. I know Bruno will feel the burden of losing a friend.

I called Jules and told him about the sad news. He said he will pick me up so we could bury Miko.

I couldn't get out of the car. I just kept crying. I waited while Jules buried Miko at a place near his poultry farm. I was very sad. I asked Jules to bury Miko's beddings and doggie clothes.

I hope and pray that Miko is now at rest and happy where he is. I will always be thankful to Miko for making me happy, being a loyal and devoted friend and loving me without question.

I'll miss my dearest friend.

Sad News

A sad morning.

I read the text of my bestfriend regarding our friend's condition. Our friend has viral encephalitis which explains the swelling of her brain. Her doctor said that some of the neural functions that she has recently lost might be irreversible.

Sadly, my friend is experiencing memory loss, speech problems and uncoordinated motor movements.

I wasn't able to visit my friend at the hospital because I don't want to pass anything to her. Since I'm sick myself, it's not wise to risk my friend's frail health.

As soon as I get a clean bill of health, I plan to visit her. I hope that there will be positive progress on her condition by then.

Looking back ...

She was so full of life.
She was always out of the country, travelling and having the time of her life.
I just couldn't believe that in a glimpse, things changed.

I pray that things will get better for her.
It's hard to accept that she will never be back to her normal self.

Life is so unpredictable.
It made me realize that I should be grateful for what I have now because it could be gone in an instance.

I always hear and read the phrase, "Live life to the fullest."
Now, I'm convinced that everyone should embrace life and make the most of it.

Gold at the End of the Rainbow

My heart leaps everytime I see a beautiful rainbow.

Wonderful colors splashed in a magical spectrum.

Legends say there is gold at the end of every rainbow.

It's true! I found mine ... and his name is Yohan.

Young girl

YOUNG GIRLS = HAPPINESS WITHOUT WORRIES

Sometimes, I wish I could be young again. Life was so simple when I was a young girl. Playing with my friends, oblivious to the chaos happening around the world.

Years passed and now I realize that things are different.
I've learned that life in reality is complicated and sometimes cruel.
Bitterness, regret, loneliness, frustration, anger, misery are just among the negative emotions that I've experienced in life.
There are days when negative emotions outweigh the happy ones.

I'm disappointed with so many aspects in my life.
Tears flow. Tears run dry. It becomes a pathetic cycle.
My heart is bruised and tired. It's easier to give up when there's only myself to think of but my son keeps me from losing hope.

Now, it's his time to enjoy the pleasures of childhood.
I just hope and pray that he does not make the same mistakes that I did.
I hope he'll have a bright future ahead of him.

Lesser evil

I finally went to see a doctor for a check-up [last saturday]. The lumps on the right side of my neck has become noticeable swollen and it seems to have multiplied in number.

A little prick on the neck ... didn't look at the needle. Concentrated on Jules' face across the room. A minor sting when the needle was injected but it was over in a jiff. Thank goodness for the doctor's accurate aim, I didn't feel much pain. He pulled out some mass from the lump and had it sent to the laboratory. I'll get it a week after.

More pricking ... blood test and skin test. I certainly felt like a human pin cushion.

More tests ... couple of xrays. I didn't mind coz it didn't involve any pain.

It's not as bad as I initially thought. What a relief. Just need to take some meds and things are back to an equilibrium.