Little Loves

The holidays are not officially over till the Chinese says “Kung Hei Fat Choi!”. That’s Chinese for Happy New Year!

This year, we are celebrating Chinese New Year on the same day as Valentines Day—February 14, 2010!

With 2 special affairs happening on one single day, I can’t help but wonder what this day holds for us. You see, with 2 very active boys living under the same roof, every day is simply a day for new adventures for us. There is no such thing as a routine or boring moment in our household except, of course, when the boys are in school or if they are sound asleep.

As long as both are present and wide awake, we are all in high gears as if preparing for a siege about to happen anytime soon. I mean this in a good way of course :) I am always reminded of the energizer bunny commercial every time I see my little tikes doing what they do best… jumping, running and kicking around. If you have boys below the age of 10, I think you know exactly what I mean.

Mine are aged 5 and 8, and for me, this is just the perfect age for some top notch raucous! I guarantee you, between my 2 boys; they can start a riot just with their sheer combined energies.

At home, there’s simply no way of telling what might happen on any given hour of the day. It can be as consternating as our adopted feral cats scampering for dear life with my spunky little Karlo hot on its tail OR seemingly docile as mommy’s little trinkets re-born with a twist as our boys take their hands in designing, taking things apart and putting them back on in a totally different way. I must say, each time they’d do this, somehow, there seems to be extra parts that get left behind ready for a new project to be made. I don’t even know where these parts come from. If there is such a thing as multiplication of “bread and fishes” in this time and age, this is our home version.

Innocent, harmless pens get converted to rocket ships; cookie cans becomes valued treasure chests, clothes hangers to swords of knights and kings of York. Karlo would say he is the king and sometimes, the knight or even both and his older brother—Khalil gets to be the jester…Oh boy, and that’s the start of the real fight! And since I have time and time again refused to buy them toy guns, somehow they found a way to make it on their own, using papers and card boards. Origami takes a totally different meaning in our house.

Well, I’d like to think that being raised in a Christian family, Karlo is not really vent on mangling the cats. In fact, when asked why he’d chased them, he’d give you his sweet innocent look and say “I just want to play with them but they won’t have me!” Poor cats, they just can’t see past the danger of getting mobbed and run over by my 5-year old to realize his good intentions. And for my trinkets, well, I can rejoice that somehow my creative genes have wormed its way to my children. What a blessing!

With the 2 boys now able to tinker with their hands and their creative abilities starting to get apparent, no special event pass us by without getting something special from either one of them. Our recent treats were the ones they gave us last December.



Aren’t these just adorable? Whose hearts would not melt when given such symbols of love? The hours of hard work and careful attention is evident by the details they labored into each piece. My husband and I are just overwhelmed and humbled for the care and love shown through these master pieces.

And talking about love, I have included here the list of my 10 little loves which I’d like to remind myself over and over again.

They say, one can count sheep to get to sleep, I’d say, its better to count our blessings. This is in random order as I cannot quite decide which one I love the most.

1.)I love the smell of coffee that my husband brews for me almost all of my mornings.

2.)I love the feel of warm breaths as I wake up to a little jumbled mass of humanity, limbs entwined of our family of 4. The kids have their own rooms but somehow during dawn, they’d find their way into our room and into our bed.

3.)I love to tinker with my hands, creating things big and small. There is a feeling of exhilaration that I cannot quite explain seeing an object transform according to how I envision it to be.

4.)I love spending quiet time with GOD, with myself, with my family, with my closest friends, with my books and with my garden. I find it extremely important to find a place of refuge, my sanctuary when the cares and concerns weigh me down.

5.)I love getting together with friends and family specially those I have not seen for years. It’s nice to recall good old memories and then creating new ones for the future.

6.)I love getting presents specially the ones that clearly shows and represents the giver. I specially love the little gifts that my husband and children prepares for me. My husband is a genius in giving me well thought of surprises.


7.)I love challenging myself to learn new things. I remembered entering the working world not knowing how to type, much more use a computer. But then one month into a typing computer program and guess what? I learned! Sure it was hard as “old dogs are harder to teach new tricks” but this “old dog” is not beyond learning. No grand ceremonies, but I sure felt good inside.

8.)I love anything and everything beautiful and that includes music, art and fashion. I’m not really on the quest of acquiring more but I relish the opportunity to understand how society is transformed through these media. I like the idea that I have something to contribute no matter how seemingly little it may be.

9.)I love anything healthy and worthwhile, may it be in the food I eat, the products I use or the entertainment I indulged myself in. I like feeding my body and my soul with things that gives it life. I am not about to waste the gift of life and salvation that Christ, my Lord and King suffered on the cross for me.

10.)I love supporting a good cause and of standing up for issues and principles that I truly, passionately believe in.

There, I have more to include but these are on top of my list right now. And I am pretty sure that right after the Valentines Day, I have more to add. I am very much looking forward to it right now : )

Kung Hei Fat Choi and Happy Love Day everyone!!!

IMPERFECT HOLIDAY

It's the 3rd week of January and yet I am still reeling from how quickly my holiday break went. I must say, it just passed me by in a blink of an eye and before I knew it, it has left me far behind.

Whew!!! I didn't really have the time to catch my breath or to fill in the Christmas stockings. I have gifts still undelivered 'neath my Christmas tree and worse, my yearly scrapbook project is still unaccomplished. I have to admit that I just had the busiest and considerably the shortest holiday I ever had.

Before the days, weeks, and months add up, let me just greet every one a VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Despite the holiday season passing me by in a breeze, I am proud to say that we had quite a remarkable and truly special Christmas and New Year celebration.

First off, my children Khalil and Karlo participated in their school's first ever musical play entitled Psalty's Christmas Calamity. The musical play portrays an endearing story of trusting GOD at all times and not depending on one's own might.

It was a rare opportunity for my children to perform alongside the Mandaue Childrens' Choir and be trained by no less than Maestro Dennis Gregory Sugarol. Yup, the very same maestro who has trained several award winning singing groups which includes the Mandaue Childrens' Choir and Cebu Chamber Singers. Mandaue Childrens' Choir won 3 gold medals in the 1st Asian Choir Games for childrens' choir, folklore and music of religious categories held in Jakarta, Indonesia in 2007. Later on, also winning the Grand Prix of International Children's Choral Music in Gyeongnam Province, South Korea.


Khalil was one of the 6 soloists and while he remains to be a reluctant singer post-musical, he did quite a charming rendition of Away in Manger and Silent Night during their school play.
Khalil, who has displayed quite an ear for music at a young age, prefers to tinker on musical instruments rather than work on his vocals. He loves to re-work keys and notes of songs on his piano or xylophone even without having the song books to guide him. Like most mothers who are extremely proud of their children, I am no exception.

My 5 year old, Karlo, on the other hand is quite the actor, putting to heart his role, memorizing even the other performers' lines. He truly is quite a darling to watch on stage. Karlo had a slight fever during the play itself, but it didn't stop him from giving it his best.

Secondly, we have finally found a home for our WE LOVE ORGANICS store. Early in 2009, our family had taken the resolve to live a much healthier lifestyle. This includes the use of organic, natural products in our daily choices. This in turn led us to discover several products that are not only organic and natural but have excellent health benefits as well. In our desire to share our discoveries with family and friends, we have decided to open a new business unit under the organic product line. For months, my friends and I had searched for the perfect place for a store for our new concept.

Finding the right place that fills a good balance of accessibility, safety and our meager budget was quite a feat but GOD whom we cannot out give, had led us to the perfect place---- The Orchard Cebu Hotel and Suites.

Hence, the usual Christmas merry-making was alternated with frequent trips to our new outlet watching over the carpentry work. Not my general idea of a holiday, but I must say, I found satisfaction in seeing my dreams come to reality literally piece by piece.

We finally moved in to our new store last January 4, the first working day of January 2010. If you have not been to our We Love Organics store, I invite to come and visit us. With lots of Philippine made healthy organic goodies to choose from, you sure can be on your way to wellness in no time. And with our products supporting a good cause, you can be at peace that you have done your share in building a better Philippines.

Thirdly, we have participated in a 45-day Christmas bazaar under the Christmas Village concept of Shangri-la Mactan Resort and Spa. We offered quite a nice do-it-yourself concept where one can buy the components from our booth and get the training from our sales girls/designers so that one can assemble the pieces themselves. To some, there's nothing that can quite compare to creating something with one's own hand. I know 'coz I do.

For those who simply enjoy watching how the components transform into master pieces right before their eyes, they may also opt to have their selected components assembled for them. I had a chance to man our booth on a particularly busy evening and while the bazaar was suppose to close at 10PM, we ended up being the only booth opened till midnight. It was hard work and I went home with an achy back and a few sore fingers (from all the looping and twisting) but it was a joy to see how much our design and craftsmanship were appreciated by a group of discerning guests of the hotel.

It was truly a worthy endeavor not just in bringing the Christmas magic to children and adults alike but also, because a portion of the sales of the Christmas bazaar goes to the Batang Opon outreach project of Shangri-la Mactan Resort and Spa. Batang Opon is the foundation that takes care of homeless, indigent group of children in Lapu Lapu City

Aside from the DIY items, we also displayed a few finished fashion accessories and bags. One simple yet charming lady was seen coming back to our booth day after day. Later, she introduced herself and requested to see our factory. We later learned that this lady happened to be the wife of one of the most successful heart surgeons and owner of a medical equipment company in the US. Their family is very well privileged and listed in the Forbes worlds richest. Mrs. Cheney liked our design, and while she had chosen to become a full time mom and wife for years, she got so interested with our product that she found herself taking on a new business, distributing our fashion jewelry in various countries.

What is more impressive is her vision to donate the entire sales to a charitable institution in Philippines. I advised her to consider Gawad Kalinga, the charitable institution which our company supports. As she quite put it: “I don't need the money”. Well, I wish more people would be like her. It is stories like this that truly warms my heart and makes me love my job all the more :)

And last but not least, I still managed to meet up and enjoy several intimate Christmas dinners, a few parties and get-togethers with family and friends that are closest and dearest to my heart. One good friend I happen to meet up now resides in Dubai and it has been years since we last saw each other. I truly enjoyed the evening I visited her for a chat the day prior to her trip back to Dubai.

Sure I didn't quite manage to bake my legendary (ahem!) Apple Walnut Cake or the moisty coco macaroons that my boys simply love, and I still was not able to by myself a potted flowering poinsettia plant that I have been pining for years, but hey a little change from the old routine surely doesn't hurt from time to time.

GOOD FRIDAY….its good!

Last holy week, Good Friday to be specific, my husband--Jeff and I did the unthinkable. With a few minutes to prepare and no idea where to head off, we packed our bags and with 2 children aged 5 and 7 in tow, dashed out of our house for an unprecedented, totally unplanned for getaway.

Normally, my vacations revolves around a well-planned schedules plotted months ahead. This compose of mini inventory of my vacation stash and several trips to the malls to make sure my “survival kit” can withstand all major foreseeable disasters, with tsunamis not totally out of the picture. And my husband, he is an epitome of inspector gadget; you can be assured that he always has an extra of something.

I boast of being an extensive planner too, in fact, good enough that I am a member of our production planning team in our office. It was indeed very uncharacteristic of me, so totally against my grain to head to somewhere without so much of a hotel reservation.

Anyway, my husband assured me that it’s going to be fun. So with a long, heartfelt prayer and a 50 watt smile, I gamely gave in to the call of nature unpredictable as we head off south.

Our first stop was a hidden mountain resort whose signage we spotted right by the roadside. It said, 6 kilometers from main road and the picture showed a promising nature adventure, comfortable accommodations and several spring watered pools, we were ready to be surprised! Well, 6 kilometers to our estimate should not be more than a 30-minute drive. In reality, it felt like forever to get there. My youngest Karlo kept saying, ”I think we are lost, we should have a GPS (referring to Global Positioning Satellite)”. I think he had too much of Little Einstein show.

Good that it didn’t rain days before as I could very well see the deep mud tracks that has now hardened and has become deep potholes and humps to contend with. And the surprise, well, we were surprised indeed but not in a good way. Some of the pools look very green, my eldest son Khalil smugly coined it a “toad pond”… he couldn’t be more right!

My spirit was slightly dampened as we head back to highway, but still buoyant, looking forward to the adventure which we don’t really know what yet.

Next stop was a roadside eatery near San Fernando. It was actually a pleasant find as we didn’t expect small outlets to be open on a Good Friday, surprise still to see that they offered pork adobo in their menu, not your usual fare during Lenten season. We packed our own lunch so we only need to buy a few supplements to justify our use of their tables and chairs. The kids ate a hearty lunch and even had a chance to play in the swing nearby… indeed a good way to stretch after a long journey.

At about 1 pm, we traveled onwards still unsure of what the day had in store for us. We marveled at how each town has changed over the years. It must have been more than 10 years the last time we passed by these towns. The former landmarks I still keep in my memory were no longer there. Indeed commercialism has crept in into major town centers with Goldilocks signages now vying for better view over Dunkin Donuts’.

Another stop was the Molave Milk Station for a quick soft ice cream fix, very timely with the sun getting more and more intense. Much to my surprise, the property is owned by the Unchuan’s. So this was the place my friend Marissa (Unchuan) of White Sands Beach Resort was inviting us for several times a few years ago. We have to turn her down since the boys were still very young and their asthma was quite hard to manage back then. The property was very well kept and I saw several dairy cows.

I imagine myself being transported to the typical picturesque New Zealand; I was prepared to see milk maids strutting by. Unfortunately, aside from the small strip allotted for the milk station, the farm is not open to public unless of course you know people in high places like the mistress of the house herself. The family wasn’t around at that time though and with the sun setting, we knew we have to find our hotel soon. We were back on the road in 10 minutes tops.

We then head straight to Club Serena Resort (www.clubserenaresort.com) in Moalboal, working on a lead given by a very picky friend who swears that the place is really nice. Prior to actually reaching the place, we had a few quick stops on various forgettable resorts. I was getting worried, but well, what the heck; I assured myself that these were all part of the adventure.

Club Serena Resort was totally divine specially having eyed several resorts that don’t really come close to it by a mile. We were greeted by the manager on duty which everybody calls Haze, he speaks good English and was very accommodating and knowledgeable of their services and facilities. We had a quick tour of the place, quaint with just 8 single-detached accommodations, a nice swimming pool just right for my boys and a small beach front offering a short walk to reach the crystal clear waters. The manager asked if my husband dives, of which he replied no and pointed to me instead. Well, I had a few scuba escapades in my past life but not anymore. But yes, Moalboal holds a special place in my heart as this is where I had my first dive in Pescador Island holding hands the whole time with my Padi instructor.

My boys had their gelato and pasta carbonara for merienda while Jeff and I had our ginseng coffee and beef empanada with mozzarella cheese. Absolutely wonderful and I very much liked the place that my heart sank several degrees when we were told that they are fully booked. The manager was kind enough to refer us to another resort though and even did the calling and arrangements, service par excellence indeed!

Upon checking the place we were referred to though, Jeff didn’t like it at all and instead, we decided to head off to another strip of resorts nearby. At this time, it was about 4 pm already. The sun was almost setting but we were determined to find a comparable resort to Club Serena. We would probably have been ready to settle for much less except that now, we have a standard to compare all the other nearby resorts with. I was ready to go second rate on several things but not at the expense and comfort of my boys.

If not for the kids, we would probably have asked Club Serena to allow us to camp out at one of the cabanas there. I doubt if Club Serena would allow us though as that would probably be over extending their generosity already.

In a few minutes, we were at Panagsama Beach strip, with rows and rows of resorts on both sides of the road and of which, a few paces leads straight to the beach. The set up is reminiscent of Boracay but the similarity ends there. While I remembered wonderful scuba diving memories in this place, somehow it has lost its magic to me now. Hotel owners did little to improve it or probably driven by constant influx of customers, they have placed little attention to its upkeep. Most of the rooms are full except for one, but with careful thoughts, we decided that it was not worth staying there.

And so with the road now officially dark, we decided to head off back to Cebu but not after spotting a roadside restaurant called Palalong, situated out of nowhere near a cliff in Dumanhug, the town next from Moalboal. I thought I remembered seeing the words “bed and breakfast” but one of the busboys said no when my husband asked if they had a room for the night. I called it divine intervention that I took a few minutes to wash up at the sink as my husband flipped through the menu and found the room rates right on the first page.

Aha! So they did have a room. Apparently, the guy he earlier asked did not really understand the question and conveniently answered “no”. This is something to take note of when talking to somebody, make sure he understands what you are asking…lesson 101 in effective communication indeed!

I was relieved to find the room clean, faucet and aircon running and I must say the view of the Southern part of Cebu and nearby islands from our vantage point were stunning! It was indeed a hidden treasure, that’s not so hidden.


In the morning, we were pleasantly wakened up by the bright sunlight filtered on the window curtain. My little boy still disoriented from the unfamiliar room gave me his sweet smile upon remembering that we were off on a wonderful trip.

Do I feel guilty having spent my Good Friday that way? The answer is absolutely NO.

While I have nothing personal against penance and doing personal sacrifices during the Lenten Season, I have come to realize that no amount of my good works could purchase GOD’s favor and salvation.

In Ephesians 2: 8 to 9, it says,

“For it is by grace that we are saved, through faith---and this is not from ourselves but as a gift of GOD---not by good works so that no one can boast”.

There are days when I do go on fasting and meditation to clear my mind and spend time with GOD. However, I chose not to do it last Friday. After all, I need not please men and conform to their standards and expectations.

And my thoughts on good works? Well, if you have been recipient of the goodness of the Lord, you cannot help but extend the good that you have experienced. Doing good towards others is my way of saying thank you to GOD for the good that He has done in my life. It is never to bribe Him to grant or pardon me for something.

Life lesson from unlikely source...mumps

I am currently down with high fever and parotid glands swelling due to mumps.

Mumps is a viral disease characterized by fever, headache, muscle weakness, stiff neck, loss of appetite, swelling and tenderness of one or more of the salivary glands situated along the angle of the jaw and inside the mouth, including the parotid gland located within the cheeks just below the front of the ear. (http://www.health.state.ny.us/diseases/communicable/mumps/fact_sheet.htm)

Mumps is a horrible, horrible viral infection one can have. Not only do I have to contend with the warm, tender and throbbing pains on my parotids but that it also comes with various with aches all over the body. I never felt my back ache as much before and my muscles got this weariness almost similar to when you have over exercised the day before. It’s a horrible feeling at all.

My mumps couldn’t have been timelier. We had a fashion show at Fashion Avenue last night which I have to miss. My cousins had a mini reunion last night too as one arrived from Dubai , 2 arrived from Mindanao and 2 others, graduated from College. The happy reunion with several fun things we could have done was replaced by a quiet dinner at home while I am seated far enough from everyone else wearing mask. I was very hesitant comes picture taking time as I really do not want to document my bloated face. So big, I can now imagine how I might look like if I gain 100 pounds more….its certainly not a sight to behold. Ugggh!

Funny that I actually thought of wearing big baggy clothes with probably some pillows underneath and meet up with some close friends just to see if they’d recognize me. All planning and no actual rendition though as the body ache is just so persistent, I am better off vegetating in bed. Ice packs and paracetamols are my current best friends.

As a designer and head of a design team, to be on top of my game, I make it a point that I study current and up and coming fashion trends at least 15 to 30 minutes a day. Since this mumps appeared, I am just totally uninspired. Nothing ticks, nothing jumps from the various photos and write ups I’ve been reading….just nothing. I cannot even summon myself to write something about fashion (so now you have to contend with my whining). It really is a horrible feeling to be in.

Anyway, if there’s anything good that came out of the mumps, that is, I was forced to stay home.

Now, don’t get me wrong, I do love staying home. I love to tend to my garden, to do art activities with my boys, to cook unusual meals etc. However, lately, I’ve just been too busy at work. This past weeks, my day comprise of a quick breakfast, short interaction with the kid, rush to work. And then at the end of the day, it’s picking up kids from school, quick dinner, a few emails then sleep. Most part of my day is just in the office and my work load just keeps piling up. They don’t seem to run out at all.

Well, considering the global economic crisis where various fashion companies are affected, we have nothing short of a miracle in the office with orders coming in almost in a daily basis. While companies have complain of no orders and of losing the market to cheap China prices, we actually have buyers who are putting in much of their business with the company I work for instead of spreading their orders over a number of suppliers. It really is a good place to be in, in business.

In sales and marketing, it is considered good if you have consistent flow of work and YES, I and the company I work for is very thankful for all these blessings. But being consistently busy has its way of creeping up and taking away intangible things too.

I have noticed the overgrowth of the weeds in my garden and the decay of some plants. I have seen our bamboo decorative fences fall off one by one, next thing I knew, we now have this big heap needing real carpenters to put back. I heard my youngest complain, “You are always busy, can you just spend the whole day with me”.

Now that I am forced to stay home because of mumps, my little boy has no compunction coming in and out of my room despite repeated warning that mommy is infectious. Fortunately, being a nurse and after my own research, I learned that masks can sufficiently protect from the transfer of virus and that the MMR (mumps, measles and rubella) vaccine shots that my children received can protect them too.

In life, we all should take some pockets of time to rest without waiting for the situation to force us into it. Being a health buff and believer of homeopathic therapy, I boast of not being susceptible to diseases. However, being too busy, stressed out, lacking enough rest and sleep, did lower my body’s defense system and guess what, made me vulnerable to mumps.

Nothing is beautiful about mumps, I still wouldn’t wish for any one to have it, not even to my worse enemy. But in a lot of ways, it has taught me a lot about creating a balance, of being thankful for the gift of health and of life, and to give importance to the little other personal things that matters too. Be well!

New Year Musings

The entry of the New Year---2009 is quite remarkable for me. 

First of all, it’s the first Christmas break that I didn’t stress myself too much shopping for gifts. I started doing my Christmas shopping as early as June last year. Boy, what a difference that makes comes December. I was able to spend more time just sitting back and enjoying quiet time with my family at home. It was good to miss the traffic for a while and avoid all the holiday rush.

Second, I am proud to say that I accomplished about 90% of what I wrote in my wish list of things to do. Sure, over the years, I got wiser by choosing only those achievable wishes, but that’s beside the point. 

The point is, for the first time, I was able to give myself the highest personal rating in accomplishing my “to do” list and I am ecstatic about it. 

Simple things which I deemed important but which my every day busy life has put aside, has finally gotten center stage last holiday break.

I was able to update my scrapbook (I have to print over 150 photos from my digital camera to get all the photos), gone through my closet and did a serious inventory, and last but not least, finally started this new website.

Other stuff like getting a good beauty pampering which includes a trip to my favorite saloon or finally watching the entire episode of the animation series I’ve been hoping to watch, were also some of what I achieved from my list. However, the first three (3) accomplishments I mentioned earlier were the ones I considered the greatest last December.

On updating scrapbooks---I realized that life will always dish us a mixture of good and bad experiences. It’s a cycle and it is part of living. But what makes the bad ones bearable is by acknowledging that as a cycle, it will come to pass. By looking at happy memories on our scrap books remind us that just like in the past, good times will surely come and that life is worth living. 


On going through my closet---I am a self-confessed bag lady. I mean, I have this habit of I accumulating things mostly due to sentimental reasons. My husband finds it acceptable probably even cute (or maybe not) that I keep things like my baby’s first tooth, tufts of hair from my sons’ first hair cut etc.

 However, in the matter of clothing, over the years I realized that there are just too much and too many things that I have accumulated. Prior to my cleaning, more than half of the clothes hanging in my closest has not been worn for more than 6 months, the space it’s sitting on could use some breather. 

I have finally let go of the favorite pants that are now slightly out of shape, the turquoise blue haltered blouse given by a friend that looks cute but unbefitting my personality, these, and many other caboodles.  

In a way, the whole closet cleaning became a personal fashion inventory for me. I realized that I owned quite a lot of black, white and cream colored clothes. And while I sometimes buy trendy and experimental-designed clothing, I always seemed to go for the classics.

It is quite a relief finding that after being self critical of what to keep and what not to keep, I still have a good array of decent outfits. With a critical eye, right fashion accessories, good posture and winning personality, I believe I am ready for 2009. 

I encourage all of you to do the same. New Year doesn’t necessary mean a totally whole new you or a total head to toe make over. For some, it might just mean a simple updating or of seeing the same you in a new, different light.  

HAPPY NEW YEAR everyone!!!