Life, Day by Day

To say that 2011 was a bad year is an understatement. I wanted to say goodbye and good riddance in one breath but I would be telling a lie if I said that nothing good happened this year. You see, in spite of all the evil intentions, oppressions and injustices sent my way during the last 12 months...especially the loss of my job and the passing of friends and dear ones in October...something good has come out of these experiences. There are  things I am actually thankful for in 2011 .  I have learned many important life lessons, came face to face with who I really am and what really counts , simplified my life, realized who my true friends were, strengthened my belief in Divine Providence and most important of all, brought me back my relationship with God.  It is often said that adversity is a great teacher. I looked back at the past and I saw that when adversity comes to me and my family, we have always faced them with faith, trust, confidence and courage.  It w...

I love weddings. It always reminds me of a fairytale.  Of course, a wedding is not to be confused with a marriage because not all have happy endings but I know that these two I attended in a week's span will be the happily ever-after kind of marriage. A Blogger's Wedding Last Tuesday was my blogger friend's wedding.  They had a seven year relationship that culminated in a beautiful sunset ceremony in one of the prettiest chapels in the city. The wedding was basically a family affair with  close and good friends in attendance.  What was unique were the give-aways.  The bride being a chemical engineer and environmentally conscious thought of giving different plants as their wedding remembrance.  I got a jackfruit, a rambutan, and a bignay tree.  I will be planting these in my yard and may these trees be a constant reminder of their celebration of love. God's blessings and happiness always to dear Glady and Levy! God's Miracle and A Weddi...

Here's what I have done so far.  I have four glass cozy designs and I have done 3 of each one which is far below my target of finishing 2 a day.  What can I say?  I think I am the only unemployed person I know who is always running out of time.  So if I can't make this on time for this year....there's always...next year? There is only 7 days more till Christmas and I am only halfway through. And there are so many activities and events this coming week like 2 weddings, meetings and parties (I know...excuses, excuses) that I don't think I will have enough time to finish 3 sets of 4 each. Oh well, it's a good thing that all of my relatives will be spending Christmas out of town, so that gives me more time...in time for the New Year, I mean :))  

I stopped smoking on November 15, 1990.  That's one month and 21 smoke free years and since then, I have tried to influence friends and family who continue to smoke.  Of course, I am not very successful.  In a way I understand because I had a hard time too.  I started smoking when I was 18 and I know that it is very hard to stop the habit unless there is a compelling reason to do so. So how did I do it...what prompted me to stop smoking?

Avalon.ph is holding a Moleskine 2012 Large Weekly Planner Horizontal giveaway which started yesterday, December 4 and will end on December 15.  If you are as obsessed with moleskin notebooks as I am, then come and visit their blog site.  For the giveaway , they asked a very good question for us to answer. What are you thankful for this year 2011 ?  I did not have to think too much. The last 6 months of 2011 was full of challenges for me and my family.   First, I suddenly found myself jobless in my mid-life. Second, I have a case filed against me in court for an incident that happened 6 years ago. And , if that wasn't enough, the lessor of our little family farm wants to opt out in the middle of the current milling season even when he still owes our family a substantial amount for last year. Yet, in spite of all these, no trial or injustice can overshadow God's love and mercy for me. I count my blessings instead of my crosses.  It has been 4 mon...

The Christmas season is here again and with it comes the year's most excessive consumerism ever. The buying frenzy begins on Black Friday (for those in the U.S.A) and continues all season long.  It's also the time for racking up credit card debt and getting all stressed up with decorating, parties, shopping, spending etc,. etc., etc...Arghhhh! Christmas isn't about presents ...Jesus was born in a manger bereft of even the most essential physical comfort, so why has the celebration of His birth turned into so much materialism, and the gift-giving and decorating part have become so important that the essence of Christmas becomes secondary?  Last year, my family and I have decided to cut back on our Christmas decorations.  We did not put up our big tree, instead I got a table top tree which we decorated with LED lights which uses less electricity.  It was enough to put a fascinated smile on our little girl's face.  We will use it again this year adding ribbon...

For people looking out for great food this holiday season, watch out for COMER.CIO , a 3-day food market slated to open on December 16 to 18, 2011 at the Central District right besides Robinson's Mall. The team behind the bazaar is a group of young entrepreneurs with a vision of promoting and showcasing Bacolod's finest food products that gives a young, fun and fresh appeal. The name COMER.CIO is an interplay of words, inspired by the Spanish word comer, meaning "to eat" yet when taken as a whole word, it translates to "commerce" which means intellectual exchange or social interaction. This is one of the aims of the bazaar-to establish social dealings between and among lovers of food. Interested parties who would like to showcase their products may email comercio.bacolod@yahoo.com for inquiries.  Deadline for submission of application is on December 8, 2011.