Friday 27 February 2009

Simply obsessed

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Different people would have different passions in life. Some are obsessed with clothes, others with books, some people would scour the farthest corners of the earth to find the most priceless antiques while some people may be passionate not with things but with relationships or hobbies. Personally, I am a type of person that likes variety in my life however, if asked what I cannot live without, I think I have that fairly narrowed down.

• On top of my list would be my honey…. There is just no way that I can satiate my zeal to be always with him. He reminds me of Edward Cullen’s line in the Twilight Saga saying Bella “is her brand of heroine”. I think honey is also my kind of heroine. Good thing I don’t crave for his blood, haha.

• Family and friends would steal the second spot of the things that I simply cannot live without. There is just no way for me to survive without having the support, company and presence of these wonderful people. They make my life more colorful and animated.

• Travel would definitely be something that I am obsessed about. What excites me about travelling is the fact that I get to explore a new place and I get exposed to a new culture. I also love those days leading to the date of travel as well. I find it exhilarating when I search, high and low, for information that would make my travel even more memorable and fun. There is an undeniable pleasure each time you find a gem of a place that you know you would want to keep coming back to.

• Whipping up a piece of sugary heaven is also a passion I’ve discovered just recently. There is a huge satisfaction in hearing people’s compliments after feasting on a concoction that you have labored on for hours. However, the greatest joy I get when baking is seeing the pretty little masterpiece that I have carefully prepared for a loved one, that’s even better than the sugar high one gets from these pastries.

• At the end of a gory week at work, there is nothing else that I want more than to cuddle up with honey on our sofa or in bed, with a bag of chips or a bowl of our favorite fruits and watch a movie from our collection of DVDs. I am a fanatic when it comes to movies and I enjoy movie houses a lot, however, there is nothing more relaxing and invigorating than enjoying an old favorite cuddled up and in the comforts of our own home.

Giddy, that is the only word that I can use to describe the feeling I’m left with every time I’m able to spend time with all these obsessions that I harbor in my life. I must say for an addiction, they made my life a lot healthier.

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This is my response to Niko’s tag.

Wednesday 25 February 2009

Dilemma

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I know it’s still like a gazillion months away before we go back to Manila, but honey and I are already trying to make arrangements for the trips that we want to make when we’re in the Philippines. The reason for this is because we wanted to take our entire family to a trip. This is where our dilemma begins. I really have two destinations in mind for our family holiday, Ilocos or Boracay. I’ve been in both places before and I remember having a grand time. I was leaning towards Ilocos because honey has never been there but honey is inclined to choose Boracay because he knows that the kids and the kids at heart would have all sorts of stuff to do.

Since we’re talking of a very big group here (around 20-25 people) and of different age brackets, honey and I would have to consider a place where everyone would have something to enjoy. Another factor to consider is the package deals that are offered, since we’re a big group, might as well make use of the purchasing power and make sure that we’re getting the best value for our money.

I know that honey and I are looking at a big project but I’m really hoping that we pull off this entire shebang coz I know it’s gonna be a lot of fun.

If you have any suggestions on where best to eat, stay or any spots that is a must visit in these two places, it would be greatly appreciated as it will help us make the final decision. Thanks

Friday 20 February 2009

Getting Hitched

One of the most memorable events in my life would definitely have to be the day when honey proposed to me. It has been almost 4 years ago and yet, every time I remember it, I still get giddy and I get butterflies in my stomach. Oh it was so romantic and to have experienced a proposal twice, I think, is rare. It’s a priceless memory that I hold very close to my heart and would relate to my kids and my kids’ kids tirelessly.

The reason for this sudden trip down the memory lane is because of Maria’s tag. She candidly shares the day she agreed to spend the rest of her life with her hubby and she invited me to share my memories of the day when I decided to spend the rest of my life with my one true love. As I have said, I’ve reminisced about it quite often and have blogged about the entire story before. Since that faithful day, I have never looked back. It has been pure marital bliss and I couldn’t be more thankful.

Wednesday 18 February 2009

Looking forward to the next holidays


These past couple of weeks have been so busy in the office that I am completely burned out by the end of each week and before I know it, the entire weekend has gone by leaving me still wanting more time to rest.

I must say, one of the things that relieve my stress is thinking of the next holiday that honey and I are taking. Oh, I’m so looking forward to visiting my sister in France in two weeks, in time for her daughter’s 1st birthday. I so miss that cute little cherubim, my little Michelin girl… hehe.

I have also convinced honey to finally bring me to Italy and that trip is scheduled in May. I just can’t wait. We’re planning to visit Milan, then Rome and finally Venice, my dream city to visit.

And finally, the biggest holiday planned this year is in November, we’ll be celebrating honey’s birthday back home with all our loved ones.

There, I’m a bit more energized now, just the mere thought of all the good times ahead relaxes me and keeps me going. I just need to hang in there for a couple of weeks more.

Monday 16 February 2009

Vday breakfast

Although I asked honey not to buy me flowers and not to take me out on a date for Valentines Day (which he completely worked around), I am not the type to pass out on any opportunity to celebrate love day, in my own way. That is why the moment I woke up last Saturday, I busied myself in the kitchen to prepare a breakfast for honey suitable for the occasion. I made him heart shaped pancakes!



Honey absolutely loved them.

I loved how we celebrated Valentines day this year, fuss and stress free on both honey and me. Just the way we liked it.

A one of a kind V-Day Date

A couple of weeks ago, I already told honey not to buy me a bouquet of flowers and not to bring me to a fancy dinner on Valentines Day. I just thought that the day has become so commercialized now so I wanted to pass on celebrating it this year. But honey, being the true romantic that he is, found a way to circumvent my request and still bring me to a date to celebrate. He fetched me from work last Friday and told me that since I didn’t want to go on a date the following day, we’ll just have our date that night. He had a fresh idea for a date and we had a one of a kind Vday, we played bowling!
I was so surprised when he parked the car at a bowling centre very close to my office, I thought that we’ll just have our dinner at the restaurant beside it but honey said we’ll play bowling first and then have dinner. I was thrilled. We had so much fun. I knew honey was good in a lot of sports but I didn’t know he was also a good bowler. He completely crushed me, he had strikes and spares across the scoreboard and I, well, I managed to topple down some of the pins but nowhere near his score. Oh well. We were so starved after the game that we enjoyed the dinner after the game immensely.

The following day, when I woke up, honey gave me a couple of gifts as well. I was eyeing him suspiciously and he started explaining. He told me that since I asked him not to buy me flowers, he bought me gifts instead. How could I be mad… hehe. He got me this pretty pair of Nike cardio shoes and a cake plate that I’ve always wanted.

I must admit, it’s really nice to celebrate heart’s day but to be honest, with honey beside me, everyday is Valentines Day.

Happy Valentines Day to all! (better late than never).

Wednesday 11 February 2009

From Squeaky to Healthy

Since honey and I decided to work out at home so we can do it together, we have been doing so well. We wake up earlier and take turns on using the lateral step machine (our cardio exercise) then do some weights, I also do some Pilates work out using my fabulous DVD and Pilates circle that I bought from home TV shopping…. (Don’t judge me please, hehe). Honey and I also manage to work out before we eat dinner when we manage to arrive early from work. However, last week, I got pissed off with the lateral step machine, it came to a point when it squeaked so loudly each time honey and I use it. It’s not very motivating to work out at 6 am, when you have just opened your eyes and there goes the loud squeaking sound from your machine.

I finally hit my limits and last weekend, I hauled honey to the sports shop just a block away from our place and told him that I saw a cross-trainer on sale in the catalogue. I convinced honey that it’s a good investment, anyway we’ll be using the machine for years (it has a 3 year warranty so I’m quite convinced that it’s a good investment). Without much fuss, honey and I decided to buy the machine to replace the squeaky one that we’ve been using.

So far, I couldn’t be any happier, I enjoy a smooth and rejuvenating workout without my ears getting irritated the entire time. This cross-trainer is also a breeze to use, it gives good support to the ankles and doesn’t strain the knee as I work out plus, on the monitor, I get my pulse count, calorie count, time, distance and speed. It also allows me to select a program (from several levels of workout that it has) for my workout.



I am looking forward to more work out sessions with honey and our new workout buddy. I hope we spend years of healthy living together.

Monday 9 February 2009

R-E-S-P-E-C-T

In my mind, I have believed that two of the most important things in a relationship are fidelity and respect, maybe not as high on my list as love and devotion but would definitely be in my top five. I firmly believe that you cannot say that you love someone without being faithful or respectful of him.

Over the weekend, a friend of my invited me for lunch, she said that she needs to vent out her frustrations with his hubby. Being the dutiful friend, I obliged. From what I heard from all her stories, her main issue with her hubby is respect. It’s nothing major really, simple stuff that sometimes, when we get overly familiar with someone, we tend to ignore. I believe when it comes to respect, not just the grand gesture counts, actually I think with respect, the littlest of things add up to more.

Ok, I know she is a friend so I have a tendency to take her side but I just have to agree with her when she asked me if it’s too much to ask not to be ignored when she talks no matter how angry his husband is. I just feel that its common decency, when someone asks you a question, the most civilized thing to do is respond. No matter how angry you are, you simply don’t let go of your respect for the one you love.

I know that being with someone, no matter how much you love that person, is sometimes tough. When I got married, I knew that it will not be always a bed of roses. But no matter how tough it gets, both of you simply must make an effort, no matter how big of an effort it is, to not loose your love and respect, at the peak of a heated argument, for that person because in the end, when everything has calmed down, the regret of having disrespected the one you love will linger. I have a rule, when I fight with someone I love, I try to keep it clean, no matter how hard it is, I try to stick with the issue at hand and be level headed. Then again that’s just me.

Monday 2 February 2009

Broken Hearted

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Yesterday afternoon was spent lounging around the TV set. In spite of the rarely, sunny weather, I can’t help but have my eyes fixed on the TV and watch every moment of the Australian Open championship match between Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. I have to say both are great sports men and equally talented. I was vouching for Federer coz I’m really hoping that he beats Pete Sampras’ record of 14 Grand Slams. Too bad, in the end he lost but it was a well fought game, 5 sets of heart stopping, excellent and dramatic tennis. I can’t help but be teary eyed when Roger Federer, heart broken as he was, started sobbing during the awarding ceremony. However, as always he exhibited grace when defeated. You can tell that both players have a mutual admiration and respect for one another. I also think that Rafael Nadal totally deserved to win, he was precise and quick and really talented. I was also impressed when, after winning, he accepted the award with humility. This match was not as close as last year’s Wimbledon championship match between this two great sports men but it was really a great game.

I still believe that Roger Federer will achieve his goal of breaking Sampras’ record