: Looking forward for my sister’s vacation here in 2009 :

My sister Joy has been out of the country since 2000 bec. she finally settled and build her own family in Sydney Australia. She hasn’t been home ever since but we got the chance to see her bec. mom and I was fortunate enough to be sponsored to fly over there. Although we got to see her and family, my other siblings and other relatives would love to see her plus her husband and 3 kids also.

The good thing is that they (the whole family) already planned of coming home on Christmas of 2009 and that made us all excited. Not quite sure if they will stay at the hotel or at ourhouse, but that not a problem since they can always get hotel deals online. They have no concrete plans yet on where to go since it is still too far away, but my bro inlaw told us that he would love us to rent a villa or a resort. I know there are many resorts in Laguna or Antipolo that we can hire for the whole day.

I think this is exciting to have a big family reunion and I hope my other sister who is in Riyadh can go home too. Ahhh … I can’t wait for that day.!!

: I miss you guys ! :

Although I can talk to my sis JOY on YM every now and then and can see her updates on her blog, I can't help but to miss her and family back in Sydney.

• ~ I miss our bonding time together blogging and shopping and/or just plain talking about chismis hehe.
• ~ I miss Braiden's cheeky smiles and wished I was there to see his developments.
  
• ~ Ahhh that little Bianca is such a chatter box, i remember she used to help me hang and fold clothes eventhough she doesn't know how. I miss you missy moo!!
• ~ Hmmm and Micah, eventhough we argue sometimes, I miss her too of course. I wish she'll remember all what I have told her. She's only 13 and soon she'll be a lady.
• ~ Ahhh and my bro inlaw Joe, such a cool, sweet and very generous guy. He may look too serious at times but when he cracks a joke, I'm laughing my head off.

I wish I was still with them and doing things that I don't normally do here back home. Our endless vacation is surely missed by me esp. the days where we spent a week vacation off at Hamilton Island. I had a blast !! See you guys next year in Pinas !!!

: Nice to see my sister again!

It's always good to see a loved one after many years of being away from us. My sister Beng and her family were back home here in Pinas for a vacation from Riyadh. They arrived on April 15, 2 days earlier than me. It was exciting to see my nephew and niece all so grown up. One of the reasons too why they came home is that her daughter (Frances Marie) will be studying college here at Mapua. Frances already passed the exams and already got enrolled.

My sister is working at King Faissal Hospital in Riyadh as one of the medical secretary for many years now. Her husband in turn, is an Electrical Engineer working at the biggest electric company there, SCECO.

: Home Alone

My mom, my sister & her family and bro & family went up North in the Ilocos region for their 4 day vacation and I was left home alone since Tuesday. Hmmm not totally alone because a family friend of ours is accompanying me at the house at night. I didn't go with them because it is so far and I don;t want to close my store for a long time.

They will also be going to Vigan to meet a friend and explore the place. I wish I can come with them since it is a nice place to take a lot of photos and to practi8ce my digital photography. Oh well, there is always a next time.

Calling home is a must

I have 2 sisters who are living abroad for many years now. It’s not good to be away from our loved ones but they have their own family now and found new country to build their dreams and start their lives. Of course my mom would always want to hear from them from time to time so calling them international is a bit a pain in the wallet for us. I remember sometimes I just load credits to my mobile phone and ring them but with the limited time and expensive cost of calling few minutes are just enough to hear from them. It’s sad sometimes especially when you want to talk to them more.

We just refrain from calling but both my sisters are the ones calling us from time to time using a prepaid phone card and not their regular landline phones. These cards are a saving grace since they can call us now more often and for a longer time now. Prepaid phone cards from any country can be bought online now at TheRich.com. The site is very easy to navigate and have tons of information about calling cards. There are many cards to choose from so you don’t have any more reasons not to call back home especially for many Filipino Overseas workers. Calling call is just easy and affordable nowadays.

Micah at Teen Ranch

I am sure my 13-year-old niece is having a good time at Teen Ranch, where teens will have different activities inside a camp for one whole week. I guess this is her 2nd time to attend such and I hope she’ll be going back home with lots of good lessons that she can use in her life and at home.

Since it is school holidays here her parents thought that it is best for her to join the camp as they also have some religious teachings aside from the sports and physical activities inside. Would you believe that she bought a lot of stuff with her? From clothes, shoes and toiletries. Ahhh teenagers sometimes always want to show off with others. She is quite a bit bothered with her zit on her face that she squeezed it. I scolded her for doing that and I hope she can find the best acne treatment that is right for her bec. I know she will not stop putting anything on her face. I will miss her bec she will not be here when I will leave on Thurs.

2 balikbayan boxes will be on the way

Sis and I finally finished filling the 2 boxes that we will send soon in the Phils.. Sis got some old stuff too here that she doesn't need anymore but will be in use by my family in the Phils. so we put them in the box. There are also new toys, clothes and bottled spreads(peanut butter, hazelnut spread etc-) for everyone to enjoy.

Actually we packed them a bit late now and for sure it will take about 3 weeks of sea cargo shipping before it will arrive. I will be coming home soon in about 2 weeks time and I know y family back home wanted to see me now and of course all of my pasalubongs that my sis generously bought for them.

I still bring some gifts in my luggage and i hope I will not have excess baggage. I am sure that Qantas airlines will permit me to carry over 20 kilos like what they did the last time I came here. So for my family in Pinas watch out for me and the boxes hehe!!

Photo Hunt: High

Wow it's been a while since I participated at Photo Hunters since I went on vacation. Anyway here is my entry and i hope it is not too late.

This is my niece jumping high at the backyard. She loves doing it bec. she is having a real good time. Look, she is flexible and I don't think i can to a split in the air..lol

My nephew's b-day!!

It was my sis Joy son Braiden's 5th birthday today and we had a sausage bbq dinner to celebrate it and it was only a family gathering. He was happy when he woke this morning and we greeted him a happy birthday while he respond to me he will have a chocolate cake. 

His Dad bought him a Pirate suit and I had fun taking photos of him.He was happy to receive gifts and wanted to open it immediately. Blowing of the cake made him real excited and he was smiling from ear to ear when we are singing him the b-day song. 

Blogging sisters

I taught my sister JOY how to blog just this February when I came here in Australia for my vacation and I know she is having a good time. We always do our blogging and other stuff on the computer at night after the kids were all in bed. This is our bonding time like what she said.  We sometimes start at 9 pm and we end at 12 midnight or sometimes at 1 am..lol

She allows me to use her IMAC but i frequently use the pink MacBook laptop of her daughter Micah when we are both online. At 1st i am having a hard time using the Mac since i am used in using windows al the time back home but I have learned how to use it with at ease now.

Bianca turns 3!!

My niece Bianca Joy (daughter of my sis JOY) finally turned 3 last Thursday and we had a small dinner barbeque party for her. She was so excited to see her pink scooter that she wanted and right after she saw it she was riding it already. 

Dad and son bonding time

My bro in law Joe and his son went to the golf driving range last Saturday and they bought a large bucket of balls and proceeded to hit them as hard as they could. Joe told me that watching his 4 year old son trying to hit a golf ball was a funny experience. But by the end, his son was consistently making contact with almost all the balls even though they were only going 2 feet in front of him. His sons eye lit up, and he raises his arms when he hits the ball. 

Joe has special clubs for his son esp. cut for him for his size. He also has this cute red golf bag Joe has his own set too and it was Nike golf clubs, he loves them and he thinks he is Tiger Woods every time he plays.

New Blog !!

Oh no not mine hehe, i already got 5 and i think that is enough! (???) Well, my sister Joy got interested in having one when she saw me how to post entries and how I make a little profit out of it too.

Well at 1st I thought she will not be interested bec. she is a busy mom too but one time she asks me how to do it. I taught her how to make one from blogger and we bought a domain name at 1and1.com. Of course i assisted her in redirecting her blog to her domain using my tutorial HERE. 

Hope you can visit my sister's blog The Way of Life in OZ, leave a comment or just say hi for sure she will be happy. Thank You! 

Thank You !!!

Hello peeps, gosh I miss blogging so much hehe!! I just wanted to say THANK YOU to all those that give their prayers and concerns about my nephew who was hospitalized due to Dengue Fever. 

He is actually out of danger now and out of the hospital and will go to school by tomorrow. It was an emotional and financial burden for my family back home in the Phils. so we are so glad that he was finally out of the hospital. I just hope no one in my family will get this fatal disease again.

So guys, be careful and if you have kids you have high fever and showing signs of dengue, go to the doctor as fast as you can!

Need your prayers

I got some bad news this morning from my brother back home in the Phils. His  10 year old son is in the ICU right now. Actually he was rushed on Thurs. at the nearby hospital at our place but after 4 days the doctors can't diagnose what is happening to my nephew. He has high fever and sometimes he has difficulty breathing and his fingers and hands are getting stiff. The laboratory exams proved to be normal and the XRAy too. 

My bro became impatient at the hospital's doctors and staffs bec. they can't pinpoint was is the real cause of this so he decided to transfer my nephew at a much bigger and modern hospital (The Medical City) on Sunday. They did some testings there and oh my gosh he was diagnosed to have Dengue Fever. A fatal one if not treated early!

He already had some bleedings on his lips and tongue so the doctor told my bro that he needs to be in the ICU and needs to have blood transfusion immediately. They gave him 2 bags last night and stopped it with the thought he will be more stable but they told me that he got high fever again so he will remain in the ICU until he gets ok.

We are just worried about the bills bec. it costs P10,000.00 a day at the ICU, wow! Well I know it is costly but it is nothing as long as he will be ok. I hope he will recover soon. Right now I need all your prayers for his speedy recovery. Thank you!

Greetings from the LAND DOWN UNDER!!!!

G'day mate!!!! Hello guys I am already here in Australia!!! Micah and I arrived safely early this morning at Sydney airport around 7:00 am this morning. It was a long and tiring trip. I didn't get a good sleep at the Qantas plane bec. I was uncomfortable and a lady was giggling continuously.

It took us minutes to get our luggages bec. we are at the wrong carousel, lol. I am so glad that we used good luggage sets that are durable enough to withstand the travel. After that, I was able to clear the immigration with ease but they asked me to open my luggage since i declared some wooden decor that i bought. Bro in law Joe picked us up and we went to their house where i will be staying for 3 months. It was really really different around here, fresh air, no traffic, no noise and good food. It's good to be back here again.

We had a brunch here since Qantas didn't served us breakfast (only apple juice) not a good service I can say. I took a nap in the afternoon as i was so tired and had a shower after waking up. We had barbeque for dinner and oh my gosh bro in law served a lot of seafoods (i forgot to take photos!) and we are all full. His uncle and family, and a close family friend was there for dinner.

Anyways, i had a long day, i will just share photos later, I am using Micah's Mac and holy cow, they are very different, i still have to find my way. I will post again soon bec. we will be leaving for a 4 day trip at the beach on Thurs. and i still need to finish some assignements (raraket pa rin d2 kahit bakasyon heheh) See ya guys!!

Pinoy Blogero got published

Ok I am one proud Aunt again for my nephew KARLO (Pinoy Blogero) bec. he was interviewed by Annalyn Jusay of Manila Bulletin about blogging. His interview was published at the the Jan. 14, 2008 issue of the newspaper under the TechNews Section. Isn't this cool??

He told me he is going to frame that newspaper interview hehe. He is doing good at blogging and i hope he can still juggle blogging and studying right now.

You can also read his interview at Manila Bulletin's website .

WORDLESS Wednesday: Peace!

With all the things that are happening in the world today, I just wanna say
"Peace Man, Peace !!!

Tiendesitas shopping

Micah and I went to Tiendesitas in Pasig (near Megamall) last Friday and at first Micah thought it was just boring there not until she saw the clothes and other stuff being sold there. I also bought some souvenirs that i will give to my sister. Too bad we didn;t have the chance to ride the Kalesa bec. it only starts at 3 pm and we can't wait that long. Sorry this is quite a quick post here. I'm off to Greenhills now.

Have you been to Tiendesitas?

Kids dayout at MOA

After a delicious lunch that we had at Dither's 10th bday celebration at MAx Restaurant on Sunday, my nieces, nephews, SIL and bro went to MOA (Mall of Asia). I am so kill-joy that afternoon bec. i don't want to go with them (too bad I'm not feeling well that time or else i will go with them).

Anyway, they went to the mall to shop and the boys went inside the Science Discovery (forgot the real name) to watch some displays. I know they enjoyed their time there bec. they told me that they want to come back there again. The photos were taken by my nephew KARLO.

I have never been to Mall of Asia since it opened and I often hear that it was so big that a whole day is not enough to stroll all the shops there. Just in case you didn't know Mall of Asia is the biggest mall here in the Phils and one of the biggest in the world!!! Yay i have to be there soon!