a card left over from last year.
new snowman project.
a pinecone and poinsettia on the background...

setting up the house for a homey christmas atmosphere. i still have to finish a few projects for gifts and cards to send next week. well, if there's not enough time to finish them all...there's always next year!

I'd like to share this article from Os Hillman:

I will accept nothing but what my men have eaten and the share that belongs to the men who went with me-to Aner, Eshcol and Mamre. Let them have their share. - Genesis 14:24

Abraham's nephew was a man named Lot. Lot was part of Abraham's household until the land on which they fed their flocks could no longer support their growing families and herds. Abraham allowed Lot to choose the land where he wanted to live. Lot chose the land of Sodom.Afterwards, four kings invaded Sodom, and Lot's family and goods were taken into captivity. When Abraham learned of this, he immediately gathered his best fighting men and pursued the armies to free Lot and his family. He was successful in freeing Lot's family and the families of Sodom. The king of Sodom was grateful to Abraham for what he did and wanted him to keep the goods he recovered. Abraham had made a decision before the battle that he would only keep what he rec! overed for his nephew Lot, and goods as payment for the men who fought.

Abraham understood the principle of receiving from God. He was a man with great integrity in God. He did not want to be known as someone who became wealthy because of the kindness of a wicked king. He wanted others to know that whatever prosperity he gained was a result of the blessing from God's hand alone. Abraham understood an important principle of receiving from God.Jesus also modeled this principle by receiving only what His Father wanted Him to receive.

God's will for Jesus was to receive based on a carpenter's wage even though He was the God of the universe who had access to all things. Imagine the discipline Jesus had to have, knowing what He could have had. He upheld His own financial integrity in God.Each of us must discern what comes from the hand of God rather than the hand of man. As workplace believers, there are situations that allow us to manipulate, sweat, and! toil our way to profit. There is also profit as a result of hard work done in obedience to our calling to the workplace. Knowing the difference in these two concepts is a sign of integrity before God. Only God receives glory when we receive what God wants us to receive. Are you receiving the fruit of your labor in God? Ask God to show you the difference of these two concepts for your own life.

Indeed all good things come from God. And He has the right to give us as He sees fit.
This message comes timely for us because E and I had to decide on a something major that will affect us financially. We are thankful our Lord uses us to bless our families and friends, thus connecting His Word and love in action. Sometimes it is not that easy especially when circumstances are difficult, but these are real opportunities given to us to express our Lord and who we really are in Him... -mindfull

pasko na! naamoy ko na ang pasko...

kaninang hapon galing ako sa orchard dahil type ko umikot-ikot nangangalap ng bagong gamit at pwedeng project for decors. hindi ko maiwasan ang humanga sa laki ng Christmas tree at sa garbo ng decorasyon sa loob ng isang mall...ang dami ng mga nakabitin na kulay PINK! (o gets nyo na kung saan yan? biggest tree in orchard?? )

lumipat naman ako ng lugar...naghahanap naman ako ng Christmas album ng RAY CONNIF SINGERS. naalala ko kasi ang mga paskong nagdaan sa maynila, madalas akong mag-shopping sa SM mall/s (window o hindi).... lagi ang ganda ng mga tugtog...(ang R.C.Singers...parang galing sa langit) hehehe. lalo na kung umaga mo maririnig... nakaka-inspire lalong tumingin ng shoes...bags...damit...

sayang lang, at hindi ko maririnig ang mga "tugtog-pasko" na yan itong taon. iba ang skedyul namin ng uwi ngayon. marami ata akong mami-miss. pati ang aking bunsong kapatid (GM) at ang kanyang pamilya, hindi namin makakasabay lumuwas. oh well, ok na rin, at least we can still spend time with the rest of the family.... (kuya ko at pamilya ni E, and other friends) naubos na kasi namin ang leaves niya for this year. gusto ko pa naman sana makitang mayabang lumakad ang first baby nila GM, at ngumiti ng nakakaloko....dami na teeth ha!

anyway, heto ang aming kaunahang pasko sa bago naming tirahan...sempre, hexcited din magpaganda ng bahay... sana lang makahanap pa ako ng mga murang decors. sa mga nakita ko kasi kanina......ang kulay na naiisip ko sana ay gold and red...pero wala ko makita maganda. bahala na pagwala- di WALA... o tama na, husto na...ayaw ni E ng OVER!

miss ko din tuloy ang aming ginawang puno nung 2000. 5 ft tree gawa sa chicken wire at pinagkabit-kabit na dahon sa isang mabigat na paso. taon-taon kaming nagdadagdag sa aming kulay gold na balls, o pinecones na may prutas etc...may nakabitin ding puno sa dingding...(para atang hindi ko na tinanggal yun mula ng umalis ako nung march.)...at may bilog naman na wreath. siguro miss din ako ni GM dahil ako ang gumagawa ng decors sa bahay namin noon...na as early as nov. 2 nagdedecorate na kami ng bahay. talo pa ang mall....para sulit naman ang pag-bili namin ng mga dekorasyon 'no.

oo nga pala, may daiso na sa cbd! great news...all for $2!
kaya palagay ko mas maganda ang shopping dito dahil mura at kakaiba!
hay, malapit na pala ang ....silver bells....ringaling!

C and I have been friends since high school. She's one friend I know who will always be there for me no matter what... For a time we've lost our connection. Somehow, I blame myself, because I assumed she's only a phone call away. I knew her contact no. and address. But how time flies and a lot can happen in a month, 6 mos. or a year...

After 2 yrs. I didn't realize we haven't really seen each other, perhaps we're both busy with work, or our schedules seemed impossible for us to set time to meet. She just started a new job, and in a relationship. In the same way, I'm so wrapped up with school work and busy taking care of hubby after office hours. I guess, by this time...we drifted apart.

Last March I came home, I had to see her. I missed our "chika-time". I tried calling the last 2 cell phone nos. I have of her. Zero....then I tried their 2 home nos., wrong number, both of them! I felt sad... I wondered how is it possible for us to drift apart and forget our friendship. Is the advancement of technology to blame? You know how easy it is to buy several sims and change cell nos. in the Phils. I changed mine, because I had to shift to a prepaid one (which is valid only up to 6 mos) and gave up my line since I was leaving the country soon. I thought of going to her house, but I was afraid to go by myself, with all the rumors of bombings... it was a good thing i didn't pursue the idea of looking for their house since they moved to a new home and surprisingly, near our house in marikina.

I tried several means, like chatrooms, search for old schoolmates or the alumni org. of our h.s. .... no sign of her. Later I searched for her at a new, and USO na website (friendster), even wrote some with the same last name... still no reply. I just hoped to trace her back when I go back home at the end of the year.

BUT GUESS WHAT! I searched once more at friendster, typed C's name...zero result. And another name (her sis) thinking she might be a member...YES! right nick, right profile...i found her sister!!! Of course, I inquired if she was so-and-so's sis...who studied in...etc. Then the following morning, I got an email....from my bestfriend and her sister! I was so happy!!!

Now we are emailing each other almost every day. And I hope that we can spend some time this Christmas together and now... i keep a neat record of her new contact nos.... ;)

sa wakas....makakahinga na rin kami.

during the past month or so, a trip to another country...with the option of living there...or not? all these in God's hands. the uncertainties of life...who can tell
what's in store for us tomorrow...the next day...or the next year?

but we (hubby and i) appreciate that God is in control of all things. knowing Him has given us the security that whatever He has lined up for E, who is in the verge of resigning and wanting to move to another job/country has better plans for us.

we were still abroad when his company asked him to renew his "working pass"? our lease on the place we were staying also hanging, because at a moment's notice we thought, we can go and move. we wondered why God has allowed us to view this "country of milk and honey" which we toured for 3 weeks. E, given an interview for a possible job offer. but in the end the final interview didn't push through.

i am blessed by how God has allowed things to happen (or not), making me realize He is indeed in control. like just recently we had to look for a new place as our lease was up, and they increased our rent by $100...wow! that i believe is way too much! anyway, we wanted a place of our own and we decided on a small apartment 2 bedroom with a hall for dining, living room and a lil kitchen. also has a neat toilet and bath...

1 september, we were scheduled to move. but somehow, even a deposit we made was not a guarrantee...2 days prior, we were advised that the apartment was no longer suitable for housing us since there were leaks and repairs had to be done. so what can we do? after purchasing an aircon...scheduling the movers...cutting the phone lines...and settling with the present lease? PROBLEMSSSS....(later we were tipped by former tenants that the company favored another couple over us...how can that happen? to an approved apartment...)

that afternoon i bought a newspaper from a nearby 7-11 store, seeing one area i liked because it was near the city (E's place of work), near our church and home cell...i encircled one ad. as soon as E arrived home, i asked about the details of the cancellation of our tenancy... had a few mins ranting. marvelling about how we could sue the company or ask for damages etc. then i asked E to call the ad from the newspaper, to our surprise, they said we can view the place that same night! and we did, we loved the place and the apartment was very well kept. even the landlady was so nice. so we struck a deal with them! same night we had the news of our cancellation, the Lord gave us another apartment...His best!

this is another new skin...
yep, decided to try out a new template for the time being.

for some time i have not been writing in this blog (just occasionally) because of so many things happening, one was our move from our old apartment: which was "enblocked", meaning, the buildings (5 of them) are either being remodelled or being renovated. our block situated at the very end and facing the main road was first to be renovated, we had to move fast.

we realized that "being enblocked" here is not really new. most old buildings are sold and once the new buildings are done, the owners rent out these apartments at higher prices. E (hubby) and i see the non-stop building of new hdbs (high rise apartments) and condos/flats in this part of asia. we are in awe of how the government can come up with the non-stop rise of infrastructures, coming from a country that a simple road repair takes months to finish.

we have made our move from our old flat to a new one further from the commercial centre.
we've been busy setting things up. buying new stuffs essential for our daily routine. tidying up the place is difficult due to limited space and my many "ahbubot" (scrap stuffs, crafts, etc.).
but the cabinets will have to do. more flat stories next time... ; )

i'd like to share a poem and some
funny stories from another site. in the past, i get lonely bouts ---
you see, i lost my baby a few years ago. but today i'm determined
to celebrate this special day with all women.
HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

Mother's Day Poem and Funny Stories

Three old ladies were sitting around a table. The first says, "I'm getting so forgetful­ I was standing at the top of the stairs and I couldn't remember whether I was going down or had just come up."

The second lady says, "You think that's bad? The other day I was sitting on my bed and I couldn't remember whether I was going to sleep or getting up."

The third lady smiles smugly. "Well, I have no memory problems at all, knock wood."

She raps the table. "Who's there?"

---------

There was an elderly lady whom was in the waiting room with her daughter.The nurse entered the waiting area and announced for the elderly lady to go on back to see the doctor. The nurse spoke louder but still she could not hear.

The elderly lady's daughter leaned over and said, "mother let's turn your hearing aid up." Then she yelled in shock,"That's not your hearing aid, its a suppository!

The elderly mother replied,"Well, now I know where my hearing aid went!

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A man rushes into his house yells to his wife, "Martha, pack your things. I just won a million bucks!"
Martha excitedly replies. "Shall I pack for warm weather or cold weather?"
The man responds, "I don't care. Just so long as you're out of the house by noon!"

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These are real absence excuses sent to school from the parents of kids at the Wells Branch School District.

Dear school please accuse John from being absent on January 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, and also 33.

Please excuse Dianne from being absent yesterday. She was in bed with gramps.

I had to keep Billie home because she had to go Christmas shopping because I didn't know what size she ware.

Please excuse Johnny for being. It was his father's fault.

Mary could not come to school because she was bothered by very close veins.

Chris will not be in school cuz he has an acre in his side.

John has been absent because he had two teeth taken off his face.

Excuse Gloria. She has been under the doctor.

Lillie was absent from school yesterday because she had a going over.

My son is under the doctor's care and should not take fizaca ed. Please execute him.

Carlos was absent yesterday because he was playing football. He was hurt in the growing part.

My daughter was absent yesterday because she was tired. She spent this weekend with the Marines.

Please excuse Joyce from P.E. for a few days. Yesterday she fell off a tree and misplaced her hip.

Please excuse Ray friday from school. He has very loose vowels.

Maryann was absent December 11-16 because she had a fever, sore throat, headache, and upset stomack. Her sister was also sick, fever and sore throat, her brother had a low grade fever and ached all over. I wasn't the best either, sore throat and fever. There must be the flu going around, her father even got hot last night.

Please excuse Blanche from jim today. She is adminstrating.

Please excuse Pedero from being absent yseterday. He had diah/ dyah/ the sh*ts.

George was absent yesterday because he had a stomach.

Ralph was absent yesterday because he had a sore trout.

Please excuse Wayne for being out yeaterday, because he had the fuel.

Please excuse Sarah for being absent. She was sick and I had her shot.

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Mom, I loved you yesterday, I love you tomorrow and everyday.
You were there for me my first day of school, to hold my hand and give me courage to go.
You listened to me when I needed to talk, you talked to me when I needed to listen.
You let me grow and learn from my own mistakes.
You never left my side when I was feeling down, I knew you would be there to pick me up.
I wish there was a way I could repay all the things you have done for me, but there's nothing great enough to repay the greatest mother of all.

It's Chinese New Year over here! All red stuffs floating about this side of the world... money trees every where... For some it's back to work today-like the malls. Which is a good thing because what is a holiday here in Singapore with all the shops closed? Tourists should really see the shops here...so grand and beautiful! Been here a year and I'd say I caught only a glimpse of some...

One of my favorites now (aside from my fave craft store: SPOTLIGHT) is the FAR EAST PLAZA. I guess this is one place you can get your money's worth, you just have to really search for the stuffs you need like shoes, bags, watches ...for me it's BOOKS! They have 4 secondhand bookshops where you can rent or buy books for less (about $4-6 off the regular price). But for hard to find books one ought to try BORDERS, where you can come, take a seat somewhere and browse through.

Another shop that surprised me the first time I got here was Takashimaya. They have one level devoted for art and crafts. Sometimes I just love hanging around and just letting the juice flow... This is where I get most of my projects from. My prayer is that when it's time to move on to another place or go back home, we can still find similar stores/shops for my projects.

I remember one Chinese New Year at home. Actually, we didn't know it was ... my friends and I just wanted to go to Binondo(our Chinatown) to buy some Chinese medicine for my friend's mom. And after learning we were going, one or two had us buying other stuffs for them too like tikoy or sticky rice cake in a variety of flavors. Next thing we knew we had to go against the crowd, not where the dragon and his band are going. It has been a tradition for them to welcome the New Year with the dragon dance, they go to different establishments like shops and hotels. And the owners for good luck give ampao or the small red envelope filled with new bills.