Thoughts On Christmas

Christmas is forever, not for just one day,
for loving, sharing, giving, are not to put away
like bells and lights and tinsel, in some box upon a shelf.
The good you do for others is good you do yourself...

~Norman Wesley Brooks~ 

Christmas waves a magic wand over this world, and behold, everything is softer and more beautiful. 

~Norman Vincent Peale~

Christmas Gift Suggestions

To your enemy, forgiveness.
To an opponent, tolerance.
To a friend, your heart.
To a customer, service.
To all, charity.
To every child, a good example.
To yourself, respect.

Written in Early Spring

Written in Early Spring

I heard a thousand blended notes

While in a grove I sat reclined,

In that sweet mood when pleasant thoughts

Bring sad thoughts to the mind.

To her fair works did Nature link

The human soul that through me ran;

And much it grieved my heart to think

What Man has made of Man.

Through primrose tufts, in that sweet bower,

The periwinkle trail'd its wreaths;

And 'tis my faith that every flower

Enjoys the air it breathes.

The birds around me hopp'd and play'd,

Their thoughts I cannot measure,—

But the least motion which they made

It seem'd a thrill of pleasure.

The budding twigs spread out their fan

To catch the breezy air;

And I must think, do all I can,

That there was pleasure there.

If this belief from heaven be sent,

If such be Nature's holy plan,

Have I not reason to lament

What Man has made of Man?

~William Wordsworth~

In Sickness and In Health

See how faith and love can remain strong through the challenges and the changing seasons of our lives. 

(Please click the link below or copy and paste in your browser to watch a very beautiful video about true love in action ...)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E_yOAHISi8I

What Really is Christmas?

A young girl with true Christmas spirit quietly teaches her preoccupied family the true meaning of Christmas.

President Thomas S. Monson, Prophet of the Lord Jesus Christ, shares his testimony of how to put Christ back into Christmas.

(Please click the link below to watch the video)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tXXwtFWpAI8 

May the Spirit of Jesus Christ dwell in our hearts and homes this Christmas season!

How Do You Keep the Music Playing?

How do you keep the music playing?

How do you make it last?

How do you keep the song from fading too fast?

How do you lose yourself to someone?

And never lose your ways

How do you not run out of new things to say?

And since we know we’re always changing

How can it be the same?

And tell me how year after year

You’re sure your heart will fall apart

Each time you hear his name.

I know the way I feel for you

It’s now or never

The more I love the more that I’m afraid

That in your eyes I may not see forever..

Forever…

If we can be the best of lovers

Yet be the best of friends,

If we can try with everyday to make it better as it grows

With any luck, then I suppose

The music never ends.

I know the way I feel for you

It’s now or never!

(How do you keep the music playing?)

The more I love the more that I’m afraid

(How do you make it last)

That in your eyes I may not see forever

Forever…

(How do you keep the song from fading, keep the song from fading too fast)

If we can be the best of lovers

Yet be the best of friends

If we can try with everyday to make it better as it grows

With any luck, then I suppose

The music never ends.

Beautiful In My Eyes ...

You’re my peace of mind in this crazy world.

You’re everything I’ve tried to find, your love is a pearl.

You’re my Mona Lisa, you’re my rainbow skies,

and my only prayer is that you realize

you’ll always be beautiful in my eyes.

The world will turn and the seasons will change,

and all the lessons we will learn will be beautiful and strange.

We’ll have our fill of tears, our share of sighs.

My only prayer is that you realize

you’ll always be beautiful in my eyes.

You will always be beautiful in my eyes.

And the passing years will show

that you will always grow ever more beautiful in my eyes.

When there are lines upon my face from a lifetime of smiles,

and when the time comes to embrace for one long last while,

we can laugh about how time really flies.

We won’t say goodbye ’cause true love never dies.

You’ll always be beautiful in my eyes.

You will always be beautiful in my eyes.

And the passing years will show

that you will always grow ever more beautiful in my eyes.

The passing years will show that you will always grow

ever more beautiful in my eyes.

Ten on Tuesday: 10 Great Things About the Holidays!

1. Remembering and celebrating the reason for the season – the birth of the Savior Jesus Christ!

2. There’s peace and harmony between family members and friends … even in the office. People tend to be more patient and understanding towards others.

3. In the spirit of gift-giving, giving is more important than receiving ...

4. Food!

5. Vacation!

6. Meeting old friends during reunions and gatherings

7. Making new friends

8. Seeing family members from afar

9. Bonus!

10. Shopping!

Ten on Tuesday: 10 Things I Want, But Would Not Buy For Myself!

This is really interesting! … because I know I want these ten things, it’s just that I want someone else to buy them for me ha ha ha!

Paging Santa Claus! It’s almost Christmas =)

Here goes my list:

1. A Diamond Ring – I want my hubby to buy me one, and give it to me on our 25th Wedding Anniversary … That’s November of next year ha ha ha!

2. A nice new Car (preferably a black Honda CRV =>) I can drive when I go to work or when I do errands …

3. 10 Louis Vuitton Bags - I think more than the fact that I can’t afford it, even if I have the money, I wouldn’t …

4. A gun. Or better yet, guns! Like a sniper rifle and a 9 mm he he he ...

5. An iPhone

6. A Mac

7. Expensive jewelries

8. A Water Bed

9. An original Gucci Watch

10. A liposuction ha ha ha!

Ten on Tuesday: 10 Things I’m Thankful For!

1. My Savior
2. My Husband Romel
3. My children Myco, Ella, April, Sarah, and Romelson
4. My parents Alex and Cora
5. My Sisters Charry and Carla
6. Mama Meling and Merolyn
7. my church
8. my friends
9. my talents and skills
10. the blessing of good health for me and my whole family

Ten on Tuesday: 10 Things You Wish You Knew How To Do …

1. Play the piano

2. Tap dance

3. Yoga

4. Mental Math

5. Sew dresses

6. Gymnastics

7. Figure Skate (HA HA HA!)

8. Taekwondo

9. Fencing

10. Swim like a pro!

I have a choice today.

The past few days had been hard on me.

For no particular reason at all, there persists this dampened feeling ... sort of like a lonely emptiness ...

Day in and day out, the same feeling ...

Have you ever experienced hearing a song and crying while listening to it? That feeling!

I knew I had to do something.

So I decided to read again my self-help books on depression.

There was a time more or less three years ago when I felt the need to read about depression. I just lost a cousin during that time, and I never expected that I would be affected as I was.

It happened again when my sister lost her youngest son almost Christmas day two years ago ...

Those were my saddest days ...

As I opened one book, I noticed a folded piece of green colored paper that was neatly pressed in between two pages. I opened it and there, written in black ink, was the answer I have been longing for.

It was a talk my daughter Ella gave during Sacrament Meeting years ago while she was still in the Young Women Organization. I am not sure where she got it, but I have this insistent feeling, a want to share this to as many, in the hope that this will help them (and you) the way it helped me get over the "sinking" feeling.

It did not miraculously remove the mist of darkness, but it did give me the right perspective, that I have a choice. I can either wallow in sadness and loneliness for reasons I can not explain, or I can choose to put all my efforts towards getting past the negative feeling, and face the day with a better resolve to focus on the good things, like "counting my blessings ..." and being grateful for what I have. I know for a fact that our mind can only accommodate one thought at a time. And I prefer good, positive, happy thoughts.

So here it goes ...

I have a choice today.

I woke up early today, excited over all I get to do before the clock strikes midnight.

I have responsibilities to fulfill today and I am important.

My job is to choose what kind of day I am going to have.

Today I can complain because the weather is rainy, or I can be thankful that the grass is being watered for free.

Today I can feel sad that I do not have more money, or I can be glad that my finances encourage me to plan my purchases wisely and guide me away from waste.

Today I can grumble about my health,

or I can rejoice that I am alive.

Today I can lament over all that my parents did not give me when I was growing up, or I can feel grateful that they allowed me to be born.

Today I can cry because roses have thorns, or I can celebrate that thorns have roses.

Today I can mourn my lack of friends, or I can excitedly embark upon a quest to discover new relationships.

Today I can whine because I have to go to work, or I can shout for joy because I have a job to do.

Today I can complain because I have to go to school,or eagerly open my mind and fill it with rich new tidbits of knowledge.

Today I can murmur dejectedly because I have to do housework, or I can appreciate that I have a place to call home.

Today stretches ahead of me, waiting to be shaped.

And here I am the sculptor who gets to do that shaping.

What today will be like is up to me.

I get to choose what kind of day I will have!

Every day we have a choice to live fully.

Attitude, after all, is everything!


And by the way, regarding the depression ...

Maybe time is telling me something ...

That I am getting there he he he ... old age is just around the corner =)

Estrogen levels going nuts ... that sort of thing!

Well, I am thankful still ...

I don't really look that old yet ...

I hope =)

To my dear daughter Ella, thank you ♥

Ten on Tuesday: 10 Favorite Movie Moments

I used to watch a movie once a week with my husband. That was before we got hooked with House, Numbers, Psych, Myth Busters, and CSI.

I tried hard to remember my 10 Favorite Movies, and here they are:

1. A Walk to Remember (2002; Mandy Moore and Shane West)

2. Sweet November (2001; Keanu Reeves and Charlize Theron)

3. Message in a Bottle (1999; Kevin Costner, Robin Wright Penn and Paul Newman)

4. Sleepless in Seattle (1993; Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan)

5. Shall We Dance (2004; Richard Gere, Susan Sarandon and Jennifer Lopez)

6. 50 First Dates (2004; Drew Barrymore and Adam Sandler)

7. Nights in Rodanthe (2008; Diane Lane and Richard Gere)

8. Ice Castles (1978; Robby Benson and Lynn-Holly Johnson)

9. The Bodyguard (1992; Kevin Costner and Whitney Houston)

10. Serendipity (2001, John Cusack and Kate Beckinsale)

Re the moments, to write them down here would be tantamount to writing every story of every movie. Suffice it to say these are my all-time favorites … these movies tugged on my heartstrings, and made me cry a bucketful.

Ten on Tuesday: 10 Guilty Pleasures

1. A pedicure every week
2. A Facial every two weeks
3. Siesta every day after lunch
4. Foot massage before bedtime
5. Blogging
6. Photography
7. Coke Float
8. Spaghetti, Spaghetti, Spaghetti …
9. Shopping
10. Leche Flan

Ten on Tuesday: 10 Things That Make You Feel Old

1. Tiny cute blouses in boutiques! They all look like they’ve been designed for teenagers … as if they have the purchasing power!

2. Rubber shoes! I like them especially if it’s white. But I don’t feel comfy in them. It feels like PE way back in high school and college.

3. The latest dance steps (like “Nobody, Nobody”). In my mind I can do the moves … but in reality, it actually feels like watching YouTube and it’s buffering … buffering … loading …. Loading … t o o s l o w ha ha ha!

4. Painting my fingernails with 5 colors! I did already, many times. But honestly, I feel too old for them.

5. Argggggghhhhh! Seriously, can’t think of anything else! Besides, I am really not that old, too! Maybe we should wait 15 more years, and then I can complete the 10!

CdO 1st Ward Community Service Project

"When ye are in the service of your fellow beings, ye are in the service of God."

(Myerna, Mikmik, and Connie)

Smile!

(Glory, Mikmik, and Connie)

(Jeffrey cleaning the pathway)

(The Stake President and Our Bishop)

(Glory, Mikmik, Pearl, Connie, and Oniel)

(Glory, Oniel, Pearl, and JB)

 

( with Louie)

 

 (changing the CR's roof .. Bishop, Rey, Carl, and the PTA President)

 

 

(Repainting the wall)

 

 (Mel showing the others how it should be done ...)

 

 (in action)

 

 (putting up the ladder so they can climb the roof)

 

(on his way up ... Mel)

(Rey, Carl, Bishop Sacay with a parent)

(almost done ... books arranged neatly)

(DONE!)


Cagayan de Oro First Ward

Community Service Project
South City Central School
Grade 2 Classroom
October 17, 2009


photos by: MommyTins ^-^

One Saturday Afternoon @ the Chavez MeetingHouse...

(Beyond the Spire ... white clouds and blue sky...)

 

(Kids)

 

(Lavender Flowerettes)

 

 (The Spire)

 

(Basketball - Favorite Sports of the Filipino Youth, despite the height disadvantage)

 

(Beauty in its perfect form)

Ten Things You Want But Can’t Afford

1. A humvee or hummer for my hubby ha ha ha! We often joke about why we want one!

2. Trip to the US with my whole family. I’d love for my kids to enjoy Disneyland while they’re still young. We’d also love to travel from NY to Salt Lake City and see the sights and visit LDS temples

3. A brand new 4x4 for Romel. For him to use going to the farm.

4. A DSLR for myself

5. Another DSLR for Myco

6. A baby grand for Ella

7. A diamond ring ha ha ha! Every girls dream I suppose (although I am no longer a girl … I’m an old woman!)

8. I’d like to send my folks abroad for an all-expense paid trip (by me)

9. A liposuction (HA HA HA!)

10. My dream business … I need investors!

The Mirror and You.

By Ma. Christina Itchon-Concepcion

The mirror stands majestically in the hallway, just near the doorway, where it has always been. As a newly married couple, you and your wife decided to place it there so every time you leave the house, you looked your best. It has been the silent witness of how the children have grown over the years, how you gained weight and lost the same, witnessed the times when you looked into its depth with sad eyes … or with a smile.

Now, standing tall peering intently in the image that is staring back at you, it finally dawned on you how things have changed, how you have changed. There are now creases in your eyelids, and in your forehead are lines and folds where smiles have been. Gray hairs cover your head.

Today is your 65th birthday. You’re accomplished, fulfilled, complete, retired and happy.

Your children are all grown up. They have their own families and are themselves pursuing their own career paths. You have a few grandchildren, some live near, some in far distant places. Occasions such as Christmas and birthdays are wonderful reasons to meet together, but lately, it has become a rare occurrence. Work is taking much of their time, and again you remember yourself when you were their age, so you understand. How time has flown. You recall how you felt when you were in similar situations a long time ago, when it seemed then that what mattered most was meeting deadlines and accomplishing goals and plans. It was for the family, all your sacrifice, your hard work. You said to yourself you had to do it, t’was your responsibility. Only the best for them.

You looked at your spouse. Still beautiful even with the years that has passed. However, somehow you know time has changed her. Still elegant in stature, the years have mellowed her personality. Now, she’s most of the time silent in her thoughts, reading the day away, or just simply doing her chores and then retiring in her own thoughts. She looked up, saw you staring at her, she smiled at you, that same sweet smile you fell in love with…

The house is silent now. No more children laughing, dogs barking, ordinary sounds you used to love.

Accomplished, fulfilled, complete, retired … you told yourself you’ve had a good life. You are happy.

Are you?

The moment you said “I do” in the altar of marriage, you took upon yourself serious responsibilities that required not only your might, mind, and strength; it required every bit of your person.

In the hustle and bustle of life that followed, you juggled work, family, church, friends, and a gazillion other things, desperately trying to fulfill all obligations and expectations, with all your best intentions. Literally you got lost in the process as you occupied yourself day in and day out.

That went on for years and years. Of course along the way you enjoyed yourself. The accomplishments, the promotions, the multiple salary raise, your climb in the corporate ladder boosted up your morale and motivated you to work harder. Overall, the feeling was ecstatic.

And then, one day, you realized that the time has come for you to slow down …

And now, here you are, facing the same mirror, just like the way you’ve done every day for 45 years since the day you got married.

You smiled at yourself. You’ve reached the summit. You told yourself you’ve done your best.

This morning, as you finally left your office of more than 40 years, you said your goodbyes. It was a weird feeling, what you felt. You will miss your desk, the phone, the view from your window, the coffee, your staff, even your boss. Looking back one last time, you convinced yourself you are excited with the future. It will be a brand new chapter in your life.

What will the future hold?

Many of us invest most of our time in our careers, our businesses, and our employment. It all started as a means to meet our family’s needs. We work to earn a living, all for our family.

Then, in the succeeding years, we dedicate our whole beings into giving our best and doing our best to reach the pinnacle of success in these undertakings. It has reached another level. No longer is it purely for earning, it now provides the need for security, belongingness, self esteem, and ultimately, self-actualization, as taught by Abraham Maslow.

Much of our productive years we devote to helping our employers and organizations accomplish targets, reach quotas, maximize profits, and organize expansions and mergers. In the rush of things we feel needed, important, significant, contributing. Day in day out we repeat the routine: we set goals, accomplish them, succeed, and then the cycle begins again. This time we set higher goals, we identify resources, we interact with these new and higher resources, and then we succeed. Then another cycle begins again, one level up. It seemed never ending.

But just like everything else in life, somehow it ends.

So here you are.

One question lingers in your mind.

Am I happy?

The answer? It’s within you. Are you?

One thing I know for sure. The only institution that will give us genuine and lasting happiness is our family.

Work, business, employment, civic and social organizations … these are all temporary. Somehow, time comes when we say goodbye to them. But never to your family. You never say goodbye to the most important people in your life. It is where everything begins, and consequently, it is where everything ends.

So how’s your family? Are you successful in and on it?

Look at the mirror and ask.

Your eyes will tell you the answer.

I hope you can honestly say yes.

Mirrors never lie.

And we don't lie to ourselves.

I hope not.

A Place to Teach and Learn ...

I love going to school, for two reasons. One, I am a teacher, and I am very passionate about my profession, and two, because I am a student too, and I love learning.

Here's where I teach and learn ...

Ten on Tuesday: 10 Favorite Athletes

Even if I'm not an avid sports enthusiast, completing my list was not that difficult. The list follows, the athletes arranged not in any particular order:

1. Tiger Woods - Golf
2. Manny Pacquiao - Boxing
3. Pete Sampras - Tennis
4. Kobe Bryant - Basketball
5. Larry Bird - Basketball
6. Paeng Nepumuceno Bowling, Philippines
7. Efren "Bata" Reyes - Billiard, Philippines
8. Peter Gade - Badminton
9. Michael Jordan - Basketball
10. Martina Navratilova - Tennis

Ten on Tuesday: 10 Things You Think are Cool!

1. the Internet
2. cellphones
3. computers
4. Microwave oven
5. Washing machines
6. mp3's and mp4's
7. automatic transmission
8. liposuction
9. contact lenses
10. painkillers (especially for childbirth, migraine, arthritis and tooth extraction)

can i add antibiotics?

Ten On Tuesday: Ten Things You Need to Plan For

10 Things You Need to Plan For

I am complicating this a bit ha ha ha! I have categorized the things that I need to plan for: 5 for short-Term and 5 for long-term.

Short Term:
1. Weight-loss program
2. Three Business Plans for my 3 dream businesses
3. My Dissertation Proposal
4. Next summer's family vacation (where?)
5. Type/kind/color of car we will buy

Long-term:

6. My next post doctorate degree
7. Retirement
8. Full Time Mission as a couple
9. My Children's marriages
10. Grand parenthood

I'm tempted to add My Last Will and Testament and my funeral, but i guess that's a little morbid, so I won't!

Love and Marriage ...

Someone once pointed out that love is a living thing. It is not a piece of stone than can be set in a corner to be picked up again when convenient, nor is it a vessel, which, once filled, can be capped and set safely on the shelf. Love is a living thing. Living things require nourishment, or they begin to die. Living things respond to stimuli, either moving towards those things, which bring growth and pleasure, or avoiding those things, which hurt or damage. Living things can suffer pain or injury; and if the injury is too severe, they can be crippled or die.



Could this partially explain the soaring divorce rates around the world? Can this be why within the months of emotional heights present in courtship, some couples find themselves tumbling into deep chasms of bitterness and disenchantment? Is it that their love before marriage was weak and artificial? Or is it that they have assumed that love, when finally won, was theirs with no further effort?

Too often, we nurture love during courtship with a thousand little sacrifices. We worry and fret over its growth, we protect it with fierce devotion; but then, when the plant has matured and bloomed, and we give it no further thought except to view with growing dismay until the time its leaves droop and its flowers wither and die.



There are numerous reasons for the neglect of love. Children come, occupations are pursued, habits form, bills accrue, problems mount, the image of marital joy fades.

How easy it is to put the things, which are most important at the mercy of things, which are less so. Too quickly, we lose sight of the priorities of life.

Harold B. Lee once said that the most important thing a man could do for his children was to love their mother. And he added, "A woman happy with her husband is better for her children than a hundred books on child welfare."

Marriage presupposes total allegiance and total fidelity. Each spouse take the partner with total understanding that he or she gives totally to the spouse all the heart, strength, loyalty, honor, and affection, with all dignity. Any divergence is sin; any sharing of the heart is transgression. As we have an eye single to the glory of God, 'so should we have an eye, an ear, a heart single to the marriage and the spouse and the family.

How then do we then maintain the power of love after marriage? How do we 'keep the fire burning?"



Love even as Christ love.

Express love in what we say and do.

Sense of humor brings smiles and laughter in marriage.

Love begets love: Courtesy begets courtesy.

Love answers love.

Understand that marriage is the beginning, and not the end, of courtship.

Don't let a day pass without saying "I Love You …" Say it while you can ... while there's still time ...

Give 100% to marriage.

Be Selfless.

Sacrifice.

These are easier said than done. But, if we truly want the best things in life, the pursuit of it will never be easy. However, as a saying goes ... it will be worth it!

My Hopes and My Wishes as a Mother ...

I wrote this reflection three years ago when we were in Ozamis City to attend the Regional Youth Conference ... and as I read it again, I realized nothing has changed in terms of my feelings towards my family, my children, my sweetheart, and motherhood.

I'm sharing this to all the Mothers out there ... But specially to my children... Myco, Ella, April, Sarah, and Romelson.



Thank you for everything! For the chance to bathe you, feed you, tell you stories, study with you, go places with you ... for simply being my friends and my confidantes ... for being my cheering squad ... for being my strength and reason to try harder and be better ...

As The Day Ends Here In Ozamis …

The day is about to end here in Ozamis. Here in Naomi’s Botanical Gardens the wind has begun to transform from humid to cold, and as I looked at the hazy surrounding of Timothy’s Hall, I said a little prayer of thanksgiving. The young people are enjoying themselves in their dance socials; they’re meeting old friends, as well as forging new ones. As Mother to three beautiful young women who are dressed in red, seeing them dance gracefully as swans, I was all these: proud, elated, glad, nervous, and sad. Sad because somehow seeing them grown up and knowing they have crushes to some of the equally handsome young men inside made me feel like one way or another, in the not so distant future, their Dad and I would be bidding them goodbye. That would be the day both Romel and I would be sad and glad at the same time…

It’s sometimes difficult to imagine what life would be like without the people I truly love.

Back to our hotel, as I was preparing for bed and looking at my son sleeping in my bed, I said a silent prayer of thanksgiving to the Almighty for giving me the chance to be a mother. I have with me my whole family in this trip, Romel and our four ladies in Naomi’s, I and Romelson and Mommy Chang here in our Hotel. Occasions like this are always cherished because I find these rare opportunities a great means to bond together and create my reservoir of memories.

It is also on trips like these that I have come to appreciate my family the most. I have come to realize, for instance, the truth that food is not as delicious; the beds are not as warm, the scenery not as enjoyable, in the absence of the people I hold close to my heart. Life indeed has become lovelier and full of meaning with them, my sweet husband and my precious children.



So as I lay my head in my pillow tonight, I will be thinking about how blessed I am. And as I close my eyes after saying my prayer, I would be thinking of Romel. He looked very handsome tonight. In fact he looked handsome the whole day. One of the things I like about him and made me crazy over him is the fact that he always smells as good as he looks. I know how tired he is at this very moment, having had a hard day trying to guide restless and over excited 70 young people. But as always, he never ceases to amaze me because even after all that, he still ends up handsome as ever. That’s why I often tell my kids how every time I look at him, I fall all over again ha ha ha!

I would also be thinking about Myco, Ella, Ann, Sarah, and Romelson.

Myco has turned into a very responsible young adult woman. Intelligent, smart, very talented, she is a true Ate. She can be depended on to take good care of her siblings. She cooks very well too! She’s multi talented, loves computers and acoustic music, and plays the guitar. At 21, Myco has grown to a full woman of strength and determination, and I am proud to be her Mom!



Ella is the darling of her Dad. She’s his junior, named after him and me. Pretty and sweet, Ella is very talented as well. She’s a good dancer, loves to sing (especially in the choir), plays the piano, and is very artistic in drawings and designs. A young woman at 17, she loves to dress up, and just like me, a certified Kikay ha ha ha! We both love the same clothes, likes almost the same shoes, loves fashion jewelries, and is a natural piece of art work. She loves taking pictures of herself and is always bubbly and free-spirited. That’s my Ella. When she marries? That would be the day her Dad’s gonna cry a bucket-full of tears ...



April Ann is sweet! She loves young children, and would definitely make an excellent teacher, nurse, pediatrician, and mother. At her puberty, April is undergoing a lot of changes. Many a times I feel she still loves to be a child. Awkward because of her height, she still manages to play with her cousins Jay, Lex, and Elaine. She runs around our house to play hide and seek, jumping rope, or act as a teacher in a play-school. She sleeps a lot, as what can be expected from growing young people. She loves cartoon characters, TeleNovela actors and actresses, and Animé characters. Ann is enjoying herself now, and that is what matters most to me. And so I allow her to be a child just now, because I understand someday soon, she’ll be a young woman in its truest sense, and when that times comes, her concerns will be different, will be a lot more challenging. I hope and pray when that time comes I’ll be prepared to be by her side to guide her through life’s ups and downs …



Sarah is practically a young girl who loves sports and playing guitar. In so many ways she is like me ... independent, an optimist, a go-getter!



My baby boy Romelson is very talented too! I hope and pray he grows up like his Dad ... very responsible and one who honors God ... a real man of integrity with great leadership skills.



I am honored to be given the noble task of nurturing these wonderful children. My hope and prayer is for them to remember me when the time comes for them to start their own families ♥♥♥

I love you... Really?

Oh really? How much do you love me? Quantify it!



What do you think will happen if you ask this question to your special someone when he/she says the three most abused words - I LOVE YOU! (ha ha ha!)!

In marriage, for it to work, couples should put forth great effort to continue applying the 5 C's - Compliment, Complement, Cooperate, Compromise, and Continuous Courtship.

Complimenting is saying something nice to another person with sincerity. Jeffrey R. Holland said each of us must exert great effort to look at the good, and not the bad, in each other... to accentuate or emphasize the good, and forgive and forget the not-so-good. Since we all make mistakes, we must be forgiving one with another.

Even in Management and Leadership it has been said that "more people develop to their fullest potential and become the best they can ever be in the spirit of acceptance and encouragement rather than in criticism and cynicism".


A good word or two never fails to put a smile in someone's face.











I have wonderful friends, Joel and Chang, who live this in their marriage, and it feels good to witness their beautiful love story ♥




Complementing each other means when you are the lock, the other is the key ... when one is grouchy and gloomy, you try to provide the sunshine...

To say you're 50-50 is not true, all the more the statement made famous by a movie which states:" You complete me"! Does this mean that when you're alone, you're only one half? Nah, that's not true! With or without another person, we will always be one complete whole!

For each of us is made complete already by a perfect Heavenly Father.

To complement means to give balance, to harmonize ... That's the true essence of marriage!

You are partners in achieving the best, in being the best.

Cooperating means a lot of things.

One, it may mean being enthusiastic about something the other partner is passionate about. This does not mean you have to "fake" liking or loving whatever it is. It simply means allowing the other partner to continue living as he/she is, respecting that uniqueness and individuality.

It means being happy for the other person, and giving support and encouragement.

In my marriage, my husband and I, we are very different from each other. Personality-wise, I am an extrovert, I can talk (and dance and sing all at the same time) for 10 hours straight (that's why people say I'm very good at my profession as a Seminar/Workshop/Training Facilitator and Teacher/Instructor). Romel on the other hand is an introvert. He prefers silence, reading books, listening to nature, being with few friends rather than many (that's why he has few but very good ones), and is very selective in the type of music he listens to (he likes James Taylor, Michael Buble ...)

Romel loves the outdoors, while I totally dislike it, although many times I compromise, especially when the kids beg me to go with them to the farm, to the beach, go hiking somewhere, or just plain road tripping with them. The heat makes me very uncomfortable; the sun destroys my skin (vain me he he he!)



He loves fast cars, and if only I would not complain so much and make so much noise while he's at it, our car would probably be speeding towards our destination. But mind you, he is a defensive driver, and a good one! But I still prefer to drive slowly ... don't want to die young and ugly ha ha ha!

Compromise.

How is this shown? As simple as helping out with house chores.

I know of men who, believing that it is the woman's duty to do ALL the household chores, just sits around and wait for the wife to attend to ALL his needs. To those who know and understand, this is not surprising anymore. This has everything to do with how each person was raised by his parents. Studies show that when father's just lounge around and wait to be served upon, there is a great tendency for his sons to adapt the same attitude, many times unconsciously.


But it is much better to improve on our lots, isn't it? Enough of the blame game. It won't lead us anywhere!

So it is my hope that if in any way this article has reached you, and you're now reading this, or someone told you about what's written here - that you'll do better, and become better, and improve your relationship with your spouse, by doing!

When a husband for example, helps the wife wash his denims, it tells the wife the husband cares, and is concerned about not tiring her so much. When a husband puts his soiled clothing in the laundry basket without being asked, or when he volunteers to take care of the kids and allows the wife to work on her blog (as I am doing right now, Thanks 'Dy!). .. or whatever it is that makes her feel relaxed and refreshed. That is the best expression of true love.

Wives, this works on a two-way street! As much as we "pray" for all these from our husbands, they too, deserve a sincere compliment or two from us. When they come home from work tired/exhausted, it would be nice if we greet them with a smile rather that a frowning face. A clean house is a welcome sight, how much more a warm, home-cooked meal ready and waiting for the head of the family.

We need to be pretty for them.



Children and house chores are no excuse for smelly, irritable partners! More than for the husband, we should do it for ourselves. Being pretty (or feeling pretty - who cares what pretty really means, as long as we feel good inside and out) makes a difference!

Little acts of kindness can go a long way.

My Dad is extra ordinary! Growing up, I saw him in the kitchen enjoying himself concocting delicious recipes! He didn't mind that he was a Police Officer ... He enjoyed cooking for us, and I am grateful for his wonderful example.


My Mom is a good cook too! But like many wives I know (me for example he he he), when our husbands invade the kitchen, we graciously give way, much to our delight ha ha ha! Let them be the Kitchen Kings, forever!



Romel too, loves to cook! When he does, the kids become excited because he is the type that experiments. The good news is, his recipes always turn out very delicious! The problem? No two "putahe" are ever the same ha ha ha!


Ah! Continuous Courtship. What does this mean?

It is said that courtship does not end at the altar of marriage. On the contrary, it is only the beginning.

Even if we're already 78 years old!



It means if you used to give her candies and flowers and chocolate before, don't stop!

Many would say that's no longer necessary. With the financial crisis everyone is experiencing ... with the stock market down (huh? DUH!) ... with the rising oil prices... the failure to implement the new minimum wage increase ... the slow growth of the GDP (ha ha ha! I'm exaggerating a bit!) the money can be used instead to buy food items, or pay bills ... What a pathetic excuse!

Romel used to give me a dozen yellow roses everyday for six months when we were still dating! That was 24 years ago. Today, he gives me yellow roses only on special occasions ... but that's alright! We agreed! Besides, I prefer food now than flowers. So what does he do to make up for the flowers? He brings me food! My Favorites! Almost everyday, when he'd come, he always bring with him my "surprise" ... my favorite cassava puto, or siopao, or banana cue ... or the violet rolled cake, or the triangle fig pie from Michael Ann's bakery...


Last night, while the kids were playing Chinese garter, he challenged me to join and jump. The reward, if I am able to successfully do it, would be spaghetti from McDo! (And it was 10 in the evening). You see, I've been craving for it for two weeks already. Of course, I failed (turned out it was too high, and I was too heavy ... my ankle's still hurting until now ... hence I had an excuse to sit and write this article without hearing any complain from anybody ... privilege given to the hurting and injured ha ha ha!) So, no spaghetti for me last night, sorry!


That was last night ... This morning was a totally different story. He came home with spaghetti, just for me!

Little acts of kindness...

I remember a line from a song...

“So wake up, and do something more, than dream of your mansions above. Doing good is a pleasure, a joy beyond measure, a blessing of duty and love."

Love is tested through time. And the best love stories are said to be those that have gone through a lot ... In sickness or health ... in wealth or poverty...



So for those who are still starting to make their own love story...
Start it right! and start now!



Weave a beautiful tapestry of memories to last a lifetime. Experiment on the 5 C’s...
For in the end, it is not how big your house is, or what model of car you're driving, or how many times you've gone abroad, or the position you hold in your office or your bottom line if you're an entrepreneur...

It all boils down to your relationship with those that really matter to you ... your family!

I believe strongly in the saying:

The greatest work we will ever do will be within the walls of our own home! For no success can compensate for failure in the home."




tina091109