Bonding Time

Back then in NZ we used to sleep in 1 bedroom...daddy and baby in the double bed...me, kuya and ate in the bunk bed. Since we are all in 1 bedroom, the night was always filled with laughter and giggles, songs and stories :)

Fast forward, the kids now sleep in their own bedroom except the youngest who claimed our bedroom as HIS bedroom ;) Anyway, last Friday my kids asked me if they can sleep in the living room to watched the opening of the World Cup 2010. Since the following day is a no-school day I gave in to their appeal. Of course, I have to sleep with them to make sure that they will not stay-up too late. Even though it's too cold to sleep in the living room we did enjoy sleeping together again...a truly special family bonding moment :)

Who's responsible?

I was so annoyed of the blue team's leader at today's Master Chef challenge. When they were asked to choose who amongst the 7 of them should go to the elimination round, the team leader has no guts to volunteer himself. Yes, he did his best but at the end of it all he is still the one responsible for the outcome of his team's action.

The scenario above is similar to a ship that's about to sink. It is the norm that the captain should be the last person to get out of the vessel. That is what leadership means...being responsible.

The blue team's leader proves that he only cares for himself and that his mind is already set to bringing home the Master Chef title. I agree we all are after for something. However, in every competition we need to keep in mind that ability can take us to the top but it is always the character that will keep us there.

Reflection

Our puppy had its first haircut today. The groomer said that for a first-timer he's a well-behaved and smart dog. To think that we have not send him to a dog school yet, his comment made me very proud of our puppy and of course of myself being its master :)

Anyway, while our dog is being groomed we talked about other dogs that he had previously groomed. He mentioned that he once groomed a Maltese and it bit him. This really surprised me because I thought that Maltese dogs are gentle and do not bite. I asked him how come a Maltese dog bites? And this is what he replied, "All dogs bite. If a dog has angry owners expect that the dog will be snappy and difficult to handle. The dog reflects its owner. A happy dog means it has a happy owner. It's like having children, your kids reflect what kind of parent you are". And so this explains why our puppy is well-behaved and smart...it reflects as clear as a crystal it's owner...ME...hehehe ;)

Chelsea

It's truly amazing to experience having a pet that you can play with and cuddle. Our first pets were two fish which we named Tim and Tam and gave them to our friend when we left New Zealand. Here in Adelaide my youngest son asked me if he could get another fish for a pet, so I got him another pair and named them Salt and Pepper. Before we moved to our own place the two fish died, Pepper first then Salt followed.

Middle of last year, my daughter asked me if she could get a puppy for a Christmas present and I refused because having a dog as a pet here in Australia is very expensive. So I suggested some alternatives to her and we both agreed that I will get her a small animal such as a hamster or a guinea pig.

It was the 16th of October 2009, while waiting for my kids' class to finish I decided to drop by to a pet shop close to my children's school. And it was in there that I saw a 9 weeks old female guinea pig whose fur is different from the rest. She has a black, long and curly fur, just like a poodle's fur! She was so tamed and I fell in love with her at that very moment. The kids were also very excited to see her although at first they wanted a male one because the name that they had in mind is for a male guinea pig. It was my youngest son who suggested that we call our new pet Chelsea.

At first, Chelsea was scared of us. She froze when she hears our voices but later on, she become accustomed to us. She knew mine and my daughter's voices very well (some people said that guinea pigs have poor eyesight but very good hearing). Whenever we call her she runs immediately to her cage door and will let us pat her. She likes being cuddled and loves having a bath. She loves lettuce, eggplant and grapes leaves and carrots with the skin peeled off! She is also very gentle to small kids...a truly adorable little creature!

My daughter once told me that she wish that Chelsea will stay with us for a longer time...one, two or five years will do. But sad to say we only had her for almost 2 and a half months. She left us last Wednesday, 30th of December 2009. Others may find it odd, but I cried heaps when I found her dead.

She may be small but the joy that Chelsea gave to us was so enormous...

Proud to be a Filipino!

Although my children were born and grew-up overseas, me and my hubby see to it that they will uphold the values we learned back home...from basic things such as food to the most important ones like values and manners, the Filipino culture is very much evident to them.

For example my eldest son, Joseph, who was born in the Philippines and grew-up in New Zealand/Australia prefers rice over bread. He always insists to have rice for his lunch at school. When asked why he likes it instead of bread he will simply answer "because I like it". Except for one instance...

My youngest son's friend one day asked Joseph why he likes rice so much. For a change he replied "because I will be a disgrace to the Philippines if I will not eat rice"...hehehe...my eldest son is always like that...very spontaneous!

Daddy's Girl

I never had the chance to fully bond with my father during my childhood and teenage years. He is a Marine Engineer and hence most of the time he's miles and miles away from us. I vividly remember when he came home for a vacation (I was 3 years of age then) my younger siblings, especially the twins, did not want to come to him because they do not know him. But no matter how seldom we see him back then he taught us the true meaning of the words "sacrifice", "selflessness" and "unconditional love".

The only thing that matters to my father is us, his family. He wanted to give us all the best things that this world can offer. Yes, when we made mistakes he gets angry but after that he'll accept our shortcomings with closed eyes and open heart. Even now that we are all grown-ups he never stop thinking of our welfare. He is happy when he sees us happy and never gets tired of helping us in all aspects of life.

Two things that I truly admire from him is his capacity to give without expecting anything in return and to love... He loves not only us but also those people who are dear to us. My mother is surely a very lucky wife and I am a very blessed daughter to have a father like him :)

:)

I still can't believe that I'm turning 34 tomorrow...time flies so quickly. It seems like it was only yesterday when I graduated from university, met my husband, got married and have kids. But I guess no matter what my age will be what matters most is that I lived each day to the fullest...to live as if today is my last...to dream and never stop dreaming...to always give my best...to always aim for excellence...and most of all to love unconditionally :)

34 great, wonderful and blessed years! From the day I was born up to this very moment I am so blessed and thankful. Life is bitter-sweet but one thing is for sure it is only me who can make it beautiful...