The Princess has met her Prince

It has been more than half a year since I last posted an entry here. I got so busy with...life. :-) A lot has happened in the past months and it has been one spectacular roller coaster ride ;-)

Today is father's day and I wanted to surprise my husband with this post (sorry, sungit, wala ako gift!). Yes, I've been a wife for amost 5 months now and life has been sweet.  :-) It's mainly because I married a good person. I am very much blessed to have married my best friend and the best partner for me.

Joe and I have known in each other for more than 3 years now. We met in November of 2006. It was just a normal Saturday for me as I only had Sagip to attend to that day. Who knew that I would meet my future husband under the most ordinary circumstances? :-) We've been friends ever since and the foundation of our friendship really is serving together in GK.

We've been through a lot especially in the first few months of our relationship as an official couple. But we managed to survive and overcome all those difficult situations. It really helped to strengthen our bond more. That is why even if we often had disagreements, we still believed that we were meant to be together forever.

Joe proposed after 6 months of being boyfriend-girlfriend. Of course, I said yes immediately. I didn’t have to think about it because I wouldn’t have said yes to be his girlfriend in the first place if I didn’t think that he was the man for me. We originally wanted a year to plan the wedding. However, some developments at his work led us to move the wedding to January instead of October. We didn’t want to be apart and we really don't believe in building a family from 2 different places.

The 3 months leading to the wedding was a blur. We were both very busy with work plus it was the holidays. It was really such a blessing that my mother in law was so helpful & supportive. Well, we were able to pull it off. :-D We had so much fun at our wedding. We were so happy that most of our family members and dearest friends celebrated the special day with us.

Days (even weeks!) after the wedding, Joe and I still couldn’t get over the fact that we were acutally married. ;-) We also couldn’t help but smile a lot. Finally, we were husband and wife.

Joe and I feel so blessed, more so now that we are married. The relationship feels more special knowing that we went into this with the Lord as our witness. When we think about it, almost everything came easy for our relationship. And we believe that it is because we are living God’s plan for us.

When I was younger, I would always say that I couldn’t wait for God to reveal His plans for me. I was always searching and waiting for something. Now, I can say that I am settled. :-)

My husband is a living testimony that God indeed has planned the best for us. He is the perfect partner for me. I am really so blessed as Joe loves me unconditionally and wholeheartedly. He wants nothing but the best for me and I am confident that he will take care of me and our future family through thick and thin. He is truly my prince.

A friend once told me that marrid life is fun if you are with the right partner. I couldn't agree more. Married life is not all roses. It is really hard work. But the love, support and respect you have for one another make it all worth it.

The first five months have been great and we know that the future will still be brighter as we are expecting additional blessings in 4 months. ;-) We will soon be parents to our first children! ;-) Yes, children and not child as we are expecting twins! :-D  I know that my husband will  also be a good father and the best dad my kids will ever have.

There have been a lot of adjustments in my life but I wouldn't trade my life now with anything. God gives you the best and He prepares you for it. Joe is really a blessing and I will be forever grateful.

[Surprise, Sungit! :-D Happy Father's Day! I love you very much :-) Happy Father's Day also from Maxx & Sugar (hehehe...since we're not sure yet)]

Helping the Holy Souls in Purgatory

I've always known about purgatory and the holy souls. However, I have never really thought about their needs and how to help them. When my mom passed away, a friend gave me a booklet on this topic. I have realized that they do need our help and they need it urgently so that their sufferings may come to an end soon. I thought of my mom and I don't want to think that she's still suffering there after all that she has gone through here on earth. And so I pray for her and for all the Holy Souls in purgatory. It also good to know that they are gratefule to those who have helped them. It says in this site that

When they are finally released from their pains and enjoy the beatitude of Heaven, far from forgetting their friends on earth, their gratitude knows no bounds. Prostrate before the Throne of God, they never cease to pray for those who helped them. By their prayers they shield their friends from many dangers and protect them from the evils that threaten them.

The prayer below is said to release 1, 000 souls each time it is said.

Prayer of St. Gertrude the Great

"Eternal Father, I offer Thee the Most Precious Blood of Thy Divine Son, Jesus, in union with the masses said throughout the world today, for all the holy souls in Purgatory, for sinners everywhere, for sinners in the universal church, those in my own home and within my family. Amen."

Ma

I miss my mom so much. :-(

My mom passed away last April and it has been tough ever since. I remember someone telling me that it's hard to not have a mother. Well, the words tough and hard are not enough to describe my situation right now. I don't really expect everyone to fully understand what I am going through because I don't think anyone can comprehend this situation completely until you actually go through it.

However, I'm not going to dwell on my feelings here. I remember something about my mom everyday that makes me miss her so much more and I just want to share some of those things (in random order).

1.) Ma cooked the best spaghetti. Her spaghetti completed our Christmas Eve dinners. I think, for all of us, the best spaghetti would be by our mothers.

2.) She was a great driver! ;-) Well, my mother drove fast and some of my friends can attest to this. ;-)

3.) She took care of our cars very well. Sobrang maingat kaya tumatagal mga sasakyan namin sa amin. She made sure that cars were cleaned everyday! Pati engines, malinis! She would also notice new dents or scratches kaya wala akong lusot. :-P

4.) Ma was willing to bring me (and sometimes with some of my friends, too) to and from the airport or bus station when I had a trip.

5.) Ma didn't follow the "1 solid, 1 liquid" rule for my SFC household dinners. Even if I told her that there would be just a few people attending, Ma would still prepare so much.

6.) Ma loved to label things. She loved to put names and dates on lotion bottles, facial wash tubes, etc. The most recent was on the remote control of my DVD player.

[caption id="attachment_306" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="the remote control with label"][/caption]

Ma was still ok when she wrote this. It hard to accept that she was gone a month after this.

7.) She loved to keep things. She would buy stuff then keep most of them. When we were organizing her stuff, we found many unopened perfumes, face powders, etc.

8.) Ma was the one who kept track of things. I was trying to find out the details of my baptism and confirmation because I was applying to become a lector. Unfortunately, I couldn't find any document with those info. :-(

9.) She would also sometimes prepare my toll fee. I would see the exact amount of a one way toll fee when I get in the car in the morning.

10.) She would open my door and wake me up if I overslept on weekdays.

11.) She would send me off to work.

12.) Ma would always text me "San ka na ba?" if I wasn't home by 11 or 12 on a weeknight or 2 am during weekends.

13.) Ma was more lenient with me when I had no boyfriend. ;-)

14.) She would take me to the doctor or hospital if she knew I wasn't feeling well.

15.) When we were still students, Ma loved to frame our awards and certificates. I have some of them hanging in my room. Yung iba, I can't recall why I have them. :-P Would you believe that I have a Theory and Musicality Award?!

16.) If I won't be able to sit down and have breakfast, she'd have it wrapped and ready to go.

17.) If I had a trip, Ma would prepare my vitamins and other medicines (biogesic, imodium, kremil S, claritin, buscopan ,etc.).

These are just some of the things I miss and will miss about my mom. She made life easy for all of us, for me.

Ma was GREAT, right? SHE IS GREAT.

Happy Birthday, Sungit!

Here's your Surprise # 2! :-D

Thank You

[caption id="attachment_287" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="Thank You"][/caption]

Thank you to all those who remembered and showed their support. God bless you and all your loved ones.

In 2008

2008 was not a very good year for me. I don’t want to say it was bad because I know that I still have so much in spite of the challenges I encountered during the second half of the year. So, not very good na lang. :-)

The following list of lessons/ realizations is in no particular order. Some of the items, alam ko naman yan e. But last year gave me solid experiences to back up these more.

You’ll know who your real friends are when times are tough. As I mentioned in a previous blog entry, you’ll know what kind of friendship who have with all those people you call friends. There are some that are like family to you. Meron naman pang good times lang pala. Hindi lahat ng alam mong “close” sa iyo eh talagang close friend mo. It was sad to realize that with some people but well, they’re still friends so I am still thankful for them. On the other hand naman, there are some who surprised me with their genuine concern even if I have known them for a few months only. :-)

Prayer helps…big time! I don’t think I would have survived 2008 if prayer was not present in my life. It was not really my own prayers but the prayers of other people. I know that a lot of people prayed for me, my mom and our family and I believe with all my heart that those prayers were the ones that helped (still helping!) us through the hard times.

Miracles do happen. Because of our dear Lord and prayers. I remember the 2^nd day of my mom in the ICU. In the morning, the doctors said Ma was not doing good because of her kidney failure in addition to her respiratory failure. My Dad, an uncle and some of Ma’s friends were crying already because it didn’t really look good. I texted a few of my closest friends from SFC since I knew that they would help me pray. Guess what. When they visited in the afternoon of the same day, Ma was smiling and writing down (she had tubes) her thanks to the people who visited her. THE LORD is TRULY GREAT!

Our parents will not be around forever. I know we’re all going to die but I guess I just really didn’t think about my parents being gone. I’m not ready for that. :-( But having to deal with cancer and the reality of death, I realized that time is really precious and should be spent with the people we really love and who love us the most.

Moms are really special people. Moms are superwomen. They are great at multitasking! ;-) Even when my mom was in the ICU, she would write down all her reminders. A nurse had to take away her pen and paper so she would be forced to sleep!

Time is important and so is timing. I believe in taking my time in doing and feeling some things. If I get mad, you can’t force me to confront the issue. The more that I feel the pressure of settling things, the more that I get mad or pull away. When something bad happens to me, I can’t just immediately say that life goes on. I need time to feel sad or depressed or even angry. Time also heals. And a key to making up, saying sorry and asking for forgiveness is timing. Kumbaga, there's a right time for everything. ;-)

You can’t hurry love…or push for it to happen. Ummm...pwede no comment?! ;-) Hehehehe... Sometimes even when a person seems perfect for you, “things” can’t still happen. Mabait, masipag, matino, maayos na tao, gusto ng friends ko pero wala pa rin! Why? Because there’s something missing. I’m the kind of person pa naman who believes in sparks and magic. ;-) I don’t think I had that last year. What’s funny is sometimes naman puro sparks lang kaya tuloy napapaso ako :-P

Mahirap magkasakit! Even if you’ve prepared, minsan kulang pa yung nahanda mo. Aside from the financial concerns, it’s hard to always feel worried about a loved one. Parang roller coaster ride ang emotions. Sometimes you feel happy when things seem to be going ok then when you see your loved one na not feeling well, you feel down. :-(

It’s so important to save up for the future and rainy days. I believe in enjoying life but this, too, should be done in moderation. We should start thinking about and preparing for our future early in life. Kasi mahirap na when something happens and wala ka madukot. Even though the future is uncertain, we should still prepare as much as we can.

Our families and relatives are our real treasures. Thank God for my Dad, brothers, aunts, uncles and cousins! ;-)

What’s best for many may not be what’s best for me. I ask and listen to people when I have important decisions to make but in the end, I still follow what I think and feel is what’s best for me. It’s sad to feel that you are being compared to others or to feel less of a person because you are on a different road that most people. However, I believe that we are still different from each other no matter how similar we may seem and that we have our own distinct and individual paths to follow.

There are some dreams that you have to let go. I decided last year that I wanted to try finding work overseas again. I know that I’ve said before that I don’t want go away again but times have changed and so are my priorities. I actively took care of my requirements for the 1^st part of my Australian visa application, which got approved by the way. Unfortunately, because of more important matters, I had to forgo (maybe for now only) the processing of the 2^nd part. I was also set to leave for Dubai last September. Hmmm...maybe the Lord doesn’t want me to leave. Well, everything happens for a reason.

People change. Things change. The only thing constant in life is change.

Life happens! Whatever happens or whatever it is that you want to do, life goes on. Sometimes you may feel like just wanting to stay in bed, stay asleep or become an anti-social person forever. But at some point, you would have to get up. You cannot just wish for the bad things to go away first before you more forward because life will not wait for you. Life is both good and bad and we just have to learn how to live through those two things.

I am looking forward to 2009. New year, new life, new things, new people.

My Mama

Just wanted to share this picture of my Mama. :-D

Ma doesn't go out of the house, except for check ups. She rarely accepts visitors also, except for a few relatives. Anti-social din siya! :-P Hehehe, but we're just being careful na hindi siya makakuha ng virus or mahawa sa mga sakit. Mahirap na kasi pag nagkataon. So rare ang picture na ito! ;-)

This was taken last Dec. 28, 2008 when my cousin visited with her family. This was the first time we saw my nephew. Grabe, may anak na ang pinsan ko! :-P Jules is my "ka-batch" na cousin sa mother side. I am actually older than her by a month. Siya may anak na while I am still single! :-P Bwahahahahaha....:-D

[caption id="attachment_213" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Ma with me, Jules and Baby Gav"][/caption]

Ma is about to undergo her 3rd session of chemo. Hopefully, all will go well again. Thank you to all those who keep on praying for her recovery and for our whole family. I really appreciate it. :-) May the Lord shower you with more blessings this 2009!

Tough life

Life has been pretty tough the past few weeks. Mom was in the hospital for about a month.

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My mom was diagnosed with leukemia 2 months ago. It was something that was very hard to accept. To be honest, I am still trying very hard to comprehend and understand the the fact that my mother has cancer. Why does it have to be my mom? Sometimes, I wish that I was the one with cancer.

She went in and got confined to start her treatment. Unfortunately, 3 days after she was admitted, she was transferred to the ICU. I will never forget that early morning call from my father. He told me to go the hospital asap and that he has already contacted our driver so that I wouldn't have to drive. I called up my very good friends and told them about the call. 2 of them offered to go with me.

Ma had trouble with her breathing and so they had to put her on a respirator or ventilator. It was so hard to see Ma in that kind of condition. Before that, I was kind of in a state of denial. But that night, nag-sink na talaga. :-(

 

I guess Ma was also in denial or both my parents just didn't want others to worry. Ma didn't want other people to know, even her siblings. Pasaway ako e so my closest friends knew about the situation. Hindi ko ata kakayanin yun kung ako lang nakakaalam. Come to think of it, my parents were very brave and strong. They had no other support group aside from us, their kids. So when things didn't look good that night, I decided it was time for our relatives to know. It was hard calling them up and telling them that Ma was sick. They were all shocked to hear about Ma's condition. Bakit noon ko lang daw sinabi? It felt so good to share with them. One of my cousins and her husband immediately went to the hospital after I called them up. Some of Ma's siblings arrived from the province the day after. One of my aunts even came home from abroad. Support just came pouring in.

Life for about a month was just home and the hospital. I would see my friends when they came to visit. God bless the souls of those people who showed their support and concern for our family. I am overwhelemed by the number of people who said that they were praying for my mom. Maraming magtetext asking kung kamusta na ako at ang mom ko. There were also people who sent prayer booklets, blessed oils, food. There was really so much love and support and I appreciate all of them! But hindi pa rin maalis sa akin ang mag-worry. How do I deal with my mother being sick? I know that I have my faith. But I guess I am not as strong as I want to be. People would always tell me to be strong. But how do you do that? How do you do that when your mom has cancer?

My mom has always been my source of strength. If I have problems, my mom would cheer me on. She has always been supportive and spoiled kami sa Mama ko. Now, I have to be the stronger one. And most  of the time, I find that very hard to do. I am trying very hard not to breakdown because my family needs me. Everyday is a struggle. Some would say that we just need to learn how to balance everything. I know my friends mean well with that but sometimes I can't help think that one would REALLY understand me only if he/she was also in the same situation. Well, I wouldn't want them to be in the same situation.

I am trying my best to cope with the situation in my own way. I don't know what the future holds but I am praying that things will get better somehow. Nothing is impossible with God and I believe in miracles.

There is hope with the Lord

I'm going to share something that I think will be helpful to a lot of people all over the world. Some of you might have family members, loved ones, friends or colleagues who are in the same boat and this could be just the hint of hope that you have been waiting for. (This gave me hope and affirmed to me that the Lord will never forsake me.)

When a former boss learned about the case of my mom, he shared with me the case of his Dad, who was diagnosed with prostate cancer last 2000 (if I rember correctly). This year, his Dad was cleared (Please excuse my terms. I'm not familiar with the appropriate medical terms.) from cancer. He then proceeded to tell me about this hospital in China where his Dad got treatment. His dad was already in Stage 4 and had other complications as well but is now cancer free and doing well (Praise God! :-D). My boss said that it was the treatment from this hospital that cured his Dad.

I'm sure a lot of you are now very curious about this hospital. Well, it's called the Fuda Cancer Hospital in Guangzhou, China. You may visit its website at http://www.orienttumor.com/ for more details about their services. You can also check out their rates, which my boss said were even cheaper compared to the rates at the best hospitals here in Manila.

I decided to share this information because it came from a very reliable source. My boss was able to experience staying at this hospital and relating to the people there. This hospital has been tried and tested by someone I know.

My boss said that not a lot of people are aware about this hospital (which is quite surprising since the hospital has a very high cure rate). So I would like to spread the word. ;-) And maybe, by doing so, I would be of help to someone.

God bless!

Some updates

Wow, I haven't written in almost a month already!

Well, life has been pretty...(hmmm...can't think of the appropriate word...chaotic seems to be such a strong word)...mixed up.

First, just want to thank everyone who prayed for my mom. The results of the tests were not really favorable but thank God because no matter how serious things are, there is still hope. I don't really want to dwell on it here as my mom still has her regular check ups plus we are still going for a second opinion. Please do continue including her in your prayers. Thanks in advance.

Second, I have resigned from my job already. My last day at work was a week and a half ago. I got busy with saving copies of my files (mostly pictures and music files hehe ;-) ).

Third, I had to re-assess my plans for the very near future (like end of September!). My mind was already set on leaving the country by end of this month. However, because of the situation with my Mom, it was not really an option anymore. I do welcome the break (being a bum has its ups too hehe!) since I can spend more time at home. But of course I can't be in this situation for a long time. Baka tumaba pa ako lalo sa kakatulog ko! Hehe...Seriously, sa hirap ng buhay ngayon, it's not practical to use up your savings and rely on your other investments ng basta basta.

Fourth, I went on a 4-day trip. Before that, I really thought about pushing through with it given the situation with my Mom. But both my parents urged me to go since nothing major was really going to happen in those 4 days. They were just a bit worried because ofthe weather.

Well, these are the things that got me preoccupied in the past weeks. Just wanted to write again tonight hence this post. But I will probably be writing more and with additional details in the coming days. Will keep you posted! ;-)

Prayer Request

My mom had just undergone bone marrow examination thru biopsy. According to the doctor, my mom has low hemoglobin.

I am not familiar with the terms and so I looked them up.

This is what I found at Wikipedia.

Bone marrow examination refers to the pathologic analysis of samples of bone marrow obtained by bone marrow biopsy (often called a trephine biopsy) and bone marrow aspiration. Bone marrow examination is used in the diagnosis of a number of conditions, including leukemia, multiple myeloma, anemia, and pancytopenia. The bone marrow produces the cellular elements of the blood, including platelets, red blood cells and white blood cells. While much information can be gleaned by testing the blood itself (drawn from a vein by phlebotomy), it is sometimes necessary to examine the source of the blood cells in the bone marrow to obtain more information on hematopoiesis; this is the role of bone marrow aspiration and biopsy.

Hemoglobin (also spelled haemoglobin and abbreviated Hb or Hgb) is the iron-containing oxygen-transport metalloprotein in the red blood cells of vertebrates.^[1] In mammals, the protein makes up about 97% of the red cell’s dry content, and around 35% of the total content (including water). Hemoglobin transports oxygen from the lungs or gills to the rest of the body, such as to the muscles, where it releases the oxygen for cell use. It also has a variety of other roles of gas transport and effect-modulation which vary from species to species, and are quite diverse in some invertebrates.

And this from http://www.mayoclinic.com.

Hemoglobin is the iron-rich protein in red blood cells that gives blood its red color. The normal range of hemoglobin is approximately 14 to 17 grams per deciliter for men and 12 to 16 grams per deciliter for women. A low hemoglobin count indicates a low red blood cell count (anemia). Anemia can have many causes, including:

• Vitamin and iron deficiencies


• Acute or chronic bleeding


• Hormone deficiencies, such as thyroid hormone or testosterone


• Chronic diseases, such as kidney failure, cancer and Crohn's disease


• Autoimmune diseases, such as lupus


• Side effect of certain medications, such as chemotherapy drugs

Treatment depends on the underlying cause.

The test results will be out by next Wednesday. Please help me pray that it's nothing serious.

Thank you and God bless.