It's been great writing here all these years...
But I have decided to change things a little bit. Please visit me at www.skinnygirlzerogive.wordpress.com
See you there!
Saturday, June 25, 2016
Saturday, May 7, 2016
What do you think of this year's Met gala?
My Best Dressed
And the Worst...
 |
| Didn't disappoint... |
| Oh well... |
 |
| I think she already got "pregnancy brains", for sure after she gives birth she will regret having this look. |
 |
| Yawn... Yawn.. Yawn... |
| Sorry B, Never a Fan... |
To Abu Dhabi
Well, we've finally managed to get Sasha's passport from the Ukrainian Embassy this week. Yey!!!
After the hassle of going back and forth to the Consulate in Dubai then finally going to the Embassy, Atlong last... we are free to plan the vacation. And yes, still of course I need to apply for my Visa.
I lived in AUH for about a year in 2009 when I moved to UAE from Doha after I finished my work contract, but never really got the chance to explore the city, even this next-door-neighbor majestic mosque. We were residing in a nice studio apartment right across the Shangri-la. I always just see it waving at me coming to and fro my workplace.
Until, I finally asked the hubby if we can drop by and see it since it's on the way after getting Sasha's passport.
And what a nice way to spend some time to relax a bit and letting the little one have a feast on the eyeswith this beautiful surrounding.
After the hassle of going back and forth to the Consulate in Dubai then finally going to the Embassy, At
I lived in AUH for about a year in 2009 when I moved to UAE from Doha after I finished my work contract, but never really got the chance to explore the city, even this next-door-neighbor majestic mosque. We were residing in a nice studio apartment right across the Shangri-la. I always just see it waving at me coming to and fro my workplace.
Until, I finally asked the hubby if we can drop by and see it since it's on the way after getting Sasha's passport.
And what a nice way to spend some time to relax a bit and letting the little one have a feast on the eyeswith this beautiful surrounding.
 |
| Poor little guy, he woke up at 5am and didn' t sleep in the car at all. |
 |
| Too much "oooh, and "ahhhh"... |
 |
| I should have listened to myself when I had a feeling a need to carry a pair of sunglasses and a scarf. |
 |
| Wearing an abaya is actually 'refreshing'. |
 |
| These two...<3 td=""> |
 |
| I actually feeling like Harry Potter with my Invisibility Cloak. |
 |
| It's blinding beauty is a must-see for every tourist... |
Wednesday, May 4, 2016
Dear Mom
Five years ago I went home around mid-March unexpectedly since my Annual leave was approved. I immediately took the earliest flight home to catch up with my family. A year before that I was in a deep mess. Suicidal, running away from home, hiding, and throwing away my future like a pack of gum. I was lost in love, or the idea of it. I was delusional, possesed even . Until one day, I just had enough and I saw God lifting me up from my darkest hour. But it was too late, too late to even tell my Mom that she was right all along. By 2nd of May that same year, I took the earliest flight back to Manila to see her cold body waiting for me at the door.
Stubborn and impatient, she was my enemy all the time. Not allowing me go on dates without a chaperone even when I was already 23 that time. How embarrassed I was when my date saw my parents at the parking lot waiting for me to finish my drink. How she constantly nags me with the clothes I wear, and how I can be better with my academics even when I was already killing-myself try to be the Best in my Class all the time. I just see her as this annoying shadow always following me everywhere I go and a microscope highlighting my imperfections all the time. Only later I realized that's how much she loved me. Like a precious jewel she wanted to protect from this corrupted world. I thought she wanted me to grow old all alone and just work, work, work, work, work.
And then she's gone. Only when I realized that her tough love is the only way she knows how to show love. And like any other Mom she wanted nothing but the best for me.
My dad prepared everything. He cooked his favorite soup, ordered his favorite cassava cake and labored all day for their friends to come. Even paid someone to clean our house twice in one week. Deep down I know the wounds are still fresh. His loneliness and longing for her is always like the first day she was gone. I don't know how he makes it every day . But only a few people came. The house was a bit empty and the food overflowing. Where were her friends now? Is it going to be like that once we're gone? In a few years, nobody will remember. Nobody will care. You're lost in oblivion. But even when everyone forgets, I will always remember. I will always love her.
Stubborn and impatient, she was my enemy all the time. Not allowing me go on dates without a chaperone even when I was already 23 that time. How embarrassed I was when my date saw my parents at the parking lot waiting for me to finish my drink. How she constantly nags me with the clothes I wear, and how I can be better with my academics even when I was already killing-myself try to be the Best in my Class all the time. I just see her as this annoying shadow always following me everywhere I go and a microscope highlighting my imperfections all the time. Only later I realized that's how much she loved me. Like a precious jewel she wanted to protect from this corrupted world. I thought she wanted me to grow old all alone and just work, work, work, work, work.
And then she's gone. Only when I realized that her tough love is the only way she knows how to show love. And like any other Mom she wanted nothing but the best for me.
My dad prepared everything. He cooked his favorite soup, ordered his favorite cassava cake and labored all day for their friends to come. Even paid someone to clean our house twice in one week. Deep down I know the wounds are still fresh. His loneliness and longing for her is always like the first day she was gone. I don't know how he makes it every day . But only a few people came. The house was a bit empty and the food overflowing. Where were her friends now? Is it going to be like that once we're gone? In a few years, nobody will remember. Nobody will care. You're lost in oblivion. But even when everyone forgets, I will always remember. I will always love her.
Monday, May 2, 2016
Hello May!
Please be good to me...
So many things to get done this month.
We are looking for a new apartment since we decided to not renew. The hubby wants us to live near the beach, which is of course a fabulous idea but still there's a lot of things to consider.
We are driving back to Abu Dhabi to get Sasha's passport and maybe be a tourist for a day. It's been so long since I visit any tourist spot in Auh.
My brother might be coming this month or the next, so we have to get the apartment ready or the move ready before he comes.
Still very occupied finding the RIGHT job for my new role as a mom. As much as I want to just dive to whatever comes along, it's much wiser to list down pros and cons in each and every opportunity before committing. I know God has something GREAT in store for me without me leaving my precious boys alone all the time.
I am currenlty on a hunt for a new beauty regimen. I learned that it's better to mix things up a bit from time to time to maximize its efficacy when it comes to skincare. I want try and see what really works. I am ditching my old eye cream and anti-ageing cream for the next best one. Any recommendations? I am thinking to try some new Korean products and Nuxe and Luminance.
Reading: I am setting a goal to finish at least 20-25 wealth strategies this month and finish the whole book of John.
And yes, finish at least one book for toddlers.
And yes, my Russian studies.
Friday, April 29, 2016
Series Addict
Now that Game of Thrones is baaaaaaaack, I cant help but feel excited for the line of Series that we are going to binge over the next couple of months. Yey!!!!!!! Hah! It's really a struggle to watch when the baby is awake, so the hubby and I work together in harmony to put him to bed early in order to watch uninterrupted Series-binge with our home-made pizza and bottomless pit of green tea.
So what are you most excited about this new season?
My April in Review
 |
| Attending a friend's wedding... |
 |
| Losing the Maritza, the Baby Pizza... |
 |
| A night of fun in Global Village |
 |
| The boys enjoying the night's show... |
Thursday, April 28, 2016
Overcome
His face lights up whenever he sees me. For me, I am a superstar, I mean the ONLY star even. His smile never fails to melt my heart. And his eyes piercing with love and need, and right there I know, I am under his spell. Sometimes, I still daydream. There's still so many places I want to visit. So many adventures I want to take. I love walking on foot in a foreign city. I love discovering the hidden gems by myself. With or without a map, I love getting lost and taking the long and winding road. I normally just sit in the bench or eat in the park watching people as the day draws to a close. That's my secret life. I still long to travel. Inside me is this great desire to wander and learn. But I have a kid now. And man, how my love overflows for him. I thank God everyday for this miracle. My life has changed completely because of this boy. And having him is one of God's greatest blessing, and of course my husband.
There are times I feel like I need to escape just to feel happy. I need to have the latest designer bag just to feel complete. I need to be seen in the latest partyhouse to feel accepted. Gone are the days. I realized that there's just so much more to life than these things. Spending quality time learning what really matters in life is truly an eye opener. I relied too much on material things to find happiness. It's important to have stuff. It's important to have clothes, gadgets etc but now I realized I can be simple and still be happy.
Every woman I think is materialistic. We love hoarding. I myself is a great example. I love having new clothes every payday, and two new shades of lipstick and a new pair of shoes. No wonder my money was going nowhere. Like a drinking glass with a leak, water escapes and I was never full. Ten years later I realized I never learned anything about personal finance. I regret the lost times. I could have been a multi-millionnaire by now and probably can retire in 10 years. But now I have to redesign my life. One thing that I am thankful for right now is that it's never too late to start. I am focusing my energy to improve our lives and have a happy retirement. We cannot simply just be employees forever, and not having a plan where to spend our golden years.
There are times I feel like I need to escape just to feel happy. I need to have the latest designer bag just to feel complete. I need to be seen in the latest partyhouse to feel accepted. Gone are the days. I realized that there's just so much more to life than these things. Spending quality time learning what really matters in life is truly an eye opener. I relied too much on material things to find happiness. It's important to have stuff. It's important to have clothes, gadgets etc but now I realized I can be simple and still be happy.
Every woman I think is materialistic. We love hoarding. I myself is a great example. I love having new clothes every payday, and two new shades of lipstick and a new pair of shoes. No wonder my money was going nowhere. Like a drinking glass with a leak, water escapes and I was never full. Ten years later I realized I never learned anything about personal finance. I regret the lost times. I could have been a multi-millionnaire by now and probably can retire in 10 years. But now I have to redesign my life. One thing that I am thankful for right now is that it's never too late to start. I am focusing my energy to improve our lives and have a happy retirement. We cannot simply just be employees forever, and not having a plan where to spend our golden years.
Right now, I am slowly detaching myself to worldliness. It's a struggle especially when you're living right next to a shopping mall and my Instagram feed is about travel, beauty and designer clothes. It's tempting to wish that life is different and that maybe I could have chosen a different path. But if I didn't choose this, what's my guarantee that my personal life is as great as this one I have now. My sweet little baby screaming " mama, mama" every two minutes and this hot young man sleeping right next to me every single night who is also kind, smart and hardworking. What else would you need? Everything else is a bonus. Life is complete as long as you have wonderful relationship with your spouse, your children and the people around you.
I can still fulfill this immense desire to travel the places I haven't seen. Just a little bit of time I need 'til my little boy has the awareness of being in another place. Next time I discover the best pizza house in the States or the best massage place in Thailand I have two gorgeous boys holding my hand. At the moment there's no need to escape to feel happy or loved because only by looking right through their eyes, there's everything I need.My heaven on Earth.
The secret to happiness--- be grateful.
Wednesday, April 27, 2016
On forgiveness
This is actually my fourth draft. I 've been meaning to escape from my toddler since a few weeks back just so I can write something. It's been a crazy couple of weeks with long lists of chores, bursting emotions and unexpected detours. Well, finally my little one got busy playing chef in our bed with tons of cheerios ready for new cockroaches to consume. It's no wonder we started having them again. Oh these disgusting crawlers. Thank God we are moving to a new apartment soon.
Anyway, back again here in my safe place. How am I actually? A lot of things changed in fact. Aside from this new reality that I am happy with my body now , finally kicking the bad eating habits all for good and keeping positive mindset all in place I can confidently say, I am feeling so much better and hopeful about the future. I feel good about myself completely. No more Maritza , my baby pizza, and I am super motivated to get my goals accomplished. Even though of course there were days when I just couldn't do anything but play with my kid.
I thank God for nourishing me inside. I learned so many things since 2016 kicked in and next week is May already. Unfortunately we are not going anywhere for our vacation. Apparently we needed to have Ukranian passport to bring Sasha to Ukraine. And that takes around 3 months to make. Poor little guy, we need to wait a few more months to really get into thinking about vacationing. Instead we will start fishing for new apartment. How exciting! As much as we alreadylearned to adjust to this place, and it's cheaper and super near to my husband's workplace, I mean Terminal 2, it's just too crowded here and the number of fire incidents are already driving me insane. I love our apartment but the surroundings--- not much. At all.
Lately, before all these realization I was Khaleesi. I am the mother of dragons. I get really irritated quickly. I spit fire everywhere I go. Well, that's just how I feel inside as well. I feel a mountain of pressure started choking me. I want to get out and run. To feel something inside. That I am more than this. Or whatever. Waiting for my big break to come despite of the current economy and having this leap of Faith that God is going to answer soon .I was really growing impatient. And believe me I am not the nicest person around when this happens. Then I suddenly realized that my husband, poor thing was at the receiving end. I later apologized for my behavior. Because really, this guy is nothing but kind and patient. I feel sorry for shouting at him when my head is almost about to explode.
There were little moments in life that we regret doing. Just because of hormonal changes or the weather. And if we happened to ignore that not so pleasant behavior and we forgot to ask forgiveness we end up bruising someone permanently. It happened to me a few years back. And two years later, until now she never talk to me. Last Saturday, the church was discussing about the importance or reconciliation. It dawned on me that it's really about time to write her. I felt comvinced that I offended her unintentionally and this is the result. She unfollowed me in Instagram and ignore my messages in Whatsapp. I was hurt when I found out because I considered her one of the few childhood friends for keeps. And as much as I want to ignore her and hate her as much for treating me like this, I know deep within that I need to make amends whether she accepts it or not. So I gathered my courage one fateful night when everyone's asleep and typed in FB messager. Of course, until now no reply. I saw that she already read it. And that's good enough for me.
Anyway, back again here in my safe place. How am I actually? A lot of things changed in fact. Aside from this new reality that I am happy with my body now , finally kicking the bad eating habits all for good and keeping positive mindset all in place I can confidently say, I am feeling so much better and hopeful about the future. I feel good about myself completely. No more Maritza , my baby pizza, and I am super motivated to get my goals accomplished. Even though of course there were days when I just couldn't do anything but play with my kid.
I thank God for nourishing me inside. I learned so many things since 2016 kicked in and next week is May already. Unfortunately we are not going anywhere for our vacation. Apparently we needed to have Ukranian passport to bring Sasha to Ukraine. And that takes around 3 months to make. Poor little guy, we need to wait a few more months to really get into thinking about vacationing. Instead we will start fishing for new apartment. How exciting! As much as we alreadylearned to adjust to this place, and it's cheaper and super near to my husband's workplace, I mean Terminal 2, it's just too crowded here and the number of fire incidents are already driving me insane. I love our apartment but the surroundings--- not much. At all.
Lately, before all these realization I was Khaleesi. I am the mother of dragons. I get really irritated quickly. I spit fire everywhere I go. Well, that's just how I feel inside as well. I feel a mountain of pressure started choking me. I want to get out and run. To feel something inside. That I am more than this. Or whatever. Waiting for my big break to come despite of the current economy and having this leap of Faith that God is going to answer soon .I was really growing impatient. And believe me I am not the nicest person around when this happens. Then I suddenly realized that my husband, poor thing was at the receiving end. I later apologized for my behavior. Because really, this guy is nothing but kind and patient. I feel sorry for shouting at him when my head is almost about to explode.
There were little moments in life that we regret doing. Just because of hormonal changes or the weather. And if we happened to ignore that not so pleasant behavior and we forgot to ask forgiveness we end up bruising someone permanently. It happened to me a few years back. And two years later, until now she never talk to me. Last Saturday, the church was discussing about the importance or reconciliation. It dawned on me that it's really about time to write her. I felt comvinced that I offended her unintentionally and this is the result. She unfollowed me in Instagram and ignore my messages in Whatsapp. I was hurt when I found out because I considered her one of the few childhood friends for keeps. And as much as I want to ignore her and hate her as much for treating me like this, I know deep within that I need to make amends whether she accepts it or not. So I gathered my courage one fateful night when everyone's asleep and typed in FB messager. Of course, until now no reply. I saw that she already read it. And that's good enough for me.
And can you believe that after that I feel like I just won a free shopping spree at Sephora? Yeah, that's actually my version of winning a million bucks. I feel happier. The peace inside me is overflowing.
There's still a lot of things about me that I want to improve. And I am glad that I am not alone in this journey. I am a work in progress. And I feel even more hopeful that the best are yet to come and God is with me when it happens.
Sunday, April 10, 2016
Saturday, April 9, 2016
Thy Will Be Done
Sometimes it still gets into my nerves. I panic. I worry too much. As a Christian I shouldn't be feeling like this. I should trust the Lord for His great plans for me. Sometimes it's just easier said than done, but it really is easy if I would just come into prayer whenever doubts starts to creep in.
When He says No last time, it doesn't mean it's going to be No forever. Everything takes time. Everything has its season. I should wait for mine. This is "planting" season. HARVEST will eventually come. It may take a while but it will come. For the meantime, it's still fantastic to be a full time Mom to this cutie pie!
Friday, April 8, 2016
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)