favourite things (mother & child)

Mother, Baby & Child magazine organized another activity, this time it was an open-house of Favourite Things in Marina Mall. The invitation was for any Friday or Saturday morning in the month of July, so I registered for 10:30am on the last Saturday of the month, and that morning, we set off for Marina Mall. We were 15 minutes late, but it didn’t matter because the other mothers hadn’t arrived. So aside from the regular members of the centre, Caila had the entire place all to herself.

our morning at the new (and soon-to-be old) POLO-OWWA office in dubai

Early this morning, we went to the POLO-OWWA office with the plan to process everything we needed before our vacation so that we would have one less thing to worry about during Ramadan. As luck would have it, this was the sign on the gate that welcomed us when we got there:

my childhood sandwich

When I was still young and living in Papua New Guinea with Papa, I would always come home after school to an empty house because Papa wouldn’t get home until around 5pm (our house was within the school campus where he taught). Usually by the time I got home at around 3:30pm, I was hungry. So what I would usually do was fix myself a sandwich to satisfy my hunger. Actually, it was just a quick fix of ingredients, but that was enough for me until Papa arrived and we would prepare dinner together (yes, back then I knew how to cook with his help; but when I moved to the Philippines, masyado na ako na-spoil ni Mama so I forgot the recipes Papa taught me).

friday brunch at spice island

My family and I were fortunate to have received an invitation to have Friday brunch at Spice Island in Crowne Plaza (former Renaissance Hotel), Deira last Friday. Although we’ve tried the buffet dinner there a few times already (when it was still Renaissance Hotel), this was the first time for us to try their brunch.

ACTS: here i am to worship

Another favorite worship song, because God is truly awesome and deserving of all our praises. He is the greatest, but He was humble and loved us so much to suffer and be humiliated, and continues to accept us and love us over and over again, even though we fall into sin so many times.

ACTS: better than i

I first heard this song when I bought the DVD of Joseph King of Dreams, and liked it right away. It’s a reminder that God has a reason for everything that happens in our lives and we should just trust Him, no matter how confusing His road and plans for us may be.

ACTS: heaven

One of my favorite songs since my SFC days; when we sing this during the community gatherings, I always feel at peace and one with God because that’s when I feel His presence. I’m sure all of us would like to go straight to heaven when we die, but in the meantime that we’re here on earth, we get to experience a little bit of heaven when we’re one with God.

ACTS: no greater love

Truly there is no greater love than God’s (and Jesus’) love for us. Jesus came and walked the earth, knowing full well that in spite of all the goodness he had shown and done, he was going to end up crucified on the cross. While this song was being sung by the Music Ministry, slides were being shown on the screen of how much Jesus endured and suffered from more than two thousand years ago. It was really heart-wrenching to watch, at the same time nakaka-guilty.

ACTS: the song of my soul

It was my first time to hear this song during the ACTS Prayer Assembly, but I instantly liked it because of the tune and message (plus the soothing voice of the sister who sang it). Everyone has experienced storms at least once in their life, times when we feel that our soul is all confused and weary, and this is a prayer to ask the Lord to embrace us and give us peace.

ACTS: still

This song never fails to bring tears to my eyes when I sing it at CFC gatherings or during households. It’s a reminder that we cannot rely on ourselves alone to fix our problems. When we feel we’ve done everything we could, nothing seems to be going right, and it seems like we’re all alone, all we have to do is relax, be quiet, let God take care of everything, and just trust His plans for us.

ACTS: glory glory lord

I always enjoy singing this when it’s included in the line-up of songs during CFC gatherings. The Refrain of this song being sung in different languages/dialects makes us feel that we’re all children of God, praising Him in one voice.
If you have your own language’s version of the Refrain, could you please share it with me? I’d love to add it to the lyrics.

at the top

Going to the Observation Deck of Burj Khalifa was totally unexpected for me and my colleague. You see, on the 6th of July, we had purchased 2 tickets for guests who would be coming to our office on the 14th, and since it was their first time to come to Dubai, part of their visit was to go to At The Top. Unfortunately (or fortunately), on Wednesday just before we left the office, our boss told us that they had postponed their trip and wouldn’t be able to use the tickets; and since there was no way to return or exchange them, he told us to use them instead.

ACTS

A = adoration; worshipping and praising
C = confession; asking for forgiveness
T = thanksgiving; thanking God for blessings
S = supplication; petitions to God

Last Friday evening, hubby and I attended the ACTS Prayer Assembly with other members of CFC and it.was.awesome! There were no speakers or talks given, just a talented band with the gifted worship leader and a few people who shared their own personal stories of how they experienced the miracles of God.

But before I get ahead of myself, I’ll start from the beginning.

my more cafe cooking class experience

I know this post is almost two weeks overdue, but I’ve been so busy lately. But anyway, as promised, here’s the whole story...

today i went "at the top"

This morning at 11am, I was finally able to experience At The Top of Burj Khalifa!
And the good thing is I didn’t spend a single thing!
I’ll share my experience (complete with photos) later.
I just wanted to jot this down today so I’ll remember that on the 14th of July, 2011 I went At The Top of the tallest building in the world!
Arigato, boss! =)

sharjah aquarium

Our daughter loves looking at fishes; she very obviously showed her interest by staring at them when we stayed at Atlantis. Since it had been more than a month since then, almost two months since we watched the show at Dubai Dolphinarium, much longer since we visited Dubai Mall, and we’ve never even entered Sharjah Aquarium, we decided to visit the place on the Friday of the recent three-day weekend.

our lady of guadalupe...and tita grace

During the time that the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe was staying in our home, we made it a point to pray the novena together every night. Last 4th of July was the night she had to leave our home and Tita Grace and the rest of the group came to the apartment to take her to the next family she would be visiting. We began as soon as we were all settled. After we thanked Our Lady for her visit, said the prayers, and sang the songs, Tita Grace went around the apartment to bless our home with Holy Water and Hubby followed her closely, sprinkling salt in the corners and walls. That’s when the exciting part happened.

magnets from texas

A few months ago, I had to work with a colleague to apply for his US L-1 Visa. This had never been done before at our company so it was a bit complicated and took quite a while, involving so many people from our Japan and US offices; but fortunately, everything worked out well in the end.

we’re in july’s MBC magazine!

I received my July issue of Mother, Baby & Child magazine this morning and upon browsing it, I saw an article featuring the My Gym Open House...and wouldn’t you know, two photos of Caila (one with Darine’s son and one with me) were in it! The article even quoted something I said and mentioned my name!

for one more day

I sooo love Mitch Albom’s books (I also love novels by Nicholas Sparks, but that’s another subject). His stories are really inspiring and full of lessons about life. I have three of his books at home: Tuesdays With Morrie, The Five People You Meet In Heaven, and For One More Day. Out of the three, I like For One More Day best, probably because it’s about a mother’s love.

overdue, overload

Gosh! I just realized I have so many things to blog about and I haven’t even started a single one. There’s the magnets I received from my colleague, our visit to Sharjah Aquarium, the night the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe left our home, and my cooking class experience at mOre Café (of course!) to name a few.

i'm in today's 7 days!

I’m so happy! A picture of me, 2 other mothers, and Chef Gert is in the 7 days newspaper today!

who says

Since last week, I’ve been hearing this song playing on the radio almost every time we’re in the car. Although I'm not a big fan of Selena, I admit that the song has a catchy tune and the message is nice too.
Hmm...isn’t it a coincidence that this is practically my LSS at the same time I’ve been feeling unpretty because of last night?
Thanks for making me feel better, Selena!

I wouldn't wanna be anybody else

You made me insecure
Told me I wasn’t good enough
But who are you to judge
When you’re a diamond in the rough
I’m sure you got some things
You’d like to change about yourself
But when it comes to me
I wouldn’t want to be anybody else

Na na na...Na na na
I’m no beauty queen
I’m just beautiful me
Na na na...Na na na
You’ve got every right
To a beautiful life
C'mon

Who says
Who says you’re not perfect
Who says you’re not worth it
Who says you’re the only one that’s hurting
Trust me
That’s the price of beauty
Who says you’re not pretty
Who says you’re not beautiful
Who says

It’s such a funny thing
How nothing’s funny when it’s you
You tell ‘em what you mean
But they keep whiting out the truth
It’s like a work of art
That never gets to see the light
Keep you beneath the stars
Won’t let you touch the sky

Who says
Who says you’re not star potential
Who says you’re not presidential
Who says you can’t be in movies
Listen to me, listen to me
Who says you don’t pass the test
Who says you can’t be the best
Who said, who said
Won’t you tell me who said that
Yeah, oh

i'm a 'te?!

Last night during my regular walk around the park, I passed by a woman who was also walking (but in the opposite direction)...and boy did she smell! It was a mix of too much perfume, sweat, and body odor, so you can imagine how much it irritated my nose. But that’s not the focus of my story; this is just how it began.

lucky...unlucky...then lucky again

I honestly thought I had lost the opportunity because I didn’t use my mind right then and there. Fortunately, the guy hadn’t given my prize away yet when I called back a few minutes later, so I was able to redeem it. It was kinda embarrassing, but it was either that or regret not doing it.

water and electricity conservation tips

When we moved in to our apartment last December, since it was the winter season our monthly DEWA (Dubai Electricity & Water Authority) bill was pretty low. Maybe because we didn’t need to use the a/c or probably because we didn’t watch TV that much. But then when the summer season began, so did the rise in our bill. From less than Dhs200, it has reached to more than Dhs700! Take note, this doesn’t yet include the housing fee. That’s roughly 8,000 pesos in a month for water and electricity alone! Augh!