Lifelong Friendships: Trust and Loyalty Since 1995

Cherishing Lifelong Friendships: The Bonds That Stand the Test of Time

In today's world, where people are often transactional and trust is hard to come by, is there anyone you can trust your whole life? I am fortunate to have such people in my life.

Since 1995, when I was in the 6th grade, I made friends with three of my seatmates: Michelle, Karren, and Hyacinth. However, in high school, we were assigned to different sections and separated. During this time, I bonded with a new set of friends: Denise, Kathy, and Joyce. High school was a time of close-knit friendships. We had our little gang that helped each other with forgotten assignments and unprepared exams. Later, we met Marineth and Vincent during group presentations, and we knew we would be friends for life.

Jenneelyn, Safania, Flornoel, and Shane joined us, and Michelle, Karren, Diana, and Charito also became part of the group from another section.

Bernardine cut ties when she left to study at another school, but our lasting friendship rekindled and continues to this day.

Many people have come and gone since high school, but many of them remain true and great friends. These are the friends you can share your darkest secrets with and even trust with your family if something were to happen to you.

These are the kinds of friends my mom taught me to find and surround myself with. How about you? Do you have any friends like them?

What traits for a friend you are looking for? 

The Importance of Accepting Kindness: My Personal Wish List

Because of my friend Denise I need to post a wish list. Nahihiya kasi ako manghingi (kahit di halata, haha!) ng gifts. There are times na I am thinking that I do not deserve gifts from people around me, but I have read in Dale Carnegie book, learning to receive blessings from others is an important aspect of cultivating positive relationships. I've come to understand that it's important to acknowledge and appreciate the generosity of those around me.. Kaya here I am, putting up my wish list and reasons I need those. 

The Importance of Accepting Kindness: My Personal Wish List

Adjustable 2KG Twin Pack Ankle/Wrist Weights -DOMYOS | Reference: 8573672
When I head to the gym, I find myself yearning for a trusty pair of ankle weights. However, I often forget to ask Abbey to pick some up for me. Yup! Gusto ko ng pabigat! Haha...

Monthly Microsoft 365 Personal
For many years I am brushing off Abbey’s idea to upgrade our Microsoft for Mac 2011. But now, I realise it's time to take the plunge and upgrade. I am wishing to start with a monthly subscription only to gauge whether the upgraded software is truly necessary or if Google Sheets can handle my analysis needs just as well. Ultimately, I'm looking to boost my productivity and streamline my workflow, and I'm excited to see how this upgrade can help me achieve those goals.

La Panthère Eau de Toilette 
Last year, when I bought a gift for my friend Chat, I couldn't help but be struck by the incredible elegance and sophistication of Cartier perfume for women. I found myself wishing I could experience that same sense of refinement for myself. Now, I'm considering treating myself to a bottle of this luxurious fragrance.

Independent Love Diamond Earrings | SDE02373
Will love to partner it with my dancing diamond necklace given by Abbey last September 2015. After 8 years, it seems mapapartneran na din sya :)

1500 CALORIE BURN CHALLENGE IN 3 DAYS | Exercise, Workouts, HIIT, and Food | Lose Weight in 3 Days

Actually I am aiming to challenge Shane, Abbey and Chat to lose 10,000 calories in a day but when I told that idea to Abbey, he frantically rejected the idea. He suggested to a thousand. But to make it challenging I raised the bar to 1,500 calories. 

My usual calories for an hour of exercise is 200. On that, I need to exercise almost 8 hours to achieve it. OMG! (Ano ba itong pinasok ko?) haha. On the first and second day, I am sad to say that I didin’t achieve it. My mind is literally cursing me for that decision haha. But on the third day and las hurrah of the Burn 1,500 calorie challenge! I fnally did it! Haha. 

From morning, Abbey and I ran/walk for about 10km just to achieve around 400. Direct from that first activity we went to the gym and burned around 600 there. Third activity is burpees and 10min walk exercise at the balcony that made reached the 1,500. 

That is F*** hard! But I really do lose weight on that burn 1500 calories challenge. Will I do it again? Yes! I will. Maybe one weekend in 2021. This is a good challenge for you and your friends this coming new year. JUST DO IT!

Singapore on Foot : Rediscovering Little Red Dot

This is my 10th year here in Singapore and I will confess that I didn’t YET visited all places of interest here in Little Red Dot! Like the famous murals... just visited it last month. (You can watch our less than 2minute clip at this link.) 

But I am proud to say that my husband and I completed the 36KM route of NParks Coast-to-Coast trails. That was last 2019. 

This year most of the leisurely activities were closed for months (COVID era) and for us to seize the moment we have tried to visit the parks, Sembawang, Waterway, Punggol Park, Sungei Buloh, Fort Canning to Marina Bay and longest walk/run for this year that we have done is from Upper Serangoon to Merlion Park which is 13.18km. 

 

Truly, you can explore Singapore by foot with an ease. They have a dedicated pathways for pedestrians and some of it are well covered either by the trees, buildings or by roofed walkways. You can download apps like Singapore Maps for you to pre-plan your trails. What is more rewarding? Strava and Health 365 which gives badges and vouchers respectively. 

Oh! We are all waiting for the LumiHealth app. LumiHealth is a partnership between Apple and Singapore’s Health Promotion Board to encourage the Singapore residents to be active and achieve a good night sleep. The benefit? eVouchers worth up to S$380.

Singapore is all known to be a city-state which only has 725.7 km2 and kuddos to NParks for their initiative to their Park Connectors Projects and Health Promotion Board for the health initiative apps.

Who loves diet?... More accurately, Who LOVES One Meal a Day (OMAD Diet)?

I am a full time housewife for the second time since Abbey and I get married. And because of that and the COVID-19 safety restrictions here Singapore, we didn’t reached our step, movement and exercise goals. So we totally ditched out the idea of exercising even at our balcony for a month. 

Last week of May, I noticed that I am getting fatter and fatter. I felt that walking is already a chore! So I decided to have a one-hour exercise EVERY DAY. But 2 weeks past, no improvement! SH*T! As they say 20% exercise 80% kitchen. I targeted the kitchen then. 

Since I failed on a 7-day waster fasting, I told Abbey that it will be easier for me if we do the One Meal a Day Diet. He approved and to make it more fun, I asked my friends too! Haha! Damay-damay na to! 

Nakakapayat ba ang OMAD with exercise? One Meal A Day in 1 week | Lose Weight and Waistline

Our One Meal A Day (OMAD DIET) have a twist. Instead of 23:1 we will need to be fasted for 24hours and 1 hour eating window. 

*No Rice 

*No Softdrinks 

*No Chips 

For seven (7) days! 

All the days of the week, I felt fine except 3rd day. Maybe that is the time when my body is looking where to get sugars. I felt what I have felt on my 30th hour of water fasting. Chills all over the body, headache and want to vomit. I was about to give-up but I know I will be the GREATEST LOSER if I’ll accept my own defeat. So I still proceed. 4th day, nah! My body coped up and my brain surrendered in persuading me to stop. Ha! 

After the OMAD 7 Day Challenge, I lost 1.5 inch of waistline. My thighs become smaller and I feel lighter now. Feel cleaner inside. 

Oh! While in that 7-Day OMAD, we only got a chance to exercise for 5 days. Jog and some HIIT thingy. 

My hubby and friends are happy for this kind of experience. Actually they are up now for more challenges like this! Yeahbah! A good bonding for all of us. 

As you have heard on the video. Abbey told me that he wants OMAD as our lifestyle now. So I hope, I will achieve the body we are eyeing to! 

Good luck on your OMAD. Watch the video to see our joy, struggles and tips for you. 

Let's Count the Blessings!

I am 30 and I know it. I am old, yeah I admit it and I am happy. Since January 2013, I keep on thinking what achievements that I had done with the past 3 decades. So here are some to summarize..

Family: My parents, nobody can replace them in my heart. They're the best parents for me; they know how to spoil and how to teach me a lesson. They know what makes me happy and what makes me really mad. My father taught me the importance of inner scorecard, to choose friends wisely and how to be frugal in money. My mom is always there for me. I know I got her style in dressing and the thinking that wife must not be totally dependent to their husbands on finances. She also taught us how important to own your own house and lot.

            My siblings are the best! Even they want to choke me to death because of brat attitude, they are always there to be my guide and be my models. We grew up in different generations and believe in different religions but in relation to our different manners, we understand each other.

            In-Laws: Abbey came from a well-intact and very sweet family. I am so thankful to be part of their growing family. So thankful to have a very kind and very sweet new set of parents and siblings.

            Friends: They proved to all of the people that are around us that they are not after my money. Ha! Hey!, they are richer than me. :) Truly, my set of friends is a gem to cherish. It seems that we knew each other since birth. Love you all! 

Education: I am an ordinary student constantly in Section 1, until I came to the point to see what subject I will excel, and that is Physics... The subject that almost everyone hates. For the first time, I joined a quiz bee and won the first price. I garnered the Best in Science Award & Mercury Drug Awardee. In college, I took up the Bachelor of Science in Customs Administrations for 3 1/2 years. With tears, I passed the board exam with an average of 81%.

Career: At the age of 26, I became the supervisor of a certain company, went to Malaysia, China, Indonesia, Vietnam and Cambodia for procuring. Be known in the Bureau of Customs. The latest is that here in Singapore, after sending my particulars at 3PM, 5PM on the same day the Ministry approved my application. Now I am working happily with in my current company for more than a year, with great boss, great colleagues and very cooperative clients.

Finances: As my usual when I am working back in Philippines, 50% is directly going to my other account as my savings. Now it is not 50%, now I can save for 80% of my earnings, (achievement indeed). Now you know why I want all to be free, haha!  Me and my husband have some investments also, getting ready and wishing for an early retirement.

Love Life: When I am counting my blessings, I count Abbey twice. Actually, I do not need to explicate why. Every person me and my husband knew always told me that I am lucky to have Abbey. Always replying them, "I am not lucky, I am BLESSED."

In past 30 years, I had gone many trials; some told me that it is a failure but for me that is only a lesson to ponder and to get ready for another challenge for me to succeed. 

Prayers is my only armor for the future and I am hoping that we can use all the lessons of the past to jump over the hurdle of trials.

Make or Break

Social networks will either make or break you. The primary vision of this sites is to you unite and connect each people we want to, but some of us abused the functions of those.


I heard a lot of story how a long lost people saw and talk each other again, many people got their love story through facebook and many news and discoveries were read due to daily updates on their walls. But all those good things have an opposite and dark side of this facebook. Many people's heart was broken up, many studies was failed, many friends separated their ways, families on angst, many identity theft was done, many lies, and so on.

There are few times that I want to delete my account, why?,  all I see on people's update are their rants about their siblings, parents, studies, job and most specially about their relationship to opposite sex. Even the TV patrol and 24 Oras pages were unliked due to almost every hour updating about negative things in Philippines.

Several times I asked my husband but he opposed the idea of deleting the account, this is the easiest way to connect and have the fresh updates from our siblings and families and to propagate what happening in our blogs. So the solution we took was to unchecked all the news feeds that coming from unnecessary people in our accounts.

I hope many people will use networking sites correctly. Think hard before posting guys. ;)

3 Days of Blindness

What a wonderful world!, isn't? But how will someone say this phrase if they are blind. Black all around. I was moved by this article of Helen Keller  first published last ---. Helen made a list a of the things she wants to do if she'll be given a sense of sight in three days. Reading that, I am quite shocked, there are so many things that I am taking for granted. Actually almost everything around me was not appreciated.

I know, these eyes is a vital part of human being but If Almighty will take out my eyes, what will I do in three days. Just thinking, my gosh, all negative thoughts rushing down in me. But I need to look on a brighter side.

Okay, on the first day, I will wake up 7am and stay at my room, I will embrace the full hour of silence. Then I will ask my husband to come near me and I will try to memorize his face features, I will try to communicate with him and ask him all questions I can ask and memorize the ups and downs of his voice. I will try to determine if he is happy, sad, sincere through the words and voice that will left his mouth, that will last until noon and my whole afternoon, I will ask my niece and nephews to gather around at my parents place and all I want to do is hear all their voices. All the shouts of joy of the kids and laughter's of reminiscing. We will take dinner and savor all the aroma of the foods. I will eat all the food I can take and slowly chew every bit of it. In evening I will ask my husband to play some Mozart music and ask him to teach me how to find my boxes of teas and how to prepare it for myself.

Second day, I will ask my friends to bring me to a beach, I will sunbathe. I want to feel the morning rays of the sun and  hear the sounds of gushing waves. After lunch I nap just outside a cottage. Why outside? I want to feel the summer breeze. Around dawn I want me and my friends help me to stroll along the shore, I want to feel the hotness of every grains of the sand on my feet. On dinner I will ask them to build a bonfire and have a dinner and sip some red wine. I will spend all my time to listen to their stories and I will just move mouth to speak once they ask me. Haha.

On my 3rd day, I want to be one with nature, I want to go to a park and want to conquer my fear to lizards. Eeeeeee! I want to inhale fresh oxygen from the plants. My afternoon to my last hour of darkness, I want to be with my husbands arm. I want to listen to the Words from Bible.

As I made a thought for that idea, who says darkness is sadness? Now, I will start to appreciate more on the things around me before the unseen comes. Why? everything I can see here in earth is temporal and the unseen is yet to come and eternal.

While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal. - 2 Corinthians 4:18