Silence

I chose to be silent and I stood by my decision despite the fact that a certain person is not in any way deserving of my just being silent considering the things done to me... Don't jump into conclusions when you don't know the whole story and stop acting as if you are the one who is at a disadvantage. Even the most patient person in the world has limits... Huwag mo akong subukan!

 I came across this very touching letter in the net.

A letter written by a mother to her unborn child wishing it to have all of the best of both of it's parents.

A Love Letter To My Unborn Child

© Carlisa P. Branch

I write this letter to my unborn child from the depths of my soul.
You've entered my womb and made my life complete and whole.
I never thought I would be chosen for such an awesome task.
It is a greater blessing than what I ever could ask.
I can almost imagine you in my mind.
Beautiful, Happy, Bouncing, flashing a smile so kind.
Feeling you flutter is a sensation like no other.
It does wonders for the joy of this soon-to-be-mother!
You create a glow in me I never knew I would see.
It is true happiness that sets me on cloud nine manifested deep inside of me!
You're my baby, my child, my heart, and my wonder.
I pray we create a bond that no one can put asunder.
You're a designers' original! A creation from the King!
I can hardly wait for you to enter the world and see the joy you bring.
Sweet baby of mine, you're a magnificent gift from above.
Living proof of how your father and I have shared our love.
I hope you have your fathers' eyes
Then you will go into the world able to look at all things wise.
I hope you inherit my ability to plan.
With that you will be able to face all things in life as a strong woman or man.
I hope you receive from your father his selfless ways.
For this the Heavenly Father will bless you, as he did him, all of your days.
I hope you learn from me, spirit and let no one take it.
Believe me you will need it in life, and many will try to break it.
But with that spirit you must have your father's center.
With that you will be cautious of any door you enter.
I want you to have my curiosity.
There's nothing wrong with questions you may blurt!
But receive your fathers' discernment,
so you'll know when to let go before getting hurt.
Have my big heart; know what emotions are and how to be real.
Share your fathers' strength so you can handle what you feel.
Share my sense of humor! Laugh a lot it helps you through life.
Share your fathers' sense of duty. Know how to be serious and take strife.
I'm emotional so I tell you its okay to blubber once and a while like your Mom.
But learn to develop what your father has; an excellent sense of calm.
But most of all the things I wish for your father and I to share.
I wish we teach you to love, respect, strength of mind, and to care.
These are my feelings, wishes and hopes for you.
You make my heart and soul sing!
I welcome you to the world and thank you for the joy,
my little queen or king.

I'll be 9 months at the end of the month

Being pregnant does a lot of things to you... blame it on the hormones!

At the end of June, I will be officially 9 months along the way. My OB in Sharjah once told me that as early as 1st week of July, it is possible for me to give birth already... that's how near the time is.

So far, what I feel right now is really excitement. Somehow, the fact that it will be very painful to give birth does not make me afraid. Could it be that it hasn't really sinked in? So far, I am confident I can make it and all I can ever think of is when the time I will be able to hold my baby in my hands finally.

Even the baby gears are complete (except for those we think are not necessary for the time being considering a lot of factors). I had even finished packing my and my baby's hospital bag. My husband's things are not yet packed however because he doesn't have things here. We will get to that as soon as he arrives here 4 days before my due.

What if I give birth before my husband arrives? Que sera sera whatever will be will be. I don't wish to give birth  before he arrives because I know he is as excited as I am in seeing our baby. I don't want to deprive him of the joy in experiencing all there is to experience in having a baby. But what if the baby does arrive before my estimated date? Well, it would be okay I guess. That is something out of our control really. What is good about it somehow, is that when daddy arrives, baby will be here waiting for him!

I'm am sooooo excited!

I said hello to S-marks

I am now on my 8th month of my pregnancy. I thought I was one of the few who were spared of having to have the dreaded stretch marks because at my 7th month, I did not see any marks or any indication that I may be having those.

However, one day when I woke up and looked at my reflection in the mirror, I was shocked! I saw stretch marks. Very ugly that I refuse to post the picture here. Even my husband was shocked when I sent him the picture of my marks and how my tummy has turned dark. Really gross!!!

So I googled the S-word and this is what I found out...

Causes and Treatments of Pregnancy Stretch Marks

Stretch marks are the enemy of every young woman’s figure and they often appear during pregnancy. In fact, small women will find it nearly impossible to avoid stretch marks completely. However, there are many things you can do to keep them at a minimum, both during and after pregnancy.

What Causes Pregnancy Stretch Marks?

Pregnancy stretch marks are caused by the rapid growth of your body. Your skin simply can’t keep up and its elasticity starts to break down. Instead of stretching over your newfound girth, the skin begins to break, causing stretch marks – similar to the way panty hose develops runs. During pregnancy, stretch marks will most likely occur on your abdomen, your hips, your thighs and your buttocks.

Prevention of Pregnancy Stretch Marks

As with so many other things, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Using a highly moisturizing lotion with cocoa butter can greatly increase the elasticity of your skin and help you to avoid pregnancy stretch marks. However, you must use this lotion not only daily, but also when you get out of your bath or shower and throughout the day on your problem areas.
In addition, you should take a hot shower in the morning and a hot bath in the evening, as the hot water helps to open up the pores of the skin, allowing it to stretch more easily. Just remember – when you get out of the bath, it’s time for more cocoa butter lotion!
You can also work toward preventing pregnancy stretch marks in certain areas by limiting your diet. Many women are tempted to follow their cravings and “eat for two” when really isn’t necessary. Instead, you should try to maintain a healthy diet while you’re pregnant. If you do so, you’ll likely prevent rapid weight gain in your buttocks, hips and thighs, preventing stretch marks.

Treatment of Pregnancy Stretch Marks

If preventative measures aren’t enough, there are also many treatments available today for pregnancy stretch marks. Cocoa butter helps with stretch marks, as a treatment as well as a preventative measure. This is good because in some cases, you may not even realize you have stretch marks on your belly until after you give birth and your abdomen starts to shrink. However, remember that cocoa butter usually works best when stretch marks are new – after a few years, it won’t work at all.
There are also clinical treatments available for the treatment of stretch marks. Laser plastic therapy can eliminate stretch marks entirely. Or, for those of us who can’t afford expensive plastic surgery, there are many clinical topical treatments that can be applied to reduce the appearance of stretch marks. These can be purchased from plastic surgeons, internet websites, health and wellness stores, and health- or beauty-related network marketing ventures.
Unfortunately, it’s unlikely that you’ll ever get your stretch marks to disappear completely. However, you should be able to easily disguise them so that they’re noticeable only to someone looking for them or someone looking at you close up. Since the only people likely to do this are your spouse and your doctor, this may just be good enough for you!


Source: http://www.pregnancy-period.com/pregnancystretchmarks.html


So, tomorrow, I will be scouring the market for a cocoa butter lotion and massage it all over my tummy. Hope it would really help.

It's a Girl!

At first, my husband and I have really been wishing for a baby boy. During our ultrasound session on my 5th month, my OB told me that our baby's gender is 60% female. Although, we wanted the baby to be a boy, we were not that disappointed. But still there is that 40% chance of being a boy...

However, on my ultrasound on my 7th month, baby dhabi was confirmed a girl! Still, I was happy and so was my husband when I told him about the news. In fact, he had been waiting for the video to be uploaded.

So, here it is... a video during my ultrasound! Baby Dhabi is indeed a girl! Finally, I can buy and get all the pink stuffs!!! hehhe

Porckhop Adobo (Our own version)

Before I went here in Abu Dhabi, I was living in a dorm with my officemates. One Day, we wanted so much to eat something delicious so we decided to cook adobo. Since the three of us are from different provinces, our versions of adobo tend to differ. I am used to having sauce for adobo. The two of them wanted something dry. So majority won. We cooked our own version of dry porkchop adobo.


What we had:

1 kg Porkchops
10 cloves garlic, chopped
1 large onions, sliced
3 bya leaves
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup vinegar
1/2 cup water
4-5  potatoes, quartered


What we did:


1. Fried potatoes until cooked. Set Aside.

2. Layered all the ingredients except potatoes in a pot and brought to a boil. Reduced the heat to a simmer and cooked until meat is tender and there is little sauce left.

3. Added the potatoes. Cooked until no sauce is left.

4. Served hot with rice.

Pork Giniling

What I have:

1/2 kg Ground Pork
2 cloves of crushed garlic
1 pc onion, diced
2 pcs carrot, diced
1 pc potato, diced
2-3 tbsps soy sauce
salt and pepper

What I did:


1. Fried garlic until golden brown and aromatic. Add onions until caramelized.

2. Added the minced pork and sauté until brownish. Added carrots and potatoes. Seasonedd with salt, pepper, and soy sauce and sautéed for about 2 minutes. Added in about half a cup of water. Simmered until veggies are cooked.

3. Served hot with rice.

Beef Tripe Kare-kare

I have always loved eating kare-kare but haven't got the chance to really cook it myself. When we went grocery shoppping last night I saw a pack of beef tripe and I just wanted to try cooking kare-kare this time.


THE RECIPE

We have:

1/2 k. beef tripe, cut 1”x2” rectangle
3 medium size eggplant, sliced 1 inch thick
15 pcs sitaw, cut into 2" long
1 bundle pechay
1 packet Mama Sita Kare-kare mix
130 g peanut butter
ginisang bagoong alamang 

What I did: 

  1. In a casserole I put the beef tripe, added enough water to cover, and cooked until it boiled. The heat was lowered down and simmered  for 1-2 hours or until tender. I made sure enough broth was left ( about 4 cups).

2.  Meanwhile, I got 1 cup of broth from the casserole. In a bowl, I mixed the kare-kare mix, the broth and the peanut butter, stirred it until smooth.

3. When tripe is tender, vegetables were put in the casserole and was cooked for 2 minutes.

4. Then the smooth mixture was added. Was cooked until the sauce thickened.

5. Pechay was then added and a little salt to taste. It was cooked for another 3 minutes.

6. Kare-kare is done. Served with bagoong and rice.

I do whine!

Dear God,

We have always prayed and wanted a baby eversince we decided to get married. We were even disappointed a couple of times when my period arrived on the dot and when that one time when it did not, but the PT result turned negative.

And now that you have granted our wish... Forgive me Lord if oftentimes I whine. I whine because I eat a lot of times not because I want to but because I need to. I whine because I can no longer go to places I want to go anytime because the nausea and vomiting are unpredictable. I whine because my tongue tastes bitter. I whine because I 'm always in bed. I whine because I got headaches. And the nausea is just so bad. Most of all, I whine because I vomit all over. And it's horrible!

I thought I was ready, but no... I had not considered these facts that majority of pregnant women do experience the things I am experiencing right now. I thought I was one of the lucky few who never get to experience these.

I thought pregnancy is all the time happy. But boy was I wrong!

But above all these My God, please know that although I whine, I am very much thankful for this early Christmas present you have given us.

I do whine but that does not mean that I resent this. I whine because that's just the way I react... Maybe because this is my first and everything is so new to me that I don't know how to handle the situation well.

Next time, I know better.

Trying my best on this journey,

Bing

Happy Birthday Baby Daddy!

Today is my husbands's birthday! Ang aking baby at daddy ng babies namin.

Happy Birthday Papa Aga!

Today is the birthday of my ever dearest father, Mr Agaton Magallanes. Happy Birthday Papa! Thank you for everything you have done for us. We love you Papa!

Two Tests, One Result

I had no idea that two lines crossing could mean so much happiness to us.

November 20, 2010 - I was a full week delayed on my menses. I had been anxious this past 7 days. I wanted to rest right then on the first day of my delayed period. But part of me was really afraid to be disappointed again. Repetitive instances like these could do that to you. Disappointment - it's hard to deal after all.

So, we waited a full seven days. This time, if I believed that if I would be pregnant, the test would find it very hard to miss.

So when I woke up on the 20th, I gathered up my nerves and went to the bathroom to test.

When I peed, the tip of the stick became pink which signals that enough urine has been collected. The urine seeped through the stick and the cross symbol was already visible even if the indicator that the test result is ready to read has not shown yet.

I still can't beleive it so I waited for the test to be ready - about 1 min.... So when finally, the test is indeed ready. It was confirmed! I am pregnant! I immediately ran to our room and told my husband the great news. And my was he happy!!!

Finally, God has said yes to our prayers on His perfect time. Thank you Dear God. We praise you and we glorify you. Thank you for this early Christmas gift you have given to us.
 
Thus, begins my journey to motherhood.

What clothes to bring in Abu Dhabi

Before I went to the UAE, I was contemplating on what things to bring considering the following things:

Baggage Allowance Limit. A first time flyer to UAE such as myself is very particular on the baggage allowance. We tend to follow it to the dot. So when Etihad says 20 kgs, 20 kgs it is. I had to pack and unpack for a couple of times before I managed to limit my baggage weight. The first tries were way too heavy. As a result, I had to leave behind a lot of things I would have wanted to bring.

Culture. My first move was to get rid of my short dresses, sleveless tops, and skirts. What's left were my long-sleeved blouses, slacks and pants. Having to say goodbye to my favorite dresses was really heartbreaking for me. When I arrived in Abu Dhabi however, I saw women of different nationalities wearing short shorts, short dresses, pedals, capris, mini skirts and sleeveless tops. Imagine my dismay. To top it all off, two months later, I had to attend a party. I had to scour the mall for reasonably priced dress and stilletos. Thanks God Oxygene at Abu Dhabi Mall had a sale.

Necessities. I had to prioritize what are the things I need most. Top of my list was some grocery items which I thought cannot be found in the UAE (eg ponds facial wash, ponds cream). Next is office attire since I plan to work, which to my disappointment should have been my last priority since offices in Abu Dhabi in my field is not particular with corporate attire. Of course, undies. A pair of lady shoes, a pair of rubber shoes, a pair of ssandals, but I forgot to bring slippers (which are expensive here in Abu Dhabi). I should have brought even one pair from my collection of slippers. I wanted to bring my books as well, but they were very heavy.


Important papers.  I had a lot of these that it's contribution to my baggage weight cannot be considered as negligible.

Books. My husband requested me to buy books (a total of 11) he needed. Heavy heavy...


"Pasuyo." It is normal for Filipinos to request you to bring something they need from the Philippines. In my case, I was asked to bring medicines which cannot be handcarried.

LESSONS IN LIFE

LESSONS ON LIFE
Author Unknown
November 8, 2010


There was a man who had four sons. He wanted his sons to learn not to
judge things too quickly. So he sent them each on a quest, in turn, to
go and look at a pear tree that was a great distance away.


The first son went in the winter, the second in the spring, the third
in summer, and the youngest son in the fall.


When they had all gone and come back, he called them together to
describe what they had seen.


The first son said that the tree was ugly, bent, and twisted.

The second son said no it was covered with green buds and full of
promise.


The third son disagreed; he said it was laden with blossoms that
smelled so sweet and looked so beautiful, it was the most graceful
thing he had ever seen.


The last son disagreed with all of them; he said it was ripe and
drooping with fruit, full of life and fulfillment.


The man then explained to his sons that they were all right, because
they had each seen but only one season in the tree's life.


He told them that you cannot judge a tree, or a person, by only one
season, and that the essence of who they are and the pleasure, joy,
and love that come from that life can only be measured at the end,
when all the seasons are up.


If you give up when it's winter, you will miss the promise of your
spring, the beauty of your summer, fulfillment of your fall.


Moral:
Don't let the pain of one season destroy the joy of all the rest.
Don't judge life by one difficult season.
Persevere through the difficult patches and better times are sure to
come some time or later.

Prayer for a life partner

Below is a prayer forwarded to me by one of my friends. This one is for those are growing impatience in waiting for the one for him/her.

Lord,

You said that it is not good for us to be alone. You made us for each other. But Lord, I find it so hard to find that mate who would be a good spouse. Help me, Lord, to put this yearning for marriage in its proper place.

Lead me, Lord, to the one whom You choose for my spouse. While I wait for You to reveal Your Will in this matter, help me to know myself better.

Help me to address those areas of my life which are disordered and which would interfere with my having a successful marriage. When my desire to find a spouse becomes all consuming, help me to relax and practice patience. Help me to invest in wholesome friendships which bring me closer to You and which will assist me in making such an important decision. It is so natural, Lord, to seek love.

Teach me to seek You first and to learn to give love before I try to receive it. Help me to remember that whatever journey this life leads me on, You are always present, always offering companionship, and always filling my deepest need. I offer You, Lord, my loneliness and my longing for marriage. I wait for You to lead me to Your perfect Will for me in this and all things. Amen.

My click

Biggest Mouse

By far, the biggest mouse I have ever seen or touched. Located in Abu Dhabi.

Holloween Time

                                My last Halloween in Jphil: I'm a witch


It is Halloween Time already. Time for Trick-or-treating. Time to don on some Halloween costume. Time for some gory stuffs and the likes.

But not for me this time.

Now, I'm missing Hallowwen parties at the office where each floor has to come up with a theme for decorations to coincide with. The employees' children will come to the office after office hours. Accompanied by their parents or guardians, they will walk through each floor from the tenth floor to the ground floor for their trick or treat. Candies wrapped in plastic bags are given away. It is always a fun experience. We get to meet the children of our officemates as well.  Cute little beings they are, some come in a really good mood, others do not. Others crying and some others are laughing. Such a wonder to see emotions in a child's face.

My new adventure: marriage

I am not very brave. I shake uncontrollably when I go to a hospital for a check-up. I had trauma from going to the dentist and I must say I just conquered that phobia recently. I fear the sight of  syringes. Even a prick of a needle in my fingers is a big thing for me. But I do have my share of adventures...

I climb mountains! Mt. Maculot, Mt Talamitam, Mt Gulugod-Baboy are some of the mountains I conquered. I even climbed 3 mountains in Japan, Mitake and the other two which I forgot the names already. To top it all, I reached the peak of Mt Fuji!

I rode the Space Shuttle in Enchanted Kingdom. I climb aboard numerous roller coasters in Japan. I even tried their famous Blue Fall.

We went very near the Ma. Cristina Falls in Iligan despite being prohibited by the authorities because of the danger.

And my newest adventure? My marriage. Yes, marriage is an adventure. When someone begins on that arrangement called marriage, he is getting into something which is, to say the least, adventurous. When a couple get married, they are doing something they know nothing about. It's a risk, thus, an adventure. Even 2nd, 3rd and nth timers still say it is an adventure for still they take risks.

What is more  scary (?) or risky is that it is a lifelong adventure!

My husband and I - we both know it is quite a risk we are taking. Even if we were together for seven years as boyfriend-girlfriend, there are still a lot of things we don't know about each other. There are worst things still to be discovered. We will be in a roller coaster ride for sure. We will get hurt. We will be happy. We will experience sorrow. We will celebrate. We will have our ups and our downs.

I believe what is important though is that we are in this together. We hope that just as adventurers prepare everything for their adventure, we will be guided by what we bring as well. Oh well, I am excited as always for this lifelong adventure of ours.

Get a hint!

I thought you would get the hint. I don't want you anymore. You have been my monthly companion for 15 years. I have accepted you not because I want you but because I have no choice. Oftentimes, I welcome you because you help cleanse me. You and I, hand in hand, we got rid of the toxins in my body. There are times though that I hated you. You hurt me. You are an inconvenience. I can't do things I love because of you. Most of the times though, I accepted you as you are. Every month, I would prepare myself for you. I would prepare the room you are to stay.

But now... I just wish you would go away for once. You see, I am reserving this room you were staying for so long. I am reserving and preparing this for someone more important than you. Someone I have been waiting for so long but cannot have because it was not yet the right time. Not that I am pushing you away because I hate you... I am pushing you away because I have to choose between the two of you and I am not choosing you. I am pushing you away because if yiu stay, that special guest I'm waiting for will not come and stay in the room I prepared.

So now I begging you...  Please take a hint. Or do you want me to spell it out for you?  I would like you to get lost and never come back... at least for 9 months.