LIVE FULLY RIGHT WHERE YOU ARE

With an expiration of less than twelve hours,

what does Jesus count as all most important? 

"And he took bread, GAVE THANKS and broke it, 

and gave it to them..." (Luke 22:19 NIV).

Jesus offers thanksgiving for even that which will break Him and crush Him 

and wound Him and yield a bounty of joy.

As long as thanks is possible, then joy is always possible. Joy is always possible. 

Whenever, meaning-now; wherever, meaning-here.

Thanksgiving is the evidence of our acceptance of whatever He gives. 

Thanksgiving is the manifestation of our "Yes!" to His grace.

-- a few of my favorite lines from my current read, 

Ann Voskamp's 

"ONE THOUSAND GIFTS: A Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are."

PERFECT TIMING.
Thank you to KLG and The Today Show
for the recommendation.

'Thank you' are among my favorite words. My Gratitude Journal is among my most valuable possessions. That's why I easily gravitated to the book One Thousand Gifts.

Living in gratitude is easy through good times, tough through bad. But because I've experienced the truth in this -- The holy grail of joy is not in some exotic location or some emotional mountain peak experience. The joy wonder could be here! Here, in the messy, piercing ache of now...(Ann Voskamp) -- I choose to give thanks, no matter what.

As the book reminds us, Jesus revealed the secret to happiness, through his own example. In his dying hours, He still chose to give thanks. (Mamamatay na, papatayin na, nagpapasalamat pa rin.) The greatest thing is to give thanks for everything. He who has learned this knows what it means to live.


Today, I'm especially grateful for:

1. Our Amazing Adventure. Wow.
2. Thank you, God, for the wonderful opportunity. 
3. Thank you for all the life-enriching experiences.
4. New perspectives. 
5. The next chapter. 
6. The new road.
7. New Dreams
8. Stronger Faith
9. Our marriage. 
10. Our families. 
11. Tita Time!
12. Our friends.
13. Good health.
14. Our lovely home.
15. Our quiet little life. 
16. Freedom!
17. Current work set-up. (Pwedeng ganito?! Bongga.)
18. Because it can get too hot -- Thank you for cold showers, the swimming pool, the air con, and finally some rain!
19. Successfully crossed-over to advertising after doing TV for more than a decade. 
20. The opportunity of crossing-over into another dream industry. *praying*
21. The reminder to be cautious as to who you let into your life. 
22. Ikea
23. Today's errand was finished in less than an hour. We're pleasantly surprised. 
24. Thai massage. Pinoy dinner. American Idol.
25. Jessica Sanchez. We're in awe of the girl's talent. She's been making a lot of people, especially Pinoys, happy and proud. Final results in a few hours!
26. Be grateful that God doesn't grant us everything we want. Instead, He provides us with everything we need. 
27. God's Plans are greater than our dreams. (I never imagined I'd be where I am now. Again, pwede pala 'to?! Bongga.)
28. Thank you, God, for loving us the way you do. 

Try starting your own Gratitude Journal. List everything you're grateful for. Not of gifts you want but of gifts you already have. That's the dare to LIVE FULLY right where you are. 

SANDS SKY PARK

We've seen Singapore from the Flyer. It was a gorgeous, breathtaking view of the city at 42 stories high, 165 meters above the ground.  

Out On A Date at the Singapore Flyer

One wet weekend, we decided to top that by going up 191 meters above the ground, 56 stories high.

Out On A Date at the Sands Sky Park

Here's the amazing view of Singapore from the Marina Bay Sands Sky Park. Nope, definitely not for those with acrophobia. 

Coming soon: Gardens By The Bay

Wet Weekend at the Observation Deck

The Singapore Flyer is the tallest Ferris wheel in the world.

The lotus-inspired ArtScience Museum

The world's longest elevated infinity pool

The Louis Vuitton Island

All the time we were up in the Sky Park I was singing the Carpenters' song --

"I'm on the top of the world lookin' down on creation

And the only explanation I can find

Is the love that I've found ever since you've been around

Your love's put me at the top of the world."

Hubby to me: Kaya umuulan eh.

LOL

We were actually considering booking a room at the MBS for the weekend. But the new me (on kuripot mode) won over. Saka na ang luxurious hotel room escapades. OK na muna sa Sands Sky Park. 

Tickets to the observation deck: SGD20 (Php640) each for adults, SGD14 each for children

High on Love (hope you are too!),

A

POPCORN PICKS

Out on a date at the movies: 21 Jump Street, The Avengers, Dark Shadows

21 Jump Street: It was so much fun watching this. A very nice surprise. I enjoyed it more because Hubby was laughing out loud, bentang-benta sa akin, pero mas benta sa kanya! Lol. I liked Channing Tatum better here than in his recent romantic drama The Vow (that one disappointed me). Mag-comedy na lang kaya siya? Among the movie's best moments: Johnny Depp's cameo ( FYI, in case you're too young to remember, he was part of the TV show.)

The Avengers: As expected, it was a crowd-pleaser. A blockbuster spectacle. I loved every moment of it! And I'm not a comic book / Marvel fan. The story, the action, the visuals were very exciting for me. Hubby's reaction as soon as the credits rolled: "Pambata." I guess I'll forever be young-at-heart, hehe.

Dark Shadows: "Family is the only real wealth." We're fans of Johnny Depp and Tim Burton so we enjoyed their reunion. I have never seen (or heard) of the TV show so it was easy for me to appreciate the adaptation. It's no  Edward Scissorhands (A classic in our book.) but I won't go so dark on the reviews naman -- it's getting a lot of flack especially from the TV show's fans. It had its moments.

Liked anything you've seen lately?

ANDY WARHOL: 15 MINUTES ETERNAL

"In the future, everybody will be world-famous for fifteen minutes." - Andy Warhol 

Hello, You Tube! 

Out On A Date at the Andy Warhol 15 Minutes Eternal
ArtScience Museum, Singapore

No photography allowed inside the exhibit.
So sa entrance lang kami nag-picture.

Hubby and I will be eternally grateful for having the chance to see the Andy Warhol: 15 Minutes Eternal exhibit at the ArtScience Museum. It features the largest collection of iconic works by pop artist Warhol, including Jackie, Marilyn Monroe, Campbell's Soup, Silver Liz, Time Capsule 51, The Last Supper.

It was such an overwhelming experience. We've always been Warhol fans. I love how he saw the beauty in everyday, ordinary objects. Pieces that we only got to see in books and the internet were 'in the flesh,' right before our eyes! Amazing.

The most revealing piece for me: The Time Capsules. They are boxes containing meaningful items collected by Warhol throughout different periods of his life. Although various studio assistants handled the boxes over the years, few people recognized the mass of materials as anything but "Andy's stuff." The boxes actually reveal new and important information about the artist's life. But only one box is open for viewing in this exhibit -- Box #51, which contains fashion magazines (including Vogue and Glamour) and fashion books.

There's a gift shop at the museum selling Warhol reprints. But Hubby and I opted to buy shirts from Uniqlo instead, see here.

Andy Warhol's Shoes
I have a hard-bound journal and stationary with this print.

The exhibit will be up until 12 August 2012.

Ticket price: SGD15 per adult (around Php480 each)

For details, visit the ArtScience Museum website. 

HO CHI MINH CITY SIGHTSEEING

Limited Days + Tight Budget = DIY City Tour. That's a travel formula that works for Hubby and me. We say no to tour packages. And yes to research, long walks and the possibility of getting lost (part of the adventure!).

I'm sharing five of the city spots we got to see during a long weekend in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. All these are located within District 1 (where our budget hotel was also situated). We would have wanted to explore the city more but due to time and budget constraints, we stayed in one district. The perks of that decision: we got to enjoy leisurely walks and long delicious meals.



(1) The Reunification Palace
135 Nam Ky Khoi Nghia Street, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City

It was the presidential home and work place when Vietnam was divided into North and South. Today, the palace marks the end of the war, just like the fall of the Berlin Wall, as the North Vietnamese tank crashed its gates in April 1975.

It's now a museum. Open daily. 7:30-11:30am; 1-5pm.

Entrance fee: VND 20,000 per head (that's less than Php50)

The Reunification Palace's facade

Inside the Reunification Palace. Very '70s.

(2) The Notre Dame Cathedral

No. 1 Cong turong Cong xa Paris Street. 

A mere 5-minute walk from the Reunification Palace.

Built from 1863-1880, it's over one thousand five hundred years old!

We're charmed by the cathedral's French colonial beauty.

(3) The Central Post Office

2 Paris Commune Street, District 1

Right beside the Notre Dame Cathedral.

Me to Hubby upon reaching the entrance: "We're in Paris!" 

It's one of the oldest buildings in HCMC, built between 1886 and 1891. But the more interesting tidbit for me: It was designed by Gustave Eiffel of the Eiffel Tower. Wow. 

It looks more like a 20^th century railway station in Europe than a post office in Asia. Agree?

The phone booths bring you back in time.

Such pretty tiles.
(Those are my "super sulit sa lakad" black ballet flats. Very comfortable pair from Zara.)

Viet Comm. Post, pay phone, cell phone. 

(4) The Saigon Opera House

Along Le Loi Avenue

Around three blocks away from the Central Post Office

Lovely French Colonial architecture.

(5) Ho Chi Minh City Hall
86 Leh Thanh Ton Street
A block away from the Opera House.


Another charming French Colonial building.

In front of the City Hall is the very pretty Ho Chi Minh garden square.

Eavesdrop on a conversation from this date:

• My photography-enthusiast Hubby to Me: Gumagaling ka ng kumuha ah. 
• Me: *kilig* I have the best mentor kasi. *kiss*

Yes, our marriage's motto is "Love your own." And I'm unabashedly cheesy. Hehe.



Anyway, we'd love to go back to HCMC for a tour of the Mekong Delta, Saigon River and the Cu Chi Tunnels naman. God-willing...