AWESOME!

MY CURRENT READ

"Polar ice caps are melting, hurricanes swirl in the seas, wars are heating up around the world, and the job market is in a deep freeze.

Whoa. It's getting pretty ugly out there.

That's why one chilly spring night I started a tiny website called 1000 Awesome Things...

I never imagined that writing about finding money in your old coat pocket, the smell of gasoline, or watching The Price Is Right when you're at home sick would amount to anything.

It seems like maybe these tiny little moments make an awesome difference in many of our rushed, jam-packed lives. Maybe we all love snow days, peeling an orange in one shot, and popping bubble wrap.

Maybe we're basically all the same...

With so much sad news and bad news pouring down upon us, it's fun to stop for a minute and share a universal high five with the rest of humanity."

-- N.Pasricha


Among the awesome experiences listed on the book, these made me say "So true!":

1. When cashiers open up new checkout lanes at the grocery store
2. Having a whole row to yourself on the plane
3. Being the first table to get called up for the dinner buffet at a wedding
4. Finding out your birthday is on a Friday or Saturday
5. Using hotel lobby bathrooms when you're out walking around
6. Taking your bra off after wearing it for hours
7. Waiters and waitresses who bring free refills without asking 
8. When the thing you were going to buy is already on sale
9. Finding your keys after looking forever
10. Finally remembering a word that's been on the tip of your tongue for so long
11. The smell of frying onions and garlic
12. Finding money in your pocket

And the list goes on. I'm still reading the book. And you know what? I'm actually not in a rush to finish it. I'm savoring the list. Ninanamnam ko talaga, haha. It's such a happy read!

***

If I were to come up with my personal list, I'll definitely include our recent AWESOME experiences (that I must blog about, in detail, soon):

1. The realization that our 'wealth' is not in the form of SUVs or designer bags, but in being able to afford  our Singapore Adventure and a very comfortable 'career break.'
2. No-alarm-clock work-day Mondays. 
3. What tops working in your SG home, in your pajamas? Earning SGD in Manila! 
4. Enrolling in not just one but three film schools. So happy for my Hubby!
5. A viral campaign for a shampoo brand. A TVC for a pain reliever. So proud of you, Baby!
6. Applying for a Junior Management position, and getting hired for a Senior Management position. In an industry I've been eyeing. So excited!
7. Our new worlds: film, advertising, retail, marketing, events. 
8. Our parents telling us how proud they are of us. *sniff, sniff*
9. Spending time with someone so young and inspiring, as she wins over the Big C.
10. Seeing a family stay so strong throughout their grieving. 
11. The comfort from having strong family ties. 
12. Tita Time. 
13. Road trips that allow you to have long, heart-to-heart talks with best friends. 
14. Welcoming and ending each day with your Life Partner. 
15. Living the truth in "God's Plans are greater than your dreams." 

TRULY AWESOME!

Thank you, God. 

A TIME FOR EVERYTHING

There is a time for everything,
a season for every activity under the heavens:

a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,
a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,
a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,
a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,
a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,
a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,
a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace.

-- Ecclesiastes 3: 1-8



We enjoyed our time in Singapore.
Now, it's time to pursue new dreams.

-- A & J

LOVELY LEMONS

If life throws you a lemon, make lemonade. 

This is how we beat the heat.

Simple Joy: Homemade Lemonade and Lemon Iced Tea

PS
Follow me on Instagram. OutOnADate.

PRETTY PANCAKES

The Date: Breakfast in Bed

Proud of my perfectly imperfect pancakes!

When you can't do perfectly round pancakes, I suggest you make them prettier and yes, yummier with bananas, strawberries and lots of honey.

Making life better is really in your hands. A lovely life lesson one Sunday morning. *wink*

KEEP CALM AND CARRY ON

Through the toughest of times...

ON MY OWN

(Very late post.)

Another first: exploring a foreign country on my own, for days. Yey!

I've experienced exploring a new place on my own for a few hours. Kanya-kanya then meet up na uli. So for the first time, feel na feel ko ang pagiging solo traveler. Got to enjoy Singapore on my own during Hubby's short trip to Manila last month. 

The highlights:

1. Taking Bus 83's route via foot. 
2. Exploring the Tiong Bahru area.
3. The Singapore Art Museum exhibits. 

BUS 83

Hubby and I take Bus 83 from Punggol to the next town, Sengkang. It's cheaper and more convenient (no more transfers from the LRT line to the MRT). Out of curiosity -- how many steps from Punggol Field to Sengkang's Compass Point mall? -- I decided to take the bus route via foot. The answer: almost 2,600 steps. I enjoyed the 40-minute pasyal-pace walk (15 minutes lang via bus). The experience confirmed: "One's destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things." 

Things I never saw from the bus:

My usual view of the Cove@Punggol sails...

Ganito pala ang likod nila, hehe.

It was my first time on this pedestrian bridge, along Punggol Road.

I stopped to watch the busy highway. 

First time through this walkway.

First time at the Sengkang Sculptural Park.

That's the Sengkang LRT.

Sengkang's Compass Point mall: the nearest MOS Burger, Mr. Bean, Yoshinoya branches from our "province" of Punggol. Hehe. We also like Kopitiam's stalls here. Our favorites: the one that serves Taiwanese fare, and the chicken rice stall.

TIONG BAHRU

Explored one of the oldest housing estates of Singapore, Tiong Bahru (green line). According to Wikipedia, "It was the place of choice of the upper class and the place where the rich and powerful kept their mistresses." Pre-World War II era. I got intrigued after seeing an episode of Anthony Bourdain's newest show, The Layover. 

What to see: Tiong Bahru's Art Deco homes. It was like being transported back in time. Aliw!

The Tiong Bahru Market is supposed to be among the most popular hawker centers in Singapore.

But it was empty on a weekend.

For the list of the best food here, see Lady Iron Chef's blog. Anthony Bourdain liked the Chwee Kueh in The Layover episode I saw. But I wasn't hungry. So I just ordered lemon iced tea. It was perfect, especially after so much walking under the SG sun.

SAM: SINGAPORE ART MUSEUM

Loved the exhibits at The SAM. I'm especially ecstatic to have discovered that admission is free (Yey, free!) every Friday, 6-8pm. I vowed to take Hubby to the exhibits. Gusto kong ma-experience rin niya ang na-experience ko. I was in awe with most, if not all, of the artworks! I'll blog about our SAM date separately. 

V by Li Hui. 

Installation with laser lights. 

Pinoy Pride: Rodel Tapaya's mural won Grand Prize at the Asia Pacific Breweries Foundation Signature Art Prize. Mabuhay!

Although I missed my Hubby so much, I was very grateful for the opportunity to explore SG on my own. Traveling alone is something every woman should try at least once in her lifetime. And for those who do it regularly, bow ako sa inyo. At happy ako to be among you now. 

Another item off my Life List. 

Thank you, God. *big smile*

HOW TO HANDLE REJECTION

Ouch!

Of course, rejection hurts. But as the cliche goes - if it doesn't kill you, it can only make you stronger. So how does one handle life's NOs? 

Here are seven tips from pickthebrain:

1. Don't take it personally.
2. Think positively.
3. Listen to the rejection carefully.
4. Be kind to yourself. 
5. Have confidence in who you are.
6. Know that everyone gets rejected.
7. Try and try again.

And five more how-to-deal tips from Dragos Roua:

1. Let go of perfectionism.
2. See it as a learning opportunity.
3. Be aware of your programming.
4. No rejection, no growth.
5. Rejection is essential to success.

Stay inspired by all the successful people who never gave up. Bill Gates (a college drop-out), Oprah (was told she's "unfit for TV"),  Michael Jordan (was cut from the high school basketball team), J.K.Rowling (Harry Potter was rejected by 12 publishing houses), and the list goes on. Be among them. 

ROAD TO MARRIED BLISS

Hubby's currently into videography and post production. His love for learning is truly an inspiration. Among his recent projects is a series he calls "Silly Shorts: Singapore Snapshots."  

He's a one-man production team. Shaping himself into a "predator" (a broadcasting term): producer, director, writer, videographer, editor, musical scorer, post production artist. Lahat siya lang. Amazing! 

I'm part of his fifth shorty. I agreed to go on-cam with my "lazy look" -- no make-up, hair in a messy bun, wearing a shirt and peasant skirt. We had fun filming all around Singapore. 

The project speaks for itself. Among the many must-haves to the road of "Married Bliss": Stay silly. Have fun together. Do not take yourselves too seriously.No matter where the road leads you, ENJOY THE RIDE!

WHY YOU'RE NOT MARRIED

 There are six reasons why you're not married, according to Tracy McMillan:

1. You're a bitch.
2. You're shallow.
3. You're a slut.
4. You're a liar.
5. You're selfish.
6. You're not good enough.

OK, calm down. 

Bago magwala, read the full article here.

ARE YOU IN A ROMANTIC RUT?

More on marriage, from one of my favorite shows, The Today Show --

• A study revealed that if you're bored in your marriage at 7 years, you'll be in real trouble in 16. (Me to Hubby: We have very good chances of staying crazy in love until our 75th year. Yey!)
• Some people's idea of marriage: "I can lay back, roll out of bed in my sweatpants, never brush my teeth again, and that's unconditional love." To which KLG says, "That's the relationship you have with your dog." (Me: Oh, the perks of being vain. Haha!)
• Tip: You have to try to keep that excitement going. (Me: The operative word there is TRY. Yes, people, it takes effort, from both parties. You don't wait for excitement to happen. You two should make it happen.)

Watch the full segment here.

I'll end this with my favorite marriage quote (chanced upon this when I read the book, "Committed"):

"There is no greater risk than matrimony.

But there is nothing happier than a happy marriage."

-- Benjamin Disraeli

WE'RE ON A MAGAZINE

As cover? Wish!

Hubby's back from a short Manila trip. Among his many pasalubong: Yes! (my guilty pleasure, binilin ko talaga) and Health Today (see the article on how to break dating cliches, we were among the interviewees!). Sayang, hindi siya umabot sa March issues ng Preview, Esquire and Rogue. 

Devoured the latest Manila showbiz chismis with Red Ribbon pastillas. Sarap! Ito ang chika: Yes' Best Dressed List does not include Kapuso stars. Mostly Kapamilya (Anne, Gretchen, Dawn, Piolo, Vice Ganda, Vhong, Kim, John Lloyd, Iza) and isang Kapatid (Lucy). 

Today's simple joy: Our dating philosophies (sabeh?!) are featured on a magazine. "Free yourself from dating cliches," Health Today magazine, February 2012 (Iya Villana on the cover). 

Here's the article, found on page 69. (Nice one, JVR. Thank you.) 
Photo: No, that's not me and Hubby, hehe.

The dating cliches, according to the write-up:

Cliche #1: That dates should be for special occasions.

(Out On a Date: Go for daily dates. Make every "ordinary" day count.) 

Cliche #2: You need money to have a good date.
(Out On a Date: Long walks, stargazing, reading in the park cost nothing.)

Cliche #3: Valentine's Day is exclusive to couples or ladies.
(Out On a Date: Try family road trips, barkada reunions, food or historical walks...)

Cliche #4: The date has to be well-planned.
(Out On a Date: Be spontaneous. Get lost in a new city.)


What's your day's simple joy?

LOVE PRESCRIPTION

Hubby got everything to help ease my pain.

Cut my right thumb with my umbrella last week. Don't ask me how. I'm engot that way.

I'm really so blessed to have a Hubby who rushed to the neighborhood mall to buy everything I needed for the wound. Including Oreo McFlurry! "To help ease the pain." *sniff, sniff*

After I washed with soap and water, he dressed the wound. And did so every day. The wound's totally healed by now. Thanks to my personal Nurse-Doctor.

Just want to share a prescription for a happy, loving relationship: Be each other's Ultimate Caregiver.

HAPPY HEARTS DAY

We don't do Valentine's. Read previous post about it here. Our dates, little acts of love, exchange of "I love yous" are not confined to February 14. We're mushy all year round. If you're into it, hope you had a Happy Hearts Day! To each his own. Walang basagan ng trip. Lol.

But I have a confession: I fell in love with the Google doodle for Valentine's 2012. 

The message is so simple and true -- love is never about the stuff. As a couple who's more into living an enriching life than a rich life, relate na relate kami. *teary eyed*

Washington Post puts it perfectly, "...the determined boy inadvertently finds the answer that was before him all along: The jump rope is the ultimate heartstring to pluck. Together, at last, in rhythm, their hearts skip a beat."

Awww.

LITTLE THINGS

Little things I'm grateful for:

1. That I can commute with my bag unzipped. I can use my open totes here!
2. That I can commute wearing jewelry.
3. That I can walk alone at night.
4. That people can use their bags to reserve / save tables in hawker centers.
5. Comfortable bus rides. (Where I came from, I stayed away from buses. Too many horror stories. Pet peeve: Pinupuno muna. Such a waste of time. And once the bus is fully loaded, and on the road na, watch out for road rage!)

Low crime rate is not zero crime rate. But I still celebrate my 'peace of mind.'

More items on the list:

1. Thank you that someone very dear to us is feeling better. She values her privacy so yan na lang...
2. Thank you for fresh air

Yes, health is wealth.

WRITE JOB

I prayed for the "right" job

and got the "write"-ing job.

Fade up music:

Life has a funny way 

of sneaking up on you...

-Alanis Morissette

Related post: Separation Anxiety

IS HE THE ONE?

Did I instantly know that Hubby was The One? No. We weren't even talking as friends (only as distant colleagues) before our supposed "blind date." But after that date, I did wonder - Could he be the one? The question crossed my mind because (1) He got me talking sharing. I trusted him with personal stories on that very first date. A first in my dating life. Actually, a first in my life. All my friends know it takes awhile for me to open up. But with J it all just happened naturally. (2) On that first date, we enjoyed talking to each other so much na halos mapagsarhan na kami sa Uva! As in nakaligpit na lahat ng tables and chairs, except ours. Kami na lang ang customers sa resto. Ang dilim na. And the staff was giving us that "Hindi pa po kayo uuwi" look. Lol. 

So when did I know for sure? When we were already boyfriend and girlfriend. Our relationship revealed that He was more than I prayed for, the Life Partner I'd want to grow old with. For details, read about our altar date vows.

Glamour Feb 2012
All about Valentine's Day
and Men, Men, Men.

Glamour's February 2012 issue has an article on this - Is He The One? I got to read it on the train, sitting beside my dear Hubby. Sa sobrang relate ko, I asked him to read it too (first time for him to read Glamour, hehe). We had such big smiles after finishing the article, mukha siguro kaming sira sa MRT.

Here are bits from the article, dedicated to everyone who's still on the search...



IS HE THE ONE? Actress and comedian Ali Wentworth spent years dating the wrong dudes--but meeting the right one, George Stephanopoulos, set her straight. OK, Ali, share your secrets!


"One of the women wanted to set me up with her friend George...  'Absolutely not. I am not being set up - ever,' I replied. Blind dates sounded like unmitigated hell.

But I am a woman who enjoys a good story. I like to tell them at dinner parties, to strangers on the bus, anywhere I have an audience. (I am an actress, after all.) So when I was in New York for work a few weeks later, I decided to call George Stephanopoulos...I spent my professional days taking risks, so why not do so in my personal life?

He wanted to meet for dinner. I said coffee. We settled on lunch. I thought Barneys was the ideal place; that way if the date were a complete disaster, I could still buy my Kiehl's face cream. I had very low expectations.

We entered the store's bustling restaurant at the same time and were seated in the center of a cacophonous room. And what precipitated over the next hour was, for lack of a more precise word, cosmic. I had never met George, but I felt such ease talking to him. I didn't put on a show or try to be a better version of myself. There was a profound coziness. He was like a down comforter I wanted to live in. And he got me: He understood my humor, my observations and my beliefs the way someone from your own tribe does. It was more than the fact that we both ordered crab salad; it was the feeling that we were home.

And that is how you know: It's never the surface stuff -- Oh, I like sandy beaches and stormy nights too...Nora Ephron got it exactly right with that famous line from When Harry Met Sally..."I knew the way you know about a good melon." It's instinctual. It's from the gut.

We were engaged after two months and married after eight. And during those planning days, I didn't care where we lived, how many kids we had or whether our decor should be modern or traditional. I just knew I wanted to spend my life with George. When you know for sure, you don't dwell on the fantasy of the union: What will my wedding dress look like? Should we serve chicken or fish? What will we name our twin girls and boys? You focus on how he makes you feel -- empowered and beautiful..."

--

How can we not relate to a love story about GEORGE and ALI, who also met on a blind date? *wink*

OVER MCDO's SALAD

Nagpapanggap na healthy.
Grilled Chicken Salad at McDo (SG).

Does McDo serve salad sa Pinas? Di ko maalala. Here, meron kasi. I know I have healthier options (yung totoong healthy) pero sige na, ibigay na ang 'A' for effort. Haha.

Anyway, over my McDo Grilled Chicken Salad and Hubby's Double Cheeseburger, we discussed Manila updates. Funny, we never ask for them but people are volunteering info. Dumarating kahit hindi namin hinihingi. Lol.

Chika Minute!

• Sad: More people have turned into monsters. 
• Bright side: Thank you, God, for delivering us from evil. 

• Sad: Wicked wolves are still so into us daw. Fish nang fish! 
• Bright side: Kami pa rin ang nasa headline ng mga balita sa mundo n'yo? Wow. We've moved on, matagal na, and you still can't let go. Pathetic. Ugh.
• Bright side: People only rain on your parade because they're jealous of your sun and tired of their shade.

• Sad: Were you really my friend? Hmmm.
• Bright side: Now I know better.

On to healthier stuff...

SURRENDER TO GOD'S PLANS

As I always say, God's Plans are greater than my dreams...

"For I know the plans I have for you,"

says the Lord.

"They are plans for good

and not for disaster,

to give you a future and a hope."

-- Jeremiah 29:11

New Living Translation

UPS AND DOWNS

Birthday message to Hubby: I love that we choose to take the roller coaster over the carousel. *wink* Here's to more life adventures together! Happy birthday to my Life Partner and Daily Date! I love you.

Photo credit: askmissa.com

Life's ups and downs are more bearable, more meaningful, more fun when you go through them with someone you love.


Thank you, God...

1) for allowing us to get off 'that crazy carousel' just in time. Lol.

2) for the 'tickets' to this roller coaster ride

3) for allowing Hubby and me to take this adventure together (Bow ako to those who are on the roller coaster alone!)

4) for allowing this journey to shape us into the best versions of ourselves

5) for the fresh perspectives (seen from the highest of highs and the lowest of lows).


We're so blessed. 

ROLLER COASTER RIDE

There are books
that impact your life
because you get to read them
at the perfect time.

"From Maria's diary, one night when she lacked the courage to go out, to live or to continue waiting for the phone call that never came:

I spent today outside a funfair. Since I can't afford to fritter my money away, I thought it best just to watch other people. I stood for a long time by the roller coaster, and I noticed that most people get on it in search of excitement, but that once it starts, they are terrified and want the cars to stop.

What do they expect? Having chosen adventure, shouldn't they be prepared to go the whole way? Or do they think that the intelligent thing to do would be to avoid the ups and downs and spend all their time on a carousel, going round and round on the spot?

At the moment, I'm far too lonely to think about love, but I have to believe that it will happen, that I will find a job and that I am here because I chose this fate. The roller coaster is my life; life is a fast, dizzying game; life is a parachute jump; it's taking chances, falling over and getting up again; it's mountaineering; it's wanting to get to the very top of yourself and to feel angry and dissatisfied when you don't manage it.

It isn't easy being far from my family and from the language in which I can express all my feelings and emotions, but, from now on, whenever I feel depressed, I will remember that funfair. If I had fallen asleep and suddenly woken up on a roller coaster, what would I feel?

Well, I would feel trapped and sick, terrified of every bend, wanting to get off. However, if I believe that the track is my destiny and that God is in charge of the machine, then the nightmare becomes something thrilling. It becomes exactly what it is, a roller coaster, a safe, reliable toy, which will eventually stop, but, while the journey lasts, I must look at the surrounding landscape and whoop with excitement." -- Eleven Minutes, Paulo Coelho