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. 

WAN LIN HEALTH CENTER

We are massage addicts bent on finding the best value-for-money massage place here in Singapore. So umikot talaga kami all over Chinatown. Basta may foot reflexology signage, sinisilip namin. We're happy with the services at Young, see my recent entry about it here. 

But our search for the best (mura at magaling) has led us to Bugis. We're glad to have found a really good and affordable health center -- Wan Lin, located at the Fu Lu Shou Complex. It's right across Bugis Street (very Greenhills / Tutuban), right beside the Albert hawker center. 

Wan Lin has a branch on every floor of the Fu Lu Shou Complex. If the ground floor branch is full, paaakyatin ka. The mall specializes on Daoist and Buddhist religious paraphernalia. Shoppers looking for lucky charms can go here. According to Wikipedia, "the mall is named after the Daoist concept of Fu Lu Shou, meaning, respectively, good fortune, prosperity, longevity."

Wan Lin has very good therapists. They so know which spots hurt. And how to work on them. We've been enjoying their foot reflexology and half body massage services. They have the most affordable price points (see below) based on our pag-iikot. Yes, based on SG standards, mura na yan. No fancy interiors here. Basic massage chair for feet services, and basic massage beds for body services. It's far from being a spa. "Health center" would be the best description for it talaga.

We love it here!

30 -minute Foot Reflexology
SGD18 = Php630

30-minute Half Body Massage
SGD25 = Php875

Health heaven! *sleepy, satisfied smile*

HUBBY's HAPPY BIRTHDAY

A Happy Birth-Date in Chinatown, SG
20 January 2012

We celebrated hubby's first Singapore birthday in Chinatown (MRT Station: Chinatown. It's along the Purple Line, same as our town, Punggol). Three days to the Chinese New Year, the place was extra festive so it felt like everyone was celebrating with us. Happiness!

Date highlights:

• Authentic foot reflexology c/o very well-trained therapists. Heaven! 
• A mini dimsum feast along the Chinatown Food Street. Yummy! 
• Our devotional prayers that day. Blessed!
• Affirmation: Life is amazing! Singapore was merely a dream during Hubby's birthday last year. And now, eto na, we're actually living the dream. Wow. 

Hubby took a video
of the 45-minute reflexology session
but I'm still unsure whether I want
to expose my tired feet here. Lol.

We love that you don't need dipping sauce for
the dimsum here. Malasa na sila as they are.
I'm not a siopao fan in Manila.
But I'm loving the char siew bao here in SG!

Happy birthday to my Life Partner & Daily Date! I love you. I won't say much here dahil ang haba na ng private birthday message. At yun ang mas mahalaga. *wink* Here's to growing old with you, Baby! Mwah!

RESOLUTIONS, ANYONE?

I'm not really into New Year's resolutions. But if there are two things I need to do for me very soon, they'd be --

(1) Eat more fruits and vegetables.

No, I won't vow to "stop eating junk food" or "stop eating red meat" or "stop drinking Coke" because that would be torture for me. But I know I need to take in more of the healthier stuff.

Photo from elcivics.com

(2) Learn to relax.
I have to stop worrying too much, especially about things that exist only in my mind.
Based on experience, most of what we're worrying about never happen anyway (Thank God!).
Crazy, much? Lol

Photo from aleighedwards.com

Do you do New Year's resolutions?
What are on your list?

PRECIOUS MANILA VACATION

And just like that Manila equals Vacation! OFW point-of-view na talaga ako, hehe.

Hubby and I made a quick trip to Manila to spend time with our families. Balikbayans from the USA and KSA were home for a month-long reunion. We were able to spend only a few days with them (yung last week nila sa Manila). And those few days were PRECIOUS! So glad umabot pa kami.

Family before personal ambition. That's me. Thanks to CebuPac's cheap fares, the fact that Manila's only three and a half hours away from Singapore, and a prospective employee allowed me to choose my very own interview sked (Yes, ako nag-set ng sarili kong job interview! So pro-active. So First World.) the biglaang trip was made possible. God knows what's in my heart. I prayed - if coming home to Manila to be with my family meant losing a job opportunity then the job's not really for me. The good news: no rejection notices (Yes, they send those.) and while we were in Manila, we continued receiving interview email invites from Singapore (Bongga!).

Best memories from our short Manila trip:

1. Meals with my family. Complete kami for breakfast, lunch, merienda, dinner. Precious!
2. Mama cooked my favorite pork binagoongan. Simot!
3. Went to church with the family. Love!
4. We slept in one room, sa house ng parents ko. Siksikan. Just to be all together. Aliw!
5. Reunion parties with the clan.
6. The sight of my sis, nieces and nephew playing. Super cute!
7. Held my Mama's hand in the O.R., during a procedure. The great news: Doc declared her lump clear, on-the-spot! THANK YOU, GOD!
8. My Mama's operation was free! We're blessed with generous, kind-hearted, loving people talaga.
9. Hubby and I appreciated the privacy of our cozy condo in a whole new level. Being home alone, just the two of us, was a welcome break from living with housemates here in SG, hehe.
10. Abe, Serendra branch. Hope you can open a branch here in SG.
11. Manila's cheap massage services. We're happy with Holistic Circle, 5F Megamall.
12. Our "Christmas Bonuses"! *wink*
13. A surprise gift from my dear Tita B. I'm not worthy. Lol.

Love my family!

With my dearest Mama and Sis

My brother's beautiful family.
Look at my naughty niece making funny faces!

My iPad is now filled with family photos and videos, the perfect baon as we continue on our SG Adventure.

We're so blessed! Thank you, God, for loving us the way you do. 

MASSAGE DATES

Two massage dates this week. Ahhhh, love it!

Monday: Ton Ton Massage, along Shaw Blvd. 

Only Php250 for a full body Thai Massage if you go between 12nn and 6pm.

We so needed this in the middle of all the errands, packing and never-ending To Dos. 

I'll surely miss Manila's cheap spa treats. We've tried the massage services in SG's Chinatown and Bugis areas. They're also good. Their forte: reflexology. But nothing is as cheap as Manila's Php250 (approx USD5) one hour, full body service. 

We'll definitely go back to TonTon before flying out. Cheap lang naman eh. *wink*

Wednesday: The Spa, Trinoma, QC

This was part of Tito C's never-ending birthday celebration. He treated every one -- there were eight of us -- to a massage of our choice. Happy bday!

Hubby and I chose the Combination Massage -- Swedish on our backs, Shiatsu everywhere else (oil only on our backs, dry on the rest of our bodies). 

We missed The Spa. Since saving up for The SG Dream, we've gone only to the more affordable spas (Holistic Circle at Megamall and TonTon). Wednesday's massage reminded us that The Spa's treats are worth every peso. Yes, you do pay for more. But you'll see and feel the difference. Alam mo kung saan napupunta ang pera mo. Love it there. (Highly-recommended: Traditional Hilot at The Spa.)

We all felt so relaxed after our massages. Too relaxed and too happy that we pigged out at Abe's Trinoma -- crispy pata, sisig, laing, gising-gising, pinaputok na pla-pla, sinigang na bangus sa bayabas, loads of rice. Hala!

Tito C's never-ending bday celebration!
Photo taken by Hubby.

TODAY'S GIFTS 051511

This Weekend's Gifts:

1) Blogger's back.

2) Hubby and I teamed-up for my Mom's surprise birthday AVP (audio-visual presentation). My parents, especially the birthday celebrant, loved it! She was so touched. It got a lot of "likes". Yey!

3) Excited for our next team project: Father's Day. This would be more challenging because my Dad hates being photographed, hehe.

4) After Sunday church service, hubby and I went to the Farmer's Market to buy padala for my family abroad. Successfully found all their bilin.

5) Cafe Bola, we missed you! Glad to be reunited for brunch today. You still have the best flourless chocolate cake!

6) Well-deserved back massages for us. Bliss!

7) Free movie! Thor. (Thanks, GRS.)

8) Back-to-back with 'Something Borrowed.' We haven't done two movies in a row for quite some time so this was fun.

9) Friday the 13th = 13th month pay. What bad luck?

10) Reunion with my Knoller friends on Saturday. It was fab seeing them again!

My fab Maryknoll aka Miriam

grade school & high school classmates

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

"The more you praise and celebrate your life, the more there is in life to celebrate." -- Oprah

CHINATOWN, SINGAPORE

Chinatown bits from our recent SG trip. We've been here a couple of times, always promising ourselves we'll be back for more.

Above: The red lanterns of Chinatown.

Above: Sri Miriamman Temple

Yes, the oldest Hindu temple in Singapore

is found in Chinatown.

Isn't it ironic?

Above: Chinatown Must --

authentic reflexology experience!

Loved our 45-min foot reflexology,

SGD16 (around Php528) each.

Perfect after those long walks.

Lunch at Tak Po restaurant

42 Smith Street, Chinatown

Above: Pork with black pepper clay pot,

SGD5 (around 165), good for two.

Had this with Yang Chow fried rice.

Above: Siew Mai,

SGD 2.8 for four pieces

(around Php92.40).

Above: Egg Tarts for dessert

SGD .90 each (around Php30 each)

Above: One of Chinatown's stars,

the sausage kiosk, Wuerstelstand.

Above: We highly recommend the currywurst!

We've visited the Chinatown Heritage Museum, been around People's Park, walked through the shop houses. What we hope to try next time: fortune telling / astrology reading / feng shui session (just for fun!). Any idea if there are readers in the area?

OF FORESTS AND GARDENS

Our Sunday was about forests and gardens.

At 6am, we ran for the restoration of the country's rain forests via Haribon's Million-Hectare Challenge. I joined J in the 5K race (nag-level up na ko!).

Above: Our bibs & shirts

Above: After the Race

The 7am sky at The Piazza Venice, McKinley Hill, Taguig.

(Proud of this shot, taken with my lowly Nokia E63 pero maayos.)

After the Run, we headed to Sonya's Garden, Tagaytay for our well-deserved massages and super healthy lunch! Last time we were here, we were still boyfriend-girlfriend, and the place had no bed & breakfast, no spas yet. It's great to know that even with the expansion, it has kept its charm.

Above: This way to paradise!

Above: Not-so-Secret Garden

Above: lotus pond

Above: one of the many charming garden nooks

Above: Welcome to the Spa Area

Above: My massage bed

Above: Our massage room's window.

Super presko!

Hearing the tree leaves dance with the wind

made our massages even more relaxing!

Above: My view, face down.

Above: Dalandan-based Tea,

served after our massages.

Sarap!

Room's motif: traditional Pinoy bahay-kubo.

Capiz walls separated the massage rooms.

After our very soothing back and feet massages (Php560 each plus Php100 for the Couple's Room), it was time for our deliciously healthy eat-all-you-can lunch (Php610 per person).

Above: Create your own salad of freshly harvested lettuce and arugula

topped with mango, broad beans, eggs, cucumber, jackfruit, pineapple,

edible flowers in season, drizzled with Sonya’s Secret Dressing.

VERY GOOD!

Above: Bottomless freshly squeezed

dalandan juice (green mandarin).

MY FAVORITE!

Above: Pasta Fest

Two kinds of sauces and toppings: sun dried tomato and chicken cream with mango.

Topped with ratatouille, salmon belly, shitake mushrooms, black olives,

capers and grated parmesan cheese, pepperoncini.

OK LANG.

Above: Fresh baked whole wheat sesame bread

with an array of homemade dips and toppings:

basil pesto, white cheese, anchovies,

bruschetta tomato toppings, and mushroom pate.

LOVE! LOVE! LOVE!

My lovely embroidered table napkin.

Above: Dessert

Homemade chocolate cake from the Sonya's Garden Panaderia

(good but Uno's is still our favorite),

banana rolls with sesame & jackfruit (sarap!),

glazed sweet potato (best eaten with mint leaves).

We're trying their Bed & Breakfast soon!