The other week, after being slapped with an electoral sabotage case, Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo while awaiting trial, following a Pasay City court’s approval yesterday of her petition for hospital arrest, refuses to ride an air ambulance service provided by the government but instead prefers to be transported via a bulletproof bus. This incident resulted in the exchange of harsh words between the two camps.

This week, members of the Congress fastracked the passing of the impeachment case against Supreme Court Chief Justice Renato Corona, which reportedly was pushed by no less than the President himself.

I can only shake my head in disgust! It is no secret that my brother in law is a Senator, but we are not a political family. I just can’t get it. Probably, the reason for my disgust is because of the timing. This is Christmas, people should be thinking of the reason why we are celebrating…

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. -John 3:16

Yes, not too long ago, my husband’s family especially my BIL, was a victim of political harassment. But I could not wish it to happen to any family.

I just hope that we can all move forward and know by heart the reason for this season.

Even with all the toxicity, of course, I still don’t forget to look Fab I try to put on make up even just a hint of blush, a lipstick and of course, my mascara. Good thing I am blessed with a good skin type and naturally long lashes, teeheehee. Once I was asked by an office mate if I was putting on fake lashes and even inquired about the best eyelash growth product I was using. “Oh, this is my natural lash. I just placed mascara,” I replied with a smile.

Working in front of people has taught me to dress and look good even when I am busy, it gives me no excuse to look hideous. Oh that’s not me at all. Others tell me that when you are a SAHM (stay at home mom) that gives you a good reason not to dress up. I say No! I probably wouldn’t be wearing my usual office attire but I certainly wouldn’t wear anything crappy. You always need to look good, whether you are working or not.

My daughter even when she was a kid, was such a “cry baby” just like her mom but I have learned through time that crying does not solve anything. And so while she was growing up, we have taught her how to be strong and not be hypersensitive about things. Thanks to her dad, she has slowly outgrown the cry-baby stage … until now.

I tried not to show pity but I really feel for her. She’s the captain of her batch cheering squad and it’s a very big responsibility. When things don’t go her way, it can sometimes make her fall to the ground. My advise is simple. “If things don’t go your way, your tears will not help solve any of your problems. You can cry to release those emotions, but only for awhile. Let go and pick yourself up and try to be objective about things, it will let you focus more on the problem at hand.” It took while for her to stop sobbing but after all the pep talk, I know that she’ll be alright.

Sometimes the reason, why we cry and drown ourselves with sadness is because we keep looking back at the mistakes or the misfortunes that took place. LET IT GO! I am reminded of the quote I saw in Facebook…

When life’s strong winds come blowing, bend with them and let go. By bending, you become stronger in new places. By letting go, you will be making room for the new and the better.

Nowadays, you need to be more flexible. Get out of your comfort zones and try out new things. I used to see myself as an office type of person, where I have a fixed workstation. But lo and behold!  I am now an entrepreneur. If I need to work, I do not need a workstation. I can work anywhere just like those hospital computer carts, my mobility does not affect my efficiency.

It took me awhile to find my niche and now I tell myself, “I should have done this a long time ago.” Oh well, it’s never too late …

Although I love the cold weather, I guess the rains just affect me. I love the cold weather cause it’s to be a fashionista when it’s cold. You can layer your clothes and not worry about having to sweat  I remember when we visited Europe, I had a grand time wearing different stylish clothing, winter jackets and even the north face jackets, which I never even bothered to look in the malls.

This is just me thinking out loud…. After all, I did not let the rainy weather affect me that much. I guess what I am saying is … You can do something about every negative feeling you are experiencing.

Hubby said I was stressed! Yeah, but it was a different kind of stress. I am comparing the stress I had when I was in the corporate world. This “stress” gave me fulfillment .. which make me feel the need to still get up and do more. I believe it is when you love what you are doing that you overcome stress. Not to say that I did not find satisfaction when I was working as an employee, I did! In fact, I loved how I was able to deal with different people but at some point, when you can no longer enjoy the time and you’re all tied up at work… it will get you thinking. Is it all worth it?

Now, I added a little zest into my life, taking some risks and after all the setbacks, I am back on my feet. Life would be so boring if you don’t take chances once in awhile. Your body will always look for that adrenaline rush, and so just like some people who add flavor on their swisher cigars, I had to venture into something new.

My physical body has always been weak, but when your spirits are high nothing can put you down. I enjoy what I am doing now, I have my own time which enables me to spend more time with my kids.

And so, I move on! Even when I still have a funny voice (due to colds) and coughs every once in a while, I still got up Monday and did the work that had to be done. I couldn’t say that stress is no longer there…. but I can easily overcome it. It’s all about managing it!

“A photographer went to a socialite party in New York. As he entered the front door, the host said ‘I love your pictures – they’re wonderful; you must have a fantastic camera.’ He said nothing until dinner was finished, then: ‘That was a wonderful dinner; you must have a terrific stove.’”
— Sam Haskins

It’s quite fascinating how people tend to regard the advancement of their skill by the gadgets that they have. Like in photography, most people who are starting with the hobby, especially those who can afford, would likely to buy the most expensive lenses and other accessories believing that it will improve their craft. However, most professional photographers would tell you that you need to improve your skill first before you engage yourself in investing on those costly accessories. You can begin with basic DSLR camera or any point and shoot camera for that matter such as Sony Cybershot, Lumix or fuji digital cameras and once you have mastered the skill, then you start to upgrade slowly.

The pros explain, that when you start upgrading your accessories without perfecting your skill, the tendency is to shove them off the shelves once you get frustrated. Remember we are talking of beginners, so you are just starting to feel the passion. It goes true for everything new that you want to start with such as golf, biking, cooking/culinary arts, you need to get the “feel” first. Are you really passionate about it? Give your self a year or two before indulging on any gadget upgrade, make sure that the fire has not “dwindled”.

Remember it’s not about the gadget, it’s all about your talent.

Marriage is a work in progress. It’s up to both parties to make it successful. As for our marriage, we have had our share of ups and downs, it’s a roller coaster ride but we never let go of each other’s arms no matter what.

I guess we have come to a point that we have accepted our equality as husband and wife through our love and respect for each other. The road to attaining this kind of relationship is not an easy one. We need to submit ourselves to our partner and again, it’s a work in progress.

Even as we count the years of our marriage, it is important that we never ever let Love diminish, no matter how busy we are. Neglect is oftentimes the start of a broken relationship, that’s why we need to make an effort to make our partner feel special.

So no matter what happens, I will keep my promise to God … that I will love and cherish the man I married.

Oh goodness, this is so mushy already. Good thing hubs don’t read my blogs.

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Urban dictionary defines Mojo as a charm or a spell. It can also self-assuredness or self-confidence.

I guess I need both. I need to have the confidence as well as get back my charm in what I love the most… writing! I know I am not a “pro” when it comes to writing stuff, I even lack the creativity. I believe I am more of a technical writer. However, I just love to write. It’s one thing I am passionate about. But recently, I have lost the passion. I need to fire it up once again.

I find myself writing for the heck of it when I am required to write reviews about industrial bearings, acne creams and the like but I find my articles uninteresting.

At first, I made excuses. I said I need to concentrate on running our small business but its been a couple of years and its operation can now run systematically with minimal supervision. That is of course because I have trusted people to run it. Now, I find myself with so much  more time in my hand and I feel that I need to go back to doing what  I am passionate about. I have long since learned what I enjoy doing the most, that is cooking, writing, and photography.

As to my cooking, last week I started going back to my kitchen and cooking meals for the family and baking for my kids. I guess that’s a good start. In writing, motivation is what I really need plus the fact that I need to get all the distractions out of my way. As to the photography, I think  believe I need to revive my photo blog. I remember how  I get so excited posting photos in there. It’s been months since I last updated it and I promise to update it within the week.

It’s like I have written a list of my New Year’s resolution. teeheehee. Once in a while, it’s really good to examine one’s self to know if you’re doing good. It’s a good exercise.

Weddings will always be a special occasion. It symbolizes the union of two individuals who is determined to live their lives together with the bond of love. With all the talks of divorce, I still believe that “What God has put together, let no man put asunder.” Marriage is always a work in progress, there will be troubles along the way but no one says it will be easy. The love and trust that bonds husband and wives are the ingredients that will console them in times of difficulties thus making their union a lot stronger. Trials are part of our lives, it’s one of the things that are constant in this world. The spice of life as they call it, without it life would be boring.

As for me and hubs, we have had our fair share of problems and misfortunes and sometimes it almost crush us to the ground but it does not mean we have to give up. After each storm, we find ourselves more fervent with our love and more passionate to remain with our union. Our secret is not only our love and trust with each other but our FAITH in the Lord. He who makes our marriage resilient with each passing time.

Each day, we pray not for troubles to come our way but for strength to make us through.

They say your home is the reflection of who you are. I guess that’s the very reason why we still have not located the perfect house for our family. Aside from budget constraints, it’s the location that we are after. Living in a strategic where everything is within reach — market, school, church and even hospitals, it’s quite hard to look for a house that is really within our reach. I have even resorted in looking for houses for rent, just to satisfy my urge for a new environment. Good thing hubby has this way of controlling me.

Hubby has this quality that I should really learn… Patience. He tells me every time that God will show us the perfect house in His time. Oh well, I still have to cling on to that promise and pray hard that soon it will come true.