Tuesday… what did we do today? Nothing much except for the regular household chores. It is also cold in the morning, I don’t even want to get off bed. Ate Raquel and I wanted to take a walk around the neighborhood, but we are always procrastinating. I spoke with some cousins in New York today. And yeah, I was on the phone with my Mom too for almost an hour. It always makes me feel good to speak to family members… They always make me feel better. Unconditionally.

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My Project 360: Alyssa’s eyes are getting more expressive. She knows how to work them out. She was getting upset of me taking pictures of her. I did it anyways…

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I will be blogging tomorrow. I am just here to share a snapshot of this plant on our bathroom window.

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My Project 360 for today is a snapshot of me and my daughter when I took her out for a photosession.

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Today is Rolly’s official birthday. We planned on buying cake and barbeque for tonight and Ate Raquel and I will cook on Saturday. It will also be for dinner just in time for the boxing. I am not sure if Ate Myla and family can make it. I heard they have some visitors staying for the weekend.

Tonight was just right. Alyssa behaved really good all day too… just like always. She too was excited for her Dad’s special day. She even sang him a Birthday song. I took few pictures because I too was busy helping Ate Raquel. I always think we make a good team together. I enjoy her company so much so does Alyssa.

Here is a glimpse of Rolly’s birthday. I will be posting the rest at a later time!

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They say when you fall in love with your man, you will stand by him through thick and through thin. So far, for all the years I am married to my husband and for the other years that are to come, I am keeping my promise: To Love and Honor Him. It is not an easy journey, and we’ve gone through trials that made us form a stronger bond together. We’ve been through unexpected circumstances that changed both our ideals, yet we remained allies. We continuously receive blessings everyday and we are humbled by them. As years come and go, I will always remain faithful. I will do that for eternity.

Tomorrow is Rolly’s birthday. We will probably just get a cake for dinner. Ate Raquel will help me cook on Saturday for his official family-only party. We will be ordering the Pacquiao-Cotto fight on Pay Per View too. I hope the boys will make it. It will be a good time to bond…

Today’s 360 is this “bottle-brush” grass I took from Dos Lagos. I just love how the hazy look of the picture. I shot it against the sun…

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Rolly is off tomorrow! Hurray!

I took Alyssa to the Lake the other day so she can ride her Disney Trike with her new helmet. I will be uploading some pics later!

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After the Mass at Saint Mary Magdalene’s, we took Ortega Highway and headed to Laguna Niguel. Ate Raquel and Tatay wanted to see Auntie Turing before they go home to the Philippines for a 3-week vacation. Auntie Turing is the youngest sister of Tatay, and they are actually neighbors with my Dad in Laoag. I said ARE because my Aunt Nicing still lives next door to them. It is a small world indeed.

We arrived at their gorgeous home in Marina Hills around 1:00. Just in time for lunch. She cooked a lot and even made some bibingka we ended up taking home. They were very warm and hospitable. Do you know the feeling when you enter someone’s home and you actually are comfortable? Where you feel like you are off the aquarium, and you can just swim freely? That was what I felt… Ate Raquel said they were always good people. And I come to agree with her. I think they really are.

While we were there, we watched TFC. I think the program was called Tambayan 101.9. I am not really sure. They promoting this new comedy movie of the Former President Joseph Estrada, Ai-Ai De Las Alas, Sam Milby, Toni Gonzaga and Mommy Dionesia whom they describe as a Freshly Discovered Talent(?). Question mark. Seriously… Money would never be equal to talent. I am sorry to say that. But I guess, good for her. One thing that I would like to comment on was the word that they kept repeating during The Buzz while interviewing Former President Estrada. Boy Abunda and Chris Aquino kept addressing him “PRESIDENT”. What’s up with that? I am not really fond of the Arroyo administration myself but I am not sure why they still call Mr Estrada President. Sign of respect? Probably. Perhaps they are looking forward to something else as I heard he is planning to run for Presidency the next election.

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Anyways, today’s 360 is our dear Daughter (again). I am planning on taking her to the park with her new helmet and her “motorcycle” for another photosession. Bear with me as I keep posting week-old photos.

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So Rolly convinced me to watch And I Love You So. A Filipino movie where Sam Milby and Bea Alonso are the main characters. I thought I’m not going to like it, but we ended up watching it twice. Yes, twice in one night. It was one of those great Filipino movies you don’t want to pass. Second to Lea and Aga’s Sana Maulit Muli, a film back in the 90′s. It was funny that Rolly was also crying on the movie. Bea, I just realized is actually a great actress. And Sam Milby is hot! Seriously good looking! Now I know why Toni Gonzaga was going gaga over him (as per my sister-in-law). I don’t even know he can sing… I actually like his voice. He was raspy, but romantically raspy. I can’t even describe it… You just have to watch the movie yourself.

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My Project 360 for the day is this nice ordinary white daisy. It’s not one of my best shot, but it is the most recent I have on my stock.

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Tomorrow, we are taking Tatay and Ate Raquel to Laguna Niguel to see a relative. I am not sure is Rolly will take the chance to stop by his consulting. I kind of miss the city. Living so far away from Orange County makes me miss the busy life.

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There are those times I feel so down and yet for years, I’ve managed to put on a smile and pretended everything is just perfect. At work, one of my friends started calling me Sponge Bobbalyn (based on Nick’s cartoon, Sponge Bob) because he thought I was gullible (now, I don’t know if that’s a good thing), always cheerful, very friendly and easily trusted. Believe me, I was all that. I never had problems making friends. I’ve always been a good listener. I never cheated on anyone. I was always the happy one. I never said NO when I was asked to do favors. I chose my words carefully… I was good at that.

But the world is just a crazy place to be. I learned that you ought to guard yourself because nobody will do it for you. You will never know how it feels like to be subject to insult until someone does the same thing to you. And because of that, you should not lie to yourself. It is just human nature to feel dislike and disappointment. And if I continuously hide my face with the mask of perfection, then I am being mischievous not only to people around me, but also to myself as well. Life is not perfect, neither am I. I don’t expect anybody to live their lives according to my terms, nor do I expect everyone i know to like me. I can only offer my truth. That is: I am for real.

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Last night, we went to buy an HDMI cable but ended up getting Alyssa a new dress instead. She can’t get enough of it so I decided to take that chance to dress her up and take her for a photo session. That will be my PROJECT 360 for today!

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We were so busy with Tatay and Ate Racquel’s 14th Anniversary. It was such a great night. Ate Myla and Kuya Vic made it despite driving through the traffic from OC. Michelle came by too though a little late. Alyssa was so happy to see her.

I haven’t posted a Project 360 Photo for two days. I was a little busy with other stuff. This morning, I took Alyssa out. We drove all the way to Lake Elsinore then back to Dos Lagos. We stopped by the lake and I took few macros then headed to the toy store to get her a new MP3 DancePod. It is a PlaySkool toy with preloaded songs for dancing. She loves it!

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I agree, words can be powerful. The way you choose to say them define you. As much as a word makes you, it also breaks you into pieces. There is this known phrase in the Philippines that goes: “You can physically hurt me and when the bruises are gone, I might not remember it. But emotional torture, that I won’t forget.” Something like that… it is always better when you say it with the original language but I hope it is well translated. Basically, what it wants to convey is that the pain that words inflict is almost forever. It is infinite, it never ends. It will never be forgotten and will always be remembered.

Gone are those days that I just sit and cry and keep everything to myself. I take challenges so as long as it is not personal. And I always stand by my idea that IF I have something to say that might be hurtful or insulting in any way, I will try to rephrase it. And I am living with my promises of keeping personal stories that were said to me forever a secret. This is my journal. And as you go through each line, it reflects my own experiences. Nobody else’s. It describes my OWN feelings. Nobody else’s. For IF I am to transcribe everything I heard, I will be breaking the bond with just one entry.

My 360 Project is photo taken by my Dad. I am breaking my rule, copied the photo from my sister-in-law’s website and posted it here because yesterday, I had long conversation with my Mom. The person that is always there on every level of my life. The one who celebrated with me on my little successes. The one who feels more pain and yet remains stronger when I am in my misery. The person who I always run to and she embraces me back with such comforting arms that melt all my worries. She is the most gentle of all Mothers. Never did I say anything nor complained about how she raised us. She turned her back on a fine Australian scholarship to take care of her kids. And years after, she finished up her Doctoral Degree (like my Dad) and still remained humble.

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Feeding up your curiosity. Read related PERSONAL BLOGS:
Yesterday’s Sermon
Sunday Dinner
Home is TRULY where the Heart Is
Personal in Nature
Away. So Very Far Away.

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