Our youngest with his youngest

Smiley Saturday

Once there was a little boy who was followed by a rooster (or was it a hen?)

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Always Have a Dream

As I was going through my albums of before-the-digital pictures, I saw this poem by Amanda Bradley yellowing in between the pages:

Always Have A Dream

Forget about the days when it's been cloudy
but don't forget your hours in the sun.
Forget about the times you've been defeated,
but don't forget the victories you've won.

Forget about mistakes that you can't change now,
but dont forget the lessons that you've learned...
Forget about the misfortunes you've encountered,
but don't forget the times your luck has turned.

Forget about the days when you've been lonely,
But don't forget the friendly smiles you've seen....
Forget about the plans that didn't seem
to work out right
But don't forget to always have a dream.

I see your smiles each time I read your blog and your comments. (Yes, oftentimes, I come back and read again.)

Thankful Thursday

The truck that weekly collects the trash just left. To the driver I am thankful otherwise, in this SoCal weather right now, the unimaginable might happen.

I can hear the washing machine whirrring. I am thankful because that means hubby beat me to doing the laundry which means I will have extra minutes to blog.

I am thankful for that trip we took to Yucca Valley. Jacob and Joshua saw the wind power generators, which they call giant fans, and had a lesson on how those fans help keep their house cooler inside than outside.

I am thankful that one of my blogging friends is now feeling much, much better. In fact she was even able to tag me:

Nancze of Im an Okie Gal tagged me on 6 Random Things About Myself. Thank you, Nancze. I actually had fun doing this.
I also take this as another way of knowing more about one's blogging friends.

First are the rules.

1. Link to the person who tagged you.
2. Post the rules on your blog.
3. Write 6 random things about yourself.
4. Tag 6 people at the end of your post and link to them.
5. Let each person know they have been tagged, leave a comment on their blog.
6. Let the tagger know when your entry is up.


Here are 6 Random things about myself:

1. On work days, I eat half a banana with half a cup of coffee before I take my daily pills.
2. I carry a camera in my purse.
3. I am farsighted.
4. If I went to bed after 11 p.m I wouldn't be able to sleep till about twoish in the morning.
5. I prefer being an hour early than a minute late to any appointment.
6. I don't like public speaking that's why oftentimes, before I could say my piece, somebody else would have said it first.

I won't be tagging anyone but instead I will be thankful for everyone who will join in the fun.

I am thankful for the 2-month break I just had. I am now ready to attack the rigor of another semester.
I am thankful for the Thankful Thursday blogs. For each one I read, another lesson learned.
For more Thankful bloggers, please visit Iris.

Wordless Wednesday

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Today Is My Bloggiverssary

I can't believe it! Really? I've been blogging this long?
I still remember that day. I was cruising through the internet looking for anything, just anything that I can put my newly learned mini skill in web publishing to use. I got intrigued by the word "blog", liked what I saw and before I knew it I was ready to post. Or, was I?

Wednesday, August 23, 2006

I had been looking at this blank page wondering: should I write first? but about what!?!?! Or will it be better if I uploaded a picture so I could write about it? Well, dilemma or no dilemma, all I can say is "I am now an official BLOGGER!!! and I have hurdled my first intimidating moment." Hooorrrraaaayyyyy!!! (from me to me).

Posted by Princess at 2:27 PM

I count blogging as another big moment in my life, and I want to thank everyone who had been a witness to my journey.

Smiley Saturday

The Chosen One
His dad was about to throw the paper in the trash when someone told him: "Wait, isn't that Jacob?"
If he did I wouldn't have seen their school district paper which put a big, wide smile on my face! Imagine, of all the thousands of students in Claremont School District, Jacob, my grandson, would be chosen to represent his age group to grace one of the pages of the district's 2008 graduation issue!
Plus the thought that he is in good hands academically makes me smile even more. I don't know why I couldn't post this upright. This was Jacob, almost in identical pose, when he was 2 years old.

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Black Friday

This is not about Friday the 13th, neither is this about the 1940 movie titled Black Friday, starring Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi. Oh, so you didn't know about that one? Well, this Black Friday I am talking about is that one special day that shoppers excitedly look forward to - the Friday after Thanksgiving. Now do I get your attention?
I have never used my skills in Black Friday hunts simply because I don't want the hassle of sleeping on the curb while waiting for my favorite store to open and then elbowing almost every buyer only to find out that the item I really really like is gone! I also dread the thought of circling the mall's parking lot several times and racing for that one teenie-weenie space only to be out-raced. And another reason that is very relevant today is the elevated price of gas. I'd rather save that for another item on my list. And what better way to do that than going online for the 2008 black friday deals.
I had always been wary about shopping online. Now that I am blogging and have read many positive feedbacks about it, I got enough courage to try it a few months ago and last week, and my experience had been very very positive. Right now, I am very excited just thinking about shopping during this year's Black Friday.
I have a lot of godchildren, young nephews and nieces, so checking on Toys-R-Us deals will surely be a must. Since there is a Toys-R-Us store very close to my place, I plan to browse on items that will enrich the younger ones' reading and writing skills as they enjoy their games or movies before going online. For the older ones, I will check on their preferences first before I decide on which stores to concentrate on.
I am very confident that my 2008 Black Friday experience will be a moment I will remember for long.

Thankful Thursday

Every time I am to start on my Thankful Thursday post, I always ask myself: "What can I be thankful for this time?" Then I look around and I find things that I should be thankful for like:
....... those flowers that I see through my kitchen window. Every time I get closer to them I feel sad that the heat makes them less perfect. But then, I look again and I see the beauty in their colors, shape and texture and I feel ashamed I was less grateful.
....... the little bugs that feast on the aphids that feast on the rose buds. Without them I will have nothing to enjoy looking at from my kitchen window.
....... the dust that accumulates on my kitchen floor. I sort of exercise each time I wipe them off with my feet on a rag.
....... my having 8 more days left before I go back to work.
....... someone reading this blog right now.

For more thankful bloggers, please visit IRIS.

Debt Free

All hubby and I wanted was to get out of the apartment and into a house we and our children can call our own. And we did. Our sons were so excited to have their own rooms, and possibly, a dog. No more sleeping on the sofa. No more sudden waking up because somebody's foot was on one's face. And hubby can have his vegetables to grow. It was pure excitement.
Then the un-foreseen started showing up. First I lost my full time job. While I had a second job to fall back on, the assignment would only come sporadically. Then hubby lost his. We started feeling the crunch until we started defaulting on our bills. We started feeling buried in so much credit card debts we couldn't breathe anymore. A Chinese friend, who happened to see our house, told me that it didn't vibrate the right Feng Shui for us and that we had to move out of it if we wanted to improve our financial situation. But how?
We started looking for debt help. Aside from asking help from friends and relatives, we also started consulting with a credit counselor who advised us to talk to our creditors for possible debt settlement plans. We were given assistance on how to consolidate our bills so we could pay our debts within a certain period of time and still leave some amount for our everyday needs. We started tightening our belts.
That was one of the toughest moments in my life as a parent. But hubby and I are so grateful, even up to this moment, because not one of our sons made us feel that we were failing them. Not even once did they ask us for anything that wasn't really necessary. (Maybe that is why, I seem to notice, they play with their children's toys, too.) It took us more than two years to recover.
Don't let your financial problems pull you down. Ask for help.

Wordless Wednesday

Signs of the intense summer heat... but I still enjoy them.................

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Quite a Wait!

Hubby and I were among the first we almost opened the clinic ourselves. And then we were told we would be squeezed in since we didn't have an appointment. How could that be when I made one and was even reminded to give them a call if ever we would not be able to make it! But I tried to hold my piece since the lady was already writing our names in the roster.
First, we had to wait for some 45 minutes before we were shown into the X-ray room. Oh, my. I counted the number of times the technician told me to "open, bite, don't move, OK", 20 times. I am not kidding. 20 times. I wonder. Why more than the number of teeth I had left? Again, I kept my mouth shut (no pun intended) because everything's on schedule, so far.
While hubby was being X-rayed, I was taken to the dental room. A lady told me what were needed to be done on me and if any, how much I will have to raise. While she was talking I was thinking of our savings for our next vacation. When I nodded my head indicating my agreement to her calculations, she was all smiles. See what being insured can do?
I was prepped for the drilling since the old filling was not good anymore. The dentist told me decay was starting under the filling. Who am I to counter that. After all I am a war baby. Then I was told to wait awhile for the anesthesia to work.
I wonder - where did they took hubby?
After minutes that seemed like hours, the dentist returned and started working on my tooth, the last one, lower left. I had to disturb her a few times because I just couldn't breathe through my nose without swallowing and closing my mouth which for sure disrupted her drilling. Although she had been very gentle, I started panicking because I felt as if I was choking. She stopped and told me to "relax and don't stress yourself." Then she left.
The longer I waited for her the more anxious and nervous I got so I stood up from the dental chair and told her assistant I didn't want anymore, I will just make another appointment. The dentist heard my request and said I would feel the pain once the anesthesia had worn off since she had removed the filling already. I know very well how that would feel so I hesitatingly went back to the "chair". She told me she would be fast. My heart was thump-a-thumping I thought I would pass out! After almost two hours more and another anesthesia shot my tooth had a brand new filling and temporary cap.
Why it took an hour? Hubby told me that the second dentist left so the only dentist had to go from one patient to another (there were quite a number) like somebody doing a do-si-do.

What about hubby's toothy experience? Well that will need another posting. Believe me! Just picture this: we were at the dental office for seven, yes, 7, hours! And I am not kidding!

clipart credit

Heart Attack Moment

I had been staying way way past my bedtime the past whole week. The reason? The Olympics.
Yesterday I had to take Jacob to his swimming lesson. His dad had a meeting and would be late. After the lesson, I had to hurry home because I had the Olympics to catch at prime time. I was more excited than usual because Jacob's dad told me that Michael Phelps had his first silver, meaning, he can tie Spitz's record with no chance of surpassing it. I asked him how he knew and he told me from a friend who has a friend in China!
My mind was on the silver medal all the way home. Maybe whoever told Patrick was thinking of the heat event, cuz I still couldn't believe him losing. No, not MP. But, maybe he did. But, maybe he didn't.
It was the last lap. My heart was racing. I have totally forgotten about his coming second. Cavic was almost a head ahead and then I saw his wing-like arms. Could he reach the pad in time? Oh, no, no, please no! Cavic was already there.
And the rest is history. I can breathe normally again!

For photo credit click here.

Smiley Saturday

There was a time when all our sons, their wives and our first grandson plus hubby and I were together under one roof. Then pair by pair they moved to their own shelters until only hubby and I were left behind. It took me a while to adjust to the fact that we're now empty nesters. So, you can just imagine how often I open and close those collection of albums I've accumulated over the years!
Those pictures that show the growth of our children as well as the evolution of the camera always make me smile, Saturday or not.

For more Smiley Saturday participants, please visit Lightening.

Thanks, Nancie

Today, I was honored and at the same time, humbled, to receive these two awards from Nancie of More than Conquerors, whom I met through Thankful Thursday. It was very kind and generous of her to do so and I truly appreciate it. The history behind the Awards according to Nancie:

Sharing The Love Award
This lovely award is created by Crystal @ Memoirs of a Mommy in honor of Noah and the donor of his sweet little heart who ENCOURAGES us to SHARE THE LOVE ! Thanks Crystal! [Click on Memoirs of a Mommy to learn and read this special love story!] The rules for this award are to pass it along to some people whose blogs you love. They make you laugh, smile, leave encouraging comments on your blog. You would like to share some love with them because they have uplifted, inspired, encouraged or prayed for you. Please include this paragraph with the link to Memoirs of a Mommy so that everyone knows where this award originated from.
Friendship Award
Serendipity (Serendipity Park). Serendipity (LS and Happy) have very kind and loving hearts and they love to encourage others. I thank God for their encouragements to me and many others. It is a joy to visit their blog. Their posts, filled with creative writings and beautiful photographs, always make me smile :-)

I would like to share these awards to everyone who visits here, and I will be very very grateful if we could all share our love and friendship with the world.

Thankful Thursday

***** I am thankful that Rachel of my soulful thoughts has gotten over the worst of her flu attack and is now ready to blog with gusto again.
***** I am thankful that our friend Malu's newly acquired kidney is showing signs of positive adaption that she doesn't have to undergo dialysis treatments any more.
***** I am thankful that the workshops I attended this summer are over and have enriched my understanding of why standards are set;
**** I am thankful for the visits my grandsons paid me and hubby. They always lighten and brighten up our days.
***** I am thankful for the young techies who knew right away which cord needs to be attached to the back of our TV. Now we can watch the Olympics again in full color. (It seems like during last week's earthquake one of the cords got loose so all that we could see on screen was in yellow green and purple!)
***** I am thankful that once a week I am given this chance to look back and be grateful.

Many more are thankful. Join them here.

Wordless Wednesday

LET ME SHOW YOU HOW !!!!! GOTTCHAAAA!!!!!! For Wordless Wednesday participants please visit here.

A very important visitor

Hubby and I had a very important visitor. Daniel, our youngest grandson, visited us yesterday afternoon. He was with his beloved dad who told us Daniel is all of seven weeks already. My, my, how time flies. It just swoops past us. Before we know it Daniel's requesting for his own pad! (chuckle).
Thanks for the visit, grandson, and come again soon, will you?

Smiley Saturday

Because of the Olympics being held in China this year, I can't help but smile as I review these pictures we took in Beijing on July 2002 (or was it 2003?).

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Seems like.................

It seems like I have not done, or rather, finished anything this week.
I attended a very engaging professional development workshop for three days and because I had to finish an assignment/project I couldn't squeeze in any blogging time. Right now, I thought I should take a break and post.
I know I had been teaching the way the guideline says, but putting the practice on paper, I am finding out, is a very different thing, especially when very specific requirements are required for every square on the grid. The ideas are in my head but when I read what I had written I am never satisfied so I had to edit and re-edit and re-re-edit which is so frustrating. Could it be a hangover from the way we were trained to think and do such things?
The facilitator instructed us to just write and write and write and to refrain from over thinking. But whenever the time comes to smooth out the details, that's when I get stumped. I asked a colleague how she was and where she was on the assigned work and she told me we were just on the same plane. That was a relief.
Maybe if and when I read my work one more time I will be more satisfied, then I will hit the SEND button as hard and fast as I could!

One Weekend

I looked forward to the last weekend. After spending Friday evening watching a double program at a drive-in theater (could there be more romantic than that?) I really thought I could just sit and relax. Well not so.
Woke up early on Saturday even when I planned on staying in bed much later than 5 am. Since I couldn't go back to sleep any more I decided to start clearing the mess in the kitchen. Before I knew it, it was time to prepare lunch. Then I got a call that we were expected at a pot-luck get-together by 4:30 pm. I thought fast and promised we would take care of the drinks. What could be smarter than that! That taken cared of, started working on the laundry. Then it was time to "prepare" the drinks - packing the cans and bottles in a bed of ice cubes. That was fast. Now thinking back, I baby sat my grandsons most of the time! But I am not complaining.
Sunday we visited another cousin who just flew in from our motherland. And to tell you frankly, I can't even remember what else I did other than going to bed and waking up early for today's workshop on "Making Standards Work"!!!

Smiley Saturday

When we took a cousin to Catalina Island I saw this sight as we were waiting for our boat to take us back to Long Beach. It brought me smiles then, and every time I look at these pictures, a new story comes to mind.

To view other smiling Smiley Saturday participants, please click here and here.