Category Archives: life

Dreams do come true

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and the dreams that you dare to dream really do come true…

Even when somehow the tone of the rest of the song is sad, I just love this line. And I think of the many dreams I dared to dream which really came true…

My close friends have tagged me a hopeless romantic when we were much younger. I usually keep to myself the dreams I truly hold dear. But there are times that bubbles of those secret dreams surface and I share it with friends. And there are also times when my closest friends and I would have a “dream session”, sessions wherein we share those cherished dreams.

There’s this one dream. A dream that there’d come a day when I wake up and look straight into the eyes of the one I love (who loves me as dearly!) who has lovingly watched me while I was asleep.

I shared this with friends (who reminded me i was such a hopeless romantic) and then I grew up; almost forgetting about the dream; almost convinced I wouldn’t meet my one true north.

And then I met Hubs. And then one morning, I just woke up with his face close to mine, face alit with love for me, watching me sleep. Only, I gave a tiny shriek – so surprised to see someone looking at me really close so early in the morning. Haha! And then I remembered I wished for it. So I settled back with a big smile on my face. And even when my face got bloated with pregnancy (when my confidence with my appearance got thinner as I got fatter), Hubs still does that thing that I wished for many years ago. There were mornings when I’d wake up with a (love) note right beside my head, suggesting to me Hubs was staring at me while I was sleeping.

God is good. And God has better plans than what you had in mind.

Now that I sleep facing my left (hubs is on my right whilst Yui is on my left), it is our daughter’s face that I wake up to in the mornings. There were mornings that her face is just inches from mine, softly cooing, careful in her own way to not wake me up. Face that’s sometimes full of curiosity, with a ready smile the moment she sees me awake.

I dreamt and prayed for one. It was granted. With an added great bonus. This little one who seems to think the best place in the world is right beside Mom. When we enter her room in the daycare, Yui has a big smile for everyone that you could almost see her hand waving, beauty queen style. Teachers told me how charming and friendly and active Yui is at daycare – I could see samples of this whenever I drop and pick her up at daycare. But after a day of learning and making friends and playing, rather than play with her toys and leaf through her books, she would urge me to just lie down and cuddle and talk (blabber) or tickle and hug and kiss. Yui’s head teacher told me Yui is the most energetic and active in her class (even when she’s the youngest!). Yet this energetic and active little lady is content (and requests so!) to just lie down and cuddle with Mommy at the end of the day while we wait for Daddy to come home.

God is good and we are really thankful.

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Yui on one of our cuddle up times. Love.

conversations at home last weekend

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M: why does the kanji for Wednesday same as kanji for water?
A: actually the seven days stand for seven planets including the moon and sun. Monday is for moon, Sunday for the sun. Wednesday for mercury.
M: eh? But there are more planets in our solar system than there are days in the week! What about the other planets?
A: for spare.
———–
(Was explaining to hubs the plant location of my previous site assignment and was sketching the rough plant layout).
A: where’s north?
M: I don’t know. And with what I’m about to tell you it’s not relevant.
A: it’s important. You always have to indicate where north is in plant drawings.
M: I’m not drawing a plot plan, I’m only drawing the block diagram!
———-
(I was washing the dishes and saw that hubs used the magic salt – salt with spices – and not the normal salt when he boiled the pasta).

M: oh, that’s why your pasta was good. You used the magic salt one and not the normal one.
A: I wanted to put the normal one but I couldn’t find it.
A: I also put oil.
M: ah yeah! (Curious) when did you put it. I put it together with the salt (sheepish grin) but it shouldn’t be like that.
A: I learned from school before that you should put it only once its cooked so that the pasta won’t stick together.
M: well actually, you put the salt before the water boils so as to lower down the boiling point of the water, saving time and fuel. You put the oil after it boils because oil makes the boiling point higher.
A: depends on the oil
M: hmm, on the other hand, oil and water doesn’t mix. So actually you’ll have different boiling points and water will still boil first.
A: depends on the oil.
———-
And so we wonder what Yui’s perspective will be in our conversations in the future.

on true wisdom

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I think many people, if not everyone, would say “ako sab/ako din/me too/私も!” when I say that I deeply wish to grow old full of wisdom. The type which would have my grandkids and greatgrandkids think “let’s ask grandma what she thinks about it”, und so weiter. And so we go about our days in search of that wisdom, acquiring that wisdom, keeping that wisdom.

But a few weeks ago, I was reminded that even kids as young as four years old have wisdom.

On that particular day, Yui and I happen to walk home (part of the way at least) with one of the older kids at the daycare and her mom. Being a kid, she said goodbye several times, prompting me to reply as well. But then she’d say “また今度” (see you next time) and not “また明日” (see you tomorrow). Both me and her mom kept on correcting her to use tomorrow because it was still monday at that time (from 5pm, kids and babies from the different age class gather together to mingle with each other so we thought we’d surely see each other again). But she would repeatedly say “mata kondo”. A couple weeks after that parting, I realised the child was right after all. Because the whole week and the following week, we actually didn’t see each other. The child probably thought that there’s a possibility we won’t see each other the following day since we actually don’t see each other everyday (babies and kids get picked up at different times, depending on the Mom’s schedule). Such a perceptive kid.

But then recently, I was yet again reminded on what true wisdom is. (Sheepish) I was catching up with my backlog on Didache reading and I came across this.

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Now His is true and ultimate wisdom. That even thought we thought we’ve already dissected our plans in all angles to make sure it’s perfect, His version is still the best. That even when we thought something is great for us, He has something much better in store. My life’s experiences has been a testimony of this ultimate wisdom and grace that I couldn’t be thankful enough. Thank you Lord.

———-
And with this post, were finally launching our new site with its new design. Happy new to us! 🙂

daycare bonus

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There’s this little boy (probably around three years old) in Yui’s daycare who usually hangs around us whenever I pick Yui up at the end of the day. Surprisingly though, it’s not Yui whom he gives attention to, but me. He would either show me whatever toy he was playing with at the moment or just wave to say hi. Occupied as I am with my reunion with Yui, I have to give him some attention – it’s just so difficult to ignore his sweet attention.

When I picked Yui up earlier, I was quite occupied because aside from hugging and cooing with Yui and listening to the teacher’s account of the day’s highlight while handing me the daycare diary (renraku note), I’m also working up my Nihongo as I chatted with a little girl who kept on lavishing compliments to Yui. With all these vying for my attention, I was caught totally off guard when suddenly someone hugged me from the back. It was the tightest hug a three year old can give. How tight was it? All the tiredness I felt the whole day practically ebbed out because of the hug. I tilted my head to see who it was and sure enough it was the boy. And before I could even say hi to him, he was gone. I’ll make up to you next time little guy. Thank you for that hug, it indeed is a great bonus of some sort in sending Yui to daycare. And my wish is that as you grow, you’ll keep that sweet nature of yours.

And speaking of showing affections, I still am enraptured whenever Yui kisses me. The joy I always feel at those tender moments and the sweetness of it are incomparable. Thank you anak.

baby diaries: first kiss

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You were such a charmer today Yui. Everyone who coos and looks at you you would lavish with a big cheery smile hence you got quite a lot of compliments today.

During lunch, after one of your recent “explosions”, you were happily playing on my lap. You were moving a lot that you were at one time facing away from Mommy or towards Mommy. You were then facing me when suddenly you extended your arm and HUGGED me and then – the most surprising – kissed me! Well it’s more like “slobbered on my cheeks and chin” but it’s the thought that counts 😀

Hugged and kissed for the first time. Ahh. I don’t think I’m quipped with enough words to fully describe how GOOD that felt. Thank you baby.