30 March – things to be thankful for today

Posted on March 30, 2012 by Marjorie

1. Thankful for a very kind Area lead who understands when and why I get angry at work. He totally gets me.

2. We had a project party to welcome the new comers. But it was also some sort of milestone party. In it, our team’s top boss announced and gave prizes to the team who performed best during last month’s HAZOP. And yep, it was our team! I keep on saying though that it’s mostly due to my other teammates’ units, which diluted the recommendations on my unit. Haha. Nevertheless, I’m happy we got the award!
My prize.

3. Somebody gave up her seat for me in the train this evening. Yey! 🙂 it’s getting more frequent.

28 March – things to be thankful for today

Posted on March 28, 2012 by Marjorie

In order of events.

1. Thankful I didn’t blow my top
2. Thankful I wasn’t discouraged despite meeting overly sarcastic people
3. Thankful hubs and I were able to go to office together and walk home together
4. A guy gave up his seat for me in the train when he saw my badge. A rare occurrence!
5. Thankful to see this early bloomer. I hope to post the morning version soon.

6. Thankful about the good news that Hubs’ parents told us. Thankful for hubs’ sis’ generosity with her time. 🙂

By the way, here’s the morning version of the early bloomer sakura.

turning 32

Posted on March 6, 2012 by Marjorie

And the leaf has just turned. I’m now 32!!! Albeit nowadays when I’m asked of my age, my instant (innocent) reply is that I’m 29. And then a pause. And then I say “wait”. And then I think about my real age. Haha. It’s not that I dislike having birthdays, reminding me that I’m getting older. In fact, quite the contrary. I’ve never really outgrown that childlike attitude of looking forward to my birthday, all giddy and excited. It’s just that at some point, I stopped counting the age, it’s just a number!

But what I would count though are the blessings. There’s been lots for the last year! Let’s count shall we? 🙂

• March 5 of last year, I officially became an immigrant. The process was tedious! And the CFO (Center for Filipinos Overseas) experience was both humiliating and utterly infuriating. But am still truly thankful that I was able to travel to Japan and be with my husband on my birthday without any hassles

• because I was able to fly to Japan for my birthday, I was with hubby during one of Japan’s most difficult time – the March 11 debacle. I couldn’t imagine how lonely and depressed hubby could have been had he been home alone. And I couldn’t imagine how paranoid I would have been had I been in Manila at that time, far from knowing the real situation Hubs is in! Of course I’m not thankful it happened! But I am thankful that we were together during that very trying time and that we survived it.

• we had a very beautiful wedding. Civil marriage here in Japan is totally devoid of any ceremony or emotion. And so we’re truly thankful for our beautiful Church ceremony. And we’re thankful as well that we’ve given our families a memory that they’d always cherish. Even now, almost a year after, when I recently heard our Ninang tell her friend that ours was a very beautiful wedding, my heart warmed and I feel jelly-like all over. 😀

• thankful for the gift of friendship. Our wedding wouldn’t have been that beautiful if not for the help of friends. For old friends albeit far and rare to see, still we’re able to foster a friendship that would (hopefully) last a lifetime. Thankful for new friends as well! 🙂

• Thankful that I was able to work. Thankful that I was able to keep my position and career and work in the main company. Thankful that I’m now working on a very interesting project, with my work scope being one of the plant’s core, both a challenging yet very interesting experience. Thankful.

• thankful that this last year, we were able to travel to very beautiful places! – El Nido, Vienna, Cesky Krumlov, Prague.

• thankful that we were able to spend the New year with Atsushi’s family and where I experienced for the first time the true and very interesting Japanese New Year festivities. But most of all, I am thankful for the kindness Hubs’ family had shown to me. I’ve heard “horror stories” from other people about other people’s experiences. Hence I am truly thankful of the kindness Atsushi’s family has shown to me

• thankful for my family’s good health back home!! 🙂

• thankful for that lovely surprise request although we are yet to know of its outcome

• thankful, thankful, for this little wonderful person growing inside me. Thankful for this miracle of life. My morning sickness is truly bad, yes, and it can sometimes last till midnight. But what’s surprising is that whenever I’m in a meeting and couldn’t get to the toilet for hours, I don’t feel the urge to vomit at all. Even when still inside the womb, I’ve an ace baby already 🙂

• of course, thankful for my husband. Our blogsite has been witness to how great a husband Atsushi is. Of course he’s not perfect, I’m not blind with his faults. But he’s “perfect for his imperfections” and perfect for the imperfect me.

• all of the blessings above only came from One, Who has been generous to me. Thank you Lord, for all I’ve just mentioned, for the gift of life, for the year to come, for the blessings we’re about to receive, for taking care of all our loved ones, for your patience with me. Thank you for empowering me 🙂

Have a blessed day everyone!

and so we’re ready to share our great news

Posted on February 26, 2012 by Marjorie

Absurd as it may seem to some, I’ve known I was pregnant since week 1. When I suffered from gikkori goshi back in first week of January, I told the physical therapist to take care as I was pregnant. By week 3, I was starting to get nauseous and I was thinking at that time that if I’m not pregnant, I can’t imagine how difficult it can get since I was already uncomfortable with the nausea. Little did I know that my nausea at that time was really just the tip of the iceberg. It-can-get-really-worse especially when the vomiting kicks in.

Come week 4, it was just a matter of waiting for my monthly as I am pretty regular. When the day passed by and I didn’t get a visit, I was already looking forward for the weekend to have the test. But in that week 4, the sleepiness and tiredness has already kicked in. Imagine having fatigue associated with pregnancy and yet having had to be mentally alert during a series of difficult HAZOP meetings!! I remember whenever we have breaks and my tummy would hurt, I talk to baby in the toilet and say “baby, please be with mommy on this. Let’s answer their questions even when the going gets tough already”. Imagine talking to your baby even before taking the pregnancy test! Haha. That’s how confident I am that our little one is growing inside me already.

When Saturday rolled in, first thing I did was take the test. Of course the line was there, albeit really faint still.

But the next few days, there were a series of mishaps that got me really fearful for baby – I had some spotting (read a lot about this being normal but still it’s worrying), we fell down a flight of stairs because of the snow, we met a witch ob/gyn who coldly hinted, with her back facing me, that I might have ectopic pregnancy. All of these prompted me to test almost twice a day, morning and night. I think I had at least 10 tests in that my hubby was already laughing on how addicted I was with the testing. Haha. I finally stopped the tests when I had consistent result like this.

And of course I was praying unceasingly as well whilst taking the tests.

Looking for an ob/gyn was quite tough though. I’ve read a lot of gaijin blogs complaining how there is a world of difference between ob/gyns here in Japan and on the West/Philippines. Honestly, it took me a long time to accept that things are really different and that I just have to try and make up for what’s lacking. The moment I did this, things certainly got better – which was what happened last Saturday.

Now, much as we wanted to share our happiness the moment we knew about our latest great blessing, we had to have some restraint. It’s a big oxymoron, we wanted to share our great news but we need to keep it to ourselves for the mean time because even the doctors cannot confirm yet if my pregnancy is healthy. And I realised why things are so. Apparently, we went to the doctor way too early, just when I was only 4 weeks and barely 6 weeks when usually pregnant women have their first check at 7 or 8 weeks. Since my baby is still very small, doctor couldn’t measure yet and since they don’t have a record of my basal body temperature, they couldn’t give us any assurances. And what we can only do is pray.

Lat Saturday though, after measuring baby and showing me baby’s heartbeat, the doctor looked really happy to tell me baby is normal. He even looked really happy to show hubby baby’s photo.

Doctor must have seen the worry in our faces. He looked really happy he himself inserted our baby’s photo into the birth album that their hospital gives to pregnant women.

Even when we’ve visited their hospital twice before already with ultrasounds on each visit, it was only this time that they really considered my check as an official one, noting it so in the birth album record.

They also instructed us to go to the ward office to ask for the boshitetcho (母子手帳) so we can get some benefits and also register my pregnancy.

And so because of how the doctor’s visit went, we decided it’s time to share our joyful news.

With this sharing is also a prayer that this is a harbinger of more blessings to count as we witness the growth of this miracle inside my womb. 🙂

them three things

Posted on February 16, 2012 by Marjorie

Counting and naming our 3-things-to-be-grateful-for-for-the-day had been a source of enjoyment for hubby and me, these days. Most of the evenings, we would cap the night by recalling our three things; some of which could trigger us to laughter when otherwise it would have led to petty sulking. That’s one boon probably of thinking of things to be grateful for – you get to see the positive side of an otherwise could-have-been unpleasant experience.

I have suffered from severe colds the past days and so I’m very thankful that today, I was well enough to go to office albeit my voice is still nasal.

And because I was able to go to office, I was able to have lunch with a great person, who has inspired me a lot. The number of times we had interacted could probably be counted with my fingers. Few though they may be, trust that the words of wisdom you’ve shared and your words of encouragement, I’d always be grateful for. Thank you.

And because I was able to go to office, I was able to attend the HAZOP closing of my difficult system.

And because I was able to go to office, I was able to walk to and fro office together with hubby, giving us more quality time together.

Oh, that’s four already. No matter. Let’s keep counting! 🙂

on lost Eye-Fi and some good news

Posted on February 5, 2012 by Marjorie

I realized this afternoon that I lost our Eye-Fi SD card. 🙁 Understandably enough, Hubs was upset for a couple of minutes. He was upset not mainly because the SD card contains photos/videos of our Vienna/Czech Republic trip, not mainly because it being an Eye-Fi it costs a bit more expensive than the usual SD card but mainly because we are not sure if our SD card are not with those having bad intentions. But as I said, Hubs was upset for only a couple of minutes. And for this I am truly thankful. Thankful for Hubs having such an understanding heart as to not let a material thing ruin our day.

I’ve been feeling exhausted recently. The whole day yesterday, I just slept. Was feeling sleepy most of today as well. But even so, I was thankful that I have enough energy to go to Yokohama to buy some much needed vitamins as well as go to Bandobashi to buy some prawns in which we had a great dinner with. Hubs had to carry most of the stuff we bought though as I only have enough energy for walking.

Received a sweet email today relating to THAT VERY EXCITING THING which we’ve been waiting for since end of November. Hopefully in a month, we’d share the excitement.

There goes my three happy things for today. That and one big happy thing which we shall share later on. Yawn. Got to catch some sleep now.

On Chocolate Hill

A chocolatey journey, with Yui!

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