call me bridget jones

bridget jones: the edge of reason is on tbs as i write this blog. i've almost forgotten how much i love the bridget jones movies. i have the books, dvds and soundtrack. while i no longer qualify as a singleton...bridget jones reminds me about things about myself. specifically, her constant battle with calories, weight, and insecurity.

i can't believe renee zellwegger gain so much weight for this movie. normally, she's as thin as a waif, but she weighs just as much as i do in these movies. (so seeing her on screen gives me an idea who plump i would look at kung ilang alon ng bilbil meron ako!) i look at bridget and i think about all the other women like me who constantly fight the battle of the bulge.

now i regret all the brownies that i ate and doritos that i wolfed down my throat.

there goes 'healthy eating' down the drain again.

*sigh*

but i jogged on thursday and friday so im no longer guilty of being the ultimate couch potato!!! (like that makes a whole lot of difference!) i can't seem to shake the last 10 lbs of the 'baby weight'. i want to lose a total of 20 but each step i take towards healthy eating and working out...i take two steps back with chips, ice cream, and brownies!

but like bridget who has her mark darcy that loves her, every bit of her. i have my very own mark darcy who claims to love every inch of me, too. =)

then again, just like bridget said, should i accept the fact that 'i will always be just a little bit fat'?

NOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!! AYAW KO PO!!!!!!!!!!!!

handbag hunting

it's been a while since i bought a purse na pwedeng pang trabaho. my current purse i bought when i first started at merrill lynch. madami ng pinagdaanan ang purse na to at nahihirapan na akong pagkasyahin lahat ng abubot ko. so i am now searching for a purse that can fit all of my things and a few others...

so far, eto ang mga nakita ko:

Michael Kors Yacht Club Large Shopper

Perlina Classic Double Pocket Shopper

L.A.M.B. Love Lucca Medium Bowler

of these three, i like the L.A.M.B. the best kaso beyond budget so medyo out of the question na. i haven't found anything that makes me go, 'i love it so much! gotta have it!' so i'll keep looking. =)

back to blogging

medyo matagal din akong hindi nakapag blog. i've been so busy the last several weeks that i don't even get to check my email. but today i'm able to blog kasi michelle is fast asleep.

today, we formally dedicated michelle to the Lord. it was a small, intimate gathering...mostly our friends and family at church. we pray that michelle will grow to have the love and knowledge of Jesus Christ. we ask that the Lord give us the grace to become wonderful christian parents to her. to set an example of goodness and godliness.

close kami ni michelle ngayon! hehehe whenever i smile at her, she'd smile the most amazing toothless grin that she has to offer. since paul spends more time with her than i do during the work week, mas close sya sa daddy nya. pero pag weekends, bumabawi ako and i spend as much time with her as possible. it's so hard to go back to work on mondays kasi minsan gising na sya before i leave and she starts to talk...as if talking me into staying home instead of working. =)

we're thankful that she's growing to be a smart and healthy baby. she is truly a blessing. iba yung joy na kayang ibigay ng mga babies...very pure kasi talaga sila and their innocence reminds you that world has hope. sabi nga ng lord, "...let the children come to me, and do not prevent them; for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these..." so we will lead our daughter to the Lord and raise her to be the best christian she can be.

blog facelift

i'm bored and have nothing to do so i'm giving my blog a facelift. will need help from friends who are html-savvy though to help me make further changes and fix errors.

how do you like it?

6-month countdown

as soon as the wedding was over, i wiped out the words 'diet and exercise' from my vocabulary. i stuffed myself silly with rice, bread, pasta, and purefoods hotdog while in the philippines. back in the states wasn't much different and all these after i told myself and my friends i plan on losing 20 more pounds by the time michelle turns 1 year old....i have six months.

seems like a long time, right?

but it's sooooooooooooooo hard to go back to diet and exercise! i hate working out and i love to eat. my husband asked me once, 'beb, bakit puro food ang iniisip mo?' ouch!!! it's true though hehehe but in defense, i do think about food a lot (as much as guys think about sex maybe hehehe) but like guys and sex (they think about it a lot but don't get enough?), i think about food a lot but do not always give in to my cravings...if i did, i probably would be morbidly obese! anyway, i think a lot about food because i love to cook and watch the food network alot. (fine! sige matakaw din ako!!!!) ;-)

for the past 4 days, i tried to go back on the south beach diet and failed each day. like tonite for example, we went out for indian food at naan n curry. you cannot not eat rice and naan when you're eating very spicy food...the food was gooooooood. eating at naan n curry was an interesting experience... you go up to the counter, order your food, they give you a number, you sit down and they bring you your food. you help yourself to your own plates, glasses and silverware from a shelf against the restaurant's wall and no one comes to your table to give you your check (no waiter stops by your table every minute and asks, 'so how's everything so far?') instead, the restaurant relies on honesty that their customers will go back to the counter and pay for their meal. i wonder how many not-so-honest customers have dashed out of the restaurant without settling their bill?

ate a lot of indian food. south beach diet down the drain.

will try again tomorrow.

after all, i have six months.

my heart desires...

my routine when i get to work is open my read emails and then visit my top 5 favorite websites: cnn.com, sfgate.com, msnbc.com, inquirer.net (do you see a pattern here?), and last but not least, gospelcom.net

i am always hungry for information that's why i visit these sites, but nothing enriches me more than reading the word of the lord and today's daily bread really struck my heart and encouraged me to turn to the Lord to fulfill all of my hearts desires.


Beware of covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses. —Luke 12:15

Driving through Ireland to a Bible conference, I saw a fascinating billboard. It was large and white with nothing on it but a woman’s red shoe and the bold caption: "Is Shopping The New Religion?"

The pursuit of possessions continues to be one of the most powerful motivations that people can experience. But can the accumulation of things bring true satisfaction?

In Luke 12:15, Jesus answered that question with a firm and uncompromising "No!" During a discussion on material wealth, He said, "Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses." Life must always be more than just the inventory of the things we own.

King Solomon also attempted to find satisfaction in the pursuit of things. He discovered it to be full of emptiness (Eccl. 2:1-17). If we have placed "the abundance of the things" we possess at the center of our lives, shopping may, in fact, have become a substitute for God—a new religion. But such endeavors will always result in emptiness.

David prayed, "You open Your hand and satisfy the desire of every living thing" (Ps. 145:16). Only God is able to bring real satisfaction to our lives. —Bill Crowder

O Lord, help us to be content

With all that we possess,

And may we show our gratitude

With heartfelt thankfulness. —Sper

You are rich when you are satisfied with what you have.

God is truly my all in all. when he says, 'I Am', he is all we ever need.

im back

I'm back from my trip to the philippines. It has been a very very busy trip…preparing for the wedding, the actual wedding, thoughts of getting michelle baptized in the philippines (not pushing through with it…di talaga kaya ng powers!), and getting everything else done in the 2 1/2 weeks we were there was just a little bit too much.

I found myself eager to get back to the states where life for me is more laid back and quiet. I'm not used to going somewhere every single day, except going to work so when we had to be in manila almost 80% of the time and dealing with traffic…it was just a little to much. On top of everything, I spent one night at a local hospital because of something in the water….yup! My friend from infancy, the good old unicellular bacteria called amoeba. My mom kept insisting that I can drink tap water because I grew up there so I listened to her and drank the water. But my stomach couldn't take it so I had to go the hospital and spend the nite there. It was an unpleasant experience…both the amoeba thing and the hospital stay. The hospital seemed very unsanitary, the nurses weren't all too friendly, there was a dog barking throughout the nite, and it took forever for them to calculate our bill. Oh well! At least now I know never to take my family to that hospital if ever they need medical care.

Wedding…wedding over! Yey! Gosh…weddings are so exhausting! It just drains everything…your pocket and your energy. Everyone I spoke with really enjoyed the wedding especially the ceremony. (syempre alangan namang sabihin nilang hindi sila nag enjoy no!) It was unique, very personal, and most important of all, the presence of the Lord was there to bless all of us. It's a good thing our officiating pastor, Pastor Jerry Ambi is someone who knows us personally. He was able to speak from his heart and share his insights regarding our marriage. So I suggest to all my friends who are thinking of getting married soon, know your pastor or priest! I'm not sure if at Catholic weddings, the couple has a lot of input regarding the ceremony but if they allow the couple to make changes or additions to the ceremony to make it more personal, then I suggest the couple ask the priest. I wish people stayed until the end of the reception and danced. But I have to give credit to the guests who actually attended the wedding…they did not eat and run. =) some of them actually stayed for a while after dinner was served. I was not too happy about many little details about the wedding but I'd rather not go into that. It's over and done with. Like I said before, I've learned to let the little things go. I'm glad the wedding's over, I can go back to working on other things.

Michelle handled her first overseas trip very well. She was an angel during the flight to and from manila. She was a wreck when we arrived in cavite because she was taking in so many new things…new weather, new house, new people. It was just too much for her to take all at once. But soon after that, she was all smiles, laughing and giggling at everyone and everything. I think she enjoyed her morning strolls with her grandfather the most. Maybe we'll take her back to the philippines when she's 2 years old. She can then enjoy the beautiful beaches of boracay, palawan, or bohol. =)