Somebody said it takes about six weeks to get back to normal after you've had a baby, but honestly, when you become a mother, "normal" is history. Then somebody said that the hardest part of being a mother is labor and delivery, but the truth is, every stages of motherhood is hard like watching my "baby" hop on the school bus for the first day of kindergarten, or soon, on a plane headed for a much deserved career when he’s all grown up. Another, somebody said a mother can stop worrying after her child gets married but don’t you know that marriage adds a new son or daughter-in-law to a mother's heartstrings?

Staycation is one of my favorite things to do. Whether we are celebrating a special occasion or we just feel like we wanted to escape and relax for a weekend. And like I always say, being a southern dweller for most of my life, our quick go-to places will always be Alabang. It's an hour drive and nice hotels are just around the corners. 

For my daughter's birthday she only wished for one thing, "Mommy i want to stay in a hotel with a nice swimming pool!" That was quite a surprise for a 6-years old, wishing for a staycation instead of expensive toys or perhaps a lavish party. So there, i booked a room for us at Crimson Hotel.

"The righteous choose their friends carefully, but the way of the wicked leads them astray."

Proverbs 12:26

When it comes to friends, I am the CHOOSY one. And maybe at this age i can call myself one lucky girl who managed to win some friends. Friends that i can call my sisters at heart. Some have been there for decades, some were still in the getting-to-know-each-other level but we hang around like we've known each other since birth. And just like anybody else, I also got friends who laughs with me and admires me face to face like genuine people, and all of the sudden they'll change or should i say, it's not the person who changed, but it's the mask that falls off. Sometimes, i wanted to believe in the saying that "Life is a masquerade, everywhere you look are people hiding behind masks." As usual, friends come and go but i really feel blessed to be surrounded by a few but amazing friends in my life whom i know will be there for me and will accept me and love me in any circumstances.

I'm a Christian and a believer of GOD by heart, and i do have high regards and respect to the Catholic church because this is where i started building my spiritual foundation since the day i was born, until i was reborn and now serving a Christian fellowship that inspires me to honor God and make disciples. Today, i just can't help but share my personal feelings while watching the coverage of the Pope's visit. When i saw him reaching out to our fellow Filipinos, it gave me some sort of excitement, feelings of joy that is indescribable. I was deeply moved and overwhelmed by his presence while staring at him on national television's live forecast. Honest to goodness, it made me teary-eyed... and then cried.

It was two weeks before my birthday and i still haven't planned anything yet. Why is that so? Well, the busyness of life occupied me so much and my recent deactivation from social networks due to some false friendship attacks (intriguing huh?) caused me to stay away from everything, unplugging myself from all source of news and even social gatherings. Still, my instagram account is always updated in case you don't know. (Paano ba yun ideactivate for a while?) 

Anyway, i used to celebrate my birthday every year. I never want to pass it without having a very simple and intimate party with my closest family and friends or if not, i will celebrate it with my kids and my husband, by staying in a hotel and just spoiling myself with all their love and warm presence- no gifts, just having them beside me is PRICELESS. For some, celebrating their birthday isn't something to look forward to, most moms would prefer to prepare ahead of time for their kids birthday (yes i do that too), but just like any birthdays in my family, i also prepare for my birthday- because the life i was living now is my second life and i just wanna be thankful, for God has been so generous with the life He has given me. Isn't that enough reason to celebrate? (Now the second life series is another story to tell...) 

The past weeks of my life was been an emotional roller coaster, full of twists and turns from different aspects be it work, family, friends, relationships and the list goes on. And I must admit, that I'm really having a hard time catching up with everything including blogging, reading, facebook-ing (Lol! I was actually trying to minimize that habit) and some home improvements on the list, not to mention the weekly occasions and family gatherings that i know i shouldn't miss plus me getting sick! It really occupied my entire calendar and I thought i can embrace everything but i failed! 

Anyhoo, I'd like to start my come back with something enlightening and inspirational and for sure, others may find this life-changing. I thought of reblogging this article for everyone to reconnect on what really matters and to refocus our habits to realize how happier we can be and how we can become a better person. Hey! It's never too late for that great change! BE HAPPY!

Finally, after a month long craving i was able to try out the newest and most talked about burger joint in town, the BG Burgers! I was getting curious as to why a lot of people talked about the burger craze over facebook and instagram. So i set a date to visit and check out this burger hype which was according to their tagline is "grilled at its best". My first visit failed, because after attending the church on a Sunday, me and my kids proceeded to the place out of excitement without knowing that they usually start grilling their home-made patties at 3pm! So we went back and source out for another fastfood at SM City Batangas which is just 10 minutes away less the traffic. :-(

If there's one thing that i shall order in Yellowcab aside from its delectable pizzas, its the Charlie Chan Chicken Pasta! I need to have a box of it either for dine-in with my big pizza or for take home to enjoy it for a midnight snack. I just love the savory goodness of its sweet and spicy flavours and the peanuts that made it more mouth-watering and really scrumptious! 

While rolling on my newsfeed, I came across a post from a friend and got so engrossed with her recipe of this favorite pasta that i wanted to have it just that very moment. I've been wanting to recreate a recipe of it at home long time ago so I asked her to give me a copy of her recipe and she unselfishly shared it in my inbox. Happily, I cooked my pasta at home and was just so satisfied with the result. I shared my photo on Facebook and was surprised that a lot of friends also love the pasta just as much as I love it! So for them, i thought of sharing the recipe on this blog. Please note! 

I've been so busy the past two weeks, working on a series of blogs digesting my whereabouts and some articles that I wanted to share when I found myself just reading my lists because I really don't know where and how to start. So while conditioning my thoughts and preparing myself for another blog roll, I thought of sharing an article from one of my favorites, The Praying Woman. The message is just so timely and these are just some of the learnings in life that I've been applying in my day to day struggle with people from all walks of life. It is true, that you can’t control how others treat you, but you can control how you respond to them. Hope you'll find these applications useful.

They say “the most dangerous lies are the lies that you believe about yourself. ”

Oftentimes, I was experiencing some sort of struggle over things in life that I know I have control over with, like the things that I should've done, and behaviors that I need to improve but was too sluggish to make a move and to make progress. There are also thoughts about life and some predicaments that I know I have the answers and I know to whom I should trust and believe, but then sometimes, there's a certain force that is holding me back. Well, its true, Faith is not something to grasp, it is a state to grow into.

My kids grew up with Barney. I'm sure a lot of parents knew him, as well as Thomas the Tank Engine. I remembered during my kids' younger years, when I used to collect DVDs which showcases all of Barney's sing and dance episodes and my son loves watching it over and over again. So when I heard about The Little Big Club which is home to Barney and Friends, I said maybe we should try to visit it too, after booking Hello Kitty! 

They were in the same building with Hello Kitty on the first floor and Barney on the second floor, so I guess it's practical to visit both since we were already there considering that its not a usual place that we can visit from home (i don't think we'll be flying back again to Malaysia from the Philippines just for that alone).

After the sweat-drenching wanderlust at Legoland we took a short taxi ride going to Sanrio Hello Kitty Town. We were lucky to get a red teksi (budget taxi) after waiting for a minute in Mall of Medini. We left Legoland some time after lunch and reached Puteri Harbour after an 8-10 minutes drive for RM10. 

Sanrio Hello Kitty Town is located in Puteri Harbour Family Theme Park inside the Little Red Cube - another shopping destination in Nusajaya, Johor. Unlike Legoland which is an open theme park, Hello Kitty Town is an indoor amusement park. It is the first Sanrio Hello Kitty attraction outside Japan. The place is at the first floor of the building together with The Little Big Club on the second and third floors which I will be discussing in another blog.