This year I will be turning 50! Yes, I am almost there...only less than seven months to go.
In May 12, 2007, I blogged about of things to do before turning 50. I updated that list in 2009. It's been over four years. Let's see how I fared.
Here's my list with the red indicating the updates from 2009. I will use green to denote updates for 2014.
Here is my current list (it may still grow):
· start our business and make it thrive successfully - started July 2006. Log: 1/15/10)In 2008 Borlongan Investments, LLC decided to sell the triplex rental property, also known as the Yellow House, at 678 Railroad Ave., SSF, CA. So far, it has not sold as of this date. The housing market had been bad since 2007; hopefully, we close by 1/31/10. After this, I don't know what will happen to Borlongan Investments, LLC, which includes my husband and I along with his immediate family members (parents, siblings and their spouses). Patrick and I will continue to find a way to open our business and make it thrive.
The Yellow House, which Borlongan Investments, LLC owned went into foreclosure in 2011. We had been back and forth with a buyer, and then suddenly, some members of the family decided we needed to move on. We needed to just let it go. If I had my say, I would have convinced them to stick it through. We could have kept it, perhaps modified the loan and still continue to rent it out. However, it may also be for the best that we finally got rid of it. No more stress of dealing with the constant barrages of following up and going back and forth.
As far as business is concerned, Patrick, Jessica, and I are doing well running a home-based baking business. It's a stable and wonderful source of income that helped us in many of our additional and unexpected expenses. It even helped pay for some of Jessica's college needs such as books and her allowance.
· buy more real estate investments - emphasis on more, since we already have a few Update 1/15/10- With the real estate market still having problems, this goal may be in jeopardy, at least for the time being or until it gets better on the economic side of things. However, this is the time to buy because it is a buyer's market. So...it remains to be seen what we will do this year.
We still consider real estate as a great investment, although we're still waiting on the market to really improved. Our house in Oakley has tenants; their monthly rent helps pay for the mortgage. I pay additional $300/ mo to pay for insurance and property tax. As it is...the house is still underwater. Let's see in 5 years if the house will finally go up in value. The I-80 near Antioch been widened and BART will have and extension to Hillcrest, so it should help improve the real estate market.
There's a silver lining to this story...although, the house in Beldin is not doing well when it comes to equity, our house here in Vacaville has already increased in value. The rise of new home sales nearby and some resales in our neighborhood are driving the market. The Vacaville real estate market is booming. Hopefully, in 3 to 4 years, by the time Jessica goes to medical school, we will be all set!
· get in shape for a healthier me - need to lose at least 60 lbs. - lost 40 lbs in 2007. Cutting down on carb really helped. Update 1/15/10- my best ever is losing additional 30 pounds at close of 2009. At the time of this log I am now a size 14 (4 dress sizes down from 18W). Yesterday (1/14/10) I purchased some new clothes because my old ones were already too big for me. Needless to say, I am so proud of myself! I started getting serious with my health in 2009 (around June when I started). Having been diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes had been a wake up call. The pounds I lost in 2007, came back 2008 when we had many problems. 2009, I decided enough is enough. I want to live a longer, healthier life. I started cooking and eating healthy. Switched white rice to brown rice. My husband and daughter are also benefitting from this. I have been exercising at least 45 minutes a day by doing my walk. Walking helps maintain my blood glucose and helps me burn calories. I am now drinking soy milk instead of cow's milk. I plan to lose 50 lbs more this year. Actually, my goal is to have my hubby Patrick lose also 50 lbs with me. It is a tough work, but I have confident that we can do it. Jessica, on the other hand, maybe if she can lose 10 to 20 lbs so that she stays healthy.
Back in 12/3/09 I had a major surgery--- I had a fibroid that caused excessive bleeding, which in turn caused anemia. That and my diabetes and chronic asthma, weakened my body. I am still trying to recover from the surgery, which removed not only the fibroid, but also my uterus and ovaries. My doctor (Dr. Ratheany Sakbun of Kaiser Deer Valley--she is the best!) and I planned that she remove my cervix too; however, it was too risky at the time of surgery.
Over the past few years since my surgery, I lost 50 pounds, regained 20, lost another 10. Did I lose 60 lbs yet? Not yet, but I am getting there. I am down to 14W, but comfortably at 16. I used to be 18W.
I am getting healthier too. I am leaning towards herbal remedies vs prescription medications. Just recently, I've discovered dried soursop leaves, which I make into tea, that helped lower my blood sugar level to normal. If this continues at a steady pace, I will be back to normal. If that happens, I can ask my doctor if I can lower my diabetes meds or get rid of them completely.
I have to get back into walking. Since our move to Vacaville in 2012, I have not been able to walk regularly. I miss our long hallway in Oakley. I make do with climbing the stairs here in Vacaville...it works; however, I need to do it on a regular basis.
I have 7 more months to go...I can do it!
· organize our files and paperwork - started Jan 2007. Update: 1/15/10- still in progress. I have to work on this better this year!
In 2012, I started the yellow manila folder filing of paperwork. I have different categories and I have a monthly filing for bills and expenses. It's still a work in progress, but I have made great strides!
· swim with the dolphins with my husband and daughter - Not sure if this will happen before I turn 50, but I do plan to do this when money is not too tight.
· help cancer research through folding@home - signed up in June 2007 and still folding
I have not been folding since our HP desktop got infected with a virus back in 2008. I shall look into it again before I turn 50. I do help with donations through JessiCakes Project and have been donating and helping raise funds.
· see aurora borealis - Still not done. Maybe in a couple of years?
· Visit Switzerland (my Mama's lifelong dream which she has never been able to accomplish) Still not done. Maybe in a couple of years? It's hard to go to another foreign country when we cannot even see my family as often as I want to in the Philippines. It's a dream to go to Switzerland, but I would rather see my family back home.
· Go to NASA with my husband and daughter - Still not done. Maybe this year.
· buy me a good telescope and look at the stars more often - I don't have a better telescope, but I do look at the stars more often.
· Bungee Jump - done 7/15/2006 Saturday @Marine World
· ride a balloon over Napa and watch the sunset - Almost did in 2012, but Patrick is afraid of heights. May try again this summer!
· Get out of debt - started the process 4/15/08; cut out almost all credit cards, except for one and now using debit card.
Ah, what can I say? I love to stay out of debt, but life happens and when it does, it often comes with expenses. I may not be totally out of debt, but I am managing our expenses better than before.
· Get my MBA - Still not done. Maybe in a couple of years?
· Do some charity work, volunteer - ex:Breast Cancer Walk - Done
· watch "Cats" with my daughter and see her face while song "Memory" is being sung - Still not done. Maybe in a couple of years?
· learn to play violin and then have a duet with my daughter - who will play the piano- I fiddled with it when Jessica started playing the violin. So, the good news is, Jessica learned it while I watched her play. Good enough for me!
· speak French and Japanese - I learned a few sentences, that's all. I speak more in Korean because of all the K-dramas that we watch. LOL.
· cook like a chef Update 1/15/10- my entry on getting in shape mentioned that I started cooking healthy. Well, I also learned how to cook better. I may not cook like a chef yet, but I have improved 10x better than before as far as cooking is concerned. I now watch Food Network Channel regularly.
Oh yes! This is my fave...I do cook...or bake like a chef! A pastry chef that is! Thanks to JessiCakes Project, I had to learn to do it right or else, we would not have customers. :)
· invent something and patent it - Still not done. Maybe in a couple of years?
· write a book - started writing my novel entitled "Beldin Lane" as of 6/28/08 which I hope to finish in 2009. Update: 1/15/10: Unfortnately, with my health issues in 2009, I was not able to finsih this. I plan to continue this year.
Still not done. Maybe in a couple of years?
· learn to paint - I have been painting since I was a child, but I would like to go back and improve on it. I hope to be as good as my older brother Kuya Mel :)
Still trying to hone my skills...will try to paint a good piece before I turn 50 this year.
· make a movie - So far I have started producing small home made videos. I will try to make it even in a small Indie someday!
Still not done. Maybe in a couple of years?
· see the pyramids and the stone henge - Still not done. Maybe in a couple of years?
· travel the world with my family and also my siblings and their families - Still not done. Maybe in a couple of years?
. help manage Jessica's first music CD. - recorded JJ's first CD on 4/19/08 at Laughing Tiger Studio in San Rafael, CA. Had 50 copies made as gifts to family, friends, and relatives. The CD has 9 piano solopieces played by JJ and a song :Come Home" in the end.
Monday, February 3, 2014
Three Years Later...I'm Still Here!
I can't believe that three years had gone by that quickly. I had intended to update this blog at least once a month, unlike before when I only had updates once a year; however, unexpected life events got in the way...again. A lot of positives though, which is great!
Below is the summary of the past three years.
Year 2011- Since early December of 2010, Jessica and I started baking. Along with my love of cooking, she and I started bonding while making sweet treats to eat and share with others. The recipients were happy and they gave us great feedback! Then, in early January 2011, Jessica and I had an idea about baking for charity. JessiCakes Project is the name coined for this non-profit project. Jessica and started this while she was in high school.
The responses were great and we found ourselves taking orders not only from family and friends, but those who are friends and families of our family and friends. JessiCakes Project was launched on Facebook on January 4, 2011. Naturally, as we took on more orders, the more we got busier. I was still able to do my writing gigs, but not as much as I used to. The baking gig was doing much better in terms of income and it also served its purpose in helping others; therefore, it took precedence over writing. So, while I took on fewer writing assignments, the money was still coming in at a stable pace with baking.
August 18, 2011, my youngest brother's son-- Matthew, was born.
More on writing versus baking later on...
Although, I provide the foundation and the backbone that JessiCakes Project was built on, it's Jessica who is the heart of this non-profit organization. She's the CEO, so a lot of her input counted. She also had a lot of say on the design and taste. My husband, Patrick, was a great help as well. He helps make the delivery boxes for the cakes that don't fit in the normal boxes available in retail shops. He is also helps in the shipping and delivery of the goods. More importantly, he is a taste-tester. He's offered constructive criticisms that helped us hone our skills to make our baked goodies not only look better, but, more importantly, taste better.
In December 2011, Jessica applied at 5 different colleges and universities.
Year 2012 - This year started off with a bit of joy, which turned into sadness a few weeks later. We've done our usual New Year celebration by turning on the lights in each room at our Oakley home. Then, proceeded to greeting our dogs in the garage. Little did we expect that the New Year 2012, would be the last time we will have with Angel, our dearly beloved female mixed black lab. She has been with us since 1999. She had moved to several homes with us. Oakley, was her last home.
It's sad that, on the morning of January 28, she was still okay, and then she died that late afternoon. I remember crying a lot. She's been a friend. I also felt bad she had to stay out in the garage because she had been messing up inside the house due to old age. We cannot have that kind of "mess" while baking at home. So, I felt bad that she had to die in that kind of condition-- in a cage that she hated so much. That time that Angel died, Jessica also preparing for her finals. She felt bad about not paying too much attention to Angel that day. She often interacted with her and played with her, but she had just be so busy...and nobody, no one ever thought this would happen that day. I think that's how death is...it comes like a thief in the night...when you least expect it. I also felt bad that I had not interacted with her that day. It was Patrick who interacted with her that morning and he was also the one who found her lifeless body that early evening. We took her to the Vet, where her remains was taken cared of and sent to Napa for cremation.
Angel's ashes are now in a box displayed in our family room.
Life goes on...
Jessica passed her tests with flying colors. She also received acceptance letters from the colleges she applied to. Saint Mary's College, Mills College, UC Davis, UC Berkeley, and University of the Pacific. By late March, she opted to go to UC Davis for her pre-med-- majoring in Genetics. The UC Davis Biological Sciences was ranked 9th in the nation in 2012, and ranked 8th in 2013.
In March, my youngest brother, Erwin, was ordained at Paco, Metro Manila. It was the best day ever for the whole family. I couldn't attend, but alll of my other siblings were able to witness this joyous and blessed occasion.
On May 24, Jessica graduated with Dean's High Honor list from California Virtual Academy. The graduation was held at the Vacaville Performance & Arts Center. It's funny, before she graduated from High School, we signed our contract for our new place in Vacaville, where we decided to move to while Jessica attends college in nearby Davis, which is only 18 minutes away. She did not want to stay at the dorm, and, frankly, nor did her dad and I.
The move...
By mid-June 2012, our new home in Vacaville was ready for final walk-through. Luckily, we have already had a signed lease agreement with our tenants in our Oakley home. We plan on returning since Patrick's family are all in Oakley, besides, who can sell those days? The market value of our Oakley home is under water since the market has not fully recovered yet. Great news though...our tenants are awesome!
We also sold a lot of our properties. Moving from 4,200 sqft 5BR/4.5BA/3CAR home to a 2,340 sqft 4BR/2.5BA/2CAR home has its disadvantages-- all our stuff wouldn't fit, so downsizing was inevitable. We held a series of weekend garage sales to get rid of a lot of our stuff. I sold some items on Facebook that generated a lot of interests from my friends. I used Craigslist too! Those that we could not sell, we donated to Goodwill and some were handed down to friends and family. We made money that helped in our move. Our tenants' lease started August 1st, but we let them move in a week before.
We started moving late June, so moved our stuff little by little in July and had a big move 2 weeks before we turned over the keys to the tenants. New home new beginning... As always, a new move is both exciting and stressful. Loads of items to unpack. Our boxes remained unopened for a couple of weeks. Then, Jessica had to prepare for College life. It was to be her last summer, but she spent it moving and helping us prepare our new home. It's okay for her because all of these are for her. This is Jessica's home.
Fast-forward to Fall of 2012, when Jessica officially became a college freshman. Lots of challenges compared to High School. She had some adjusting to do. It's her toughest quarter, but she pulled through with God's help. She continued as a choir member at church and helped as much as she could with JessiCakes Project, which we continued at our new place. In 2012, I probably only wrote one article per month, mostly doing Yahoo articles only. November 2012 was presidential elections. First time that Jessica voted after turning 18 in November.
Year 2013 -
The year started off well. We attended the special worship service held at the Billy Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco along with thousands of faithfuls from near and around Northern California. Bro. Eduardo V. Manalo, the Church of Christ's Executive Minister, officiated the special service. Receiving this wonderful blessing at the start of the New Year was one of the highlights of 2013.
On January 4, only few days after the special gathering, another family pet had left us. Rex, a mixed German-Rottweiller, who we adopted from an SPCA in Suisun, died barely a year after Angel's death. He was almost 12 years old. Rex was the gentle giant. He was a very good boy. Never gave us any headaches and was an excellent guard dog. We had him cremated in Suisun, near where we adopted him. It's like he just went home. His ashes are in a special box near Angel's box that we keep in our family room.
May 1, my youngest brother, Erwin, earned his master's degree in education, (M.A.Ed), from New Era University. He graduated with a flat grade of 1.0, which is the highest score, and received the Best in Thesis award.
May 5, JessiCakes Project received its permit from the County of Solano. It's also registered as a business under my name. JessiCakes Project is now a for profit business, which is operated legally in our home's kitchen.
June-August, Jessica attended her first Summer class at UC Davis. September, Fall Session sophomore started for Jessica.
In September, my husband's Uncle Pert gave Jessica his 2004 Mercedes Benz E500, which was the same car we leased from Mercedes Benz years ago. He paid off the balance in 2006 and took over its title. He wanted Jessica to have a nice car. He was so proud of her and wanted her to become a full pledge doctor. We sold the car to Carmax in Fairfield for $7000 in early November. We used to money to purchase tickets and pocket money to the Philippines. We got Jessica a 2008 Cadillac SRX from Mercedes Benz of Fairfield after we got a pre-approval from our credit union to reconstruct the Ford Expedition and Cadillac to equal the monthly payment of Ford Expedition. It allowed us to get Jessica a newer car that is easier and cheaper to maintain. Uncle Pert passed away three months later.
December 13- December 31 - Jessica and I went to the Philippines. I had not been back in 10 years. I've been trying to for several years; but, due to many expenses incurred in moving and Jessica's tuition fees, the trip never happened. Thank goodness for Uncle Pert's generosity and for Jessica's kindness in letting go of a car in order for us to make this memorable trip. It was truly priceless!
We took Asiana Airlines, which was the cheapest available at $1267 pp in economy. They have excellent service, no wonder they were voted Best Airline for the last 5 years now. The food was great. We enjoyed our stay at the Transit Hotel in Seoul. South Korea. We stayed there both ways.
Our stay at my family's home in Alaminos, Laguna was memorable as well. Jessica was able to bond with her cousins, uncles, and aunties. We had so much fun. We also stayed with my brother Erwin's condo near Templo Central for a few days. We had our Pasalamat (Year end Thanksgiving Service) at Templo Central in English (11:00AM). What a blessing to attend it there. Jessica was in such awe.
December 27, for Erwin's 35th birthday, I treated the family to a nice restaurant in MOA (Mall of Asia). My younger sister, Beh, found this nice place with the view that became more spectacular at night because we had the front seat to the fireworks! Too bad, Kuya Rommel was tied up in a meeting; therefore he and his family could not join us. Joseph was infuriated because he wanted us to be together and take a family portrait.
I was able to spend an hour with my best friend from High School, Jane Bleza. We exchanged gifts. Glad she was able to join us for dinner, if only for a short time. We haven't seen each other for 28 years. A lot of my high school friends were a bit disappointed for not seeing me. But, what can I do? Jessica and I were sick the first week of our stay and I had to leave Erwin's place a day early.
During the trip, we finally got to meet Erwin's cute son Matthew, who we all fondly call-- Matthew the Destroyer. That boy loves Barney! He always has a smile on his face. What a happy baby! Glad to meet him at a tender age of 2. He loves to sing to Barney songs and he answers to "Sino ang guwapo?" with "Aku".
Kuya Rommel's youngest son, Felix, is another adorable kid. A new addition to the family, a year and a half older than Matthew, but a lot smaller. He is the Hulk and Spiderman rolled into one Smeagol (his dad's pet name for him).
During this trip, we met our soon-to-be addition to the family-- Angel, my nephew RD's fiance. She's lovelier in person than her photos on facebook. I'm so glad that I was instrumental in fixing some misunderstandings between her and some of my siblings. A wedding is set...August 2014!
Got to see Ate Adi, Kuya Toti, Adrielle Marie, Jeena Dae, and Anita. They brought some food while Kuya rommel made some bulalo and ate Macy made some bloodless dinuguan...haha .
Speaking of food, we were pampered at both houses. Ate Cora's cooking was so identical to my mother's cooking that every bite brought me back during those times she was cooking for us. They were delicious! Ate Cora is my mama's protegee. Erwin's wife-- Joan, is also another great cook! She made everything from crispy pata and lumpia to kare-kare, etc. Jessica and I were so pampered!
December 30, Leaving my family back home was so sad. We had it in two parts-- bye to Erwin and family at MOA after his birthday celebration, I cried a river there. We did not get to say goodbye to Mickey (performing as organist), ate Macy, Marc, and Felix, they had to stay home while Kuya Rommel took us to the airport. At the airport, everyone else saw us off, including Angel. I will never forget my last glimpse of them...the last time I looked back and saw them all lined up, next to each other, looking at us...with tears rolling down their cheeks. I LOVE THEM ALL!
December 31, we arrived in SFO. We're back home...Papa picked us up. Missed Cloud, he stayed home. He was soooo happy to see us back home! Happy that we're home on New Year's eve as planned, but my heart still aches and longs for my family back in the Philippines. Jessica and I plan to go back in 3 years-- 2016!
Below is the summary of the past three years.
Year 2011- Since early December of 2010, Jessica and I started baking. Along with my love of cooking, she and I started bonding while making sweet treats to eat and share with others. The recipients were happy and they gave us great feedback! Then, in early January 2011, Jessica and I had an idea about baking for charity. JessiCakes Project is the name coined for this non-profit project. Jessica and started this while she was in high school.
The responses were great and we found ourselves taking orders not only from family and friends, but those who are friends and families of our family and friends. JessiCakes Project was launched on Facebook on January 4, 2011. Naturally, as we took on more orders, the more we got busier. I was still able to do my writing gigs, but not as much as I used to. The baking gig was doing much better in terms of income and it also served its purpose in helping others; therefore, it took precedence over writing. So, while I took on fewer writing assignments, the money was still coming in at a stable pace with baking.
August 18, 2011, my youngest brother's son-- Matthew, was born.
More on writing versus baking later on...
Although, I provide the foundation and the backbone that JessiCakes Project was built on, it's Jessica who is the heart of this non-profit organization. She's the CEO, so a lot of her input counted. She also had a lot of say on the design and taste. My husband, Patrick, was a great help as well. He helps make the delivery boxes for the cakes that don't fit in the normal boxes available in retail shops. He is also helps in the shipping and delivery of the goods. More importantly, he is a taste-tester. He's offered constructive criticisms that helped us hone our skills to make our baked goodies not only look better, but, more importantly, taste better.
In December 2011, Jessica applied at 5 different colleges and universities.
Year 2012 - This year started off with a bit of joy, which turned into sadness a few weeks later. We've done our usual New Year celebration by turning on the lights in each room at our Oakley home. Then, proceeded to greeting our dogs in the garage. Little did we expect that the New Year 2012, would be the last time we will have with Angel, our dearly beloved female mixed black lab. She has been with us since 1999. She had moved to several homes with us. Oakley, was her last home.
It's sad that, on the morning of January 28, she was still okay, and then she died that late afternoon. I remember crying a lot. She's been a friend. I also felt bad she had to stay out in the garage because she had been messing up inside the house due to old age. We cannot have that kind of "mess" while baking at home. So, I felt bad that she had to die in that kind of condition-- in a cage that she hated so much. That time that Angel died, Jessica also preparing for her finals. She felt bad about not paying too much attention to Angel that day. She often interacted with her and played with her, but she had just be so busy...and nobody, no one ever thought this would happen that day. I think that's how death is...it comes like a thief in the night...when you least expect it. I also felt bad that I had not interacted with her that day. It was Patrick who interacted with her that morning and he was also the one who found her lifeless body that early evening. We took her to the Vet, where her remains was taken cared of and sent to Napa for cremation.
Angel's ashes are now in a box displayed in our family room.
Life goes on...
Jessica passed her tests with flying colors. She also received acceptance letters from the colleges she applied to. Saint Mary's College, Mills College, UC Davis, UC Berkeley, and University of the Pacific. By late March, she opted to go to UC Davis for her pre-med-- majoring in Genetics. The UC Davis Biological Sciences was ranked 9th in the nation in 2012, and ranked 8th in 2013.
In March, my youngest brother, Erwin, was ordained at Paco, Metro Manila. It was the best day ever for the whole family. I couldn't attend, but alll of my other siblings were able to witness this joyous and blessed occasion.
On May 24, Jessica graduated with Dean's High Honor list from California Virtual Academy. The graduation was held at the Vacaville Performance & Arts Center. It's funny, before she graduated from High School, we signed our contract for our new place in Vacaville, where we decided to move to while Jessica attends college in nearby Davis, which is only 18 minutes away. She did not want to stay at the dorm, and, frankly, nor did her dad and I.
The move...
By mid-June 2012, our new home in Vacaville was ready for final walk-through. Luckily, we have already had a signed lease agreement with our tenants in our Oakley home. We plan on returning since Patrick's family are all in Oakley, besides, who can sell those days? The market value of our Oakley home is under water since the market has not fully recovered yet. Great news though...our tenants are awesome!
We also sold a lot of our properties. Moving from 4,200 sqft 5BR/4.5BA/3CAR home to a 2,340 sqft 4BR/2.5BA/2CAR home has its disadvantages-- all our stuff wouldn't fit, so downsizing was inevitable. We held a series of weekend garage sales to get rid of a lot of our stuff. I sold some items on Facebook that generated a lot of interests from my friends. I used Craigslist too! Those that we could not sell, we donated to Goodwill and some were handed down to friends and family. We made money that helped in our move. Our tenants' lease started August 1st, but we let them move in a week before.
We started moving late June, so moved our stuff little by little in July and had a big move 2 weeks before we turned over the keys to the tenants. New home new beginning... As always, a new move is both exciting and stressful. Loads of items to unpack. Our boxes remained unopened for a couple of weeks. Then, Jessica had to prepare for College life. It was to be her last summer, but she spent it moving and helping us prepare our new home. It's okay for her because all of these are for her. This is Jessica's home.
Fast-forward to Fall of 2012, when Jessica officially became a college freshman. Lots of challenges compared to High School. She had some adjusting to do. It's her toughest quarter, but she pulled through with God's help. She continued as a choir member at church and helped as much as she could with JessiCakes Project, which we continued at our new place. In 2012, I probably only wrote one article per month, mostly doing Yahoo articles only. November 2012 was presidential elections. First time that Jessica voted after turning 18 in November.
Year 2013 -
The year started off well. We attended the special worship service held at the Billy Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco along with thousands of faithfuls from near and around Northern California. Bro. Eduardo V. Manalo, the Church of Christ's Executive Minister, officiated the special service. Receiving this wonderful blessing at the start of the New Year was one of the highlights of 2013.
On January 4, only few days after the special gathering, another family pet had left us. Rex, a mixed German-Rottweiller, who we adopted from an SPCA in Suisun, died barely a year after Angel's death. He was almost 12 years old. Rex was the gentle giant. He was a very good boy. Never gave us any headaches and was an excellent guard dog. We had him cremated in Suisun, near where we adopted him. It's like he just went home. His ashes are in a special box near Angel's box that we keep in our family room.
May 1, my youngest brother, Erwin, earned his master's degree in education, (M.A.Ed), from New Era University. He graduated with a flat grade of 1.0, which is the highest score, and received the Best in Thesis award.
May 5, JessiCakes Project received its permit from the County of Solano. It's also registered as a business under my name. JessiCakes Project is now a for profit business, which is operated legally in our home's kitchen.
June-August, Jessica attended her first Summer class at UC Davis. September, Fall Session sophomore started for Jessica.
In September, my husband's Uncle Pert gave Jessica his 2004 Mercedes Benz E500, which was the same car we leased from Mercedes Benz years ago. He paid off the balance in 2006 and took over its title. He wanted Jessica to have a nice car. He was so proud of her and wanted her to become a full pledge doctor. We sold the car to Carmax in Fairfield for $7000 in early November. We used to money to purchase tickets and pocket money to the Philippines. We got Jessica a 2008 Cadillac SRX from Mercedes Benz of Fairfield after we got a pre-approval from our credit union to reconstruct the Ford Expedition and Cadillac to equal the monthly payment of Ford Expedition. It allowed us to get Jessica a newer car that is easier and cheaper to maintain. Uncle Pert passed away three months later.
December 13- December 31 - Jessica and I went to the Philippines. I had not been back in 10 years. I've been trying to for several years; but, due to many expenses incurred in moving and Jessica's tuition fees, the trip never happened. Thank goodness for Uncle Pert's generosity and for Jessica's kindness in letting go of a car in order for us to make this memorable trip. It was truly priceless!
We took Asiana Airlines, which was the cheapest available at $1267 pp in economy. They have excellent service, no wonder they were voted Best Airline for the last 5 years now. The food was great. We enjoyed our stay at the Transit Hotel in Seoul. South Korea. We stayed there both ways.
Our stay at my family's home in Alaminos, Laguna was memorable as well. Jessica was able to bond with her cousins, uncles, and aunties. We had so much fun. We also stayed with my brother Erwin's condo near Templo Central for a few days. We had our Pasalamat (Year end Thanksgiving Service) at Templo Central in English (11:00AM). What a blessing to attend it there. Jessica was in such awe.
December 27, for Erwin's 35th birthday, I treated the family to a nice restaurant in MOA (Mall of Asia). My younger sister, Beh, found this nice place with the view that became more spectacular at night because we had the front seat to the fireworks! Too bad, Kuya Rommel was tied up in a meeting; therefore he and his family could not join us. Joseph was infuriated because he wanted us to be together and take a family portrait.
I was able to spend an hour with my best friend from High School, Jane Bleza. We exchanged gifts. Glad she was able to join us for dinner, if only for a short time. We haven't seen each other for 28 years. A lot of my high school friends were a bit disappointed for not seeing me. But, what can I do? Jessica and I were sick the first week of our stay and I had to leave Erwin's place a day early.
During the trip, we finally got to meet Erwin's cute son Matthew, who we all fondly call-- Matthew the Destroyer. That boy loves Barney! He always has a smile on his face. What a happy baby! Glad to meet him at a tender age of 2. He loves to sing to Barney songs and he answers to "Sino ang guwapo?" with "Aku".
Kuya Rommel's youngest son, Felix, is another adorable kid. A new addition to the family, a year and a half older than Matthew, but a lot smaller. He is the Hulk and Spiderman rolled into one Smeagol (his dad's pet name for him).
During this trip, we met our soon-to-be addition to the family-- Angel, my nephew RD's fiance. She's lovelier in person than her photos on facebook. I'm so glad that I was instrumental in fixing some misunderstandings between her and some of my siblings. A wedding is set...August 2014!
Got to see Ate Adi, Kuya Toti, Adrielle Marie, Jeena Dae, and Anita. They brought some food while Kuya rommel made some bulalo and ate Macy made some bloodless dinuguan...haha .
Speaking of food, we were pampered at both houses. Ate Cora's cooking was so identical to my mother's cooking that every bite brought me back during those times she was cooking for us. They were delicious! Ate Cora is my mama's protegee. Erwin's wife-- Joan, is also another great cook! She made everything from crispy pata and lumpia to kare-kare, etc. Jessica and I were so pampered!
December 30, Leaving my family back home was so sad. We had it in two parts-- bye to Erwin and family at MOA after his birthday celebration, I cried a river there. We did not get to say goodbye to Mickey (performing as organist), ate Macy, Marc, and Felix, they had to stay home while Kuya Rommel took us to the airport. At the airport, everyone else saw us off, including Angel. I will never forget my last glimpse of them...the last time I looked back and saw them all lined up, next to each other, looking at us...with tears rolling down their cheeks. I LOVE THEM ALL!
December 31, we arrived in SFO. We're back home...Papa picked us up. Missed Cloud, he stayed home. He was soooo happy to see us back home! Happy that we're home on New Year's eve as planned, but my heart still aches and longs for my family back in the Philippines. Jessica and I plan to go back in 3 years-- 2016!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
