i missed blogging!

But that's not the main reason I'm blogging right now.
I somehow feel this will be therapeutic for me. -- That is.

You see, I started my year with a heavy heart, not knowing I'll be ending it with an even heavier heart.
And since I'm no good in confiding, I might as well spill here; because I just might explode one day. All these bottled up feelings are literally giving me heartaches.

So, here it goes:
My cousin who I consider 'The Best', and the closest to me decided to work in Dubai.
I could swear my heart broke when I heard about it.
She, of all the people, needs the job overseas the least.
She's extremely blessed in all aspect, including financial. Both her parents are doctors.
Her dad, a maritime doctor; and her mom, running a clinic they own.
She claims it's her dream to work abroad; and wants to do it while young.
And albeit her happiness is my happiness, it's just hard to let her go.

I mean, Dubai isn't just an hour or two from the Philippines. It's hard not to worry about her.
Considering she's the only girl of her parents, I don't know how she managed to get their approval. I never gave mine!

I don't want her to feel bad, but this is just too much for me to bear.
Apparently, separations and goodbyes are not my thing. I'm really the worst at them.

Hence all this blabbering.

Amber's Candyland Party

Okay, being an aunt had always, always been a dream of mine.
But being the eldest in our family, that dream seemed so far, until of course, Amber, my sister's daughter came.
I could swear she's a dream come true for me.
Not that my daughter ain't.
But having to dote on a baby without worrying about tantrums, and all the downs that come with him/her, that's the dream!
Also, I have always fantasized being called 'tita' ever since I was in high school. Haha.

So, I knew I'd love her since day 1.

Which is why her 1st birthday was no joke.
We did exert some effort there. Haha.

I was very much involved. :))

Exhibit A: Invitations
From the brainstorming, to production, I was involved. The distribution, yeah, that was the mother :))


Exhibit B: Balloons
These candy balloons sure are perfect for the theme.
And I really did have fun making them.

Exhibit C: Cupcakes My sisters and I baked a bunch of cupcakes for the party. :)

Exhibit D: Dress
My favorite :)

Exhibit E: Embellishment
I felt like that cupcake was a necessity :))

Exhibit F: Tarp
My forever duty, I guess :))

Another one of my favorites:
The Cake
An extravagant gift from My Favorite Cousin ;)

My niece wasn't just showered with candies, but also with LOVE.

Undas

I have come to love Undas!
Undas or All Souls Day, though often celebrated during All Saints Day, is pretty much a family reunion to me.

It is customary to visit our Dearly Departed's remains on that day.








Dinner before going home

Got myself a new job! :))

My Favorite Cousin's Bribe: Starbucks :)

A Grand Grandparents' Day!

Usually, we spend Grandparents' Day at home.
Our cousins, together with their parents, would arrive at home with take-out foods.
Yep, one of the many perks of living with the granny! :))
This time is different though.
It was indeed "Grandparents' Day".

Our Paternal Matriarch decided to visit her late husband, our lolo.
Sure that was unusual.
The cemetery is an approximately 2-hour drive; we only get to visit twice a year at most: All-Saints Day, and death anniversary, if time permits.
But yes, she decided to visit him and give us a treat :))

Just to be clear: That's not our lolo over there.
We just found that pseudo grave hilarious :))

And the treat?

Oh, boy! Isn't Buffet 101 really a treat!

This one gave me a mark, btw.
They now and always remember me as the one who puked.
Though I could swear I didn't.
We all just thought I was going to :))

Fairy Party

We got invited to a fairy party!
Need I say more? :))



Tutus make me crazy!
That's why I just had to make them tutu fairy costumes.

Since I have always wanted a pair of barefoot sandals for her,
I made her one! :)

Making their tutus and flower crowns definitely was a pleasure to me.
Sure that was HARD!
My fingers got sore, in fact.
But I just loved how they turned out, and how they were a big hit!

My daughter won The Best Costume Award, even.

Jorgen von Strangle was present, btw.

My daughter's pixie dust was all over the place,
I shone bright like a diamond. 

My fairy got sick.

Aquanauts, We Were!

Scuba diving had always been a dream of mine.
Exploring the life underwater sure is something to dream of, right?

Unfortunately though, that is not something I could just do.
Or so it seemed.

As a present for my 24th birthday, My Favorite Cousin bought us tickets to Manila Ocean Park's Aquanaut Voyage.
I know, I know, I'm so blessed.



Thanks to Manila Ocean Park, marine life encounter is now possible in the city.












Of course, nothing beats the real thing.
But this one sure is good enough.

It was a brief but definitely memorable and treasured experience.

They never fail to make me the happiest.