What's all the fuss?

It's December 6 and I'm one of those people with schedules suddenly filled up, had to decline meetings and appointments because I need to finish work before Christmas. I was led into the frantic mode as the year comes to an end. There are still tasks to complete: project charters for next year to submit, my school project and the final exam coming, endless last minute training schedules to finalize, add to that my hubby and sons birthdays coming up and my in-laws are coming over the holidays, lots of shopping lists and what to give that will be acceptable....Phew! Just thinking about it makes me anxious and what-if scenarios are floating in my mind.

Stop! I had to pray to clear up my mind to get the right perspective, Gods perspective. Jesus Christ birthday is coming up, that's the only thing that I need to think about.  As I was wrapping the presents we bought today, I thought about the journey of Joseph and Mary to Bethlehem and the simplicity of that night. The night God gave His only son to save the world. I was so guilty of being materialistic and spending so much time to think about the gifts to give and wait for the fulfillment of the receiver expectations.  I realized about how my mortal body responds to the worldly need of 'getting for giving' something, the thought of gift giving has come to a different level, it has become selfish - I'm sure you also used the word "Wish List".  You tend to give so that you fulfill the desires of your own flesh.

The first gift of love that was supposed to be our pattern for gift-giving happened on that night in Bethlehem.  God gave selflessly, in a simple, no-frills manger.  I can't believe that until now, not all humankind recognize or accept that gift. They don't even know Jesus personally and His purpose, why He even came to this world.  Blame it on us who are focused more on attending parties, exchanging gifts and fulfilling our own desires, who didn't want to slow down and respond to the real concept of Christmas.

God's love is everywhere - His forgiveness, mercy, kindness, faithfulness and patience in us. What other great time to celebrate this love than on Christmas? I hope we realize that instead of being frantic we try reconnecting and sharing God's message with our families and loved ones. Real JOY, PEACE and LOVE that comes from the true reason of the season - CHRIST.

The next time we wrap a present, let's not worry about how the recipient will react, it's the thought that counts. What's important is that we believe that Christ was born on earth and the Word became flesh and God's gift of salvation is more important to accept than any other gifts. God bless you and your family today.

From Empty to Full

How time flies, it's the year end and I couldn't even add more posts to this blog. I still want to capture and share valuable information here. I just remembered what we discussed during the last bible study. Pastor asked us what is the happiest and saddest Christmas celebration we had. My answer was the time when we didn't celebrate it. This happened when my dad just started to work as a temp and I had  only one sibling. I was very excited when he came home on Christmas Eve because I thought that he brought food and gifts. But he came empty-handed, I asked, "Paano na ang pasko? (How are we going to celebrate Christmas?) My mom just told me to sleep, "Matulog ka na! Walang pasko." So I was disappointed and asked dad, "bakit walang fried chicken?" This is his reply, "kahit walang handa, may pasko, ipinanganak si Hesus." (even though we didn't have food on the table, Christmas is still here, Christ was born).

He was teary-eyed when he asked us to pray and the prayer goes something like this. "Dear God, sana po Eto na ang una at Huling pagkakataon na wala kmi pag Pasko.  Salamat po sa inyong anak na si Hesus." (Dear God, let this be the first and last time that we won't have any at Christmas. Thank you for your son Jesus Christ).  Before I slept, I cried because I didn't have any gifts, but I also learned at a very young age how to be full when you're empty. I think that's the first time that I prayed hard too, from my heart. I believe that God comforted me and I was able to sleep. When I woke up, I have a Christmas stocking with chocolate coins in them. I think a neighbour gave it. That simple gesture made a small girl happy.  I knew that my prayer worked and that God is really true.

Indeed, my dad's prayer was answered. The following year, blessings upon blessings arrived in our household.  Mom gave birth to a very cute Wendy,  Dad was hired full time at United Laboratories (a very progressive and generous company) and on the Christmas Eve of that year, Dad brought a very big Christmas basket with lots of goodies in it like ham! cheese! chocolate, spaghetti everything you need to complete a Noche Buena feast. My wishes came true and God granted our prayer because we never had an empty table on Christmas ever since. God was very good because more blessings came not only that year but year after year until now.  God is really faithful to our family and we are forever grateful.

So if you think you are empty, do not lose hope. God will make it full. Just believe.

Christmas Greeting 2013

May the gift of Faith
The Blessing of Hope and
The Peace of His Love
Be yours this Christmas and Always.

From our family to yours. Merry Christmas!

Digital greeting created with Smilebox

Merry Christmas 2012

There's so much to blog but I don't have time to post anything. I just wanted to share the Christmas Greeting Card that I sent to family and friends which is timely because it's almost Christmas. Merry Christmas to all and may you experience the true meaning of Christmas - "Christ" -> God's love today and everyday.

Happy 11th Birthday to my firstborn. The eleven years were so meaningful and I will cherish them always. To my son Aloysius, thank you for giving me that chance to be a mother. I may not be the perfect mom, but I will try my best to teach you the things you ought to learn in order to become a person of great value and purpose, not only for this world but more so for God. We love you Aloysius.

Merry Christmas! Happy Birthday Jesus!

I got this from Nhel Miranda's Facebook Wall and I agree with her and I felt that it deserves a space in my blog so here it is:

“X” means wrong…in expressing our greetings by writing an “X” in place of the name of CHRIST in the word CHRISTMAS is totally wrong; JESUS CHRIST is the righteous (1 John 2:1); and it is HIS birth that we are celebrating this time of the year…so please do not replace CHRIST with an “X”…let us give HIM the honor HE truly deserves.

It was a busy week prior to today. I enjoyed the parties, food and being with friends and family. There were a few gatherings in the Philippines that I was able to join virtually thru webcam and skype; Boy,I am so glad to see my family back home. I miss them actually.

Today, I prepared Christmas dinner as early as 6 am to brine the turkey. I think I was standing the whole day and busied myself in the kitchen. The Mabini kids arrived before dinner and we had a Bible Study to honor the celebrant - Jesus Christ. Anyway, it's been a while since we had a bible study with these kids; it was at their place in Rochefort where we all started with their mom - Regina facilitating and guiding us with God's words.

We had fun starting because we can't decide on the Praise and Worship song, whether it's with Christmas theme or just plain worship songs, we had a couple then we started reading in 2 Kings 4:8-37. I was so happy that after reading my son Aloysius asked questions. That means he listened intently and I hope he was blessed. The story of the Shunemite Woman and God's faithfulness will forever be etched in our hearts. We were blessed on Christmas Eve.

Of course, the celebration is not complete without food. So after feeding our minds with God's words, we feast on the Turkey, Sotanghon, Potatoes, Pasta and Salad plus sweets. They all loved the turkey..the recipe is in here if you want to try it. This time, I used cooked rice stuffing with chopped pimiento, carrots, bacon bits sprinkled with salt and pepper and butter. They said, my version is delicious, not bland or malansa.

What is Christmas without Christ?

I feel sad everytime I see people putting an x in place of Christ when signing a greeting card or gift card.

Let us not skip Christ this Christmas. Here's Kutless "This is Christmas" video and lyrics...Let the song move you.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

When I was in grade school, we always have a project called Paper Poinsettia before Christmas. We used red crepe paper cut in the shape of each petal. Then we paste 2 pieces together with thin wire and tied 5-6 petals with yellow 'nectar' to form one flower. The last step is to wrap the stem with green crepe paper to complete the project. We need at least 3 flowers to submit to the teacher. It was fun doing it but sometimes when the red and green color of the crepe paper stays in my hand even after washing them, I wished I could just buy a real poinsettia to bring to school.

Now that we have our own home and Christmas is just around the corner, I thought of the poinsettia. I wanted a real Poinsettia on our foyer to welcome guests and remind them that Christmas is here. We saw pots of them on sale here and we didn't have second thoughts on buying it. Here's how it looked on our console table:





We have put up our Christmas tree and assembled the Christmas village in our living room. Lito and the kids wanted to include Thomas the Train so the village was completed with rail tracks. Our holiday has started, celebration of the kids and Lito's birthday and Christmas parties to come. It's going to be a busy season.

"All I need to see standing by my Christmas tree"

Merry Christmas in New York amidst a blizzard

We were celebrating Christmas in New York City with Irvin and Faye when a blizzard came. We have been in Canada for 16 months but we haven't experienced such a snow storm. Still the kids enjoyed playing in the snow.

Christmas celebration 2010 and Miggy Turns 9

Wall Art as gifts

I went to the mall today and I could hear christmas carols playing. I'm so excited to browse thru the stores to look for gifts to buy. Although I already know who am i giving gifts to, I haven't decided on anything yet. Nothing tickles my fancy either so I will do some online shopping for unique (and value-for-money) gifts.

Last week, I bought this item as gift to my sister-in-law and she was so happy with it. The delivery was fast too. I originally wanted this item but it was out of stock when I wanted to buy a wall art. I chanced upon this again last week and thought of giving it to my sister and brother in law for Christmas. It was perfect for their new house. The watercolor design looked like it was freshly painted and the 3 continuous frames in vivid colors match any room my sister in law wishes to display them. The value is too good to be true. It costs $100 per frame in other stores. I will buy this again for our own house.

You will see more of wall art from my favorite online store. They make great gifts this Christmas.

Christmas Celebrations

We spent our first Christmas here with Irvin and Faye. They arrived from New York City a little after lunch while I was still busy preparing our Noche Buena. Good thing my bbq and Spaghetti Carbonara were cooked right in time for their late lunch. The kids enjoyed opening the gifts after dinner. Oh, I almost forgot, we had sumptous dinner - Baked Salmon, Potato Salad, BBQ and the remaining pasta from early birthday celebration of Miggy. He just turned 8 today. Of course, the Chocolate Brownie cake was our finale after Miggy blew the candles. Miggy enjoyed decorating his cake and the cupcakes too. Here are some of the photos in our first Christmas in Toronto:




On Christmas day, we went to Mississauga to visit Tito Nilo, Neil and Keli. We had late Turkey lunch because we arrived late. It was raining, Lito and I had to take TTC. Faye cooked Mechado and I prepared Baked Macaroni as our potluck share. We were full when we left the table but still had room for fondue. The kids enjoyed their gifts. Lex had fun too.

Christmas Greetings

Merry Christmas to all. May we all remember the reason for the season.



Hope you also enjoy this:

Make a Smilebox slideshow

My adorable kids

Finally, we had our portrait taken last Monday. This is supposedly for the Christmas greeting cards that we will be sending out but last Monday was the earliest schedule we could get for the appointment at the studio. We arrived early and Lex slept while waiting. Good thing, he was in a good mood when he woke up and when it's time to pose. Here are my adorable kids in their Christmas clothes (ika nga sa Pinas, naka-pamasko, hehehe):

Early Christmas Party at the Church

We had fun at our first Christmas party here. Not only was the service very inspiring, but the fun and caramaderie we had at the games made our day. Too bad, we were advised to continue our celebration because the evening service has already started upstairs. Here are our some of our photos:


With our Pastor


The Kids and my Sunday School Class (all those in front) while they were rendering a song

While still in our party clothes, we had pictures taken at our tree


..and the kids couldn't wait for their gifts to be opened.

Toronto attractions and itineraries for our Winter Holiday

My brother-in-law and his wife (Irvin and Faye) will be celebrating the holidays with us in our First Christmas here in Toronto and we're all excited. I've been busy with the menu planning, naks, feeling like a good cook haha but I'm now done with that and I've started to research on the things to do and places to go to while they are here.

This will be a spoiler to them sorry ha, but I need to put this here in my blog for reference that others can use and for relatives or friends coming over in the future. Here are the Toronto's Top Destinations:

CN Tower
The CN Tower is Toronto's tallest and most defining landmark. Photos of Toronto are often defined by the building stretching more than 550 metres into the sky. We are taking advantage of the Citypass booklet and this must-see destination is included. Per the Attractions experience, we can visit the Look Out Level (1,136 feet), test our nerve on the Glass Floor to see everything from 1,122 feet and choose either "The height of excellence" film or the motion theatre ride. I guess Miggy would want the latter, hehehe.

Casa Loma
This is a real castle in the heart of Toronto. It says in the guide that once inside, we can experience the elegance and splendour of the Edwardian era. We can explore the former home of Sir Henry Pellat, a Canadian financier featuring unique architecture. Its secret passageways, breathtaking towers, sweeping staircase, 800-foot tunnel, stables and 5-acre gardens continue to excite all ages.

Ontario Science Center
We just live in front of this destination and although we have been there several times, the kids never lose interest. The wonders of science continue to amuse them. The Omnimax theatre inside is another attraction but they have not changed the movie showing, Miggy says it's boring him.

Royal Ontario Museum
No trip to Toronto is complete without a visit to ROM, Canada's largest museum of world cultures and natural history. I hope it also has the dinosaurs so Miggy and Kyle will finally see them live, I mean the bones, hahaha.

Toronto Zoo
Voted "Favourite Toronto Attraction". The amazing zoo is the third largest zoo in the world. We will see more than 5000 animals displayed according to their geographic location. There are over 10 kilometers of stunning trails throughout 710 acres of land. Mahabang lakarin pala ito hahaha. Canada's premier zoo has five indoor pavilions and outdoor trails. Haay, I'm so excited for the kids. Oh, btw, they say that Polar Bears are now showing. I'm looking forward to this one!

The following is not included in the Citypass but is included in our itineraries:

Air Canada Centre
I wonder who's playing against the Raptors on the week after Christmas.

Hockey Hall of Fame
The Hockey Hall of Fame is a popular and entertaining facility that houses many interactive displays for both children and adults. It features a replica of the NHL dressing room, Broadcast Pods showing some of the most famous hockey games, and much more.

Harbourfront/Queen's Quay
Toronto's Harbourfront is one of North America's largest recreational waterfronts. It is near major attractions such as CN Tower; The Roger's Center; and the Air Canada Center. During winter, the Natrel Rink is open for ice skaters. This beautiful rink is located within the Harbourfront Centre grounds, a popular destination for festivals and concerts in the heart of the city’s downtown waterfront. On scheduled nights, we can skate while celebrity DJs are mixing their gig. I hope there are family programs too. Miggy can skate here weather permitting, skates are for rent for $7.


Nathan Philips Square
This is where the winter event The Cavalcade of Lights is being held and we look forward to seeing it. Nathan Philips Square is I believe the equivalent of Rockefeller in NYC. Miggy can also Ice skate here. I hope Irvin or Faye knows how to skate to accompany my son who suddenly become interested in this activity.

Yonge-Dundas Square
I have posted a separate entry in my other blog.

Other sites to see but I don't know how we could squeeze in our schedules; Chinatown, Cabbagetown, the Distillery, Kensington Market, Mackenzie House

This is it for now, I got tired in visiting these places in my mind, hahaha...more later..recharge and research first.

Christmas (Tree) is here

We were amazed at how expensive Christmas trees here are, and Lito was looking out for the "pre-christmas sale" to avail of discounts to get the tree without shelling out much. Good thing, he waited because an officemate of his asked him if he would be willing to accept an old Christmas tree that his parents are disposing. We were blessed to have received a lot of hand-me-downs like other new immigrants are taking advantage here. It was delivered this morning, a 6.5-ft tall tree with all the used ornaments and lights. Here in Canada, a used item doesn't look used or worn-out. The tree that we got still looks new and looks a lot better than what we have been planning to buy (the one we're eyeing is cheap, who wants to spend $200 for a tree?) When Lito set up the whole tree this afternoon, it looked really big and our apartment looked like a forest (LOL). So we had the bottom layer removed and only used the half and put it in our center table. It still looked big but we have space to move around and the table is perfect for the gifts. The ornaments that we got has 2 themes (red and gold, silver and blue), we used the red and gold first. The lights are still intact and seems like the heavy duty kind, not the cheap ones that we used to have and I'm very happy with the outcome after I decorated it. Now with the Christmas carols playing and the snow about to fall, we are ready for our first Christmas here in Canada.

Santa Claus Parade in Downtown Toronto

At last I can feel Christmas! I miss the early celebration in the Philippines where the Christmas Carols are being played in shopping malls and Christmas shopping is done as early as September. Today, we witnessed the Santa Claus Parade for the first time. This event is an annual thing here and the kids/kids at heart look forward to come and see this. The parade marks the start of the Christmas celebration here. It is supposed to start at 12:30 so we waited for at least an hour before we finally see the floats. Good thing, we found a nice spot at the corner of Yonge and Shuter in front of Eaton Centre. The kids enjoyed watching the marching bands, the clowns, the floats and of course, Santa Claus. Oh btw, the Heritage marching band from the Philippine community is really good. I feel proud. I have here some of our photos. Alexus was wearing a Santa suit that's why in the video (oops sorry, only my FB friends can view in my FB profile, cannot post here),Santa was pointing to him. He doesn't know this yet but he will be happy when he finds out once he can understand. On our way home, Miggy and Kyle were still excited, talking about the floats they saw and cheered on the parade. I heard their favorites were Mr and Mrs. Potato Head, the Gingerbread house, Santa's workshop, Barbie and the three musketeers, Clifford, Handy Manny, the polar bear of Coke and also the clowns who exchange high fives with them and gave them goodies. It was indeed another memorable weekend.
Taken in front of Sears with the mascot

Irmee and Lex in Santa suit while waiting for the floats





At Yonge-Dundas Square after the parade

In front of Rogers Building in Bloor
Forty days until Christmas and the temperature's dropping too. Look at me, wearing winter gear and feeling cold as if winter when it's still fall hahaha.
HOHOHO! Merry Christmas