poor rex!

my mother had to rush today to bacolod to attend to my brother, Rex, who had an appendectomy just this afternoon. poor Rex! being all alone in bacolod, my brother had really no one to rely on but our mom.

mom's itinerary includes also a trip to bogo, our hometown in cebu. she plans to visit my ailing grandmother, who's still recovering from her hip fracture. i think she's also dropping by because it's my lola's birthday on the 3rd of march.

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i was typing our missalette this morning using MS Publisher. it was really a breeze because you can format the publication into a booklet. since, in a booklet, the pages are not printed chronologically in one sheet, i had no idea how to go about it if i just used MS Word. with Publisher, however, they automatically do that for you. all you need to do is just encode whatever text you have. really a big convenience!

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got this poem from Mik's blog. my sentiments too... :(

Today is Sunday, and you are holding your ticket instead
Of my hand and traveling the short distance between
“Arrival” and “Departure,” the broken wing of a line-Please
stay-caged in my throat, the flight of words terrified of heights.

good news

for a while, we have been worrying if it was really possible for us to get married civilly in august without being so stressed about the waiting period for the issuance of our marriage license. normally it takes around 10 days before the municipal hall gives it to you. but since joseph will only be here for 2 weeks, we weren't quite sure if we could accomplish everything within that period of time.

we got word today though from joseph's friend-cum-lawyer that i can apply for our marriage license without joseph's presence. this is possible because we secured a special power of attorney from him before joseph left for oz in january. now i can do things related to wedding preps in joseph's behalf. i am so relieved!

i plan to apply for the license some time first week of august so that we can get married as soon as joseph comes home on the 18th of the same month. this lessens our troubles a whole lot. now, we can devote the rest of the fortnight to more bonding time and other wedding preps (measurement-taking and pre-cana). can't wait!

10 months to go...

our countdown says there are only 300 days 'til our big day. that's practically 10 months away. wish i could press some fast forward button to bring us closer to that important moment in our lives. but then again, it's the preps that make the whole thing a worthwhile and memorable experience.

stuff to do

looking back on the things that i've accomplished for the coming wedding, i realize that i still have a lot of stuff to do for the big day.

here are just some of what i still need to finish:

*decide on a color motif/theme. i am still clueless. we're choosing between tiffany blue/silver/yellow (or seafoam green) and wine red/forest green/matte gold. didn't realize it would be this mind-boggling.

* book a make-up artist. my OTD told me to book real early because our wedding date falls on peak season. i'm considering barbi chan for her air-brush make-up.

* decide on a hairstyle. i'm contemplating still on whether to have an up-do or a half-do. i'm a bit inclined to get the half-do (see picture on left) because i have this unsightly birthmark on my neck. need to cover that up badly! some big curls on the ends would probably be nice as well, for a softer look. ;)

* request for our NSO birth certificates

* secure Aussie visa requirements

well, these are just some that i've remembered. i may have left out a few other things though.

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it's been a pretty long week for me. i had to work for 4 straight days because of the holiday tomorrow. that meant that i had NO middle-of-the-week break because i had to reschedule all my friday patients to wednesday of this week. well, at least, i'll be having a really long weekend. sarap! :D

humanmetrics

i am a fan of personality tests, in the hope of understanding myself and other people more.

joseph referred me to the humanmetrics site, which, to our surprise, was very accurate! really cool! i found out i'm an introvert sensing feeling judging (ISFJ) individual. how about you? what type are you?

this little piggy...

i was blog-hopping again and was tripping on the "next blog" link that you see in the upper right-hand corner of your screen.

i ended up with a blog by lisa of the UK. she had this really cute link. click on the little piggy to de-stress. ;)

patient deluge

there's a been a large number of referrals that i've gotten lately from our rehab doctors. when i say large, i mean i'm running out of slots for these new patients. i can hardly fit them into my oh-so-super tight schedule. i've even opened up another day just to accomodate these poor people but they just keep on pouring in.

it's probably the time of the year. there's always a huge influx of new patients after the holidays (maybe from all that partying?!) and most especially during the summer.

you might say, "what is this girl complaining about? more patients mean more moolah!" but hey, if you look at the other side of the coin, it also means that more and more people are getting sick. that isn't good news at all.

i guess my only saving grace is to get extra help so that all these patients can be accomodated. i'm still on the look-out though. :(

on wedding preps and other matters...

i was blog-hopping a few minutes ago when i dropped by tin (ni roland)'s blog. they've pretty much accomplished everything already and they are on schedule in their preps.

in our case, things tend to come in waves, like when we booked our major suppliers. joseph and i were in a frenzy during the christmas break meeting with all our possible suppliers. now, i don't have anything to do yet since the wedding is still in august (civil) and in december (church). pretty long way to go.

i suppose with the visa application coming up after the civil wedding, i need to gather all these documents/proofs that a really genuine relationship exists between joseph and me. with all our chats online, i guess we'll be presenting hundreds of pages. i better start printing them out immediately!

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there's going to be long weekend this coming week since the 25th is a non-working holiday. i'll be meeting up with friends (my colleagues) for a little send-off lunch for our friend janet. she's leaving for the states for a vacation. we'll be missing her, that's for sure.

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i'm quite excited about the major changes in my life that are to take place this year and the next. not only am i having my civil status changed, i'm also migrating to a whole new different place. i love travelling and seeing new places so i'm really looking forward to this. it can be really scary, come to think of it because the culture there is unlike ours. but with my husband-to-be by my side (god, i'm glad he's pinoy!), i'll be okay.

i'll probably have that famous aussie twang in the years to come. hehe! now that's cool. ;)

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i visited my OB yesterday for my monthly dose of medication for my endometriosis. turns out he wasn't going to be the one to inject me with it. he got somebody else to cover for him. according to his secretary, he has been confined for almost two weeks now for reasons which have not been disclosed to us. poor doc! must have been his hectic lifestyle that got to him.

i find it quite ironic. you know, being a doctor and all. they say, doctors are the most difficult patients to deal with. no offense to anyone in the medical profession ha.

anyway, i hope he gets well soon. from this experience, i hope he realises that his health is more important than anything else.

in heat!

is it me (and my medications) or is it just the weather? i noticed that it's been terribly and quite unusually hot and humid the past few days. don't tell me the summer season has already started. initially i thought i was just having hot flashes (side-effect of my medication for endometriosis). but it turns out everyone has felt it too.

today was particularly awful. when i arrived at work this morning, my co-therapist, Hazel, informed me that there was a brown-out. unfortunately for us, the generator cannot accomodate the power demand of all the offices in the hospital so we were stuck with our one and only electric fan.

all my patients for today were kids so that meant that i had to perform the mat exercises with them. i was really sweating it out! the heat must have been really overpowering as i still felt so hot even when the electricity came back.

i am soooo drained with all the heat, humidity and fatigue. this calls for a cold shower. if only they allowed us to wear spaghetti strap blouses and shorty shorts at work! hehe! that would be the day.

i'm a prophet soul...

You are a Prophet Soul

You are a gentle soul, with good intentions toward everyone. Selfless and kind, you have great faith in people. Sometimes this faith can lead to disappoinment in the long run. No matter what, you deal with everything in a calm and balanced way.

You are a good interpreter, very sensitive, intuitive, caring, and gentle. Concerned about the world, you are good at predicting people's feelings. A seeker of wisdom, you are a life long learner looking for purpose and meaning. You are a great thinker and communicator, but not necessarily a doer.

Souls you are most compatible with: Bright Star Soul and Dreaming Soul

What Kind of Soul Are You?

excerpt from purpose-driven life

Don't date because you are desperate.
Don't marry because you are miserable.
Don't have kids because you think your genes are superior.
Don't philander because you think you are irresistible.

Don't associate with people you can't trust.
Don't cheat. Don't lie. Don't pretend.
Don't dictate because you are smarter.
Don't demand because you are stronger.

Don't sleep around because you think you are old enough and know better.
Don't hurt your kids because loving them is harder.
Don't sell yourself, your family, or your ideals. Don't stagnate!

Don't regress.
Don't live in the past. Time can't bring anything or anyone back.
Don't put your life on hold for possibly Mr/Mrs Right. Don't throw your life away on absolutely Mr Wrong because your biological clock is ticking.

Learn a new skill.
Find a new friend.
Start a new career.
Sometimes, there is no race to be won. Only a price to be paid for some of life's more hasty decisions.

To terminate your loneliness, reach out to the homeless.
To feed your nurturing instincts, care for the needy.
To fulfill your parenting fantasies, get a puppy.
Don't bring another life into this world for all the wrong reasons.

To make yourself happy, pursue your passions and be the best of what you can be.
Simplify your life. Take away the clutter. Get rid of destructive elements: abusive friends, nasty habits, and dangerous liaisons.
Don't abandon your responsibilities but don't overdose on duty.

Don't live life recklessly without thought and feeling for your family.
Be true to yourself.
Don't commit when you are not ready.
Don't keep others waiting needlessly.

Go on that trip. Don't postpone it.
Say those words. Don't let the moment pass.
Do what you have to, even at society's scorn.

Write poetry.
Love Deeply.
Walk barefoot.
Dance with wild abandon.
Cry at the movies.

Take care of yourself. Don't wait for someone to take care of you. You light up your life. You drive yourself to your destination. No one completes you - except YOU.

It is true that life does not get easier with age.
It only gets more challenging.
Don't be afraid. Don't lose your capacity to love.
Pursue your passions.

Live your dreams.
Don't lose faith in your God.
Don't grow old. Just grow YOU!

When you give someone your time, you are giving them a portion of your life that you'll never get back. Your time is your life. That is why the greatest gift you can give someone is your time. Relationships take time and effort, and the best way to spell love is T-I-M-E because the essence of love is not what we think or do or provide for others, but how much we give of ourselves.

~ Rick Warren, The Purpose Driven Life

musical tag

i've been tagged by tin (ni roland), a fellow w@wie.

random 10:
1. if i ain't got you - alicia keys
2. officially missing you - tamia
3. highways of my life - isley brothers
4. play me that song - d'sound
5. for you - kenny lattimore
6. don't change - musiq
7. you are the universe - brand new heavies
8. land of the loving - dianne reeves
9. let's get it started - BEP
10. my boo - usher and alicia keys

what is the total amount of music files in your computer?
right now, nil. i just had my pc reformatted. :(

the last CD you bought is...
hmm.. an mp3 collection of smooth slow jams.

what is the last song you listened to before this message?
do i need a reason by d'sound

write down 5 songs you listen to a lot or mean a lot to you:
1. do i need a reason - d'sound
2. land of the loving - dianna reeves
3. if i keep my heart out of sight - james taylor
4. the promise - martin nievera's version
5. if i ain't got you - alicia keys

who are you going to pass this tag to (3 persons)?
1. kate - my cousin who's also getting married in december
2. becky - my sister
3. mik - fellow w@wie and PBOZ

post valentine traumatic stress

I really feel bad about yesterday. I should have let the romantic in me take over even with all her pleadings for austerity. Its that one occasion in a year that a girl truly deserves the trappings of romance.

Like a true champ, Leah took everything in stride. She was all good humour about it but I know deep down there is disappointment. A single rose would have been enough but I was probably too dense to realise that.

I am not going to defend myself here. I just want to say sorry on bended knees. And for her to know that I owe her one. Big Time!

~ post by jopek

me and my big mouth

i was hoping to get something for today's very special occasion. well, i was really keeping my fingers crossed since i made it clear (quite clear, i should say!) to joseph that we shouldn't be so extravagant with gifts and just save the money for our upcoming wedding. of course, it was all drama (but with a certain truth to it) after finding out how much it had once costed him when he sent me two dozens of roses a few days after we officially became a couple.

so much for being dramatic and all. oh well... now i know... when you want something, be direct and straight to the point. :P

anyways, to continue my story, i felt a bit sad after coming home and finding out that i didn't get a measly single rose from my baby. everybody at home was teasing me, "you and your big mouth! you have nobody else to blame but yourself!" now, that pretty much made matters worse. not to mention that i felt that i was also coming down with the flu or something. sheesh! what a way to spend valentine's day!

and so i sent joseph another dramatic line, saying i wasn't feeling good (which is true!) and i wasn't up for chatting on skype. i was hoping that he would reply that we would call me via landline instead so i wouldn't have to sit in front of the PC anymore. he just replied with "sige rest ka na lang." that's it? by this time, my family was laughing. i promptly replied with a line that was a bit more direct. this time, i got a better answer.

i logged onto skype and right away i knew that he knew already how i truly felt about everything. that was good enough for me. of course, being the emotional person that i was, i shed a few tears. sigh! i miss the guy. i wish he was here or i was there. can't wait to see him in august.

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speaking of skype, we just started using this new program a few days ago. it's voice chat, but definitely better than YM, i should say. but since i'm on dial-up, the incidence of lags is inevitable, especially when you're also surfing the net simultaneously. i suppose if the other party and you are both on DSL, the quality is just like you're talking on the phone. and it's for free, mind you! that's the best part! :)

excerpts from Tuesdays with Morrie

"One afternoon, I am complaining about the confusion of my age, what is expected of me versus what I want for myself."

"Have I told you about the tension of opposites?" Morrie says.

"The tension of opposites?"

"Life is a series of pulls back and forth. You want to do one thing, but you are bound to do something else. Something hurts you, yet you know it shouldn't. You take certain things for granted even when you know you should never take anything for granted."

"A tension of opposites, like a pull on a rubber band. And most of us live somewhere in the middle."

"Sounds like a wrestling match, I say."

"A wrestling match." He laughs. "Yes, you could describe life that way."

"So which side wins, I ask?"

"Which side wins?"

"He smiles at me, the crinkled eyes, the crooked teeth."

"Love wins. Love always wins."

~ post by jopek

happy valentine's day

tomorrow is V-Day, but since it falls on the busiest day of the week and i have work (oks lang, wala naman sweetie ko eh... waaaaa!!!), i'm making this advanced V-Day post.

i was reading the sunday news this afternoon and saw an article by Margarita Holmes. she quoted a line by De Bernieres who wrote Captain Corelli's Mandolin. it was a good way of describing "love." here it goes...

Love is a temporary madness. It erupts then subsides. When it subsides, you have to make a decision. You have to work out whether your roots have so entwined together it is inconceivable you should ever part. Because that is what love is.

Love is not breathlessness... not the promulgation of eternal passion. That is just being "in love." Love itself is what is left over when being in love has burned away... Those that truly love have roots that grow toward each other, and when all the pretty blossoms have fallen from their branches, they find that they are one tree and not two.

sigh! i couldn't have said it any better. happy valentine's to all, especially to my baby. i miss my sweetie ... :(

luncheon meeting with PBOZ

i met up with some brides and soon-to-be brides who were also bound for australia. actually, it was the group's second meeting. our initial get-together was held last january 26, just before pam left for oz. today was the egroup's first official meeting. there were eight of us (trina, mik, macky, ethel, bevs, ela, minnie and me). quite a large number since i was only expecting around five people to show up.

it was great meeting them and knowing that i wasn't alone in going through all that migration stuff.

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speaking of migration, i was supposed to be with ethel and macky during the info session held at the australian embassy for migrant applicants. notice i used the words "supposed to be." obviously, i didn't get to join them. i was really running late for that appointment because i had to help out my younger brother dave with his project at school. imagine making a mold of his face using plaster of paris bandages. that took me an hour. then i had to rush and take a bath, which took me another 30 minutes. to make matters worst, i had trouble getting a ride to makati. traffic was terrible along ayala avenue. and to top it all off, the security guard/receptionist told me i wasn't on the list when i got to RCBC plaza. geez! how's that for bad luck?!

oh well... i guess my only consolation was ethel's reassurance that i didn't miss anything much since most of what they discussed during the session can all be found on the internet. sigh! there goes my 70 bucks... oh, and did i mention the blisters on my poor feet? damn those sandals!

vanessa's wedding

last saturday, i went to my friend's wedding in cavite. it was a pretty long ride from las piñas, where i spent the previous night at my other friend janet's house. we were almost late for the wedding as our ride (c/o janet's bf) was late. i guess God was with us because there wasn't any traffic on our way to cavite, save for a minute temporary halt at bacoor market near zapote.

the ceremony has held at the very quaint our lady of fatima church in binakayan, kawit, cavite. i loved the idea that the enormous statue of our lady was put "in" the church behind the altar via a large open window with matching man-made waterfalls which were simulataneously turned on as the couple took their place at the altar.

the reception was held at the river naiad. i wasn't as impressed at the place though. it looked like a residential lot that was converted into a venue for different occasions. the tables of the guests were all scattered out on the garden area, while the presidential table was placed on a somewhat stage with wooden planks as flooring. i really hated those planks because the heels of my stilettos got constantly stuck in the spaces in between. and to top it all off, before we left the venue, one heel got stuck and it took 3 people (men pa!) to get it out. it was totally embarassing!

it was a pretty hot afternoon, i tell you, but it was worth all the trouble. i'm sure vanessa and carlo are now happy in each others' arms.

love!

it's the love month and my sweetie is sooooo far away. it's going to be our first valentine's day as a couple and we're spending it miles apart. it's hard enough as it is and to make matters worse, you always see couples being sweet and all. it's as if they're intentionally making you green with envy! such is life! it ain't always fair... sigh!

then again, it could be all just hype with valentine's day coming. talk about commercialization.

love should be celebrated every day of the year. not just on valentine's day or any other special occasion. absolutely no exceptions!