My Kaleidoscope World…

As I sit here in front of the PC, my brother Rene just called to inform that my sis-in-law Jolana is now inside the labor room of Asian Hospital about to give birth, any moment from now, to the new addition to the Enriquez family, baby Andi short for Annika Denise. I could just imagine the mixed emotions they are going through right now. As I talked to him, I really felt excited and happy that the moment we have been waiting for has finally come.

To Baby Andi, WELCOME TO OUR FAMILY!!!! For several months, we have been viewing your 4D image ( you may view it too at my brother’s site www.renriquez.com or at jolana’s site www.renriquez.com/jolana) and now we just can’t wait to be there in Cavite to see you up close. From Uncle Hubert, Auntie Mabel, Kuya Jeremy and the most excited of all, Ate Frances

Our kids have their day off from school on Fridays. I embrace this kind of set-up since it means I get to  have more time to do my chores at home and  bond with the kids the whole day. Sometimes we spend our time biking around Eastland, swimming in the pool, playing at the playground, scrapbooking,  and doing whatever comes to mind. Sometime in August, we went to this internationally acclaimed Cirque Imago performance in one of the malls in town. I just love watching the amazement in Frances and  Jeremy’s faces as they witnessed the acrobatic moves of the performers.

Here’s Jeremy and Frances’ playtime pictures  with some of their friends from our neighborhood…

Jeremy playing with his Pokemon trading cards with his 6th grader friend, Kuya Inting…

And look who’s here…

The small boy from the other block… Baby Rujim!!!

Sheena and Frances playing big sisters to Rujim

Jeremy making funny faces to make Rujim laugh, but he seemed more puzzled with what Kuya Jeree was doing, hahaha!!

for posterity’s sake,hehehe…hey,where are you three looking at?

hmmm, what do we have here…were you crying my dear?

pa cute nga baby Kookiks

Frances Clare on her bike

Still not satisfied with their outdoor games, Jeremy and Frances continued playing hide and seek indoors. Frances was in panic trying to look for a hiding place while her kuya was the IT, she settled with this " not so conspicuous" place, the center of the living room under our towel, hahaha!!! It was’t so hard for Jeremy to look for her at all especially that she giggles so loudly…

undercover girl (",)

Awwww,cute!!!! I just couldn’thelp but take this shot of these two angels sleeping. Must have been very tired of their long day in school and playtime at home:)

Last Saturday, July 29, the Home-School Partnership Assembly of KFI-Life Educational Center was held. Jeremy’s works were displayed in there classroom along with his other classmates’ masterpieces. Too my surprise, Teacher Stella handed me this unexpected message in a bottle from my 5 year old son, Jeremy…

the bottle…

the message in a bottle

And here’s a heart card from Frances Clare too

To Frances and Jeremy, study hard and be good always. Thank you also for being God’s gift to Mama and Papa. We love you very much.

Love,

Mama and Papa

Last Sunday afternoon, just as everyone in the house was down to their siesta, my cousin, Joyce, got busy cleaning her sneakers at the laundry area. The deafening silence was broken by Joyce’s loudest shriek ever. We went down to find out what happened, even some neighbors came too. Only to find out that this green fella was the culprit. He was hiding inside one of the sneakers and peeped when the sneaker was being brushed…the more Joyce poked the mop’s handle, the more it went inside…until finally it went out of her beloved PE sneakers and rested beside Jeremy’s scooter.

here are pictures I got from that hilarious froggy afternoon…hehehe

click on the picture for a bigger version

What flavor are you?

I am one who treasures friendship so much; enjoys get-together with people who have been part of my past and present and have played significant roles in my life, reminiscing the good old times; and appreciate one’s effort in rekindling old ties. In fact, I love keeping tons of pictures of my friends. Looking at them simply takes my worries off me and brings me back down to memory lane where I walk with my buddies.

I dont know if it’s because of the fact that I belong to the helping profession as a counselor or maybe I just make people feel at ease with themselves and comfortable hanging out with me that they easily trust me with their problems. In turn, I could easily lend my listening ears, a few positive strokes here and there, helping them to establish self-awareness, and seeing them realizing their self-worth and coming up with their own solution to their problems. It’s a win-win situation if that’s the case.

But sad thing is, it doesn’t end up that way always. People wear masks, make pretend, play games, refuse to come out of their shells—different kinds of defense mechanisms. There are even times when a friend seeks help, it only turns out chaotic and jeopardize the friendship shared with the friend one turns to because of these games they play. Sometimes, the person in need ( PIN ) turns about realizing that he/she doesn’t need help after all leaving the helping friend with a dropped jaw. Human as we are, we react to different situations in our own unique ways. That is why we should always bear in mind to counter every reaction with boxfuls of understanding and empathy towards the person being helped who is going through a lot of  confusion, living in a dysfunctional environment, or simply couldn’t grasp the true meaning of life, love, and commitment. If at times, things go rough and are beyond our control, the only solution is to let go and let God. As long as somebody runs to me for help ( pwera lang financial ha?), you are always assured that you have a friend in me. Friendship with me won’t just be sweet or sour, there are a lot of spices added to make it more flavorful and full of life! I thank God for the friendship I share with you through these years…

" A friend loves at all times " Proverbs 17:17

Here are some things about me in random order…

***I’ve had two Caesarian operations and the first one almost had me with my pre-eclampsia

***Used to be a resident of Purok 5 Kias, Baguio City just right across the laundry shop of the Philippine Military Academy where the breeze would smell of Downy fabric conditioner and how I’d hate the smell of it.

***I go for chocolate Italian ice cream

***I used to fear going to the Sinulog mardi gras when I was yet a little girl, just about Frances Clare’s age, because I was just soooo scared of the “higantes” that I would hide behind the bushes in the island along Osmeña Blvd., hahaha

*** I love to prepare salads, cook pasta dishes and a few Chinese dishes too

***I’m so engrossed with scrapbooking nowadays and lately my new biz is what’s keeping me busy

***I may be interested in watching or hearing creepy stories yet end up sleepless for the nights after due to lingering scary thoughts haunting me ( bwahahaha, ana ko ka talawan!)

***I’m crazy over Yellow Cab pizza and a bottle of Sola

***I just realized that I am capable of organizing a garden wedding (with the whole Enriquez workforce, of course!), at such short notice and in less-than-a-week-preparation, I just did! Hmmm, gives me an idea to make it a career, hehehe…

***I love to read Paulo Coelho’s collections

***Lately, I have developed the love for Dora the Explorer and her friends. Calling on Mommy Grace, we still don’t have Swiper yet!

***I’m proud to say that I can assemble Tamiya race cars, Bedaman toys, Gundam series toys and the Energy Bomb —Gambarugar Team, thanks to Kuya Jeremy who made me hone my skills.

***I also know how to fix broken door knobs, dismantle the computer table down to its smallest parts, carry them upstairs, and assemble the again ( sorry po, I have to, no man in the house remember?)

***I used to be a thumb sucker and only stopped until I was about to enter in Grade One. My mama and brother Rene used to put band aid, masking tape or chili around my thumb just to put a stop to my thumb sucking habits, yet they didn’t succeed. Though I never brought that habit in school, having witnessed one of my classmates in Prep being reprimanded by our teacher,Mdm. Gimang, that was the end of my precious “ thumb sucking” days and my sore thumb was back to normal.

***I couldn’t sleep without the maroon pillow I had eversince I-don’t-even-remember-when. I used to doze my self off to sleep while sucking my thumb and the other hand feeling the texture of its fillings (duldol). And I still have it up to now…I don’t use it anymore though…(oows, really?)

***My brother and I used to fight over a lot things when we we’re younger, but the most silly fight we had was over a jar of gel…You know, way back when hairs were teased and brushed up so that they could go as high as the Mt. Everest, I also got into the bandwagon and would sneak his jar of gel, and when I was caught in the act…the cat and dog striked again! Of course, both of us got reprimanded ( unsaon, mao gud ang uso’) hahahaha

***I am so thankful that I live in Liloan where the native delicacy made of finely ground malagkit rice filled with ground peanuts and muscovado sugar locally known as “masi” is in abundance. I can have them anytime I want. I just had one this morning, hmmm, yummy! Now, it’s Fran’s fave too!

***Pink and blue are two of my favorite colors.

***Fashion accessories, make-ups, mild scents, bags, and shoes are one of my weaknesses

***My bro introduced me to this Korean milk tea that comes in a blue bottle which was supposedly exclusively distributed by 711. Just this week, I was so happy to discover that it’s available here in Cebu, now I can say I’m addicted to it already, I bought a good supply of it

***When I was still small, I fell victim to the “siete” haircut that my mother used to do on my locks ( but then hey, diba uso man pud to sa una?) I always cringe when I see my old pics sporting that hairstyle

***I love collecting Good Housekeeping and other magazines that give home decorating and home management ideas

That would be all for now peeps…till next time!

Last January, Hubert was here for a 2-week vacation during the Chinese New Year celebration. Here are some pics… click on the pictures for their bigger version…

…driving us to school for his whole stay

…watching the kids in school

…and realize how happy they can be though they may be studying in a school very far away from home

…had lunch with his former officemates

…lunch gihapon looking for his cravings of the day ( Dinuguan, kaldereta, paksiw, basically Pinoy foods he missed )

…eating with much gusto, hehehe

…bonding with Jeremy

…swimming @ his bro’s pool

…lunch @ Orosia resto after hearing Sunday mass

…afternoon swim @ the clubhouse pool

…Mano Po 4 pictorials

…Chinese New Year gud!

…bonding with the kids again

till next time!

With love
Put no demands on love, and love will bring you much. Give love away,
and
it will be yours in greater and greater abundance.

With love, what was weak will grow strong. With love, what was
impossible
becomes real.

Love can find the beauty and value in even the most desperate
situation.
Love will bring hope where nothing else can.

Though love cannot be explained, it can never be denied. Love has its
own
reality that transcends the most oppressive limitations.

Love elevates what it touches to a higher dimension. When love is
present,
fears are calmed, wounds begin to heal, and joy is gloriously within
reach.

Love, not because there is a reason, but because there is the
possibility.
Love, and you will know what you cannot understand.

– Ralph Marston

Last Dec 26, my sis-n-law and my brother were official paparazzis of our neighbor’s wedding. They candidly took shots of my daughter Frances’ unguarded moments…it amazed me how much she has transformed at the end of the shoot…

before the wedding march…

as Frances walked down the aisle with the rest of the girls…

as she fell while playing at the basketball court after the wedding ceremony…

feeling rather sleepy, my dear?

oh, our bedimpled beauty!…

who is this child running so wild?

ah, this one’s for the elite model look…

…tired, baby love?