Sunday in the Park

Had a lovely time at Flora Expo Park yesterday, Sunday the 2nd!  Nice cool temperature with soothing breezes...  Live music...  And even the Annual Flora International Award Expo is in full swing...  Juju and i was having a lot of fun, we must have spent almost 6 hrs there...  A really nice way to end the week!

Enjoying the lively Blooms.

Me and a friend!

Monster High Doll, Jinafire Long, was Juju's tag along doll for the day.

So much beauty!  Some of the prettiest and most amazing arrangements on display

at the annual Flora International Award Exposition.

And of course, we stopped by St Christopher's Church to pay respects and light candles.

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We were even treated to our first XMas tree sighting...
this giant tree is on display now at the Flora Expo Park.

Happy Halloween!!!

Wishing you all a Safe N Fun Celebration!!!

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JEALOUSY - is not a part of my vocabulary...   for me,  it is a wasted emotion...  

Instead of looking at others and being jealous, try looking within you...  Inside you... Past and present...   See all that you have been blessed with..  And are being Blessed with. 🙏🙏🙏

Be at Peace. See how light, simple, easy and happy life could be.

✌️✌️✌️

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"OPM"

Woking Friday while listening to a few OPM Faves...  

Now, am not well versed on Pinoy music , really..  I actually own more Spanish CDs than OPM but I do have my faves!!!

Gary V - i have admired and idolized growing up in the Bay  Area to present...  Others I discovered during trips in Manila - some i hear on the TAXI ( Ogie Alcasid, Wency, Nina, Yeng) or bought for the first time just because the CD cover caught my eyes (Mark Bautista, Ariel Rivera, Jericho Rosales)...

Then there's Piolo Pascual - totally different level of admiration😜😜😜.   Besides Gary V and Mark Bautista, his CDs are the only ones I buy without fail!

Careful the things we say...

“Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.” –Proverbs 18:21

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"Give thy thoughts no tongue."

-William Shakespeare

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There is nothing that so much gratifies an ill tongue as when it finds an angry heart.

-Thomas Fuller

Manila for My Special Day!!!

Yep, decided to spend my Birthday in Manila for a few reasons: 

-mainly because the last time I hot to celebrate my BDay with my sis was almost 10 years ago..  Back in 2005.  Her BDay is June 8th, while mine is June 9th.  

-secondly,  i decided that as a gift to myself on my BDay, I will get a Full Physical Check Up - something I have not done longer than celebrating BDays with my sis...  LOL

So the day after my arrival, I spent pretty much the whole day at My Healthway Clinic - getting the works.,,  "Top to Bottom" as they call it!    Of course it was a bit scary...  But as always, once I have decided, I just go for it and go with the flow..  And Hope for the Best!  

I got the blood works done...  Urinalysis and fecalysis..  ECG...  UltraSound and a few others i really do nit know the names of..  All done in one day - just need to wait till Monday, my actual BDay, to get my results... 

with all that out of the day - it was on to Bataan to celebrate my sister's and my BDays quietly....

Hump Day Again!!!

Well..  Not really in the Hunk Category but what the heck..  Actually took this photo the other day after being told I have gotten fatter by the regulars at my neighborhood pool...  Have not been there for 5 months and that was the consensus upon my return..  Middle Age Flabs have truly settled in since I have not been running or swimming everyday anymore....  Boo Hoo...

Well on with the real Humpable Ones... here's a serving of this week's Hottie Choices!!!

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Cristian Ronaldo for Vogue, Spain.  Almost Perfect..  

If only he had been front and center instead..  Hehehehehe...

A Giant Advert for SaSa here in Taipei!

Papa P still looking good!!!

 

And let us not forget today's Birthday Boi, Tom Daley!!!

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Japan State of Mind

Boy was I in Heaven with this last trip in Japan - where I was the whole week last....  Not my first time in the country of course but was my first in the Nagoya Area and the beautiful little Towns, such as Gero, Shirakawa , Gujo, etc...  Loved it so much that am still in what you might call a "Japan State of Mind!"

I mean, how could I not be...  the sights... the food..  Onsens...  Sakura Blooms...  And SNOW!!!   Just a truly Wonderful and Magical Trip for me!!!  Now back in Taipei...  Gotta Get back into the swing of things and get cracking with work...

Happy St Patrick's Day Weekend!!!

Wishing everybody a GREAT WEEKEND and ST PATRICK's DAY now - as I have an early morning tomorrow... yep early morning ride to the airport for another trip....This one am truly excited about as am not off to Manila or Bangkok....  so stay tuned!!!

"For today and its blessings, I owe the world an attitude of gratitude."

Blessed Sunday All!

And please spare some prayers for the passengers, and their families,

of the missing Malaysian Air Flight MH370

It's March!!!

Going Green For March..  Why Not!!!

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I can only hope that this month will be good..  So far, not so...  Starting the month with Allergies - i haven't had it this bad in a loooon time...  So bad that I have caugt a headcold in the process..  Boo Hoo..  And adding to the headcold are a few minor headaches brought on by work and little and not so little matters that needs dealing with...

Yes, so far the month is already testing my patience and it is only the 2nd!!!  Lol

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On a good note, I did have a little fun yesterday, the 1st of March...  Because of my headcold I was pretty much at home the whole day...  Then, not to go out of my wits, decided to let my feet do the walking and take me wherever!!!

Ended up in the XinYi District area and had the pleasure is seeing the Panda installation all over Taipei's City Hall..  Drawing quite a crowd, one has to line up for every single panda on display - that is if you want to pose ans snap a shot with the critters...  

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Also had the pleasure of running into Stephanie Sun's Promotional

CD Debut appearance at the Warner Village area..  

Got to hear her sing!  She has such a lovely voice, it has been a while since I heard her last..  

Truly a Welcomed Surprise!!!

15 Years!!!

What I thought was going to be a couple of years stay in Taipei has now turned into 15 Years!!!  Wow!!!

So much has happened, has changed since I moved here back in Jan. of 2009... Good and bad things..  Added new friends and have lost some...  Deaths and Baby Arrivals...  High and Low points... Pain and Joy...   I Treasure Them All!!!  They are what made, and makes my life exciting, challenging, and most especially worth living!  What makes me Happy!!!

So let us see what the next few years bring...  

FROZEN

Had another first with Juju today  - first time to a movie!!!  Well, technically it is the 2nd but the first time, Madagascar, she could not sit still and kept talking loudly, we actually left 30 mins into the movie - so as not to upset the other movie goers...  Lol!  This time around Juju was great..  She sat still..  Talked softly, as i taught her, whenever she had a question or comment...  And just truly enjoyed the movie...  Laughing, clapping and reacting at the right moments...  Swaying during the musical numbers...  And was even more sadder than I when the movie finished...  

FROZEN was the perfect movie...  At three years of age, Juju is understanding more and is getting to be a true lover of Disney/Pixar films...  Thanks to Tangled, Finding Nemo, Monsters Inc., etc...  And it helped that we wend on a weekday afternoon when not too many people are around....  less frustrating, less pressures, and less crowds to deal with.....  like having your own movie screen!!!

 

The movie, based on the Snow Queen,  was wonderful....  The animation superb - as a Toy Lover, am feeling a need to find some of the figures produced for the film!!!  The music was catchy enough and having Jonathan Groff and Idina Menzel voice out  two of the main characters was a delight!!!   Idina doing the main song, "Let It Go", is a shoo in for the OSCARS, and I cannot wait to see/hear her sing it LIVE...

And am even getting to enjoy older Disney movies (Snow White, Cinderella, Beauty n the Beast, Little Mermaid) as I introduced them to her via DVD on the days I babysit her.. And through doing so, I have reignited my love for Disney films... Which are basically Classic ones now!   Oh how I delight in seeing them again...  Like seeing old friends once more!!!  

Thanks Disney/ Pixar for the many years of delighting and thrilling with your films!!!   And here's to many more to come!!!!

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Right after, we even get to play around the Miramar area for a bit!

Looking Hot So Far!!!

2nd day of January and am still feeling the joys of XMas...  

Weather's been great..  Chilly breezes with the sun shining..  Enough to wake up in a good mood...

FIrst Selfie of the Year... and so it begins again!!!

 

First day was spent with Juju...  Running around here and there - starting with seeing GioGio off at the airport.. Watched a few planes fly off and took the obligatory shot with Open-chang...  Then it was off to TRU just to check out the latest goodies...

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2nd of January!!!

Today started off pretty good, too...  Great weather...  

And a couple of surprise packages in the mail!!!

December issue of the Philippine's Men's Magazine, GARAGE, with tom Rodriguez of My Husband Lover's fame on the cover...   and as an added bonus, burning up the back cover with his newest endorsement ad, for Bench Body....  I knew I wanted this issue when I saw someone posted about it on FB...  but am so glad my cousin found me a copy and sent it on to me....  HOTNESS!!

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With the magazine package, I got another box that contained 3 of the most precious Rosaries from the Holy Land...  gifts from friend, Isabel Casas....  such a sweet thing to think of me when she visited Jerusalem a couple of months back....  Thank You so very much!!!  They will make great additions to my ever - growing collection of rosaries....

Pre XMas Dinner

Just as the Christmas season at the malls seems to be happening earlier and earlier each year, so seems the Christmas dinner with the besties..  And this year, it is the earliest yet - with us having our Annual Dinner on the 15th of December...

Scheduling amongst us is always a big factor, of course...  With this year being the worst...  Sue and Cecilia are still pulling overtimes at their respective jobs...  Juliana leaving the 19th to spend the Holidays in the Bay Area...  And sadly, David even had to miss this dinner - as he is on a tour in  the Czech Republic and Austria.

So we made do with the time we had..  3 hours of eating, gabbing, eating, exchanging gifts, and eating some more..  Lol!!!  The venue was Dan Ryan's Grill at the Xinyi District Mitsukoshi Area..  Food was good enough, service OK, but we did get our own quiet area that enable us to relax and enjoy the time together...

With Christmas being a fave time of the year for me, it is always great to be able to spend it with the people I like, I love..  And these girls, being my Best Friends in Taiwan, am always happy I get to spend a Holiday dinner with them, before we all do our own separate Celebrations...  It is a night for us to give Thanks for being in each others' lives...  And to toast the new year to come...  

Thank You Juliana for the "Oh So Cute" Sony Angels...

Thanks Sue & Cecilia for the Yummy Chocolate covered Coffee beans

that comes in this lovely tin from agnes b.

But Most of All, Thank You for the friendship all these years and for many more years to come...

A Wonderful Feeling!

Christmas has a way of making me feel like a little kid - Always!  

And I could not be any happier...  

"Christmas waves a magic wand over this world, and behold,

everything is softer and more beautiful."

-Norman Vincent Peale

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No matter where I may be for the season, I do go out of my way to look for some Christmas Cheers here and there...  And also bring a few of my own to friends, family and some strangers, even...  My way if sharing, giving back, and doing what I can - help where I can...  

Note: Please do help me in helping the victims of the recent

Haiyan Typhoon.. Pls Read Info Here!  Thank You.

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This year will mark the 2nd year in a row I do not get to go home to Manila and spend it with the family...   For a few different reasons, personal and otherwise,  it just did not work out...  Am saddened by this but at the same time, I accept it..  Will just make the most of it all...    Of the circumstances...  

No Matter What, I will have the Christmas spirits in me...  

and Christmas will always be my most Fave time of the year!!

(Not) So Lucky!

I was once  told that to the Chinese, drawing the numbers "666" - is considered a Lucky thing..    So I was all smiles when this happened to be the number I drew at the Post Office this morning...

Sadly, it is not to be so for me... So far, nothing has been going my way... From my packages not arriving... To not being able to get my replacement credit card mailed out to me... To nit being able to get Lucky enough to order something online - though I thought I was being quite fast in ordering... And this n that in between that should have been simple enough but proving to be trying...

Oh well, not much else one can do if one is giving it their best right... This time around just need to SMILE and Accept the fact that some things are just out of my hands...

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Later in the early Evening, decided to quit the work and the worrying been doung all day and relive the frustrations with a looong walk... Great Decision as it works for me each and everytime...

Under one of the Busiest Freeways of Taipei!

Entrance to Raohe Street Night Market

Raohe Temple

And the scenic view from the Rainbow Bridge, Dajia Riverside Park.