The first advent is in four days and for us who love traditions, it means a visit at Bauerles Besen in Fellbach with our family friends. Dining at this seasonal family run restaurant is one of the highlights of Christmas... Because winter / Christmas time means goose time and eating good food with good friends.
We especially love the crispy goose served with Apfelmus (apple puree) and Bratensauce, and served optional with Semmelknödel, Rotkraut or potato salad. The goose dish is best enjoyed with a glass of wine from the restaurant's own winery.
I only have wonderful memories of eating goose, with family and friends. The restaurant has also a very homey, warm ambience with hardwood furniture. This year, I will miss the ambiance and the cheery atmosphere due to the pandemic but luckily, we can still order and just pick the food up so we can enjoy it at the comfort of our own home.
Last Friday, a good girlfriend of mine celebrated her birthday. I asked her beforehand if she would be our little girl's godmother and she eagerly replied with a "Yes!". And so it happened that she also threw a baby shower for our coming child on the occassion of her birthday. We just felt so happy and loved for it was a very intimate gathering of good friends, celebrating my friend's birthday and celebrating the life of a soon to be member of our community. It felt like heaven was also celebrating with us, because we had a mild weather, it rained in the morning and so the afternoon air was cool and pleasant.
Here are some snippets of the baby shower and the birthday celebration. It was a first for me although this is my second pregnancy because baby showers were not yet a trend some 12 years ago.
The nicely decorated cake table with some diaper cakes. Baby socks and baby bodys hanged on the line make for perfect "baderitas"!
The birthday / baby shower cake. It was delicious! Forgot to ask what it was made of though because of too much excitement.
The diaper cakes lovingly hand crafted by my friends.
Cake pops? No! These are oreo cookies coated in milk and white chocolate and garnished with sugar sprinkles. Lovingly prepared by my friend's daughter.
My daughter and my friend's son, trying out the oreo pops!
Of course, our sumptuous feast composed of grilled meat, the ever present pancit, and some fresh salads to balance it out!
My heart is overflowing with gratitude for all the love, well wishes for a safe delivery and healthy baby, and gifts for our little girl. We received not one, not two, but three diaper cakes among other gifts... This is very useful because the little one will surely be using them, until such time that she is potty trained.
Our little angel is expected to come out into this world in September. It is not easy to be pregnant with the pandemic still going on, but observing proper hygiene protocols, keeping distance at gatherings, and wearing masks when in enclosed public places, one can still enjoy the little things life has to offer. I pray always for a healthy baby.
And I also pray that things will turn out for the better in the coming days...
My daughter was invited to a birthday party by her twin friends last Friday. Because it was short notice, we didn't have time to go out and buy them gifts. So my daughter decided to make them something instead: a picture frame made made out of paper towel cardboard roll, jute strings and paper. She set out to do it herself without any help from me the day before the party.
It took her a number of hours but I thought it really turned out great. My only contribution was printing the photo she used in the picture frame and then wrapping the frame in a gift wrap.
So what do you think? It looks like my little Miss is more creative than I am. I guess those days of crafting with her when she was smaller (and I had more time) has really paid off.
Christmas - indeed it is the most wonderful time of the year.
Looking back at everything that has transpired this year, I can say that it has been a very meaningful and grace-filled year -- and that is more than enough reason to celebrate Christmas with a grateful heart. Despite the many shortcomings, challenges and misunderstandings that came along the way, my heart is still grateful that we were able to still find ourselves together and stronger in our convictions and faith.
Our hearts are also grateful for the friends whom we travelled with this year. The adventures, shared experiences, and that sense of being in a family will always be treasured in our hearts -these will forever be beautiful memories in the many years to come. And my heart is filled with joy and gladness because we are so blessed to be surrounded with good friends.
For our family back in our home country, we also wish them well. There may be tough times but with His faithfulness, we are able to surpass the hurdles. Indeed God makes things possible - He always makes a way for us despite of and inspite of.
So I hope that we continue to have a grateful heart, and to give love to others who need it.
Celebrate the most wonderful time of the year with your loved ones, family and friends.
Some people are just simply heaven sent! That is one of the things that I realized today. If you are one of those expat families who has been longing to have a little quality time with your spouses, I guess you would know what I mean. As parents, we know how important it is for us to spend quality time with our children. But we must also not take forgranted spending some quality time with our spouses so that we can also enjoy each other's company as a married couple. It helps keep the marriage strong and allows you to rediscover yourselves.
So it was really such a blessing when I called our friend who is also like a second to us and asked if it would be alright if they can look after our little girl while we are away. She gladly said YES and even thanked me. You are indeed heaven sent Ate Lolit! I know that you and your family love our little girl and we know that she will be in good hands. My heart is at ease...
Let me introduce to you a friend and classmate of mine in high school. Her name is Jenny de Vera. She is cool, she is talented, she is very gifted when it comes to music. Back in our high school days, she can already play the guitar very well, playing popular songs even without a guide. I guess the term to use is "kapa", which means the ability to play the same tune just by listening to it. I was more impressed with her ability with the guitar now that she has become a professional classical guitarist. I haven't seen her perform live yet but from her videos on the internet, I can say that she has really matured and perfected the art of classical guitar.
Jenny and her guitar. From Jenny's Facebook Timeline cover page.
She recently performed at the Pasinaya 2012 at the CCP Little Theater with her group, Triple Fret, a trio guitar ensemble. I am happy to learn that their performance was a success.
Triple Fret. I love the name... It has a certain ring to it. What is it? From their Facebook About Page: "Triple Fret is an all girl classical guitar trio composed of Catherine Belle, Marga Abejo and Jenny de Vera. The group was formed in October 2011. They play classical guitar trio pieces as well as solo classical guitar pieces that are dynamic in genre and time period."
I would love to come to one of her solo or band performances if the opportunity comes. My husband, who is also a classical guitar enthusiast, would surely enjoy their performance too. Maybe she can give him lessons too... Pde bang at reduced fees ang lessons Jen?
For those who love and appreciate classical guitar, you might want to watch Triple Fret or Jenny perform live. Watch out for their future performances via their Facebook Page at https://www.facebook.com/triplefret3 or send them an email at triplefretguitar@gmail.com for bookings and more info.
Isn't it wonderful when two people are united in the Holy Sacrament of Matrimony? I always find weddings beautiful and that of TJ and Kat's is certainly one of them....
Although I haven't been really close to my high school batchmates since I didn't go to the same university with them during college and had my own set of friends when I got into college, I still keep the Livewires as a part of my extended family and keep them close to my heart... After all, we have been together for four solid years in high school and have kept in touch through social networking.
I am always amazed at the closeness and the strong friendship that the Livewires share and although I usually consider myself as the observer and the silent reader in our FB group page, I can’t help but find myself immersed in the gossips and the excitement that the Livewires have been up to these past few months and found myself commenting and sharing some of my thoughts.
I must admit, I am always among those last to know the most important happenings in town, the wedding of Kat and TJ included. I didn’t even know that they have been going out! That is how clueless I am… But needless to say, I am really happy for both of them. Too bad I wasn’t there to witness their beautiful union. I can only wait for the photos to come flooding…
To Kathy and Timong, my heartfelt and warm Congratulations and Best wishes… Indeed, it's a beautiful day!
It has been a very hectic week. The last two days I had excurcions at different waste treatment facilities. Thursday we visited the biggest wastewater treatment facility in our city. Then today, we visited three facilities, a composting plant, a fermentation plant and a recycling facility that recycles cables, refrigerators and cars. It was a really good experience since I got to see all that we have been discussing in our lectures in action. Then things started to make more sense and you get a better understanding of what the professor was talking about. But at the end of the day, it was a pretty exhausting and tiring acitivity my legs were screaming and pleading for a good old foot spa.
I thought I could have a quiet weekend with my family and just spend a lazy Saturday with my family but even our weekend is full. I wanted to say "Thank God it's Friday" with the thought that I could rest and just stay home during the weekend but I just realized that there are still so many things to be done. My daughter has a Jahresfest at the Kindergarten and we have a gathering after that with our Filipino community. Then Sunday, we were invited for the Confirmation of our friend's son and I totally forgot about it until tonight, when one of our friends reminded us about it. Well, so much for my plans for a relaxing weekend. It is still a "Thank God it's Friday" though since we have been blessed with so many friends who care and with activities that will help us to socialize with our community.
I invited a few of my girl friends from the Graduate Program into our home a couple of Fridays ago. We have been planning on that small get together since January but it kept getting delayed because of conflicts with our tutorial sessions. It finally pushed through last February 4th. Too bad two of the girls could not make it due to other priorities but I think me and my three friends enjoyed the afternoon and the Filipino lunch that I served.
I prepared bistek Tagalog, which is sliced beef in onions, green mung beans with pork and spinach, and fried chicken. While waiting for the dishes to be cooked, we watched 27 Dresses. We then another movie, So Lange Du Da Bist (Just Like Heaven) while we were having lunch. My little girl's photobook also arrived the previous day so my friends also got busy browsing through the pages. It was a new experience for me, to serve some Filipino food to an international set of people: a Thai, a Malaysian and a Romanian but I am happy that they enjoyed it. The activity was like an intercultural exchange for us. It would have been more fun and enjoyable if we got some karaoke machines at home. Then we could have sang our hearts out. And they will know how much we Filipinos love to sing no matter how bad our voices sound. Although I think Thais and Malaysians are no strangers to that kind of thing. It was a very fun lovely afternoon and I hope we could do it again one of these days.
Hello Couchers! Welcome to the February 8th edition of Tuesday Couch Potatoes where we post about a movie each week. This Tuesday's theme is Phileo / Friendship Love: Camaraderie and Friendship. We have seen tons of movies about friendship and there are some that made a mark in us. My all-time faves include The Bucket List and The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants. Any one would have been my choice but I don't want to be redundant since I already featured these titles at one time here on TCP.
My pick will have to be Now and Then then. It is a 1995 movie directed by Lesli Linka Glatter and starring Christina Ricci, Rosie O'Donnell, Thora Birch, Melanie Griffith, Gaby Hoffmann, Demi Moore, Ashleigh Aston Moore and Rita Wilson. It's all for one and one for all in this heartwarming comedy about the childhood mischief of four best friends who reunite after twenty years. Roberta, Teeny, Samantha, and Chrissy have been busy growing up, but they always remembered the promise they made to be there for each other. Now they're together again to relive the greatest summer of their lives.
The four girls have very different personalities and backgrounds and yet, they were able to click well. There was a weird one who believes in the paranormal, a tomboy who has issues with her femininity, a sheltered and naive one, and a glamorous one. It was this one summer which brought them together and later, after many years, it was a baby who reunited them all.
The movie has some great lines to it. A few that I can remember from the narrations of Sam: "We all used to try so hard to fit in. We wanted to look exactly alike, do all the same things, practically be the same people. And when we weren't looking, that changed. The tree house was supposed to bring us more independence. But what the summer actually brought, was independence from each other." and "You can run from the disappointments you're trying to forget, but it's only when you embrace your past that you truly move forward. Maybe Thomas Wolfe never got to go home again, but I found my way there, and I'm glad I did."
Care to take a peak at the trailer? Here it is:
What's your pick? Come and share with us in the linky below:
By the way, I am using another linky. I have yet to enter the html codes of the previous linkys in their respective TCP entries so I hope you would be patient with me. There was also a bug in the linkytools making it impossible for me to export this time around so please be patient... Will put them all back up in no time.
Thank you for joining us this week on Tuesday Couch Potatoes! I hope to see you all Couchers again next week for the theme: Eros / Romantic Love: When A Man Loves A Woman.
Our friends in Japan have been asking a lot of questions about when our return in Japan will be, how is Samantha doing, when are we going to visit again for a short vacation, and all other stuff related to that. I cannot really give a definite reply that we won't be returning anymore because there is still a chance that we might come back, at least that is what I am hoping for. So instead of answering their questions, I would steer away from the topic and ask how they have been doing.
Hearing from them again and talking about their recent activities with the Filipino community and their plans for upcoming Japanese festivals like the Hanami in the spring time made me realize how far I really am from them and how much I have missed these friends who were much a part of our two years of stay in Japan. I also hear of some tragedies like someone getting into an accident or someone getting sick because of old age and even weather changes that I even recommended getting someone like an allergy doctor austin. Of course, they know better than me as to where to look since they are the locals.
It is nice though to reconnect with these friends through the Internet. I must admit, although we are separated physically by a great distance, I can still feel the acceptance, warmth, and concern that I first felt when I first came to know them.
The year 2010 had been a very wonderful year for us. I never expected the bountiful blessings that came our way nor did I expect that we would be able to manage and surpass the challenges that came along the way. I am personally very thankful for all of the blessings, the experience, and the many encounters that helped me and my family to grow closer together. It is mainly thanks to the people surrounding us, who in one way or another contributed to our growth.
It has been almost two years since we became expats here in Germany and although it is not always easy, it amazes me as a look back and I wonder how we were able to come to where we are now. All the prayers helped a lot and I just feel so blessed. I feel blessed to have hubby who is responsible and always prioritizes the family. Although he may have his shortcomings, I know that he has always done his best for the family and for that I am thankful. I feel blessed to have a beautiful daughter who has always surprised and never ceased to amaze me with her ability to make me lose my wits and make me pull my hair during those "moments". I feel blessed to have wonderful friends who make us feel that we have a family. I feel blessed to have been given the chance to study again, realize my potentials and do something for myself. I feel blessed for the seasons: the cold of winter, the blooms of spring, the heat of summer, the warm colors of fall. I feel blessed to have been able to live with my in-laws even for just a short period of time. I feel blessed to have a family who thinks of us and prays for us. I feel blessed to have met very good friends in the blogging world, especially the Marce Club, who have always been so thoughtful and helpful. I feel blessed for the many earning opportunities online.
There is so much to be thankful for, I know... and as I look back and continue to count my blessings, I realize that I am more than blessed. And I am filled with hope and excitement for the new year that is to come. Because I know and believe that this journey will always be blessed.
Lately, I am missing my dear good friend Sham. She is my little girl's godmother and we became very, very good friends way back in college until now. We try to catch up on each other's lives through Facebook or Yahoo Messenger when our hectic schedules permit. I would read about her antics every now and then on Facebook.
I wonder how she is doing lately... I am surprised to find that her account does not exist anymore. Something must have happened, but I hope that whatever it is, she will recover from it. I know she is one very busy person, working at one of the multinational companies. I remember before I went overseas, she was talking to me about point of purchase displays and asked me if I have any ideas about it. You see, she is working as an sales account manager and to achieve her target sales, she must be as creative as she can be. She is currently somewhere in Luzon and I know she is lonely, with her Mom and Dad already in the US with her sister.
I hope you are well Sham. I hope that whatever it is that is keeping you silent will soon go away. I want to reach out to you. But I can't seem find you anywhere. I pray that you are well. Be safe always, dear. Know that I am here. I will wait until you're ready.
Gawd, I missed last week's edition of Girls Talk but if I had joined last week, the movie that I would be watching with a friend will be the sequel of the film Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants. Why? Because, I too haven't seen it yet! I so enjoyed watching the first one so I wouldn't mind if Marce Kaye will treat me on a movie date for the sequel. Lol! I would also recommend watching The Bucket List with a friend. It's a great movie to watch with a good friend.
And for this week, the movie that I would highly recommend watching with someone special is 50 First Dates. Why this movie? Because Hubby and I love this movie for all the mushiness, laughter and wonderfully warm feeling that it evokes. This is one of the many movies that Hubby and I love watching. I love Drew and Hubby loves Adam so a movie with both of them in it is something that we absolutely have to watch.
For those of you who haven't seen it yet, the story is about Lucy who has this fictional amnesia where each day's events disappear from her memory overnight, and of Henry, a womanizing marine-life veterinarian who finds himself serious at pursuing Lucy. Learning about her condition and finding himself falling in love with Lucy, he devises many different ways to meet her again everyday while hoping that one day, she will retain her memories and feelings for him. Although it is a romantic comedy, with a light plot, you wouldn't have to dig deeper to see just how far and to what great lengths a person would go through just to be with the person he/she loves.
Which movie would you recommend watching with your special someone? If you have no idea, check out what the other girls are recommending!
I have had two ChE-related jobs since I graduated from college and then some part time job on the side. I can't find any photos from my first job so I am just going to post about my last job in the Philippines. I was a corporate slave then. Worked at a multi-national company in the beverage manufacturing. Work was hectic and demanded so much of my time because the plant is new, everything had to be commissioned and tons of product quality protocols had to be followed. I remember I had to stay at work for more than 24 hours on various occasions.
But the best thing about working long hours is being able to bond with my colleagues from my department. I have made good friends with my fellow QAs then.
Movie marathon at Em-Em's place. With Te Dang, Jhownie and Emerald.
My QA Family. Nini was still pregnant here.
In our badminton uniforms during our 1st Badminton Tournament in 2006. Sir Danny Tan was still the plant manager.
With Joy, Jhownie and Te Dang during our summer outing
My badminton partner Bimbo. We were the champion
for our 2nd year tournament. No wonder I was so small then! :D
The pioneering QA angels: Nini, Te Dang, me, Joy
My QA family: Chip, Nini, Joy, Me, Te Dang, DingDong, and Jhownie
With my QA family and other coworkers and bosses. It was my last official day at work.
Those were such fond memories. I miss working in a corporate setting but I am happy where I am now. I am just thankful to have known and met them all. Thanks to email, Facebook, YM and Friendster, we still get to communicate every now and then.
School is where we meet most of our friends. Some we get close to. Some just come and go. Some are meant to last while some, just for a while.
My high school classmates and friends during our Davao Reunion last 2007.
We were from II-Kamia: Enya, Lowie, Ogie, Me
I am lucky to study in a high school where the class size is small. The maximum number of students is 30 so that more or less, I know all of them and even get to be classmates with some of them from first year until fourth year high school. I have grown close to a number of them but sadly, we had to part ways during our college years. Most of my close friends in high school went to UP Diliman while I was left in Davao. So sad! But we still communicate through emails, YM and FB though. Thanks to the internet, we still are able to catch up on each other's lives. I am hoping to see them again soon. I am just biding my time. I know that one day, the heavens will answer my hopes of being reunited with my high school barkada.
My two best girl friends from College: Maricar and Judai. Both are Samantha's godmothers.
After the shower party that my SICO family threw out for me.
Hubby and I more or less have the same set of friends. Aren't we lucky?
College was an entirely different environment but very interesting nonetheless. I have various sets of friends. I have friends from my course, two of whom became my best girl friends. I also have my friends from the volunteer group where I also volunteer. I also have a set of friends from other organizations of whom I have a common interest with. These sets of friends all helped me balance between my academic and social life and have helped shape me to become the person I am more or less today.
My SICO Family - where I became a person for and with others.
College Days: SICO Volunteer training with ASEP 28 Batchmates and volunteers.
Me with the younger SICO Volunteers back in 2007. We all are young and filled with the energy of youth and have our own careers.
My mentor, my art therapy partner, my very good friend who never fails to make me laugh and smile: Ate Shal.
I don't know where I will be without these friends of mine. And living overseas all the more magnifies my nostalgia. I wish the circumstances were different and I could just visit them and see them whenever I please. We all have our own lives to live now, own families and own careers. I hope that as we move on with our lives, we may never forget those precious moments. And that we may never forget to invite them into our lives again should the opportunity come.
I miss my friends. I hope that all is well with them.
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