Happy Birthday Hanhan!

Finally! We are now even! Lol!

You often joke about me being older than you... a month older or shall I say, twenty nine days older than you. And now that it's your birthday, you can't joke about me being older than you because we are now of the same age. Ha!

Now on to the serious stuff. I wish you good health Hanhan. May you fully recover from the nasty dust allergy so that you wouldn't have to feel uncomfortable, even here at home. May God answer your prayers, prayers that I know always includes our family. I thank God for the gift that you are. You have always been our strength and our constant companion and despite your crazy schedule at the office, you still find the energy to make yourself available to others. May you continue to be a blessing Hanhan. Samantha and I love your so much!

Happy Birthday! God bless you always.

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When Sleep Evades

Do you have trouble sleeping? I know of a few people who find it difficult to sleep and the one who tops my list is my husband. He has had trouble sleeping for quite a while now that I thought he should tell his doctor about it. But I doubt if he would ever tell his doctor about it on his appointments. I know it is insomnia, which is the "difficulty initiating or maintaining sleep, or both" or the perception of poor quality sleep, but like most people, he wouldn't seek medical advice.

I have been wondering why the insomnia... and I guess he is just more stressed than I am lately because of transitions at work. So what do we do as home treatment for insomnia? I give him a massage, or rather, he would ask me for one. I massage his back, his legs and feet and hands using Japanese oil. This helps release all the tensions from his muscles and helps him to relax. Massaging his head almost always does the trick and leads him off to dreamland in just a few minutes.

Sometimes, when he wakes up in the middle of the night to empty his bladder and find it difficult to go back to sleep again, he would drink warm milk. Sometimes it helps but sometimes, it doesn't. So what does he do when the milk doesn't do its wonders? He would wake me up and ask me for a massage again. I guess he should do something about his insomnia otherwise, he would always feel tired and stressed.

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Go Kart Fun

A few weeks ago, hubby went karting with his Japanese colleagues. Their respective families were also invited to come and because it was a Sunday, we tagged along. I am not very keen on tagging along especially when it involves meeting hubby's colleagues but because it was OUR family day, we went with him anyway. 

The Go-Kart circuit was in Bad Rappenau, quite a good distance from where we live but a popular place among aspiring race drivers.

It has been a while since my hubby visited the go-kart circuit in our area because there simply wasn't enough time for him to go karting so that during the qualifying round, I was amazed to find that he got the 4th position for the actual race. The qualifying race lasted 15 minutes and the actual race lasted about 32 minutes. It was a tough race and I could feel the excitement and the thrill in the air. My little girl was there to cheer his daddy on but because the karts run so fast, she would wave and look at the wrong Kart and driver. Lol!

At the end of the race, hubby landed on the 6th Place. I personally am proud of his ranking. He may not have won the race but it was still something.

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Mommy Moments: Daddy Moments

Here's another late entry for Mommy Moments. Things have been pretty hectic the last couple of days that's why this entry is two days late. Today is a very special day because most of the world is celebrating Father's Day. To all the FATHERS in the world, especially to my Hanhan, my Papa and Tatay, THANK YOU. For all your dreams and for making them into a reality.  You are great dads in your own special and unique way and we couldn't be any happier.

My mind and heart just can't seem to let Daddy Moments go this week so here I am, albeit late.

I just enjoy watching my little Samantha and my Hanhan having fun together. It warms me to know that they have a special kind of fondness for each other. And I love the fact that hubby is always there when I need him to be there. I love it that our family is his priority. I love it that he wishes to provide the best for his family. I love it that even if we have problems and difficulties, we face them together. I love it that he is my husband and the father of my child.

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Mommy Moments: Dear Daddy

My little girl is too young to write letters for her Dad but of course, as a Mom, I can always play pretend and make up my own fantasy about my little girl's letter. If Sam could already write, I know she would write a long letter for her Daddy. I love writing long love letters for Hubby too and I know that my little girl will get that trait from me. Hehe! Assuming na Mommy! So this is how Samantha's letter for her Daddy will go:

Lieber Daddy,

I ♥♥♥ you! Thanks for letting me ride that horse at the Frühlingsfest a few months ago... and the countless kiddie rides too! I know that you ran out of money that day and had to make a dash to the nearest ATM machine to get some more money because I was already clamoring for more rides! It must have taken you and Mommy lots of patience and understanding to endure my kakulitan. Thank you for always being there for me when Mommy is no longer nice to me. Thank you for taking me out for afternoon drives and for taking me to many beautiful places. Thank you for sending me to sleep when Mommy cannot. Thank you for teaching me how to do things and for planning to teach me how to play the guitar. You are the best Dad there is and I am so lucky to have you!

I know that Father's Day here in Germany has come and gone... we celebrated it last May when the Church remembered Jesus ascend into heaven but want to greet you a Happy Father's Day again nonetheless.

Take care Daddy! God Bless! Ich liebe dich!

♥ your little Sam

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A Bunch of Fresh Flowers

This is a post Mother's Day entry. I have been meaning to post about it eons ago but I got buried deep in my tasks so I didn't get the chance at all. It was only today that I remembered that I haven't anything about how my Mother's Day went.

So here it is:

How things turned around was quite unexpected. It was a fine Sunday. We went to church to hear mass and then greeted our mother friends a Happy Mother's Day after the service. I knew that Hubby wanted to stroll around and relax first but I was grumpy and exhausted so we went back home. Not in the mood to do anything at all, I went back to sleep. Hubby and the little one slept with me too. I don't know how long I slept but I can remember that I heard Hubby telling me that he was going out for a while. I slept on. Then much to my surprise, he woke me up, a bunch of fresh flowers in his hands. It was his Mother's Day surprise for me. And more surprises came when I went out of our room.

Nope! There were no rose petals on the floor, no candles lit, no dim lights nor soft music playing. There was nothing at floor! I mean, the living room was clean. All the mess that were there in the morning were all gone! And there was dinner waiting on the table.

It was all such a surprise! And this very sweet gesture from my Hubby was very unexpected.

Thanks Dad for making my day. You always know how to make me smile at the most unexpected times.

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How Sweet It Is To Be Loved By You

I am running late yet again for Couple's Corner but as they always say, it's better late than never. LOL! Sorry Marce Liz for my tardiness but I am still present for CC this week!

This week's theme is Sweet Gesture. Hubby is not so much the PDA type of person... but he does know how to show it, in his own little ways. Hehe! Okay, let me edit that... maybe he is a PDA! LOL! When we were still going out as a couple, he would fondly hold my hands and massage my fingers and then kiss them. He would also remember to send me flowers on special occasions especially when he was already in Japan to study. We always kiss when in church, during the Peace-Be-With-You part regardless of whether we are attending the usual Sunday services in German or the special services celebrated with the Filipino community. I always find it sweet when he would just sit beside me and place his hand on the small of my back... well, not really small since I have become so big these days or just simply hold my hand. Hihi! He does that when he sees me just sitting at our table at a social function... a sign that I am getting bored. He would gladly prepare dinner for the family especially if he sees that my hands are really full or if I am sick. Although I fail to press his shirts most of the time, he does not complain. He just makes parinig that an iron is about to attack him and so I would press it there and then, giving him some time to eat his breakfast consisting of yoghurt! He also lets me sleep in late especially if I have been working in the wee hours, which I find very sweet. And even if we are already married, he still carries most of the stuff. He doesn't like to see me "nagbagood"... I would be the one to carry Samantha and he would be towing/carrying everything: bags, stroller, groceries and all.

I on the other hand, am also a sweet person although my sweetness has been somehow marred by exhaustion, stress and a hectic schedule. This week's theme I guess is an eye opener for me... I never really took Hubby seriously when he said that I am no longer the sweet person I used to be. Looking back at my previous paragraph, it all spells HIS SWEET GESTURES.. where's my sweet gestures? Hmm... I need to work on that. Let's see, I do cook his favorite food every now and then, the latest being palabok. I also give him a massage before he sleeps when he asks for one, although I do it after saying all my yada-yada-yada... And I can never really say NO with a lots of things especially if he is concerned.

What I find to be the sweetest gesture is that we never fail to say I LOVE YOU to one another, whether on the phone, when he leaves for work or I leave for my class, or simply just because. Sweet tiny gestures all adds up to that spark in a marriage. So I guess it best for couples to embrace them and practice tiny gestures of love and care. They may be small but they make wonders in a relationship.

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After Canon in D, What Next?

Seriously practicing...

Did I tell you that my Hanhan loves to play the guitar? He is so passionate about playing it that he has tried his hands on playing Johann Pachelbel's Canon in D. Remember the Pantene commercial about two musicians, the violinist and the pianist? Well, that was the song that Hanhan has been practicing for months now and he has finally managed to get the notes, tabs and chords in his head. He is still practicing the song on a daily basis as his hands are not yet that quick and he has to create his own technique. After all, practice makes perfect.

Here's a video of the song played not by hubby but by the pros:



Now that he is done with Canon in D, he is working his fingers on Wind Song. This is a very famous tune of Japanese musician Kotaro Oshio. I wonder in which drama this song was used as the OST. Anyone have any idea?



I am glad that Hanhan has found a renewed passion for playing the guitar... Soon, I will be mooning over his haranas (serenades)... Hihihi!

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The World of Warcraft

Playing World of Warcraft (or is it just Warcraft, Dad?) is one of hubby's favorite past times, aside from practicing his guitar skills and playing with our little girl. This keeps his mind off work stuff. Despite the fact the it eats his time especially on weekends, I can't complain much because it relieves him of stress at work. He used to play DOTA too and he even has his wow accounts but now prefers to play the campaigns.

I can never really comprehend what gives him the adrenaline rush and excitement each time he triumphs from one campaign after the other. You think I should give it a try though? Hehe! Give me cheat codes first as I know I won't last a campaign without cheating as I am so bad with strategies! LOL! But let's just see... I think it would also interest him to go back to playing online especially with cheap wow accounts now available. This I have to tell him...

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He's The ONE!

I am so not going to let Thursday pass without posting my GT entry for this week. So here I am, up and about in the wee hours for my post. Hihi!

Marce Anik has taken Girls Talk to the CHEESY, MUSHY level as we talk about our One True LOVE! So without further adieu, here' s my One True Love:

My Then-BF, Now-Hubby Hanhan!

I have always been drawn to men who have tantalizing, beautiful eyes and this is what first caught my attention when I first saw him. He has hazel brown eyes and I just love gazing at it. He is also tall, tisoy and of course, good-looking. Agree?

But I don't just go for the physical. What made me love him more is his inner being. He is foremost a God-fearing person and has a strong faith in God. Ask him anything that has something to do with service for the Church and he will gladly oblige, no matter what the circumstance. He is a very responsible provider and helps me decide what's best for the family. He is a very good Father and he dotes on our little one, Samantha and I just treasure seeing them in their bonding moments. Although he is not the sweet and mushy type of person, he sometimes goes out of his way just to surprise me. He seldom loses his temper and when he does, he gets guilty and always says sorry afterwards. He can never bear to see me cry and so he hates to see me cry. When he sees me crying, he hurts more. He loves to eat but not to cook. He has a big appetite and loves to eat rice so that I have to make sure that there is enough for that meal. He is passionate about his work and is good with computers. He is my Official technician when I face technical problems with my desktop. He loves to play the guitar too and would occasionally play to me. Right now, he is serious on mastering Canon in D by Johann Pachelbel. He never fails to kiss me, hug me and say "I love you". He loves me and Samantha and we are his priority.

Just what would I ever do without YOU Hanhan?

Want to learn more about the other girls' One True Love? Head on to Girls Rule! for more!

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Tagged! :D

I have been waiting for a long time for somebody to tag me with this one! So glad that Anik of Lover Mushroom remembered me. Hehehe! I just love doing tags like this because they are fun and it reminds me of how hubby and I came to be. Thanks girl!

What are your middle names?
~Mine is R while his is B.

How long have you been together?
~10 years as lovers and 2 years, 9 months as a married couple.

How long did you know each other before you started dating?
~A few months.

Who asked whom out?
~I forgot. It just sort of happened.

How old are each of you?
~I am 29days older than him.

Whose siblings do you see the most?
~As of the moment none. My siblings are in the Philippines, his brother is in England and we are in Germany.

Which situation is the hardest on you as a couple?
~Making ends meet. :D

Did you go to the same school?
~When we were in college, yes.

Are you from the same home town?
~Yeah.

Who is smarter?
~He is smarter when it comes to analysis and logic and electronics. I am smarter when it comes to writing, remembering numbers and lyrics, and anything artsy. :D

Who is the more sensitive?
~ME.

Where do you eat out most as a couple?
~At Malativas, a barbeque joint near the university.

Who has the crazier exes?
~We didn't have exes. We are each other's "one and only".

Who has the worse temper?
~I have a temper. But I don't explode. I just keep to myself. And this in turn makes him angry.

Who does the cooking?
~I always do the cooking now that we are together. But when I am not feeling well, he cooks. And when I was still in the Philippines, he cooks. He has no choice, or else he'll starve! :D

Who is the neat-freak?
~I am the OC-OC in the house!

Who is more stubborn?
~Both of us.

Who hogs the bed?
~Not us but Samantha! She would turn 90° while she sleeps so that hubby and I are pushed to the edge of the bed.

Who wakes up earlier?
~I do on weekdays. He does on weekends.

Who is more jealous?
~We are both jealous lovers ;) LOL

How long did it take to get serious?
~just months

Who eats more?
~He does.

Who does the laundry?
~I do. I mean, the washing machine does. I just do the hanging and folding and ironing. :p

Who’s better with the computer?
~He is. I turn to him whenever I experience technical difficulties with my desktop. ;)

Who drives when you are together?
~He always does. I don't know how to drive. :D LOL

Now I would like to tag Ate Shals, Ria, Ate Beth, Bambie and Cookie.

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The Better Half

Photo taken at the Kehlsteinhaus, Hitler's famous Tea House that sits on top of a mountain.

Received this fun HUBBY TAG from Ate Chris of The Mommy Journey and Enchie of Sweet Nothings.
I would love to share this with Tetcha, Seiko, Bambie, Juliana, Niko, Janis and Ria.
Let's see what our hubbys have in common.

THE BETTER HALF
1. He's sitting in front of the TV, what is on the screen?
- CNN or Sports Channel
2. You're out to eat, what kind of dressing does he get on his salad?
- vinegrate
3. What's one food he doesn’t like?
- anything fancy
4. You go out to eat and have a drink, what does he order?
- Coke or Alcohol-free beer
5. What shirt size does he have?
- He is M here in Germany but L in Japan.
6. What shoe size does he have?
- US 9.5
7. What is his favorite type of sandwich?
- wurst sandwich
8. What would he eat everyday if he could?
- anything with rice
9. What is his favorite cereal?
- cornflakes
10. What would he never wear?
- anything PINK!
11. What is his favorite sports team?
- F1's Toro Russo
12. Who did he vote for?
- None. He wasn't able to vote since he turned 18!
13. Who is his best friend?
- Me, of course
14. What is something he does, but you wish he wouldn't do?
- Snore
15. What is his heritage?
- Filipino
16. You bake him a cake, what kind of cake?
- Never baked a cake for him yet. He doesn't like cake that much.
17. Did he play sports in high school?
- Judo 18. What could he spend hours doing?
- Internet. Play videogames. Watch movies or TV series. 19. What is the unique talent that he has?
-He can explain any technical concept in a very simple manner
20. What's his type of coffee?
- Black!

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Mommy Moments: That's My Dad!

The rest of the world is celebrating Father's Day on Sunday, June 19th. We celebrated it here in Germany last May 21st. To learn more about how we celebrated it, click here.

Anyway, it's Friday once again and another Mommy Moment to share. Because it is almost Father's Day, allow me to share some things about the Father of the house.

1. He loves his family more than anything else. Next to God.
2. His day is not complete without playing Warcraft DOTA, his week without reading Naruto Manga.
3. He is busy as a bee at work but never takes it home with him.
4. We share the same passion for traveling.
5. He loves cars, F1 and go karting with a passion.
6. He is vocal about his feelings and downright honest with it!
7. He has a different way of making lambing: he asks for a massage and always gets it.
8. He amuses me at very unexpected moments.
9. As a first time Dad, he is doing very well.
10. He always looks forward to being home with us.
11. He prefers to stay at home and spend it with the family rather than spending it with friends.

To Hanhan, thank you for being the father that you are to Sam. I know that you have sacrificed a lot for the family and that we are always on top of your priorities and at every decision that you make. Thank you for being the greatest dad there is!

And to my Papa, a warm Happy Father's Day too! I am very thankful that you have raised me as a good person and have taught me great lessons in life. I know you have sacrificed a lot for us to give us the best education we can have and I hope we have made you proud. I am proud to say that you have done a very great job as a Father to me and my siblings. Salamat Pa for all the love, the nurturing and the support.

To my Hanhan, my Papa, Tatay and to all the fathers and daddies and soon-to-bes in the world:

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Happy Birthday Hanhan!

My still sleepy hubby as he is about to unwrap his present. :D

Hubby turns a year older today.

I have been thinking real hard which gift to give him and have only decided to buy one yesterday. I have been planning to surprise him with a gift that he will really love. I was contemplating on how best to give it to him.

At first, I was thinking of putting the gift in the car and treat this day like any "ordinary" birthday with just a greeting and a kiss from me. And when he gets in the car and sees that he has a birthday present, he will really be surprised and couldn't wait for the day to end so that he can come home and thank me for it. But it was too agonizing for me to wait and see how he would react and went on with Option Number 2.

So early this morning, I woke him up, kissed him and sang him a Happy Birthday song and handed him a wrapped present. He was too sleepy still and as if he was dreaming, received the gift, and closed his eyes again. After a while, he opened his eyes again and realizing that he just received a wrapped present, exclaimed "So this is why you went out yesterday!" I was even teasing him last night and asked what he wants to receive for his birthday. His reply was very touching: "As long as you and Sam are happy, then there is nothing else I could ask for."

It really came to him as a surprise. You see, he has been so used to not receiving gifts for his birthdays that he isn't expecting anything anymore. Not that I don't give him gifts, they just arrive late when we were still a couple because I still had to send it all the way to Japan.

And I just loved seeing the look on his face as he carefully unwrapped the gift, and was even happier to see him find out what was inside.

Happy Birthday Hanhan! May you always be blessed as I am blessed to have you as a hubby and a father to Sam. We love you!

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Mommy Moments: It's Daddy's Turn!

Like most mommies, I really love to see my hubby spending time with Sam. Because he is at work during most part of the day, he sees to it that he comes home early to us and spends time with us as much as he can. Weekends are always special because it is our time together as a family.

Each photo has a story to tell. SO be warned. This could get lengthy! :D

A Father's love immortalized.

Remember I blogged about Sam getting sick while we were in Kyoto? We had to cut our trip short by then so that Sam could get some good rest and proper medication. Since it was a road trip, we had to make various stopovers so that I can change Sam, stretch our legs and have some much needed coffee. The photo above was taken at the coffee shop. Sam was already so exhausted and weak and she was holding on to her Daddy for comfort. Daddy was reassuring her that she will get better and that we are there for her. I just love this photo of them together.

The family that prays together stays together.

Praying is an essential part of our family life. We pray the rosary together in the mornings and it is usually Daddy who leads it. Even if Sam can't understand yet what the prayer was all about, we pray with her. Even when is still asleep, we pray in our bed so that when she wakes up, she will hear the prayers. I know in time, she will adapt this tradition and understand what the prayers are all about. These morning prayers are perfect to jump start your day.

Their favorite past time: Riding high on Daddy's shoulders.

This is their special moment as father and daughter: Sam riding high on Daddy's shoulders. I guess there is nothing like the HIGH of being above anything else in the hands of your loved ones. And look just how happy she is!

Posing for Mommy.

This is a typical scenario when Daddy gets home from work. After greeting and kissing Mommy, he would take Sam in his arms and give her a big hug. I can really tell that he misses the family a lot and I am most happy to see him back home safely to us.

At home in Daddy's lap. This was taken at
the Filipino cultural show last year.

While we were still in Japan, we attend some Filipino functions every now and then. The Filipino Catholic community is very alive and active in Tokyo so that there a a number of events organized each year. This was during a cultural show entitled "Crossing Borders" and as usual, Sam can be seen comfortably sitting on Daddy's lap.

I am just so lucky to have a husband who is 100% FAMILY MAN. He adores our baby and loves us so dearly. And I always pray that God will always keep us together.

Thanks Daddy for all EVERYTHING that YOU are. We LOVE you so much!

I know you also have a Daddy Moment to share! Come and share it with us here.

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