It’s The Thought That Counts

Got so lazy again, just heard two online masses morning and afternoon, loaded the washing machine and cooked spaghetti for lunch. Haha, that’s how my day went. I didn’t even visit the garden. My plants are probably good for two more days without watering.

Aside from the surprise bouquet that Nissa sent me on my birthday,  she gave me additional gifts when they came over  last Saturday. Wow, two lovely sets of pajama and these two equally lovely washable face masks with eyelet designs but were provided with  inner pockets for  additional padding.

Nissa is so thoughtful when it comes to giving gifts.  Attached to the gifts is a homemade card from Nate. I was touched. He filled my Messenger with emoticons/emojis on my birthday – flowers, hearts, smileys, praying hand, a girl running. Maybe he does not know yet how to type his greetings hence, the more than twenty emojis on my wall.

I remember when Josef and Nissa were Nate’s age. They always had surprise letters and drawings when we got  home from work. They are still kept in my shoe box.

The joy of being remembered…priceless 🙂

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It’s Definitely Yummy

More than a week ago, I talked to one of my nieces (wife of my nephew  from a  first cousin). They have also set up a small business aside from their old one. They called it  Breadville. So we talked about  the different breads that they make – cookies, muffins. the latest craze now here called ube pandesal,  banana bread and cakes too. Tina learned baking when she stayed in Ireland for a year. I was surprised this afternoon when she called me up asking for our address because Jeff wanted to send banana bread so I could taste their products. I told them, “baka malugi kayo” because deliveries are definitely costly aside from the bread of course. They were generous enough to send me these two loaves of banana bread…..yummy!

The one we opened have different nuts on top and it is so delicious. Paired it with a new blend of Twinings’ Four Red Fruits and it’s perfect.

What blessings!

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A Nice Surprise

Nissa surprised me with a new silicone cell phone cover for my phone. It is a Samsung A20 which I bought last year on my birthday. Back then it was just out in the market and a good buy with a 13MP +5MP cameras and an 8MP front camera. I bought a simple rubberized cover, a plain one actually to protect it. Since it’s color is deep green, Nissa also chose this leaf design….haha!

She said I am not a techie because I don’t tend to explore its nice features. Come to think of it, I haven’t even changed its screen saver and its other features so Nissa did it. We laughed together while I was exploring those lovely photos. She chose this green one so even the apps are colored green too. She says I am a green lady because I love nature.

Along with the cover were two large bottles of Nivea Body Milk and a large bag of different breads she bought at BreadTalk. Little surprises like these tickle the heart. Nissa is a very thoughtful daughter.

And for the first time too, I downloaded the Lazada app. Lazada is the number-one online shopping and selling destination in Southeast Asia – present in Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. I wanted a bathroom caddy since ours broke a few days ago. Wow, there are so many cheap items which are even delivered for free. I have to create an online account for it, write it down because for sure I won’t remember it when it’s time to use it again. I don’t want to use my Visa card so I opted for COD payment. Nissa told me that once I get the hang of it, I might purchase other items again. I told her I am looking for gifts to give this Christmas. She told me to download Shoppee too, another e-commerce platform based in Singapore. The truth is I am afraid to purchase online but there are things you have to look out for – the reviews, the items they sell compared to other vendors, the quality of the merchandise, the number of buyers and their ratings etc. You can all see them online. The joy of online shopping even if you won’t have to buy an item but your eyes are pretty satisfied.

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My Rosary Collection

This photo is for my friend Elizabeth who is curious about my rosary collection. I took a photo of them early this morning. I forgot to include the other two in my bags which I use when I go to mass.

I made the rose quartz rosary for myself and the St. Therese beads made of Hematite crystals. The two wooden ones are from my two priest friends, one from Rome and one from Jerusalem. The rose rosary is a gift from a friend, she gifted it to me when we had the grotto blessed nine years ago. The orange rose rosary is from Siena, another friend gave it to me. The two white pearls are from the Vatican, one was given by Fr. Lovell. The bracelet and ring rosaries were given by another friend who lives in Rome.  Lately a nun friend gave me another rosary from Jerusalem.

Before Nissa got married eight years ago, the three of us including Josef made rosaries as gifts for friends then Nissa made lots using Swarovski crystals as souvenirs for her secondary sponsors during her wedding. She even made the cord using different beads, she is so good at it. When one of her friends got married, she made a crystal jade cord for her and a matching necklace made of the same material. When her in-laws had their 50th wedding anniversary, she also made one.

Josef is fond of making bigger beads sometimes using wood, those you could display as accent on your bedroom wall.  Those were the days when the three of us were into crafting. We still have lots of materials left here but I got lazy to do more. I always get distracted finding new books to read. One of these days, I’ll make some to give to visiting friends.

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Just Lovely

We had our twice-a-month marketing today. Timely preparation for the coming media noche. Costs of everything has gone up again. While almost every Filipino is struggling with high costs of commodities including basic goods, our rich politicians continue to amass wealth through corruption. Sorry, this is not what I want to blog about.

There is something wonderful about the giving qualities of my favorite vendors/sellers at the wet market. Every Christmas, they would give different gifts. Some gave me sturdy shopping bags, one gave me a recyclable grocery bag with zipper so you can fold into a wallet-sized one when you go out. I also received a hand towel from one of them. They may not be much for some people but it’s the thought that counts, right?

Cost of fruits have gone up again. I just bought two kilos of black seedless grapes and two pieces of honey dew. Come December 31, expect more mark-up on those different round fruits in the market. Filipinos have this tradition of serving twelve kinds of fruits during the new year. It is the only time in the year where you’ll find those fruits which are not necessarily sold during ordinary days.

I just hope 2020 will be a good year for all of us. HAPPY NEW YEAR in advance 🎉🎊💕🌷🍇🍎🍒

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It Was A Nice Surprise

Josef came home last night and gave me a small bag. Inside was a lovely wallet designed like a webbed mat.  He is really that thoughtful. I guess when there is no particular occasion and you receive a lovely gift, you’ll be surprised too. This is not the first time he did this. One time he bought me a thick book at National Book  Store on how to make candles.  He knows that I would appreciate it. Yes, I used to make candles but I gave them as gifts to friends. I haven’t sourced materials for a long time now.  We often eat out when he is around or when I am so lazy to prepare something in the kitchen, we would order a take-out.

Even Nissa always brings something every time they come to visit us. It’s mostly toiletries and body lotions or moisturizer or make-up.  Nate would ask his dad to open the trunk of the car when they get here and he would give me those gifts always with a smile and something like, “We have a gift for you Nonna.”   I am so blessed my kids grew up the way they are – loving, giving and thoughtful.

I found a copy of  The Godfather by Mario Puzo. The first time I read it was way back in college and  I already forgot the details of the story except the name Don Corleone and the Italian  mafia. Over the years, it turned into a classic with two more film sequels. I haven’t watched it though but I found a full movie on YouTube. Gonna watch it after I finish re-reading the book.  This is my 130th read on the 2017  reading challenge. Twenty more books to go until the end of the year.  Hooray! After this maybe I’ll go back to memoirs and contemporary books.

Have a lovely week ahead.

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The Joy Of Collecting Key Rings

You might think I am obsessed 🙂  I have been  collecting key rings since I started working. Lately, more were added, gifts from friends and relatives who know my penchant for collecting. I love to have my own library  ( still dreaming of it), and I mean not just corner shelves in our house but a cozy room that  I could use for my books and to display my  collection.

One of my nieces went to Korea last year and she gave me this set of key ring/ballpen. I love the one which came from Dubai, it’s gold plated with beads.

Another one from Dubai, a gift from a friend last year.

A niece who is a teacher gave me two key rings from her trip to Romania  last year. She went on another trip to Jordan and Israel to spend Christmas there and she bought me these two key rings – one from Jordan and  one from Israel.  This last photo has a stone and Holy Water inside. She told me that from now on, she would buy me key rings on her future trips to other countries.

I jokingly told her to go to Europe  next so she could bring me something  from there…hahaha.

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Priceless Gifts

Almost a month ago, I blogged about my key chain collections and one of my online friends here, a fellow blogger offered to send me some from the UK. Yesterday, the package finally arrived. They are priceless gifts, something that I would treasure for always.  Wow, I now have some lovely key rings from England.

I love them all but I like the Big Ben best…

Pete regularly comments on my blog posts and I am glad that I am also updated on what life is like in a far away country like the United Kingdom. I find his blogs truly interesting and a joy to read.  Take time to visit his blog.

I asked the post delivery man why they still collect a certain amount when delivering  such small packages and he said that it does not go to the Post Office but  to the Bureau of Customs.They used to charge P40 pesos for it but now it has gone up to P100. Are they overcharging?  I had this previous experience with a private courier  about two years ago.  The package was delivered to me two days after my friend sent it from the US via FedEx. She sent me three paperbacks and paid for the special tariff fee but when it reached me, I was made to pay P1,600 pesos, way more expensive than the total cost of the three books. That is one of the reasons why I never order  anything online, be it books or gadgets that would cost you double the amount when it arrives here.  A friend told me that it is cheaper to send something via ordinary mail but then you are not assured if it will arrive at its destination on time , if it  arrives at all.  I am glad mine did, thank you so much Pete for these lovely key rings.

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