I am posting this video to show appreciation for my husband and his efforts in coming up with this video. 
This is a glimpse of all the shopping we did in Bangkok for the two days that we spent there.
Oh. Did I say shopping?? I meant something else…
Whoa!
The days really do go by so fast! I feel like it has only been a few days since I last updated all of you…and then boom! –It’s almost the middle of the month already. Which means next month will be the month before December….which also means that next, next month will be the month before a whole new year begins. Ayayay!
Let me be completely honest with all of you. I am feeling a wee bit guilty, yet at the same time tremendously grateful for how I have spent the past few days (or has it been weeks?). You see, Dennis and I just got back from a very short yet refreshing mommy-and-daddy-only trip out of the country. This was our first trip out of the country without the kids, and I must say that though I initially had separation anxiety, it was a good thing there were far too many clothes and way too much food to keep my mind preoccupied. Hehe Wait, before any of you think that I actually splurged on the many, many clothes, I will tell you upfront that I didn’t. I behaved relatively well, given that the temptation to shop was all around me. Why, I even stayed below the set budget! (*patting myself on the back*)
Now, why did I say I was feeling a bit guilty again?….Oh! Yes. Right….It’s not really the trip away from the kids. I know all of us need to have that kind of break every once in a while. My guilt (and gratefulness at the same time) mainly stems from the thought of how I spent most of the past few days eating to my heart’s content. *siiighhh….* It seems like even before we left for Bangkok, while we were there, and after we got back, the days have been full of celebration and food trips with friends! Here are some pictures to show you what I mean…
Dimsum feast!
Roast pork…how I hate pork…but how I loved this. hehe
Roti
Garlic and peppercorn squid
Cottage cheese marinated in yogurt and herbs
PAD THAIIII!!!!
Tausi prawns
Roast chicken
Beef hofan
THE BEST laksa in town!!!
Chili prawns
Chewy on the sides, crispy in the middle….gimme some Row-tee!
THAT much food…gone in 60 seconds. I mean, minutes.
FEATURING: Italianni’s Towering Flavors of Lunch
(Side note: you might want to try this while the promo lasts…served for lunch, good for two, pay P995)
Quattro Staggioni: Pepperoni, Hawaiian, Four Cheeses, and Shrimp with Black Olives
Ah, may salad naman pala. HEALTHY!
Chicken Parmigiana
Mussels cooked in wine
Classic lasagna
Tenderly yours, Porkchop.
Look at the size of that momma chicken!
So far, the best Panna Cotta I’ve tasted
There! Just by looking at the pictures, I have already taken you to a tour around half of the globe! I must make a note here: I forgot to take pictures of the eat-all-you-can shabu-shabu we had before leaving, the two-day buffet we had in Bangkok, and the buffet we had the other day with salmon, lobster, and lamb, and the three birthday cakes I’ve been trying to finish here at home! (I’m sure you’d understand. It’s quite hard to think of taking pictures of food when all you want to do is devour them.)
I don’t know…I think that subconsciously, my main purpose for this post is not really to update you but one, to release my guilt (and I’m hoping that some fat is released along with the guilt)…and two, to make you want to eat too. Hehe
This post doesn’t even add value to your lives, I know….but didn’t you at least enjoy looking at the pictures and letting them tickle your palate??? 
PS: Thank you, Atsi Arlene and Larry for taking pictures!
There are two things I absolutely cannot live without and cannot seem to get enough of when cooking: Garlic and Onion. I usually use up one to two cloves of garlic per dish that I make. Not only do they make every dish taste great, they are great for our health, too!
To my excitement (an understatement), my husband and I got invited to this newly-opened restaurant called Krazy Garlik– and on our date night, too! Of course you would agree with me when I say free food is always a good way to start your date night, right?
The restaurant’s name is a dead give-away of their entire concept. Obviously, the owners are crazy about garlic! All the dishes are infused with garlic; and take note– they even use garlic in their smoothies, cocktails and dessert!
Curious yet?
What I like about their food is that though you can definitely tell that they use a lot of garlic, the taste is not so overpowering, so even those who are more conscious of their breaths and who are not so fond of this very healthy and tasty crop (*wink*) will actually enjoy their food. I seriously cannot imagine anyone not enjoying this restaurant’s food.
Just to close my case, here are some pictures for you to enjoy:
Garlic and Anchovy Affection
Haayyy…Oh-so-creamy Creamy Garlic Fondue
Gambas Al Ajillo…Majijilo ka sa sarap! (Toink. =p)
Hara Kiri Rice, for those who love some spice! (Yehess….it rhymes!)
Oxtail and Chorizo Stew
One of my favorites: Garlic Snowflake Pizza. =9
It’s sad that I wasn’t able to take pictures of the rest of the food like the Garlicky Crispy Pata, Pork Rib Adobo, Pasta…or the refreshing drinks, or the yummy dessert… I was too preoccupied, you see. O:)
VERDICT: Malasa. Masarap. Mura ba? Uhmmm…pwede na.
Heehee!
Okay, NOW my excuse for not writing a single entry over the last couple of days is because of the house-move. I have been going back and forth almost everyday, trying to fix whatever I can so we can finally move in to the new house.
Huu-whhhaatt??!? You’re too slow Thammie! I thought you’ve moved in a month ago???
Whoa! Before you judge me, let me explain!
I have had no helper whatsoever so I have been doing all the cleaning and arranging and moving around of all the furniture all by myself! (Well, the moving around part… actually that’s Dennis….I just wanted to sound like a superwoman. Hahaha!)
But yes, that’s really why I have been taking so long. Add to that the fact that simultaneous to all the moving and arranging, I’m having some repainting jobs done, plus the shelves and some cabinets are still being constructed as we speak.
The good news, though, is that I think by tonight I can get at least ONE room of the new place clean enough for us to have our first sleep-over! Woohoo!!! I am so excited to move in to the new place. I have been living like a nomad for a few months now, and though I love the idea of having no household responsibilities and not having to think about what to feed the family daily, I would not trade having my own place to call home for anything in the world.
Here are some of the main things I have learned (or have been reminded of) over the past couple of weeks:
1. Go for “progress”, not “perfect”.
I have to keep repeating this to myself. I have a tendency to perfect the details and sweat the small stuff, and then later on realize I’ve been spending too much time on one thing and haven’t made any real progress!
2. Small is big.
This can apply to so many things. Every small thing you acquire adds big time to clutter; Every “cheap” thing you put into the cart adds up to a big amount at the check-out counter; every small gesture of generosity refreshes someone else in a big way…small is big.
3. Slow is fast. (and labeling really is a homemaker’s best friend!)
Initially I felt that I was kind of slow because I had to be so detailed in labeling all our things, but oh wow…because I have tons of boxes and sacks, I CANNOT imagine how it would be like if I didn’t take the time to label everything carefully. The unpacking is so much faster because of that system.
4. The urgent will always seem to be the most important.
But often, it is not the case.
There were a lot of times when Dennis and I had to stop taking care of the renovation and house move because our daughters would start to remind us of the lack of time we have been spending with them.
It is so easy to get caught up with what the concerns that are screaming “urgent!!!” that we sometimes forget to listen to the cries of those that are really important.
5. When God told husbands and wives to “leave and cleave”, He really had our best interests in mind.
I am super thankful….beyond words….for the kindness shown by my in-laws. They have been so generous and patient with us. We stayed there for over a month and it really was a lot easier for us especially since I could leave the kids there and not have to worry about them inhaling all the dust (and messing up the already-messy place) and pretty much not have to worry about anything else but the move. BUT like I said, I would not trade living with my husband and kids in our own place for any of the convenience and benefits of living with our parents. It’s really just different….a good kind of different.
******
Okay, there’s really more than five points that I want to share, but I’m afraid I’ll stop at seven of eight….and I always prefer my lists to be divisible by five. So for now, that’s it. I have to get back to cleaning up.
We went to a mall earlier today and there I noticed that once again, it’s sale season. I felt some kind of excitement in my heart, that kind that I’m sure most of the women can relate to whenever we see that red sign up on store windows.
Aaaahh!!!! Sale!!! 
But that excitement lasted only for a few minutes. Reality suddenly set in for me: It doesn’t matter, Thammie. You have no more budget this month for those things. “Live like no one else, so later you get to live like no one else”, remember??
In the lines that would follow, I shall be pouring my heart out to you.
Earlier today I felt something I haven’t felt in a long, long time. All of a sudden I found myself thinking a whole bunch of “what if’s?”
“What if I chose to work?”
“What if I had chosen to focus on earning more money?”
“What if I had more money and could just buy anything I wanted?”
“What if I…..?”
Some of those what if’s didn’t even make any sense to me, but they came to mind any way.
And then I started imagining what it would be like to be able to afford anything I wanted in life. To be able to give away huge amounts of money and not have to think twice. To be able to spend and not feel guilty. To be able to travel all I want, anytime I wanted to.
And then I asked myself, “Would those things really make the difference for you?”
I didn’t think so.
Those are all stuff. And they will always remain as such—just stuff. They are inanimate and therefore have no capability whatsoever to give us lasting satisfaction. Temporary gratification, maybe. But true, lasting contentment? No. Never.
Contentment is a heart issue, and therefore cannot be resolved by external things. It is only when our hearts our filled with and by a person that we get to experience real contentment. And by “a person” I mean the One who has withheld nothing from us– not even His life, that we may be able to receive all the riches and blessings that have been prepared for us. It is something that can only come once we realize that our Heavenly Father has assigned us our portion and our cup, that He has made our lot secure (Psalm 16:5); That it is He who will fulfill His promise that no good thing shall He withhold from those whose walk is blameless (Psalm 84:11); That every good and perfect gift comes from Him (James 1:17).
My next thoughts were:
“Lord, thank you that it is you who gives me and my husband the ability to produce wealth.”
“Thank you that it is you who satisfies me.”
- Thank you that though I cannot buy all the shoes and bags I want, at least I even have shoes and bags.
- Thank you that everyday I get to wear decent clothes.
- Thank you that my family is healthy.
- Thank you that though I do not usually get to eat in all the good places I want to eat in, that I still get to enjoy food— more than three times a day!
- Thank you for a loving and hardworking husband.
- Thank you for two lovely girls who have great destinies.
- Thank you for wonderful loyal friends and spiritual family.
- Thank you for a loving family.
- Thank you for the privilege of leading a church who is set on loving you and obeying you.
- Thank you for surrounding us with awesome people who constantly remind us of your love.
- Thank you for your faithfulness.
- Thank you for your unconditional love.
- Thank you for your abounding grace.
“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” (Philippians 4:8)
It’s amazing how our minds can so easily become consumed by the cares of this world, and what the world considers “of value”.
How important it is to “take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5b) and to “give thanks in all circumstances” (1 Thessalonians 5:18a).
I like how the apostle Paul put it:
“I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength.” (Philippians 4:12-13)
Again….Thank you, Lord. 
Here are the top three books that have greatly helped me in preparation for having my first baby, and which I reviewed in preparation for my second.
Babywise – I think a great part of how I kept my sanity through the first years with Alyanna and Mikaela were the principles I learned from this book.
Secrets of the Baby Whisperer- This book contains some very practical tips on how to somehow make out your baby’s cries and needs.
The Official Lamaze Guide- Childbirth is something that us women were designed for, and this book helped give me confidence as I prepared to give birth via Lamaze to both of my girls.
What’s on your list?
More books at http://www.bookworm.ph/products-page/
