labour day tomorrow

Ray asked David and I at breakfast- if it's labour day tomorrow how come the workers don't work? in fact i asked that myself a couple of decades ago.

When I left the home in the Philippines to come overseas, i left a very good career to start family life in New Zealand. I thought that I will just settle as a wife and mother. But for one who's been working since 17 years of age, the call of 'work' beaconed when Ray was just 2 years old. In Hastings, New Zealand where I used to stay, the easier part time work to find was in the apple packhouses. Hastings, you see is surrounded by apple, pear, peach, grape orchards and sheep, cattle farmlands. My very first job was an apple packer in an orchard called Peak Horticulture. Ray went to daycare and Viv was in primary school. I enjoyed learning about apples, packaging procedures(they were exported to the U.S. Russia)and mingling with kiwi production workers. It was also a good way to keep fit. Holidays like Labour Day is always a welcome respite from the daily grinds of hard work. My family and I have come a long way since my packhouse days in Kiwiland.

Picture: My first collection of phlenopsis orchid ( di pa nadagdagan uy)
I've also created a couple more blogsites here in blogspot-just go to my profile and click on the other blogs. See! I have more free time. Can I keep it up though? That will remain to be seen...

Decisions, decisions, decisions

LIFE is an endless decision making process, from the most simplest decisions to the most complex ones. Sometimes we are forced to do action due to a decision that we have committed ourselves to. Other times we just make up our minds and do things due to some unexpected events. Malalim yata ito.

Por ejemplo (e.g.)the alarm goes at 5:20am, shall I get up now or wait till after the 5:30 news? Then taking a shower is a decision I have made long time ago as it is part of my personal routine, so it's an automatic activity. For breakfast I've also decided to have toast and coffee. Then- should I wake up Ray or not? He is 16 and he has an alarm radio so i decided to leave him alone and let him sleep and not care whether he'll be late for school or not. But when I get to work, I fret and ring him whether he's up- and being the nagging mum that I am, I say, make sure you eat your B/F, bring water etc etc etc. He's a good son and he knows how to shut me up by saying ' have a nice day at work mum' hehehe.

One of my more complex decisions was whether to accept a full time job or not. This takes a longer time to ponder as there are sacrifices I have to make and the major one is spending time away from home and family. On the other hand, kids need little caring now and things are pretty organised at home but what about this home business that we were planning to expand? It was a hard decision to make but when I finally made the decision to accept the job, everything fell into place and I am still very happy that I made the decision and so therefore I don't mind going on the train back and forth to the city. All other activities revolve around my job now but the benefits are so good that I could still take time off for some holidays, taking Ray to the doctor, grocery shopping and tending to my garden.

When Dad died suddenly in Baguio, Phils, I didn't even make any decision. I just made up my mind that at all cost, I am going home to pay my last respect. Never mind if Vivian will be away from Kindy for 3 weeks, never mind that I was having some difficulties in my pregnancy (I was 3 mos pregnant with Ray), never mind if I lose my visa ( I was holding a NZ temporary visa at that time), never mind if I lose all my savings for the expensive fare. I did go and I never regretted I did. It was hard going on the way back to Hastings NZ as had to start from scratch again but look, we got over it and life moved on.




pixtaken in the gold coast qld at the one and only casino then- i was deciding whether to gamble my 100 bucks or not guess what i decided not to and went shopping and bought a pair of nice leather boots for David (my other half) and sometimes I ponder that maybe if I did go and gamble, I would have won and would have afforded to buy myself a pair of fancy shoes too?.

..like winning the lotto huh?...

that's the feeling when viv graduated from uni with a degree of bachelor of nursing.
at last- i have fulfilled my role as mum to her as far as supporting her education goes (she did 85% of the work i have to say...) and this is one of the greatest achievements of my life too- now she is a full time registered nurse and working in one of the royal hospitals in brisbane. this is a new beginning for her and she said that she feels a bit weird that for the first time in her life since she was 3 years old that she is no longer going to school. She is planning to go back to school to study a language- japanese or spanish. she had studied french in high school. for the meantime she is enjoying life with Haines and may soon travel to melbourne or overseas on her sept or october scheduled rec leave....lets see if she will save enough. i must admit that it feels a bit weird not having vivs around but in a way i have the time to start a hobby and tend to my garden and even watch some dvds/read books and do things that i really like which did not find time for.

ray is the master of our lives. he is the only one left of the 7 children who lived with us. apart from high school his other activities are piano and voice lessons. he is so much into music devoting 70% of his time to it and it's really a passion for him. that means for david and i enduring long hours of listening to piano music... but thank god that it's not rock that he plays- especially on the weekend such as today. para kaming nasa concierto palagi! I'm sooo proud of those 2 guys and i am lucky to have children like them. i hope that they feel lucky to have a mum like me too hi hi- does not really matter to them as the best legacy we can leave our children would be the ability and skill to cope with life's extremes and savour those happy moments and always look forward to a bright day.

Easter Sunday

I will share with you a posting i did a year ago at BWI....

when I was little, mom, sis and i used to paint real hard boiled eggs for my 4 little brothers to search in an easter hunt. We hid them in accessible places and the hunt begins when they all wake up. After attending the easter mass at the baguio cathedral we used to eat pancit, shanghai lumpia/egg pie at dainty and we met some uncles who hang around there who chat with mom and dad. we always participated in the church processions (way of the cross) that starts and ends at the immaculate concepcion church in aurora hill. good time to meet up with friends.

during my university years in manila, i was often sought out by dormmates and most were greasing so i can bring them along to baguio during the holy week. around 5-6 friends tag along and it was amazing how mom and dad used to convert our 3 bedroom house into a backpacker style accommodation. my sis and 4 brothers became 'floor managers' in our small sala. it was a festive mood and my siblings used to enjoy the company of my dormmates. we hire a 'short trip' to take us around to burnham park, lourdes grotto, cathedral, mines view, la trinidad, pink sisters. sometimes we set on foot with our picnic bags with the company of my siblings tagging along passing through brookside to go to the botanical garden (my favourite place in baguio), teachers camp and camp john hay. we really had a good time. before going home my dad (may he rest in peace) had already organised one bayong each of vegetables for my friends. we do last minute shopping mostly of strawberry jams/everlasing flowers and other curio items. we leave baguio with good memories and did not mind the crowd at the bus terminal at the top of session road.

here in australia easter is too commercialised with the chocolate easter eggs which we buy to give as presents for our loved ones. It's an occasion when chocolate eggs are allowed for breakfast, together with the tradiional butter laded hot cross buns. we attend sunday mass in an airconditioned church, meet up with friends. there seem to be a vigilant campaign for road safety since it's a long weekend as if majority seem to drive away from their abodes somehow. road tolls are quite high at this time due to overspeeding, alcohol, drugs or maybe just plain fatigue.

I wonder how everyone else spend/spent their easters.

Good Friday

My Easter Holidays started yesterday, Thursday as I have taken a flexi one day before and after the easter holidays. On Wednesday, our work social club had put up an easter event complete with the hot cross buns and easter egg hunting in the form of multi-colored dots numbered and pasted in different unthinkable places. Anyway, my tummy had a feast of hotXbuns, choc chip ones with butter and lots and lots of chocolate easter eggs! Everyone was wishing Happy Easter to everyone.

Thursday was a nice day spent with the company of ray- we pretty much did what we wanted to do- me intermittent housework and washing clothes- him his music and pc. We left for Brissie at about 2ish and went to Big W (bought some goodies using my $25 gift voucher), Medicare(recover some medical money), Allans for him and Rebel for me. Rebel was under refurbishment so I went out in a hurry and looked for Ray. We then went to Borders (we enjoy this shop) then I to Myers - to look for some walking shoes as my heels are giving me hell lately (symptoms of old age!)- but did not find any. We waited for David at Pastano's, had dinner there and then went to watch this awesome play called "fiddler on the roof"- What a fantastic show with lots of words of wisdom plus great setting and acting. A truly good night.

Good Friday as my blog title says- well that's the picture of the St Stephen Church in Brissie where I usually visit and pray at least once a week. I go past it everyday on the way to my work. It's been a quiet Friday, more landscaping and planting work at home. My flowers at the front of the house are getting colorful.

Happy Easter! time to reflect and thank the Lord for all the blessings and remember Him for his sacrifices and wisdom. My philosophy in life is to live more for the present and be happy. Lately, I've been quite selective in a lot of things- paying more attention to things that are important to me and promote my well being.

Budget Tuesdays

Today we went to watch a very nice film called 'world's fastest Indian', starring the very good Anthony Hopkins . I enjoyed it even though we missed 5 minutes of it. It is also a true story of a kiwiguy from Invercargill. What thrilled David was the mention of his Uncle Leslie Hobbs from Christchurch, a journalist who wrote about Bert Munro. Won't elaborate any further so I won't ruin it for those who have not seen it. A story of a man, an old one who is very focused and determined in what he wants to do. A lot of wisdom here too. Budget Tuesdays are the promo in cinemas for a cheap movie- AUD6.50/adult. Normally double that on ordinary days.

Got the good news from Ray that he will be able to watch 'The Fiddler...', 'Australian Outback' and spend a couple of nights in the GC. So, GC here we come.

Good to meet up with Vivi again. Ros (my workmate)got voucher for this buy one free one meal at BlackJacks- Vivi decided to join us and was there ahead of us. She looks so confident in her nurse uniform. Her duty is at 2:30 pm so she had a lot of time to enjoy time with us eating our hearts out at the buffet lunch.

At work I had meeting with the manager regarding some learning needs analysis.. more training. I am currently on higher duties- really I enjoy mentoring other people.
Have a good night..

monday monday

A song popularised by the Mamas and the Papas, one of my fave bands. It is the start of a working week for a lot like me, when the weekend would have refreshed you. But... My dear young son is a bit of a worry- and i am hoping that all will be well after seeing the GP and no recurrence will happen- otherwise i will sharpen my dressing skills even more, not to mention my driving skills (to/from hosp. wound clinic, pharmacies etc). Might even end up finishing my christmas quilt. hehehe keep up the spirit and even an event like this can become an unforgettable experience. He is a dream patient too keeping the nurses in the pediatric ward entertained....

I txt Vivi today my darling daughter- after 22 years she decided that she had enough of me and gone to live somewhere in the darkside- i mean southside. I do miss her terribly but birds have to leave their nests and that's what she decided to do. She is a dream daughter really - a breeze to look after - because she leaves me alone- she is more preoccupied with her own activities actually. Before I get lost in nostalgia the reason i txt her is due to some easter choco pressies for her and Haines and like a little girl, she still would love to have them. So we arranged to meet tomorrow in the Big House and probably have some lunch. I always look forward to seeing her. But seems like we always go eat when we see each other. We both love our food but unlike her who is slim and trim, I am the opposite.

Bill payment today by internet (thank God!) which really saves a lot of time- just imagine if we have to go and pay bills individually for each establishment. I paid 8 bills today. Next payment will be towards the end of the month. Late payment fees apply if not paid by the due date so, i have been bitten so I have learnt the expensive way.

'gidday all ...

A couple of days ago i decided to start my blog but somehow lost my pw and userid. Ray recovered it for me so here goes...

I must give tribute to ray- he is actually my beloved son. I don't have much complaints about him - he is the dream son, lucky to have him really or is it that he is lucky to have me as a mum- whatever- we are lucky to have each other. He has given me nothing but pride and joy- we have had some moments but they are all learning experience that binds us even stronger.

Yesterday we attended a birthday party of a friend's hubby in a place called ferny grove- 45 minute drive from our house. Nice drive inland (we live in a peninsula). It was pretty good and met some new people. i made an apple crumble but left my custard cream at home so i decided to make another one today as ray was not able to taste the one last night. By the way this is just a new friend, i met from a recently met acquaintance who is also my namesake. Recent means not a year even.

Today we finished some contract upholstery work- David (my hubby) and I. We do the usual weekend work but both of us enjoy working outdoors tending to our plants- we are starting to be keen gardeners again.