it was sunday afternoon, the last day of my first long weekend since i started working again. we drove to sunset blvd and found a place to park our car. then we took the train to hollywood and vine where the hollywood christmas parade would pause to turn on its route. tickets for the parade are expensive, considering they will pass thru the streets anyway so we found a place by the sidewalk and waited.
the floats were eyecandy for the children who were on their fathers' shoulders clapping their hands for spongebob squarepants, mickey mouse, the looney tunes characters and many others. for soap fans, there were a couple of stars who graced the occasion. chip and kim who won the last amazing race were there, all decked out in their winter clothes as well as red and kitty from that 70's show. hmmm there were a lot of marching bands in full costume with flaggers in sexy outfits.
it was fun, all bundled up in warm sweaters, gloves and bonnets, wrapped in my husband's arms. i've never been to a parade like that. i enjoyed it, my husband took great care of me all throughout. we even found the time to buy hot pandesal on the way home, which is always a treat for me:)
Tuesday, November 30, 2004
Saturday, November 27, 2004
life by the book
Posted by
Liza Cordero
all my life i have enjoyed gathering information, using books, newspapers, magazines and the internet. i think it started when i was very young, the first time i was made to report on a subject in school. i asked my mom to find me a whole book about the topic and she did. this love affair with information continued to my adult age and became the reason for my career choice.
and in this new chapter of my life, when advise from other expecting women does not seem to satisfy my curiosity, i again turn to my very first information source, my books. and i found two great books about the subject, one being Your Pregnancy Week By Week and the other Your Pregnancy Every Woman's Guide. i now know how my baby is developing and why i'm having all these symptoms-- and most importantly, i know whether what i'm experiencing is normal since the ob gyn who wrote the book has written it all down for me.
so now i don't feel as though i'm clueless as to what is happening inside me. i don't feel lost as to what to do to help my baby develop into a strong and healthy child. and i have all the scientific knowledge of the miracle that is growing inside me-- our baby.
and in this new chapter of my life, when advise from other expecting women does not seem to satisfy my curiosity, i again turn to my very first information source, my books. and i found two great books about the subject, one being Your Pregnancy Week By Week and the other Your Pregnancy Every Woman's Guide. i now know how my baby is developing and why i'm having all these symptoms-- and most importantly, i know whether what i'm experiencing is normal since the ob gyn who wrote the book has written it all down for me.
so now i don't feel as though i'm clueless as to what is happening inside me. i don't feel lost as to what to do to help my baby develop into a strong and healthy child. and i have all the scientific knowledge of the miracle that is growing inside me-- our baby.
Tuesday, November 16, 2004
a shower of blessings
Posted by
Liza Cordero
one of our tasks in the internet department is to send out a weekly email that is actually dr. schuller's sunday sermon in the hour of power. last week it was about thankful living.
he told the story of a prayer he said with his former secretary when she first found out that she had cancer. in that sad time, his whole prayer had started with thank you, thank you that it was discovered, thank you for the specialists who can help, thank you for the facilities now available to heal, etc.
and i got to thinking about my own life and my own blessings. here i am, married to the man i have always dreamed of marrying. earning more than i could ever earn in the philippines. with a family that is growing bigger by the day, with his ex's family offering custody of my stepchildren to us and maybe a new addition of our own (unconfirmed still, but we'll see...) sharing our blessings with his aging parents who in their last days got to know me still.
God gave me everything i prayed for, He blessed me with all that i ever wanted. not immediately, but it only took a little patience.
and now with our business taking off slowly but surely, i can really feel the wonder of answered prayers. everything is just the way we prayed it would be, but in God's schedule, not ours. though at times we feel the pressure of keeping up with everything God provides, we will continue to be thankful. because we know that God gives us only what is best for us and we accept it gratefully together...
and continue to live a thankful life that God blessed us with this love-- and this relationship that has Him in its core.
he told the story of a prayer he said with his former secretary when she first found out that she had cancer. in that sad time, his whole prayer had started with thank you, thank you that it was discovered, thank you for the specialists who can help, thank you for the facilities now available to heal, etc.
and i got to thinking about my own life and my own blessings. here i am, married to the man i have always dreamed of marrying. earning more than i could ever earn in the philippines. with a family that is growing bigger by the day, with his ex's family offering custody of my stepchildren to us and maybe a new addition of our own (unconfirmed still, but we'll see...) sharing our blessings with his aging parents who in their last days got to know me still.
God gave me everything i prayed for, He blessed me with all that i ever wanted. not immediately, but it only took a little patience.
and now with our business taking off slowly but surely, i can really feel the wonder of answered prayers. everything is just the way we prayed it would be, but in God's schedule, not ours. though at times we feel the pressure of keeping up with everything God provides, we will continue to be thankful. because we know that God gives us only what is best for us and we accept it gratefully together...
and continue to live a thankful life that God blessed us with this love-- and this relationship that has Him in its core.
Saturday, November 13, 2004
mixing business with pleasure and a lot of christmas shopping!
Posted by
Liza Cordero
christmas has always been my favorite season. there's a certain crispness in the air, and everyone seems so happy and sweet. plus i get to go shopping all the time!
this particular christmas, my first away from home is no different. i'm sending 2 balikbayan boxes to the philippines, one to my family and one to my stepchildren. i'm also sending a package to new zealand for my eldest stepdaughter and her 2 cousins who my husband loves very much!
shopping was an adventure in itself. for the groceries, we bought wholesale goodies at costco, which took up most of the boxes. we went to discount stores downtown for clothes for the kids. we went to wholesale stores downtown for the stuffed toys (just like divisoria!) and for daddy's brute. we also found cute t-shirts, all at discounted prices. oh and we went to this nice little shop on hollywood build-a-bear, where you can choose a stufftoy you want and they make it for you then they give you a birth certificate for them and adoption papers. then you choose clothes and accessories for it, it all seems so addicting! i'm sure to take my youngest sister there when she visits:)
...
last thursday was veteran's day, we had the day off and we decided to bring our venue sponsor proposal to a resort and casino in temecula. we drove 87 miles to bring the proposal to our contact person. her response was lukewarm but her boss appeared interested in the event. and one of their patrons who overheard us discussing the pageant immediately asked if he could watch the event, imagine that? instant response, and the guy wasn't even asian, he was american!
after our meeting, we went to this nice restaurant that looked strangely like fred and wilma flintstone's bungalow. we ordered calamari appetizers, clam chowder soup, shrimp scampi, grilled steak and shrimp and cheesecake for dessert. it was a great evening! a treat i've never had with anyone except my husband.
the drive back was faster than the drive up. imagine our old car made it 184 miles total drive, it really deserves all the pampering we're going to give it!:)
this particular christmas, my first away from home is no different. i'm sending 2 balikbayan boxes to the philippines, one to my family and one to my stepchildren. i'm also sending a package to new zealand for my eldest stepdaughter and her 2 cousins who my husband loves very much!
shopping was an adventure in itself. for the groceries, we bought wholesale goodies at costco, which took up most of the boxes. we went to discount stores downtown for clothes for the kids. we went to wholesale stores downtown for the stuffed toys (just like divisoria!) and for daddy's brute. we also found cute t-shirts, all at discounted prices. oh and we went to this nice little shop on hollywood build-a-bear, where you can choose a stufftoy you want and they make it for you then they give you a birth certificate for them and adoption papers. then you choose clothes and accessories for it, it all seems so addicting! i'm sure to take my youngest sister there when she visits:)
...
last thursday was veteran's day, we had the day off and we decided to bring our venue sponsor proposal to a resort and casino in temecula. we drove 87 miles to bring the proposal to our contact person. her response was lukewarm but her boss appeared interested in the event. and one of their patrons who overheard us discussing the pageant immediately asked if he could watch the event, imagine that? instant response, and the guy wasn't even asian, he was american!
after our meeting, we went to this nice restaurant that looked strangely like fred and wilma flintstone's bungalow. we ordered calamari appetizers, clam chowder soup, shrimp scampi, grilled steak and shrimp and cheesecake for dessert. it was a great evening! a treat i've never had with anyone except my husband.
the drive back was faster than the drive up. imagine our old car made it 184 miles total drive, it really deserves all the pampering we're going to give it!:)
Saturday, November 06, 2004
tidbits of life
Posted by
Liza Cordero
greencard received
the US government mailed us our greencards a week after they mailed us a letter that we will receive our greencard in 3 to 6 months--talk about overestimation!:)
an asian angel
a week ago at the train station, i saw this beautiful asian woman. she stood out from the crowd because of her simple elegance and trademark asian grace, i felt like i was watching a movie, watching her.
just before we boarded the train, she asked me if the next train was going to LA Union Station. i said yes and that i was taking the same train.
we rode together and ended up passing the train ride talking about our lives. she said "the first thing i noticed about you was that you are a very happy person. you are very blessed to be so happy!"
this observation came in a week where i felt very stressed, as you read in my entry, i felt the weight of the world on my shoulders. and you know what was really ironic?
she had everything i wanted. a house in san marino. 2 kids of her own. and a great career that pays well enough to provide her children with an above average standard of living. but she had confessed that she was not happy, she was thankful yes, but she felt like there were other things she can be doing. she was settling.
i felt that way before i met my husband, before he taught me how to appreciate God's blessings and before he encouraged me to never stop dreaming my dreams-- never ever think my dreams are impractical.
and though we may have some ways to go before becoming financially stable, though we have to take care of his parents and have to plan so many events on our own, we are doing so together. and i trust my husband to be there through thick and thin to help me through each obstacle.
i am happy because i know that he will always be there when i get home or that he will always go home to me. i am happy because i got all i hoped for, God blessed me with a great job, a great boss and coworkers, even the means to start a business, buy prime property and not want for much. and God has always blessed me even as a little girl growing up there were just so many times when i could not see his master plan and i doubted him. but my husband has taught me to trust in God's plans and i do see now... i see that God has given me what's best for me.
God has made me happy through the man i love more than anyone in the world!
learning my rights
this week i met a very unpleasant bus driver who insisted so rudely that i pay the bus fare when i explained to her that my 10-T train ticket, which i showed her stamped on that day was valid for a transfer to any metro bus line. i paid the fare just to get home, but i was so upset that she acted so rudely and condescendingly.
the next day i called the metro office and confirmed that my 10T train ticket was valid for transfers when i get to Union Station on the bus line i take. and the representative said yes, when i told her what happened the night before she told me to file a complaint about that driver.
because of my husband's indirect example i did ask for the bus driver's name, but she wouldn't give it to me instead pointed rudely to her badge number on her jacket emblem. i had jotted it down and gave it to the person handling my complaint who apologized that something like that happened to me. that very night, the bus line i rode in had a different driver, a more polite one who didn't question my train ticket at all!
an absentee son
my husband has a brother in new zealand who looked just like him before he got sick. he is one of the best architects in new zealand and owns an architectural firm. if i were in his shoes, i would have been sending money to my parents who are retired and have no source of income a long time ago.
but you know his frame of mind? he wrote to his mother, who had asked him for support, saying that he was praying for them. and that his prayers were answered when my husband and i got a greencard and when i got a job. and that eventually we will help mama and papa with their financial difficulties!
excuse me! we already help mama and papa, who do you think pays all the bills and does all the grocery shopping? how dare he assume that we are doing nothing! even my mother-in-law told him, your brother is the one supporting us, from you we get no support!
in my heart, i felt my husband's anger. my resolution: forget them! mama and papa are part of our life's plan, they come with us when we find a home for our family, we will support them without anyone's help. karma will be when they die happy, loving us the most, being grateful to us the most, and at peace. their absentee son will never know his mother's simple pleasures at just small acts of thoughtfulness and kindness. their absentee son will never know how funny his father could be, how happy his face is when he smiles so peacefully. he will never know the joy of having them say thank you and feel that it came from their hearts.
and when he realizes too late all that he missed. we would have no regrets, but he would be miserable all his life.
his oldest sister
my husband is blessed with one of the most considerate eldest sister i know. tina and i have talked several times and we get along pretty well. i love the way she would know things i never would have told her and she would ask them as though extracting a secret from me in confidence.
last week she asked me, do you ever get irritated with mama and papa? and i said there are a few times when i do, but not very often. and surprisingly, she said to just turn around or go to my room lock myself in when they are makulit. and she said it with no disdain for my feeling irritated at times because she claims to have felt the same way when she was with them!
last night she offered to go home in april in our stead to make sure the children are enrolled in a good school and to draw up custody papers with a lawyer for transfer of custody to us. she even offered to go talk to my husband's ex-wife because apparently the ex is afraid of her:)
i feel that tina is grateful that we are taking care of their parents. she appreciates our sacrifice and returns the care we give their parents with care for our children. tina is wholeheartedly welcome in our home, no matter what!
miss asia california
this weekend's task would be to get a proposal together for the casinos who replied that they are interested in the event and want to sponsor it. everything is going great! somehow I feel God's hand guiding us to the means to provide for our children and parents. when you are generous, God will be generous-- that's what my mom and my mother-in-law both said to me!
my boss' reassurance
on the way to our meeting yesterday, my boss asked me if i was worried about the 3-month probation ending. i said not really, but she went on to say, "you have nothing to worry about, i can tell you right now i will make you a regular employee. you are like gold to us!"
wow! i just realized she just told me i have a regular job now and the now 1 month or so wait is just going through the process:) i'm so happy that she feels that way and happy that i get to stay in this environment that i love and enjoy! she frequently mentions that our MIS director and people i've done little projects for have praised me and the department constantly.
*sigh* it's feels great to be so appreciated!:)
the US government mailed us our greencards a week after they mailed us a letter that we will receive our greencard in 3 to 6 months--talk about overestimation!:)
an asian angel
a week ago at the train station, i saw this beautiful asian woman. she stood out from the crowd because of her simple elegance and trademark asian grace, i felt like i was watching a movie, watching her.
just before we boarded the train, she asked me if the next train was going to LA Union Station. i said yes and that i was taking the same train.
we rode together and ended up passing the train ride talking about our lives. she said "the first thing i noticed about you was that you are a very happy person. you are very blessed to be so happy!"
this observation came in a week where i felt very stressed, as you read in my entry, i felt the weight of the world on my shoulders. and you know what was really ironic?
she had everything i wanted. a house in san marino. 2 kids of her own. and a great career that pays well enough to provide her children with an above average standard of living. but she had confessed that she was not happy, she was thankful yes, but she felt like there were other things she can be doing. she was settling.
i felt that way before i met my husband, before he taught me how to appreciate God's blessings and before he encouraged me to never stop dreaming my dreams-- never ever think my dreams are impractical.
and though we may have some ways to go before becoming financially stable, though we have to take care of his parents and have to plan so many events on our own, we are doing so together. and i trust my husband to be there through thick and thin to help me through each obstacle.
i am happy because i know that he will always be there when i get home or that he will always go home to me. i am happy because i got all i hoped for, God blessed me with a great job, a great boss and coworkers, even the means to start a business, buy prime property and not want for much. and God has always blessed me even as a little girl growing up there were just so many times when i could not see his master plan and i doubted him. but my husband has taught me to trust in God's plans and i do see now... i see that God has given me what's best for me.
God has made me happy through the man i love more than anyone in the world!
learning my rights
this week i met a very unpleasant bus driver who insisted so rudely that i pay the bus fare when i explained to her that my 10-T train ticket, which i showed her stamped on that day was valid for a transfer to any metro bus line. i paid the fare just to get home, but i was so upset that she acted so rudely and condescendingly.
the next day i called the metro office and confirmed that my 10T train ticket was valid for transfers when i get to Union Station on the bus line i take. and the representative said yes, when i told her what happened the night before she told me to file a complaint about that driver.
because of my husband's indirect example i did ask for the bus driver's name, but she wouldn't give it to me instead pointed rudely to her badge number on her jacket emblem. i had jotted it down and gave it to the person handling my complaint who apologized that something like that happened to me. that very night, the bus line i rode in had a different driver, a more polite one who didn't question my train ticket at all!
an absentee son
my husband has a brother in new zealand who looked just like him before he got sick. he is one of the best architects in new zealand and owns an architectural firm. if i were in his shoes, i would have been sending money to my parents who are retired and have no source of income a long time ago.
but you know his frame of mind? he wrote to his mother, who had asked him for support, saying that he was praying for them. and that his prayers were answered when my husband and i got a greencard and when i got a job. and that eventually we will help mama and papa with their financial difficulties!
excuse me! we already help mama and papa, who do you think pays all the bills and does all the grocery shopping? how dare he assume that we are doing nothing! even my mother-in-law told him, your brother is the one supporting us, from you we get no support!
in my heart, i felt my husband's anger. my resolution: forget them! mama and papa are part of our life's plan, they come with us when we find a home for our family, we will support them without anyone's help. karma will be when they die happy, loving us the most, being grateful to us the most, and at peace. their absentee son will never know his mother's simple pleasures at just small acts of thoughtfulness and kindness. their absentee son will never know how funny his father could be, how happy his face is when he smiles so peacefully. he will never know the joy of having them say thank you and feel that it came from their hearts.
and when he realizes too late all that he missed. we would have no regrets, but he would be miserable all his life.
his oldest sister
my husband is blessed with one of the most considerate eldest sister i know. tina and i have talked several times and we get along pretty well. i love the way she would know things i never would have told her and she would ask them as though extracting a secret from me in confidence.
last week she asked me, do you ever get irritated with mama and papa? and i said there are a few times when i do, but not very often. and surprisingly, she said to just turn around or go to my room lock myself in when they are makulit. and she said it with no disdain for my feeling irritated at times because she claims to have felt the same way when she was with them!
last night she offered to go home in april in our stead to make sure the children are enrolled in a good school and to draw up custody papers with a lawyer for transfer of custody to us. she even offered to go talk to my husband's ex-wife because apparently the ex is afraid of her:)
i feel that tina is grateful that we are taking care of their parents. she appreciates our sacrifice and returns the care we give their parents with care for our children. tina is wholeheartedly welcome in our home, no matter what!
miss asia california
this weekend's task would be to get a proposal together for the casinos who replied that they are interested in the event and want to sponsor it. everything is going great! somehow I feel God's hand guiding us to the means to provide for our children and parents. when you are generous, God will be generous-- that's what my mom and my mother-in-law both said to me!
my boss' reassurance
on the way to our meeting yesterday, my boss asked me if i was worried about the 3-month probation ending. i said not really, but she went on to say, "you have nothing to worry about, i can tell you right now i will make you a regular employee. you are like gold to us!"
wow! i just realized she just told me i have a regular job now and the now 1 month or so wait is just going through the process:) i'm so happy that she feels that way and happy that i get to stay in this environment that i love and enjoy! she frequently mentions that our MIS director and people i've done little projects for have praised me and the department constantly.
*sigh* it's feels great to be so appreciated!:)
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