A Bit About Myself : A Friendship Tag

Got this friendship tag from Bruce. Thanks a lot, Daddy Bruce. You're the first daddy who tagged me. Kudos to you and let me be the first to greet you a HAPPY FATHER's DAY!

1. What do you want for your birthday?
- A full goodnight sleep (since i hadn't had one since i arrived here in Scotland!).

2. Who will be your next kiss?
- My husband and my kids.

3. When was the last time you went to the mall?
- Yesterday.

4. Are you wearing socks right now?
- I am wearing stockings right now.

5. How did you spend your summer?
- I will spend my summer in Canada. I am soo looking forward to it!

6. Have you been to the cinema in the last 5 days?
- Nope and hadn't been since the last 5 months... Ah, it's okay, i am happy to be just at home.

7. What was the last thing you had to drink?
- Water. But if you mean aside from water, i had Nesvita cereal drink this morning.

8. What are you wearing right now?
- I am wearing a new white dress. I just bought it yesterday. It's nothing special, just a very simple dress. And what else? My gray stockings which insulated me and the "others" of course.

9. What was your last purchase?
- My white dress and my eldest son's Indiana Jones' toy.

10. What was the last food you ate?
- Roast chicken(with the skin!), rice, and a dark chocolate!

11. Who would be the person you would call if you were up in the middle of the night and couldn’t sleep?
- My husband. And if he is offshore? My family back home.

12. Have you bought any clothing items in the last week?
- Yes.

13. Do you have a pet?
- Nope.(Can't afford to have one. And if i can afford, i will never get one!)

14. What made you laugh in the last 5 days?
- Many things made me laugh! The latest one is my conversation with my son.
Me: Honey, will you please eat now?
My son: I am not honey, honey is for Winnie the Pooh!!! hehehehe. That made me laugh and giggle!

15. If you could be anywhere right now, where would you be?
- It doesn't matter wherever as long as my husband and kids are with me. I had been to many worst places you cannot imagine!

16. What is the last thing you purchased online?
- I hadn't shopped online.

17. One thing you hate about yourself?
- Ah, what do i hate about myself? Physically? How i wish i am taller! Others: I don't like it when i am angry( it gives me wrinkles!)! But i am just human and i have to accept my imperfections!

18. Do you miss anyone?
- I miss my family in Philippines and Canada. Most especially, i miss my husband whenever he's not at my side and my sight!

19. What are your plans for the day?
- Ah, it's 5pm now but i still have things to do till i sleep like : tidying up(this is endless!!!!), watch my kids and feed them, cook for my hubby, watch the show - British Got Talent, hopefully bloghopping if i still got time!

20. Last person you msg’d?
- My husband.

21. Ever went to a camp?
- Yes and that was when i was in Grade 6 --- the Girl Scout Camping.(oh well, that was like ages ago? Guess i am really getting old!).

22. Are you a good student in school?
- Wow I feel old now also! Uhmm, i think i am average, but i am a teachers' pet so they keep on giving me good grades! hehehehe.

23. What do you know about the (your) future?
- This is a scary question. Honestly, who knows? Only God knows.

24. Are you wearing any perfume or cologne?
- Sometimes only. Some people are allergic to smell and i don't want to intimidate them. Even my husband is allergic to smell, so if ever i put perfume it should be the mildest as possible. But i do love wearing sometimes.

25. Where is/are your best friend/s right now?
- My husband and my kids are my bestfriends. They had seen the worst and the best in me. I have many great, loving friends back home in the Philippines that i am missing a lot though!

I am passing this tag to my wonderful friend online Wendy. I want to congratulate you and your hubby for your pregnancy! Take good care!

Hotel's Weirdest Lost Item

Okay first of all, i am a forgetful person. I would accept that wholeheartedly. Many, many times, i forgot something in the hotel room. I will only realized after sometime when i reached my destination or when we left the hotel after sometime, and yup, there's just no turning back. My husband will always tell me every now and then whenever we'll be checking out, "had you checked and rechecked if you left something?" I said, yes... hehehe... But i will share to you how i remembered leaving many things...

1. When we were in Brunei i left all of my Neutrogena products in one package --- lotion, shampoo, conditioner. I never bothered. What will i do? Although they were new and with full content, but it is just impractical and time-consuming to get them back. Lucky those who kept it!

2. When we were in Kuala Lumpur, i left my Victoria Secret perfume and lotion, still new i bought from KLCC. We called the hotel, they said they don't have it. Am sure i left it! (Location, Crowne Plaza -Mutiara Hotel-KL)

3. I left dress, swimming attire (Sheraton Hotel - Labuan)... but they gave it back to me!

4. The weirdest thing that i left that i really wanted to get back???? My underwear! We were in Cape Breton Island and we booked on the Keltic Lodge. We checked out, and an hour after we left the hotel, i remembered i left my Triumph new under wear!!!! I told Scott who was driving as we were heading back to Nova Scotia. He said, "what we can do? Call the hotel and tell them to mail the underwear?"hehehehehe. Of course, we did not do anything. There was no turning back. But i just miss those underwear. They were pretty!



Okay i may had left these things and any other minor, minor things, but not this one: a 4 year old boy! Can you believe that? No matter how tired i am or how stressed i am in traveling, my kids will always be my greatest and most precious cargoes.

Here is a story in Edinburgh, Scotland last January 3, 2008--- The boy was left at the Travelodge in Edinburgh in the midst of chaos caused by his parents' rush to attend a family party, the (Glasgow) Daily Record reported. They did collect him quickly but he is still counted as the strangest item of lost property in the hotel. Other Travelodge locations also reported their most bizarre lost items . One Scottish location reported a suitcase full of wigs and glasses was left behind by a guest while other European locations reported an urn of ashes and a living Persian cat, the Daily Record reported.

Oh well, i don't know what will i do if i will leave my kids. I will gonna be soooo panicky! I don't mind leaving a suitcase full of underwears!!!

My 100th Post!

Wow, this is my 100th entry! I am thinking of writing a special post but really i cannot think of anything. What i can randomly think now is the number 100. I am just thinking if me and my husband would reach that age? What will happen to the world 100 years from now? What will happen 100 months from now? What will happen 100 hours from now? What will happen 100 minutes from now? What will happen 100 seconds from now?... No one would ever know.

The many calamities that happened --- the one in China, in Myanmar, or any other strange and horrible events that happened in different areas of the world --- are these events been forecasted? No one would ever know.

This is the essence of my blog - Capturing the Moments. I took photos whenever i got the chance. Tomorrow, all of us will gonna grow old and what would remain will be image of the past. Today is what really matters.

Today, as i am making this 100th post, me and my two boys are away from our families and we are missing them. My husband is away working hard to support us. Our one family is in the Philippines and our other family is in Canada. We both miss them so much. I feel nostalgic now making this post. How i wish they are here? How i wish we are there? But this is the expatriate life and this is the disadvantage --- being away from our dearest relatives.

For my 100th post, i wanna put this popular saying that me and my husband really love. This is really our favorite. Whether we will reach a 100 year old or not, it really doesn't matter as long as we are Capturing The Moments knowing that the memories of these moments will gonna last forever.

Impact of Marrying Foreigners:A Personal Experience

Whenever i am blog hopping,80% of the blogs i will be spotting will be by a Filipina married to a foreigner. WOW!!! I have this great feeling of excitement that ,"hey there are sooo many of us!" There will be more and more since the impact of internet on interracial marriages is sooo dramatic, widespread and powerful.

When i was a little girl whenever i heared a Filipina married to a foreigner(Australian,European,North American,etc...) i got sooo excited. My mom originally is from Negros Oriental and my dad from the Cebu Province. Whenever we went to these places --- Cebu, Dumaguete, Tanjay, Bais, etc... etc... usually the bigger houses on the community are owned by Filipinas married to foreigners. For example, The La Hacienda Hotel in Tanjay, Negros Oriental is owned by a Filipina married to a British --- a Filipina who once was a very poor girl whose parents can't even afford a small lot now owns a huge hacienda. Whether we accept it or not, that was possible because of her marriage to a British.

Now, let us be honest here : why do we marry foreigners? Okay, of course, LOVE,LOVE,LOVE. What a sweetest thing in the world! But is it just it? I mean, come on, look at our country! Look at that old man in the airport who can hardly even walk who got a 20 year old wife and he's more than 80! Come on, let us be honest!

Of course, there are really lucky ones who married because of true love, but honestly, there are others who married because they saw it as the only way out in a country where extreme poverty is prevalent. Take for example: I'd known a native woman(a B'laan tribe) who can't even speak a word of English and married to an English. Now, okay, you tell me action speaks louder than words, but oh, dear, can you live in a country very much different from yours with a person whom you can't even understand the word he speaks???? Okay, of course, she had survived. Little by little she learnt. And isn't that amazing how strong our coping mechanism is? We need to because there is no real hope for our country! For her, better to marry a foreigner than being a domestic helper (sometimes the working agency will trick you and only get your placement fee!) or being a wife to a Filipino who loves cockfighting and treats his roosters as more valuable than his wife! (Ah, i know, i know, i am just being real here, i knew lots of Filipino husbands who love cockfighting! Asked Manny Paquiao if he loves his fighting cocks more than Jinky? Probably? Ah, Sorry i am out of the topic now!!!!).

There is big impact on marrying a foreigner. Personally, it is a great impact. Okay, i had finished my education and probably would land a good job and probably had married any of my former Filipino boyfriends. But i might not got the chance to go to Paris or any first class travel destinations. Okay, we might got the chance to go but not when we are 27 or 28 0r 30 years old? probably when we will be 50 or 60? or probably not at all? I don't know, i am just only guessing. And i am only speaking in general.

But anyway, I think God had answered my mother's prayer that i will marry a foreigner !(I knew she always looked happy whenever i broke up with my former Flipino boyfriends!). It was a long-time dream of my mom for me to marry a White Guy. I really understand why. The rate of unemployment in the Philippines is too high. With one available job there might be 2000 applicants, and don't apply if you got no back-up!!! And with a population that is surging so high every day, resources are not enough! My mom also knew that by me marrying a foreigner the chances of having a good, comfortable life is higher than being married to a fellow Filipino.(Now, Filipino guys don't get mad at me!!!! I am only telling the truth!). I always believe that MOTHERS KNOW BEST! So, as a good daughter, i heeded my mom's advice. But really, it was the best choice i made in my life!

I still believe this is FATE. I still believe that God has plans to each one of us. My personal experience had been truly amazing and the impact is quite impressive. For more of my personal experience, you can read my Cinderella Story.

Probably the greatest impact i can give in marrying my wonderful, white husband? The mixed kids that we have. The "mestizo" children are the greatest impacts of all! And if you ask me if i married my husband because of LOVE? Big YES. And did i marry him for me to have a good, secured future? BIG, BIG YES! But most of all, because of love!

My Travel Personality

Got this tag from my cousin Lynn
. Thanks,my dear! I am loving it!

Your Travel Personality Is: The Adventurer

For you, travel is how you learn about the world. And you like to learn the stuff that's not in guidebooks. You truly have wanderlust. When you're not traveling, you're dreaming about where you'll go next. And your travels are truly legendary - they leave you with stories you'll be telling for the rest of your life!

What's Your Travel Personality?

I am tagging my friends Wendy, Jana, Portia, and Amor. Have a great month of May to everyone!