A decade since I moved to my second home..

This is a very personal message.  The month of April is very significant to me as it marked the month when I officially made the big move to my second home.  And this year, 2018, is extra special to me as I am celebrating my 10th year here in Spain!! Wow!!! 10 long, challenging yet beautiful and productive years!  

I am very grateful to the blessings, mercy, compassion and grace of my Savior.  My faith and His Love for me have kept me going through these years!  

I am grateful to you Spain for accepting me as one of your citizens, for giving me these opportunities. 

I always, always look back with a grateful heart.  I am scribbling my top 10 most memorable moments/achievements in Spain, in no particular order.  

Muchas gracias España!! Te quiero mucho mi maridito, por eso he venido aqui a España para estar contigo. Nos casamos en mi pais pero construyemos, desarrollamos nuestra vida aqui en España.  Juntos estaremos mi amor con nuestro pequeño! Sois mi vida. Os amo!  

1.  Learning a 3rd language:  I know that I will never be fluent in Spanish.  But I am grateful that I am able to learn my 3rd language, Spanish.  I will never forget my Telefonica colleagues - Javier DR, Javier M, Lucia, Raul who were kind and accepting of me.  They pushed me to speak Spanish with my broken grammar and with my soft Filipino accent.  Now, I am able to confidently express and defend in Spanish and use it in my day to day activities.-  

2.  Buying our unit/house.  Adult´s decision. :)  

3.  Family Life.  Adult´s decision. :) 

4.  Being a mom.  Adult´s decision.  One of the best, most meaningful purposes of my life.  Thank you Lord God for givine me the opportunity to become a mom and a wife. 

5.  1 year sabbatical:  I always believe that things happen for a purpose.  So when I became a freelance IT PMO consultant and my client did not renew my contract, I took that as a chance to rest as I was already physically, mentally exhausted.  And that resulted to an amazing 1 year sabbatical which I dedicated 100% to my  son who then has entered preschool.  We built an amazing tandem and relationship that until today, I look back with a very grateful heart.  

6.  Rebuilding my career:  Thank you to eSolium and Accenture who gave me my 1st ever opportunity to work here in Spain.  And thanks to Aventia and Telefonica who gambled on my program management skills in spite of my then very broken Spanish.  It was never easy starting from scratch but these companies have given me the golden opportunity which I valued. It pays to be a dedicated, talented and productive professional.  I am a professional and I will continue to demonstrate my exemplary skills and capabilities.  

7.  Building and keeping friendships.  Friendship just like any other relationship is something that we should nurture as well.  I am thankful to all my friends overseas and to my closes friends here in Spain who have given me the chance to know them and who in turn appreciate, accept me for who I am. 

8.  My mom´s visit.  My mom visited us, stayed with us for a month and we had a lovely mom-daughter bonding. We even went to Rome, Italy.  Love you forever Mama!! 

9.  Spain getaways.   Spain is a beautiful country to visit and to live in.  Rich museums, good food, wine, Sangria, tourist spots.  I particularly love Sevilla, Barcelona and San Sebastian! 

10.  Integrating with the Spain social community.  Understanding the taxation system, social benefits, participating in church activities, communicating with our neighbors. :) 

Road to Wellness: My Talismans/Amulets as I combat Anxiety

• Estoy en una etapa adaptándome con mi ansiedad..La ansiedad no tiene ningún patrón.. te puede “atacar”o puede ocurrir cualquier momento... para poder afrontarlo, una de las cosas que aprendí es tener”talismán” o amuleto.. son cosas tangibles que voy asociando a una cualidad, los tengo localizados y fácil de encontrarlos para que me den seguridad, tranquilidad, y para que me ayude a volver a centrarme en los momentos de ansiedad.. Mis amuletos: una foto collage de mi familia, siempre el amor entre nosotros como familia me hace sentir fuerte, rosario, pulseras con imágenes de Padre Pio y San Antonio ya que soy creyente y mi fe siempre me ha ayudado afrontar momentos difíciles y una botella de aroma menthol ya que el olor, la aroma menthol me tranquiliza... 
• 
  
• Anxiety can happen at anytime.. It does not necesario have a pattern which can determine it’s predictability.. one of the techniques that I learned to deal with anxiety is to have amulets.. Amulets are tangible things that I associate with a certain sentiment and eventually it helps me to focus and be at peace with myself... These are my amulets - a family collage as I have the highest regard for my family.. As a Catholic/Christian, My faith has been my companion in helping me deal with the difficult moments of my life, thus my rosary and the bracelets with Padre Pio and St. Anthony and lastly, I have my white flower with the menthol scent which pacifies me. I have these amulets in my pocket, side pockets of my purse so I can easily reach out for them when needed..

The Amateur Cook In Me.. Maskipaps Pasta

I am calling this recipe MASKIPAPS PASTA.  MASKIPAPS comes from a tagalog word MASKIPAPAANO which is most likely to mean whatever. Jajajaja.  This is a whatever pasta, because I used the available ingredients in my kitchen cupboard. 

Complexity:  Very easy 
Preparation and Cooking time:  30 minutes 

Ingredients: 

Spaghetti Pasta 
Spinach 
Finely chopped onion 
2 tablespoon, raisins 
Corned Beef (Canned, for this recipe, I used my imported from the Philippines gourmet corned beef - Delimondo.. Thanks to my sister for this present).  

Procedure: 

1.  Bring the spaghetti pasta to a boil until cooked. 
2.  Saute in one pan the onion, corned beef and raisins.  Add the spinach. 
3.  Cook until the spinach soft. 
4.  Add the pasta and stir until all the ingredients are properly incorporated. 

Naimas!! Masarap!! Delicious! Comida Rica!!! 

Enjoy!! Thank you!! 

An Unforgettable Vacation to the Philippines - Holy Week 2018 version

Warning:  This post has several photo collage as I would like to share with you snapshots of my beloved Philippines and our lovely vacation. 

I am still on a high!  My heart is bursting with gratitude!! Our 14 day holiday trip to Manila, Philippines has just concluded but I am still in a cloud nine!! 

We really intended to visit my family in the Philippines this year.  We initially targeted summer of 2018 but certain recent events affecting my mom´s health prompted me to reschedule our planned holiday.  I am grateful that we pushed through with this Holy Week visit to Manila.  THIS 2018 VISIT IS ABSOLUTELY ONE OF MY BEST VACATIONS, MY SECOND MOST UNFORGETTABLE HOLIDAY!! (side note: my top most unforgettable holiday is my Paris, France holiday in 2009, with my hubby, pre-son era jejejeje).  

The 14 day holiday just flew... As they say, time flies when you are having a great time! I just spent these 14 days with my family.  I am thankful for the time of some of closest friends who were able to see us and at the same time, I am grateful to some of my other friends for understanding my time limitation which hindered me from meeting up with them.  

For this trip, we did not come up with anything fancy such as an out of town trip. This trip was super laid back, we played it by ear, seize the day and just went with the flow.  This was a super duper family oriented, family focused trip.  

1.  My son had a great time playing with his cousins.  He loved it a lot that my mom´s house has a terrace and a garden where he was able to play outdoor games with his cousins!   We also spent some time in Kidzoona, an indoor choldren´s theme park.  

2.  We enjoyed good food in the comforts of our home.  Thanks to Analyn, my mom´s trusted help who is like family to us for concocting delicious authentic filipino dishes!  We managed some exemptions as a Philippine holiday is never complete without a stopover in our iconic JOLLIBEE and McDonalds

3.  We had a staycation in One Pacific Place (OPP) in Makati City.  We have been doing staycation in OPP since 2014!  Prices are reasonable, staff/crew members are kind, approachable and quality service!  We love OPP because of its location and its amenities!!  Thanks OPP for another beautiful experience! We had a great time! 

4.  As it was Holy Week, we did our Via Crucis, visited several churches where we prayed.  We were also welcome in the home of my brother in law in Pasay where they hosted a procession.  It was nice to experience again these Holy Week rituals. 

5.  Thanks to my sister and her sponsor, we were able to enjoy a family lunch in Splendido, in Tagaytay City, south of Manila.  It boasts of green, nature, tranquil ambiance and a stunning view of the famous Taal Volcano.  

6.  We spent a lot of time juggling visits to my brother´s home, Pintsik and just spending time together. 

7. As part of my rituals everytime I would visit my motherland, I took the time to visit my departed love ones - my father dear, my grandparents, uncle Frank and Kuya Butch in their resting places and said my prayers to them.  I also visited the National Shrine of the Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Baclaran and prayed and prayed.  

8. On a more personal preference, I got to enjoy almost unlimited massage/spa services! Hahahahaha 

We experienced improvements in the Philippine Traffic and in the airport services!! We also noticed that more commuters are using motorcycles for easier access.  There are also improvements in our public transport system as the P2P (point to point) bus service was recently introduced.  In spite of these changes, needless to say, the Philippines still has a long way to go. 

This trip was just magical, pure love.  I am so grateful for all the resources that my saviour had bestowed on me and my family, for our good health and for all the time that we spent together.  I felt so much love during this trip and I am very, very happy that my son and husband had a great time as well in the Philippines. THANK YOU MAMA, ATE PAZ, KUYA RONALD, ADENG JON REY, ADENG JOYCE, ADENG RYEDEL, ADENG JR, ADENG JOY MARIE, ADENG REXIE, ANALYN, TO ALL MY PAMANGKINS for making this vacation truly special and unforgettable! Words are not enough to express my gratitude!! We feel so loved!!! 

And as with every good thing, it must come to an end.  I was sobbing on our way to the airport and I was literally crying when our place took off from Manila.  But my heart is full and I know in God´s perfect time, I will see again my family in the Philippines. 

Have a great weekend!! 

 Makati City during the Holy Week

 Greenbelt 5, Makati City 

 Typical Makati Street

Makati view from the Skyway 

 Holy Week Scene:  Trip to Our lady of the Abandoned Church

 Street Pabasa:  A Holy Week ritual where they read aloud the Passion and Death of Christ

Holy Week Procession in Pasay City 

 Jeepney sideview:  A typical public transport system in the Philippines

Manila scene 

 Delicious, succulent,amazing tropical fruits! 

 Filipino pastries!! 

 Family is Love!!!  

Just some pix of our delish food!! With Analyn, the best cook!!! :)