So one day, I was so fed up, I left the clinic without saying a word. Hubby was angry of course, he called and asked me to come back. But all I said was “no I’m not and that we really have to talk when you come home”. Because of that talk, our relationship has flourished to heights that weren’t possible after we start the business. Our heart to heart talk was what made our relationship to what it is now versus what it was before. A hundred times better. Well anyways, concocting the ideal recipe to combine a thriving business and a successful marriage is not easy, especially when you work together, but it can be done with understanding and compromise.

I know that our business is very important but so our marriage and family too. Inspite of all the difficulties…I am still lucky to have a husband like my husband. Who listens to my litany of complaints, opinions and ramblings and takes my feelings into consideration. It was actually my mistake that I didn’t open my mouth and talk about what bothered me earlier ago. We closed this chapter of our life, but we are still working together in our business as TEAM. And we are also working on our marriage to keep the shine. We will keep working on our marriage and working through whatever challenges we would face in the future. There are no experts on marriage and it is not something we learn in a book. But something we must learn by doing over and over again…a practice we must adjust as our journey continues…

THE MAKEOVER

We went to Bali for our second honeymoon last Dec. 20 til Dec. 31. We stayed at Nikko Bali Hotel Resort and Spa in Nusa Dua for 10 days. Bali is lovely. It is one of the few places in the whole world that I would actually want to go back. There are stunning sunsets, sculpted rice terraces and a temple on almost every corner. And for less-spiritual seekers, this steamy Indonesian island also has great surfing and a rollicking night life.

Mga sisterekas, bros and friends…would you ever believe na lola na akesh? Yes I am since December pa. Hindi ko lang ito naibalita sa inyo dahil papel busy as usual ang Tita Poorshya niyo. Si Mamuschka ((Mama)) Cheh palang ang nakaalam nito among blogger friends. My eldest son is now a father and I am so happy for him and his girlfriend.

Cheh asked me nga pala kong ano daw ang feeling ngayong lola na ako. Mwehehehe, ano fa eh di lukring pa rin as ever. Yon nga lang, parang I don’t like na tatawaging “Oma” ((grandma)). It’s the German term of abuela and it sounds so pang oldies talaga and I am not that old pa naman di vah? Well anyway…I have to baby think twice pa muna kong ano ang babagay para sa isang lolang pranela.

So my friends…here is my kyota ((cute)) kong kyotatalet ((sanggol)) na apo kong si Giulien. Say niyo…may pinagmanahan di ba? Ahem!!! Oy walang kokontra ha? Bwahahaha.

At itechlavu naman ang picture nang mag-ama of the year. Hay naku, parang kailan lang yon na karga-karga ko pa anak kong ito. Ngayon…siya ay isa nang ama.

Siyanga pala, I would like to thank you for the New Year greetings which I heartily reciprocate. Let the New Year 2009 brings you and your family loads of good luck and prosperity.

1. Sofie
2. Ambo
3. Nina
4. my nephewDandan
5. K
6. Cheh
7. Scart
8. Miss P
9. Sha
10. Marie
11. Amor
12. AnP
13. and my sister Celia

Anyways, the new year for me and hubby began with a lot of work. Yes it was a holiday, but our clinic was open due to some emergency cases. Our life is now consisted of work and series of more work. Oy, don’t get me wrong ha? I am not complaining…it is just that even if we are at home, may mga pasyenteng pumupunta sa bahay para magpagamot. Yan ang buhay country doctor…always on the run to save life and cure sick people. It’s not bad at all…for we take it as a challenge and yes it is also an opportunity to earn more money. Money is not everything but we invested a lot, and so we must work hard in order to get it back. Kaya nga si Tita Poorshya niyo ay nag bade goodbye na sa web designing to concentrate on her present career.

Hehehe, from web designer to a nurse! Nurse like Florence Nightingale? Hehehe, I am far from that but I am on my way to become one. Nightingale worked hard to educate herself in the art and science of nursing, and that is what I am doing now. Hubby suggested I should take nursing continuing education. But as of the moment, kontento na muna akong mag practice sa clinic mismo. Hindi ko pa kasi gaanong feel ang trabahong ito.

Well, well…life is full of surprises, changes and learning. Not long ago, I took web design continuing education. There I learned PHP, CSS, HTML, XHTML, JAVASCRIPT, PHOTOSHOP, ILLUSTRATOR and etc. Ito naman ang pinag-aaralan ko ngayon: Ultrasound, ECG, Injection (hypodermic and muscle injection), Infusion, blood sedimentation and all medical administrative work. Learning the first two and of course administrative task were quite simple, but all the rest simply made me sweat blood. One unforgettable experience is drawing blood, and my first victim was Kathleen. When I saw hubby took patient’s blood, it seemed like an easy job. But when I hold the syringe on my hand, the feeling was completely different. Besides, Kathleen’s veins were so hard to detect and making me so worried that my lousy skill would hurt her. But luckily hubby was standing at my side and gave me guidance and I successfully made it. Hay naku, it looks like I need more time before I could master this job…

This year’s December 25th is not only Christmas but it also happen to be my 25th Christmas celebration here in Germany. Dati rati, lagi akong umiiyak kapag Pasko dahil miss na miss ko ang aking buong pamilya sa Davao. Napaka-dry and near to lifeless kasi ang selebrasyon nila dito. It took me a while before I finally get adjusted, but still I can’t avoid feeling melancholy and pensive. Well…c’est la vie!

But tell you what? This time it is absolutely different. This Christmas is one of my happiest and most memorable of all times. Why? It is because we are lucky WE achieved many of our goals this year. AND I am lucky to have a husband with a good business head on his shoulders. I am lucky to have my eldest son to be proud of. Lucky to have a daughter like Kathleen, lucky to have Gillian who tells me daily he loves me “and everything” and he will often thank me for making him meals or playing with him. And I am lucky to have a loving, supporting and understanding parents, brothers and sisters, nieces and nephews. Like I said we achieved a lot of our goals this year, not only us here but also my whole family back in Davao.

I can write a long story kong bakit ang Paskong ito ay isa sa pinakamasaya kong Pasko, but I’d rather not say anything. Hehehe, as if hindi ko alam na maraming *familiar non-blogger enviers lurking here na nag-aabang lang nang pagkakataon para masabi nilang: “Ayan nagyabang na naman si Beng.” *Merry Christmas and peace be with you bad tongues and wicked ears.

Life is full of…mysteries, happiness, pains, difficulties, possibilities, beauties and blessings.

Simple Christmas celebration at home. Thank you Lord for everything!

My son Ivan took his masters last year, and now he’s working at a big firm in Neuss and appointed to a high position just after a few months.

My two sweet makulets…waiting for more Christmas gifts.

The most loving and selfless person I’ve ever met. He keep on telling me not to buy gift for him, but I did this time. He simply deserved it…

Family’s Christmas present: Cookie! A Labrador Retriever.

Last but not least…si Lola niyo.

Around February this year, I am sure you remember that I wrote an entry about going or migrating back to the good old bayan kong (nating) Pilipinas. The preparation and everything went smoothly. First week of June, Kathleen was enrolled in Ateneo de Davao H.S and Gillian in Circular Home Pre-School.

Right after the enrollment stress, I went to my birthplace Butuan City to manage my kapiranggot na lupa while waiting for the result of my queries regarding our planned business. Yes, hubby and I has planned to put up a clinic in Davao for tourist and expat patients. Siyempre, kong manirahan kami doon we need a source of income to live. Di vah? Akala ko/namin dahil may mga kaibigan kaming naka upo sa may talampakan ni GMA, (who promised to help us) things will be easier for us. That is what we thought, but later I realized that almost everything is different in real. Every move that I made means dukot sa bulsa, which was tiring in the long run at nakakaloka dahil slow ang feedback. Sa madaling salita, bago natapos ang June…95% ko nang alam na hindi matutuloy ang aming plano due to several ek-ek. Kids were sad as I told them that we have to go back. Siyempre nalungkot din ako but I had no choice. Anyways, THEY put stones on our way and make it hard for us to achieve success, so we left. Hindi sa pagmamayabang but we were ready to invest €XXX,XXX.XX, an adequate amount to operate a modern clinic with own laboratory. Well sayang, but it’s not our loss but theirs…

“FROM THE WEST PART OF GERMANY…TO THE EAST”

In spite of everything, hubby still decided to pursue his plan…dito nga lang sa Germany. Dito naman sa Germany, hindi basta-bastang makapagbukas nang clinic ang isang doctor sa kong saan niya gusto. Doon lang ito maari o posible sa lugar na may bakanteng “Niederlassung Stelle” or let say “Area of Need” where there is a shortage of specific medical practitioners. We actually had three (3) choices: 1. Usedom 2. Lindenberg-Allgäu and 3. Brandenburg. We decided for Brandenburg dahil mas malapit ito sa sibilisasyon, Potsdam and Berlin for instance.

We have to move din sa lugar na ito of course and so we found a new place to live. Ito ngayon ang aming bagong tahanan.

It’s a 284 sqm. country style house, with 6 bedrooms on the second level, 2 bathrooms and one dressing room. While sa ground floor naman, we have a huge kitchen and dining, storage room, spacious and comfortable living room. There is also a sauna, a fitness and laundry room and an office space din pala which is occupied by my better-half.

Our clinic started its operation last October 1. Now, let me show around…

Below is the former “Landes Ambulatorium” (outpatient clinic) building, where our clinic is located.

The reception area…

The waiting room…

Laboratory…(not done yet)

Consulting Office 1

Consulting Office 2

…and the two medical assistants

The couple behind it.

Certainly mas masaya sana ako kong natuloy ang lahat sa Davao dahil makakasama ko na ang pamilya ko doon. But I think it was not yet the right time, so until then…I have to wait by the edge of my seat nalang muna.

Sometimes if not often, it is not easy to find the right gift for the right person at the right time. Fortunately, the range of different types of gifts covers just about every occasion.

How to find the right gift? With thousands of baby gift ideas that are available online, you will often find that you are confronted with many decisions when it comes to purchasing a gift for that someone special. Which gift best suites the person? Based on this important question to consider, getting it right is essential.

The safest and surest way is to offer gift baskets (which I did). On a general lever, gift baskets suite most people. They can be filled with items targeted to a particular type of person or a group. For example, a gift basket intended for a baby may include cloth towel, receiving blanket, sleeping gown, long/short sleeved onesie, bib, burp cloth, washcloth, a pair of booties and a hat. The possibilities in customizing and presenting them are endless.

There is also weekly specials at Morey’s Piers. Mondays are “Magical Mondays.” Some random guests will be awarded prizes such as wristband upgrades, and most of all free food and games. Tuesdays are a “Time Special,” get there at certain times and you can receive All-you-can-ride wristbands. Kathleen was lucky and got one of the wristbands. Wednesdays are xtreme! Ride all the xtreme rides and then enjoy unlimited rides on all six roller coasters, though this one here is not necessarily for me. Thirty dollar Thursdays are were you can buy an All-you-can-ride wristbands for thirty dollars and then get free all-you-can-eat buffets. On Fridays for $30 is a waterpark special. And on Friday nights you can light up the night by riding under the Coca-Cola’s fireworks display!

My family really had a great great time at Morey’s Piers that we are planning to visit there again next year.

More than one month na pala kami dito, hindi ko man lang ito napansin. Napakabilis ng takbo ng panahon, parang kailan lang yon noong dumating kami sa Maynila, at parang kailan lang naganap ang EB namin. Ay oo nga pala, I promised to post some pictures na kuha ko. Hehehe, super late na ako I know, but just the same promise is promise. Kaya you may take a look nalang sa naggagandahang pis namin (charing). I think there is no need for me to write kong gaano kasaya ang kita-kitang yon dahil nasulat na ito nila Malen, Amor, Marie at Agnes

Siguradong sasambunutan ako ni Reynz kapag nakita niyang akap ko ang mahal niya sa tuhod na Ambo.

Tingnan niyo ang mga plato namin, ang daming tira noh? Papaano, puro kami busy sa pagpicturing for remembering, ikanga ni Gillian…Foto machen daw.

Ito naman ang mga naggagandahang dilag. Super sweet ang mga hot babes na ito at ang sasayang kausap hat hang vavait pa kamo. I am so glad I met them! Ngayon, hindi lang sa internet ang friendship namin kundi talagang sa real life na.

Pauwi na kami nang kinuha ang pic na ito. Look at me kong saan ako naupo…hehehe, medyo nagpalakas lang akesh sa manager ng Reb Box for future visit vaga.

A closer look

Ano naman kaya ang pinaggagawa nang mag-ina the whole March? Well, bukod sa mga importanteng bagay na aking inaayos at nilalakad. Siyempre naman hindi rin namin kinaligtaang magrelax ng konti.

Pakape-kape sa gilid…

Swimming…

At umakyat ng kahoy na parang matsing para lang mahanginan ang singit.

Yan lang ang mga activities na nagawa namin so far dahil busy ako. Ngayon, mission is almost accomplished na kaya magkakaroon na ako ng maraming panahon para gawin naman ang mga gusto naming gawin ni Kathleen. Like island hopping, scuba diving, wild water rafting and maybe climb Mt. Apo. Maybe lang ha dahil hindi ko siguradong makakaya ko ito. Nios meh, super taas nito and it takes 7 hours daw bago maabot ang peak. Iniisip ko pa lang fagod na ako’t lumalaki na ang vutas ng ilong ko. There are so many things to see and discover here, pero dahan-dahan lang muna at mataba ang kalaban.

Ola amigas y amigos, Feliz Año Nuevo tardía! Cómo es usted or kumustamos ginamos o bagoong con pinitpit na bawang. Pagpasensiyahan niyo si lola niyo’t medyo hilo pa galing sa biyahe. Haay, I wanted to write an update since yesterday. I know there was more I wanted to write, but my mind just went blank (kuno). I think highland air is toxic for my “brain” kaya no wonder lalo akong na windang. So I’ll just write nalang whatever comes out of my mind and fingertips, hokay?

Before we left last Dec. 27, I planned to write something short about our vacation para at least hindi kayo magtaka kong bakit tahimik dito sa bahay ko. Unfortunately, naubos ang time ko sa pag-impake ng aming mga gamit kaya hindi ko na ito nakuhang gawin. Hindi niyo lang alam na kapag si lola niyo ang bumabiyahe…halos buong gamit ang bitbit. Kaya laging inaabot ng siyam-siyam sa kakapili, kakaisip, kakatingin, kakacheck at kakapalit nang di niya type dalhin. In short, sa sobrang kaartehan…siya ay natabunan ng mga abobot na sa bandang huli ay di rin naman pala nagagamit.

Well anyway, let me tell you where we’ve been. The diva of all divas Jing invited us to spend a few days at their vacation home in Ronzone, Italy.

Muntik pa kamong hindi matuloy dahil halos lahat kami dito ay tinamaan ng linshyak na flu. Sa tulong ng antibiotic at kong anek-anek pang gamot na aming nilunok, medyo bumuti ang aming pakiramdan. Medyo bingi nga lang ako at si Papa G. naman ay ngungo at kahol ng kahol the whole time. Can you imagine how it was while we were on our way to South Tyrol? Let me give you a sample scenario, like fafa G. asked me something. Papa G: Tinawagan mo ba sila ni Jing na on the way na tayo (ubo ubo ubo)? Sagot ko: Ano kamo ang sabi mooo? Inulit niya ang tanong niya pero pasigaw na: Sinabi kong blah blah blah! Sabi ko naman: Ay aba, huwag mo akong sigawan dahil hindi ako bingi noh! Sagot naman niya: Di ba’t sabi mo hindi ka ngayon (ubo ubo ubo ubo) masyodong nakakarinig? Me: Oo nga pero sobrang lakas naman sigaw mo…parang bulyaw ang dating. Papa G: Asus, bingi na sensitibo pa.

969.50 kilometers din ang dinanrayb namin at gabi na kami ng dumating dahil napadalas ang breaktime sa ka ji-jingle ni mader. We arrived in Bozen or Bolzano around 5:30 P.M and from there kailangan pa naming umakyat. I said akyat dahil napaka steep ng kalsada at tinalo pa nito ang zigzag road ng Baguio City. The more we get higher (Ronzone altitude: 3923 feet) the more naman akong naging bingi and Gillian started throwing up. Buti nalang at may discomfort bag kaming dala (nakaw ko pa yon sa Lufthansa 2 yrs. ago) orelse amoy asim na ang buong sasakyan. Finally, after the ascent from 262m to 1195m altitude, we get in sight of Jing and Charle’s place. What a relief! Akala ko papunta na kaming langit dahil it feels like ages driving the whole 24 kilometers from Bolzano up to Ronzone.

We went to Verona the next day…

where Gillian met Pinocchio…

The next day, si Kathleen naman ang pinagbigyan namin sa gusto niyang mag ski.

Habang kami ni Jing ay nagpictorial muna…

at siyempre nagpakuha din ako ng solo.

After the pictorial, we went up to highest part of the “ski piste”, but of course we took the ski lift at doon piktyuran din ulit.

The ski lift ride was great but nakakalula and as we reached the top, Charles suggested we walk down the hill. More than one hour din ang lakad namin. Si lola niyo na wala ng ginawa sa bahay kundi ang maupo sa harap pc ay napasabak sa kadilakad, kaya hanggang ngayon ay damang-dama ko pa ang sakit ng aking mga joints sa legs.

Our vacation was short but full of adventures and fun. From here, I would like to thank Jing and Charles for inviting us to join them in Ronzone. It was indeed an unforgettable vacation!

And as their steps will grow to strides,
still a child, in mother’s eyes.

Every ache and pain they shall feel,
mother will share and with love she will kneel.

She will pray to God to take care of her child,
to protect and guide them through every mile.

Her child is the very core of her soul,
from baby in arms to an adult they will grow.

For to a mother, her child will stay,
the precious infant she held that day.

by Mom