New Home in Singapore

After 4 months of staying in temporary apartment, 2 months in Entente Kobe Japan before moving to Singapore, then another 2 months in Fraser Suites in River Valley Singapore, we have finally settled in our new home in Singapore. I still can't help but miss the beautiful country of Japan especially the Spring season, but I am slowly adjusting now. After all, life is all about moving on ...

This is our new home in Singapore at the The Interlace Condominium, such a beautiful place!  Our good friends Ron and Wash paid us a visit in our new home one Saturday afternoon, sort of housewarming :). 

2 Months and Counting ...

I only have 2 months left to enjoy Japan.  How fast time flies.  I feel sad :(((. I will really really miss Japan, my second home for 6 1/2 years. Time to let go and move on.

The next 1-2 months will be very busy for me. I have to take care of relocation matters on top of my busy schedule at work.  So many things to do yet so little time.

Moving Soon :(

I have installed the blogger app to my iPad mini and now I'm writing this post using my iPad mini :). It's already August, only 3 months left in our apartment in East Court 10 before we move to our temporary house in Entente. We will stay in the tempo house for 2 months since we need to pack all our belongings to be shipped to Singapore, then we will move to Singapore end December. I don't have the exact date yet, but most likely Dec. 30. Thinking about this makes me feel sad :(. Kobe Japan has been my second home for almost 7 years. I love everything about Japan, the country, culture, people, and everything. I will definitely miss Japan. I'm so thankful to God for giving me and my family the opportunity to experience a blessed and wonderful life here in Japan.

Singapore, here I come!

MIA :)

I realized that I have not posted in my blog for a month now. I got addicted to Instagram lately, joining different photo challenges :). IG is addicting and I'm really having fun on Instagram. I am not active on Facebook lately. I am enjoying Instagram more than Facebook now. I have more interactions with my IG friends than on FB.

I love taking pictures and I find fulfillment every time I win a photo challenge. Photography is my passion and Instagram is the best social networking site for photo lovers like me. Hooray to Instagram!!!

My Love for Instagram

I have not posted  here for a month because I got addicted to Instagram, haha! Writing is not really my passion. Photography is my passion. I just love taking pictures. That's the reason why I decided to revive my IG account. I created my Instagram account 8-9 months ago, but I'm not active because I don't have followers. I revived my IG account and joined the iHeart faces photo challenge for the month of March to keep me going, but I was not able to complete the photo challenge. I couldn't keep up with the daily challenge due to busy schedule. When the Cherry blossoms and tulips started to bloom the first week of April, I started posting pics again, just for fun.  Then I noticed that my number of followers started to grow and more and more IGers are liking my photos. I gained 400 followers in one month. Unbelievable! And then, four of my photos were featured on different categories this month. Wow, I'm loving IG :)) !! Now the challenge is for me to continue improving my photography skills to keep up with the expectations of my followers.

Here are  some of my featured photos.

My yellow tulips shot was included in this feature by Yellowmazing. 

My Iwakuni bridge shot was featured by Instalove_it.

My pink tulips shot was included in the April blooms weekly feature by IG_Philippines.

My pink tulips shot was included in this feature by FlowerStalking.

Message for Today

Today, Glo, we believe God wants you to know that ...

if you feel too busy, you are.

Give yourself permission to be un-busy. Give yourself an hour or a day to simply be. 

Allow yourself the luxury of a small retreat. Allow your spirit time to be restored. 

Even God took a day of rest.

What's Up?

I just came back from a ski trip with Rokko Island Pinoy friends in Okuibuki ski resort located in Shiga prefecture.  It was a fun trip as usual.  I am tired and sleepy now, so I will not write long. I will post more pics next time.  Happy Sunday!

I'm Back!

I just came back from my vacation and the past week had been so hectic to me, with so many things to do at work. Well, that's the price that I have to pay for being absent for a long time. But I am not complaining :). I enjoyed all the time that I took off from work because I was able to spend quality time with my family back in the Philippines.  Time had flown by so quickly and now I am back to reality. I will miss again my family in the Philippines, aww :(. But we will be together again in three months time. The girls will get the chance to visit Japan again during their summer break before I move to Singapore.

Hello Singapore! I am coming soon but still have mixed feelings until now. I just so love Japan and I am really sad to leave this place, my second home since 2007. But life is all about letting go and moving on.  I just have to keep my faith in God. Life goes on and on and on....

Moving On to 2013

New Year is all about moving on, turning over a new leaf or beginning a new phase in life.  Life is not always perfect. At some point in our lives, we do experience dark and cloudy days. Good and bad things happen to us, whether we like or not. I hate to admit it, I tend to dwell too much on the cloudy days and I find it hard to move on.  I know that dwelling too much in the past is not good. So I would like to include this in my new year's resolution -- not to dwell too much in the past, but instead learn from my mistakes,  just let go and move on. New year, new life, new beginning!

Inspirational quotes about moving on.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year! Today is the first day of 2013 and I will not let this day pass without making my New Year's resolution.

1. The first thing in my list is to lose the excess weight that I gained from eating too much during the Christmas holidays and get back on track again :).

2. The next thing in my list is to control my impulse buying habit, stop splurging on things that I like, and spend less on things that I don't need or nice to have things, so that I can save more.

3. The third in my list is to read more books this year. I have not read much last year and this year I resolve to read more.

4. The last thing in my list to finish my unfinished cross-stitch project that I started almost 2 years ago but stopped last year due to busy schedule.

I hope I will be able to fulfill my New Year's resolution. Wish me luck!

9 Days Before Christmas

On the ninth day of Christmas,
my true love sent to me
Nine ladies dancing,
Eight maids a-milking,
Seven swans a-swimming,
Six geese a-laying,
Five golden rings,
Four calling birds,
Three French hens,
Two turtle doves,
And a partridge in a pear tree. 

It's nine (9) days before Christmas and I am still busy with all my remaining items in my to do list at work before I go on vacation.  The past weeks have been very busy for me at work. I will be going on a month long vacation in my home country starting 18th December, that's why I need to complete all the remaining work items in my to do list. I only have one working day left, but still a lot of things to do. Oh well, with the way things are going, I will be most likely working during my Christmas break.  I only hope I can find time to post some new stories while on vacation. For now, I need to focus on my work so I can complete all the things that I have to finish and enjoy my vacation without thinking of unfinished tasks at work.

Christmas is indeed more fun in the Philippines. That's why, I am sooo looking forward to my vacation and spending Christmas with my family.  I miss the parols, bibingka, puto bumbong, Christmas lights, and Simbang gabi. One thing for sure, I'll be home for Christmas :)).

Puto bumbong

Christmas lights

Parol

Bibingka

Belen

Photo Apps

I love the photo applications on iPad and iPhone :). It's just so easy to design and make the photos look artistic and catchy by using these apps. Creating photo collages and designing the pictures with different backgrounds is also very easy with these apps.  My favorite apps are the "Girls Camera" for the cute frames and designs and "GQ Image" for creating collages.

Here are my sample pictures using these photo apps :).

Countdown

On this day of your life, Glo, we believe God wants you to know ... that your prayers are being answered.

Prayers are not like shopping lists with items that can be ticked off.  If you remember that a prayer is a conversation with God, you will see God respond everyday.

I talked to my boss today and asked her about my transfer date to Singapore. I had a discussion with her about 3 months ago requesting her if I can move at a later date.  Our new R&D office in Singapore is scheduled to open on August 1, 2013, a month earlier than the estimated timing. I told her that I wouldn't want to move at the same time with most of the people who will be moving on August 1st. It's going to be very busy for everyone.  Ayokong makigulo.  Anyway, she told me that I can move in October 2013.  God has answered my prayer.  I have been given 3 months more to stay in Japan which is good news for me. I am still hoping though that she will allow me to move at a much later date, in December 2013. I want to spend another autumn and winter in Japan and make the most of my remaining stay here in Japan. I am keeping my fingers crossed.

And the countdown starts now ....

The Art of Letting Go

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future". - 

Jeremiah 29:11

It's already November, only 2 months left in 2012 and soon it will be 2013. Time flies really fast, and before I know it, it's time to move to Singapore. Honestly, I am dreading the day I have to say sayonara (goodbye) Japan :(. I so love Japan and I love everything about Japan. It's just so hard to let go. But I have to accept that nothing in this world is permanent. The only thing permanent in this world is change. I guess, it's about time for me to let go and accept what the future brings. After all, this is God's plan for me and the best thing for me to do is to place my complete trust in Him with true sincerity and He will never let me down.

Some inspiring thoughts about letting go. Got these tweets from Twitter.

Don't be afraid of letting go. It doesn't mean you are weak. It means you are strong enough to start fresh again.

Sometimes you're not afraid of letting go, you're just afraid of accepting the fact that it's already gone.

Don't be afraid of letting go. You may lose something good, but you might gain something even better.

The hardest thing to do is letting go not because you want to but because you have to.

You don't realize how hard the road to letting go is, until you are the one traveling it.

Letting go isn't about giving up. It's about accepting the fact that some things just can not be.

Wonderful things are coming. Start by letting go.

Celebrating the Gift of Life

"God gave us the gift of life; it is up to us to give ourselves the gift of living well." - Voltaire

I am so thankful to God for giving me another year here in Kobe Japan, another wonderful year that is full of blessings.  I am also thankful for the gift of wonderful family and friends who remembered me on my birthday. The birthday wishes were just overwhelming.

I have learned many lessons in life in my forty something years, but this is the most important lesson that I've learned -- Count your blessings whether big or small,  and not our troubles or problems.  This way, God will continue to shower us with blessings :).

And here's my birthday gift for my self - Macbook Air :))).

Taking Care of the Temple

“Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God?”1 Corinthians 6:19

Take care of your body. It’s the only place you have to live. ~Jim Rohn

We are what we eat and we are what we do to our body.  If we eat unhealthy food and do not take care of our body, then we are doing harm to the temple of the Holy Spirit.  Since our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, we have to be kind to our body by taking care of it, by eating healthy food and exercising regularly, for ourself, our family, and for our loved ones.

It was last year when I reached my breaking point. I was not really overweight, but I couldn't stand the way I look in the pictures and I couldn't wear my favorite jeans anymore. So, I decided to lose weight. My effort has paid off. I achieved my weight loss goal, and I feel healthier now. I can now wear my favorite jeans and so happy of my achievement. After all, I am responsible of taking care of my own body because it's the only place I have to live.  

Recently, I received an inspiring feedback from someone who told me that I have the body of a twenty something woman and that person likes my new pictures where I look really fit.  Isn't that amazing?  It feels really good to get nice feedback like this. Now I am more inspired to continue my quest to take care of the temple.