His Mysterious ways

Indeed it's true how our God holds the blueprints of our lives.  He has dominion over our past, present and future. How the Lord works in mysterious ways. Our daily struggle is proof of how He takes care of us in His perfect way. You know  this month found us in such a quandary as salary was delayed again. This time not only for a week but for almost 3 weeks and counting... Unbelievable right? Inhumane even! (These are facts that most of our relatives back home don't know about.  Hence, complaining about their own plight is so easy for them to do. If they only knew...)

I have come to terms with how my husband's company delays its employee's salaries, hence, I did not think much of it because I knew that the Lord will never forsake us. But you know what's amazing, despite our strife? It's the fact that every single day salary is delayed, our family has miraculously survived without having to miss a meal or borrow money.  The Lord DID know that my interest in the culinary arts would be put to good use someday. And that someday is here and now.  And what makes His plan more perfect is that He did not just put food on our table but sent angels our way. Angels in the form of friends, friends of friends, new found friends, and even neighbors willing to help in my small business :) We are so blessed to be loved by our God :)  

About 3 weeks ago I was surprised by the rush of orders I got from friends and new clients. Since then I have had continuous orders especially when it comes to my cakes. And more surprised because after more than a year in our flat, one of our neighbors became an instant friend and sort of "dealer" of my baked goods. She brings them daily to work which she sells to her officemates. A stroke of luck? Nope! It was God's will! Borne out of love for His humble servant.

So my promise to you Lord, as always, is to serve You before anything else. To work honestly and always give my best. To give my clients their money's worth! To inspire others as others have inspired me.

Let me take this time to thank Agnes Vicente, Carina Dagupon and friends, Elaine Valencia and friends, Jackie Mendoza and officemates, Kay and Mike Ganaban, and Jackie Alfonso. It is through your orders :) that we survive each day till payday. Group hug!!!! :)

Wind Beneath my wings

Last Father's day I mentioned that I wanted to share a letter that my Papa wrote to me and my sister. Hence, one of the first things I did when we went to the Philippines for a short vacay was to look for it. Let me share my Papa's letter with you....

Papa wrote this letter to us back in 1984, I still wish he wrote the date :)  

Papa, I was never a perfect daughter I know I tried to be. Every time I climb that ladder with you, or stood as your assistant in a couple of house repairs, I know it was my littlest way of letting you know how much your presence meant to me. Papa, despite everything in between, I will always be thankful for having a father like you. You taught me how to ride the bicycle, how to drive a car, how to climb up ladders and do minor repairs. I will always be thankful for my sturdy legs (sorry can't get over it), my sense of humor, and best of all my existence. I love you so much and miss you! I wish I could run to you right now and give you a hug. But for now I hope this will suffice...

Happy Happy Father's day to you Papa...the wind beneath my wings!

Bittersweet Independence

I have not thought about Philippine Independence until my family and I moved here to KSA. I can only remember how much I looked forward to this special holiday (pre-call center career period) because that would mean an extra day without work. And since it was a holiday, it equates to time with friends and family. But when I joined the bpo bandwagon, this too faded like a song that I used to sing. Why? because being in a call center, we are deprived of such a privilege. We follow the holidays of the country we service. 

Being in another country, we begin to look at things differently. We are able to compare what we have then and what we have now. We begin to compare our country to the countries we have visited or the country where as Filipinos we slave over work that equates to money that we send to our family back home. And most times it is a shame how families of our OFW think that money is so easy to earn abroad.

We may have achieved our independence more than a century go but have we really gained our freedom? As an overseas Filipino wife I watch the news and see that the Filipinos are never really free. And the saddest part of our "faux freedom" is that our country is still a slave to corruption, poverty,  and huge taxes that only goes to the pockets of self-serving public officials. What has ever changed? Apart from the latest fashion, the latest technology...nothing really has. We may have gained our independence as a country, but as Filipinos we still allow ourselves to be slave to the dictates of others. Slaves to corruption, poverty, public figures, and rich businessmen who only cares about making money. 

This is probably the reason why we see doctors, dentists allowing themselves to work as dental assistants in other countries, nurses, IT graduates, Engineers who'd rather work abroad. We do not benefit as much as public officials do in our own country. No, I am not writing this to besmirch my country because I love the Philippines. I dare write about this because I feel so much for my hungry countrymen and yet as an OFW I am unable to do so much. 

My prayer as always for my country is that there would finally be peace! That people working in the government will start to work honestly and always with the quest of being of help to others. That the Philippines will once again be a pillar of strength to its countrymen. That the government would be  able to unite each and every Filipino from Aparri to Jolo. 

Happy Independence Day Philippines! Here's a sweet treat from my family to yours!

Tooth Fairies and a colloquy...

I heard a commotion among my children and both "A-te and Kuya" were pointing at something inside my youngest son's mouth. Turned out that there was a new tooth growing on his lower gum. My son also showed me that one of his baby teeth was already loose.We were supposed to schedule an appointment at the dental clinic so that we can have his tooth extracted. But this never happened as my son was so relentless, he was so bothered the whole day. It was difficult for him to eat, hence, kept on moving his tooth. We both tried a couple of times to remove it until it became so loose that I was able to pull it out easily without even hurting him.

My son was so excited that he asked me to keep his old tooth so that he could put it under his pillow. That night when they were all asleep, I placed 1 riyal beside his tooth.  Earlier that day, my husband suggested that I put a dollar instead, but for the life of me I could not find the wallet where I kept the only dollar I have lol. The next day as he woke up, my son excitedly turned his pillow to find the 1 riyal and the still intact tooth. He asked me "Mom bakit po nandito pa yung tooth ko? Di po ba dapat kunin ng tooth fairy yun?" (Mom, why didn't the toothfairy get my my tooth? Wasn't she supposed to get it?). To which my reply was "Perhaps she forgot it because of her busy schedule." But his next question blew me out hahaha! "Mom, bakit po 1 riyal lang ang iniwan ng tooth fairy?" (Mom, why did the tooth fairy leave me only 1 riyal?). I could not think of a very smart answer so I just told him "Perhaps it depends on the size of your tooth?"  His next question made me roll in laughter, "E magkano po ba and binibigay ng tooth fairy pag malaking ipin?" (How much does the tooth fairy give for a larger tooth?)

My youngest son! He did it again!  You can always count on his canny remarks! My Mr. Smartmouth! So innocent and am glad that I am home with him (and with my two other children) because by being at home for my family, I never get to miss moments such as this one. :)

Deja vu?

Behind the scenes of Corona's walk out

Are you proud of your performance? Just one wish...that the absolute truth comes out!

A celebration of sorts!

I've been a blogger since 2008 when I started my call center blog, From the diary of a Call Center Mom. I was searching for that particular time during my Call Center Mom days, when I was given a Page rank of 1, to no avail. You see, I wanted to check the amount of time I had to wait to be given that rank in my first blog as compared to my second and current blog. Am sure though that I got my first positive PR even when I had less site visitors as compared to the current visitors I have now.

Am not too conscious of such page ranks anymore, although it is a good push for my interest in writing. And 19 months from the day that my Diary of an Overseas Filpino Wife was born, and  39,752 visitors later, getting a 1 is still good news for me. So...yipeee! At last am getting enough attention in the blogging world! :)

Perhaps for the professional bloggers out there, this means a little, but for me getting this much is like winning in the lottery! :) (am shallow like that, when it comes to my blog hahaha)

Well, I think this day calls for a special homemade cake...hmmm....I hope I don't lose the momentum though... :)

On Mother's day and my thought bubbles

It was a thoughtful mother's day for me. Though my hands were busy with a new cake recipe, my mind wandered aimlessly with "motherly" thoughts. Thoughts about my children and my own childhood, thoughts about how I fare with my kids as their mother. Questioning myself whether I am doing alright. The following are questions that I have raised for myself and which I would like to be able to answer with all honesty:

As a mother..

1. Am I fair?

2. Am I kind with my words?

3. Am I a source of encouragement?

4. Do I promote happiness?

5. Am I teaching my children humility by being humble myself? or am I so high-strung to admit my own mistakes?

6. Do I seek ways to be a better mother to my children or do I expect my children to be better for me?

7. Are my children coming home to a house filled with warmth or do they find themselves always tensed up when they are home?

8. Am I careful with my words? or do I often choose to say things that cuts like a sharp knife?

9. How often have I allowed my emotions to rule over me? over a sound judgement? 

10. Do I allow myself to hurt my chidlren physically and verbally?   Have I said something to my children that may harm them for life? Or have I always chosen to say things right?

There are so many more in my thought bubbles...but these are the ones that I am more concerned about. 

Being a mother is a responsibility! It is not only by choice that we become mothers but a calling! And just like any other vocation, this calling definitely make us responsible for our actions. Because in the end, we will not only be held accountable for how we fared as a mother, but also how we handled our children. 

There's so much things to change, so much lessons, not to unlearn, but to improve on. I want my children growing up confident of their abilities, determined, undaunted. I want them unafraid to share their opinion and always true to themselves. I hope my children will not be mere reflections of me and my husband but the kind of persons they want to be.

I have simple dreams for my children because I know that the role of dreaming big would be theirs. I am here to guide them not to pamper, not to ridicule, not to underestimate their abilities. I am their mother, and I know I can do more when my hands become an instrument to guide and not to hurt. A mother with fingers that can point them to the right direction, not fingers that will always point out and enumerate their mistakes. Arms that will hold them close whenever they are hurt or when they are victorious in even their smallest triumphs; not arms that will push them away...

borrowed image from lorch-seidel.de

"A mother is the truest friend we have, when trials, heavy and sudden, fall upon us; when adversity takes the place of prosperity; when friends who rejoice with us in our sunshine, desert us when troubles thicken around us, still will she cling to us, and endeavor by her kind precepts and counsels to dissipate the clouds of darkness, and cause peace to return to our hearts." ~ Washington Irving ~