life

shoebox project

Look at that! Christmas time went by in the blink of an eye. It’s been years since we had our shoebox project through our wedding 2.0 in 2015.

In lieu of the usual congratulatory gift, we encouraged our guests to make a kid smile by bringing a decorated, unwrapped, regular-sized shoebox full of children items.

Much to our surprise, our humble request was met with an overwhelming response. Shoeboxes filled with numerous children’s items were pouring in during the wedding 2.0 event. Some people even gave cash which we used to purchase additional items like toys, school supplies, and personal hygiene products. Our guests were amazingly generous. Once again, our heartfelt gratitude to all of you!

The shoeboxes were intended for the kids in my Barangay (a.k.a. community) back home in the Philippines where we had enlisted my parents, siblings, nephews and sister-in-law to help coordinate and hand the gifts out. Logistics took longer than we estimated, and it became a Valentine’s gift instead of a Christmas gift. 😀

Since then, it has become an annual tradition for my husband and I to participate in the Operation Christmas Child (Samaritan’s Purse) shoebox project. We figured, instead of buying Christmas gifts for friends and extended families, we will focus on the Operation Christmas Child.

Ten (or more) countries are working together to give gifts to children in more than 100 countries… isn’t that amazing? The shoe box not only brings a smile to a kid’s face but also gives hope. Click this link for more details. (Disclaimer: This is a personal advocacy without profit involved.)

Ciao for now! 😉

wedding 2.0

(Note: Wedding 2.0 happened in 2015. I’m just behind with my blogging. 😅)

A lot of weddings are pretty much out of control these days… starting the marriage in debt to throw a fancy event for the entire world to attend is not our cup of tea. Planning a big event is stressful enough without worrying how to pay for it.

Taking the non-traditional route was pretty much a given since Jellybean and I are somewhat unconventional, our wedding 1.0 proved that – intimate, low-key and laid back.

With our wedding 2.0 (a.k.a. wedding celebration) in mind, we stuck to our principles and aimed for a chillax, no fuss, and no frills event.

✔on point venue = boat + river cruise as a memento

✔ quaint = purple yam & young coconut cake + scroll + Mario & Peach cake topper

✔ no frills = cocoon flowers instead of fresh flowers + minimalist decoration

✔ no fuss = “shoebox” project in lieu of gifts + “bubble” entourage

✔ chillax = serene ambiance + chill guests

With our limited budget, it wasn’t possible to invite everyone. 😦 Our sincere apologies. ✌

To our family and friends who sacrificed their time and travelled far… as well as to those who lent their helping hands one way or the other, thank you so much! ❤

Good times! Peace out… 😀

wedding 1.0

Way back in 2011, I ranted about being bugged to get married in one of my blog posts entitled, wedding. Little did I know that I would be meeting Jellybean, the one, and marrying him a few years later.

What’s with the wedding 1.0?

In Filipino culture, siblings are cautioned against marrying in the same year; this overlap of life events is called sukob and it is believed to bring bad luck. Getting engaged in 2014 and with Jellybean’s brother’s wedding planned for 2015, we were left with a difficult decision. Do we marry in 2016 or squeeze it in before the end of 2014? 2015 wasn’t an option.

With the concern that aging grandparents who are in their 90’s might be unable to attend a 2016 wedding, we chose 2014. Knowing it would be impossible to invite all of our family and dearest friends on such short notice, we limited the guest list to the elders and witnesses (Jellybean’s parents).

With eight people in total including the photographer and the marriage commissioner, wedding 1.0 was a perfectly intimate event!

Here are some of the never before seen photos:

Can you spot the difference below between the 2014 and the 2018 photos? Quite difficult to guess, right? 😉

2014

fast forward to 2018 😀

Stay tuned for wedding 2.0 …who knows when… 😀

the one

Have you found “the one”? Or has “the one” got “stuck in traffic”? Whatever stage you are at, worrying and rushing won’t really help. Things will fall into place at the right time, just keep the faith… 😉

Valentine’s day is fast approaching so I thought this story might inspire some people.

I’ve been asked a number of times on how I met my husband and how I knew that he’s the one.

My husband and I used to work in the same company together but we were in different departments and hardly spoke with one another. Come to think of it, I mostly mingle with the people I dealt with regularly.

Here’s how our first meeting went:
I was wandering around the office holding a large envelope when he approached me and asked “Are you looking for me?”. (Apparently, he saw his name written on the envelope.)

With a blank stare, I replied with a frosty “No” and walked away.

After several months, we ended up chatting and learned that we both like to watch anime at some point in our lives. We started talking about Ranma ½, Sailor Moon, Dragonball Z, Naruto, Slam Dunk, etc.. Exchanging emails, chatting and going out for a hot beverage every now and then led to a good friendship.

At that stage of my life, I was no longer interested in entering a relationship and was planning to be single for life. I was already in my 30s and was seriously considering “the back up plan” (similar to the movie “The Back Up Plan”… check it out if you haven’t seen it yet).

Although he had been single for almost four years, he was a bit apprehensive to start dating again after getting out of a draining 5-year relationship.

Cupid probably worked overtime to get us together because it took awhile before the friendship blossomed into a relationship.

Did it go smoothly?
Nope.

The first three months was a roller coaster ride.

On top of all the typical challenges that a relationship has, we also needed to work out our cultural differences and language barrier. Suffice to say, we had some hurdles to overcome; I prayed daily that the relationship end sooner than later if he wasn’t “the one”.

As they say, if it’s meant to be… it will be.

The key to overcoming our differences was communication, compromise, and saying sorry when you’re at fault.

The rest is history.

After two years of dating, we had our wedding 1.0 followed by wedding 2.0. Why two weddings?

Hmmm…. until next post… 🙂

it’s been a while…

I’m back! 🙂

Yup! I probably should change my name from the curious me to the submarine me. Ha!

So… why did I disappear after announcing that I was out of hibernation?

*** The plan was to migrate my blog to another platform before posting a new article. I was looking into it… then life happened and it got placed on the back burner.

I ended up staying with WordPress.Com, changed the theme, and got a premium subscription for a better deal.
It still needs a lot of improvement though and a new logo would be nice. 😀

*** I had to prioritize taking care of myself.

*** Recovering from a major surgery took longer than I expected.

Now that I’m feeling a lot better… I certainly would like to work on the pending blog posts. For those who have been checking my blog site every now and then, thank you so much! It means a lot.

Stay tuned! 😉

hibernation over!

Oopsie! I unintentionally hibernated… again. 😉 I wrote my travel bag post around February 2016 and meant to tweak and post it before the beginning of March but it didn’t happen. Sigh… I know, I’m terrible. -_-

So… what kept me busy? Hmmm… Let’s see…

Hiking

Johnston Canyon Winter hiking + Height phobia = FUN? :8

Philippine Election 2016

I campaigned for Duterte via Facebook. Yup! I’m one of his social media and prayer warriors… To be clear, I didn’t get paid for it. Yeah … yeah… I’m a die hard Duterte supporter (a.k.a. Dutertard)! Deal with it! :p

Why Duterte? Click here to read a very interesting article written by Leandro Legarda Leviste.

(I’m elated that in a short span of time, Duterte has already accomplished a much needed overhaul in the government… It’s a long way to go but I know he can deliver! Duterte surely deals with things like a BOSS!)

Travelling

Went gallivanting around North and South Carolina together with the gigglers (a.k.a. Little Miss Wanderfuls). Why gigglers? Well…find out for yourselves…;)

Want to know more of our adventures? Check out this site -> www.littlemisswanderfuls.com

Game of Thrones

I watched all 10 episodes of Season 6… I must say, it’s one of the best shows ever! Who are my top three favorite? Jon Snow, Arya Stark and Daenerys Targaryen. Oh! I also like Lyanna Mormont. She’s a badass! Need I say more? :p

Jon Snow (credit to the owner)	Arya Stark (credit to the owner)
Daenerys Targaryen (credit to the owner)	Lyanna Mormont (credit to the owner)

Gardening

I’m not a green thumb but my husband is! (Yes, I do have a husband. lol) I’ve been just messing around with the garden. Last year, I was in charge of planting and I might have been too generous with the carrot seeds . -_-

thecuriousme.com

Planning to do a revamp and keep up with the times. My blog looks so 90’s. Ha! I’ve been researching for blog platforms…. It will take some time but I can make it happen. 😉

Baste

Sebastian Benedict is his full name. I’ve been checking his Facebook page almost every day! He’s so adorable! I also like SamSam, his little brother…. 🙂 It makes me smile whenever I see new posts about them. Keep spreading good vibes!

baste-samsam — Baste & SamSam (credit to the owner)

One day…. I’ll be able to post consistently…. One day. 😉 For now, I’ll continue sorting my photos and work on one blog post at a time. Gotta get this going! Aja!

… and I do hear you… I will do a blog post regarding the tidbits of my wedding 1.0 and wedding 2.0. 😀 You’ll be like.. “What? Two weddings?!?” Yes… two weddings. Details soon kiddos. 😉

Appreciate your patience guys! Until next time! 😀

Charles-isms

I first met Charles five years ago when he was almost two years old. He’s such an adorable kid… and I so so so love him dearly! 😀

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Click the links below to read the related posts:
Mr. Anderson Where’s Charles?
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Up to this day, Fritchie (Charles’ Mom) and I still shares a good laugh whenever we recall Charles’ funny antics. 🙂 Here are some new ones that are truly remarkable. Read on!

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SENSATIONAL SPELLER
Charles got an award in school. Sensational Speller

Charles: Mommy, I can spell anything now! My level is grade 3 level… that’s what Ms. Whiteside said
Mommy: I know Charles, you did a really good job in school and we are so proud of you.

(as Charles enters the house…)

Charles: Daddy… Daddy! I got a trophy! I’m the best speller in our class, grade 3 level. I can spell anything now.
Daddy: Ohhhh really? Spell “anything”
Charles: E N I T H I N G

Mommy and Daddy looked at each other stifling a laugh and they both tried to sound out the word “anything”.

Charles: I know! I know! A N Y T H I N G I told you I know!

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BEDTIME
In bed… Daddy was snoring, Charles couldn’t sleep, and Mommy was pretending to be fast asleep.

Charles: Daddy, Daddy… I’m bored… I can’t sleep… Can I have the remote please?
Daddy: Go to sleep
Charles: I can’t. I’m too bored. I wanna watch TV.
Daddy: Count the holes on the wall
Charles: What? There’s holes on the wall?
Daddy: Pretend there are holes on the wall and count it.

(Mommy was trying hard not to laugh because she’s supposed to be fast asleep.
After two minutes)

Charles: But Daddy I can’t see the holes. Can you please turn on the light?
Daddy: Charles go to sleep

(After few minutes….)

Charles: I can’t really sleep. I need the remote.

(Daddy ignored Charles)

Charles: Can I watch TV now Daddy? I will sleep if you give me the remote.

(Then, Daddy eventually gave him the remote)

After ten minutes of watching TV, Charles’ finally fell asleep.

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CHRISTMAS CARD

Mommy: Can you write a card for Mlle. Dorman? We will go out tomorrow to buy her a present.
Charles: Ok Mommy. (then he proceeded to get his markers and paper)

(After 10 minutes, Charles went to the kitchen to show his work of art.)

Charles: Mommy I did it. I even did it in French and I made the letters in patterns like red and green. (He also drew a Christmas tree)
Mommy: (wondering) Charles, how did you know the French words for Merry Christmas?
Charles: Mommy I searched it in Google. Everything is in Google you know, Mommy.

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See??? Isn’t he adorable? 😀 See you again soon!

O Canada!

For some odd reason, Canada was not included in my dream destination but fate had other plans for me. I might not have understood it before but slowly, I started to connect the dots.

At any rate, the road to Canadian citizenship is not as easy as people think. Gathering the required documents alone was an extremely painful process.

It took me months to gather the documents and fill out the paperwork and the processing time took roughly a year. In short, the experience was very stressful and costly.

Thankfully, I managed to pass the required tests (English Language Tests and Citizenship test) as well as the short interview. Otherwise, I’d be a goner. :p

The excitement was starting to turn into uneasiness when the wait for the Oath-taking ceremony reached almost four months! It took longer than I had expected. 😦

Anyhow, I was pretty pumped when the day finally came and I even agreed to give a brief message on stage as a new Canadian citizen.

I was under the impression that there would be few of us lining up to deliver a message but to my surprise, I was the only attendee that got called on the stage. It was pretty nerve-racking but at the same time, an unforgettable experience.

A local newspaper even interviewed me after the event. It was definitely the day’s icing on the cake! 🙂

Oh… Did I mention that the oath-taking ceremony happened on my birthday? It’s indeed one of the best gifts that I’ve ever received! Woot! 😀

O Canada… Our home and native land… Until next time! :p

what happened?

Happy 2016! 🙂

It’s been almost a year and a half since my “hiatus” post. It appears that the hibernation took longer than I had planned. -_- Obviously, thecuriousme.com needs a lot of love and some updating…. 😦

Anyway… here’s the synopsis on what happened:

Golden Gate Bridge	Fisherman’s Wharf
Boston Cruise	chillaxin’ in Boston
my folks trip to Canada	my folks… gallivanting
Popsters, guess who? 🙂	catching up on the AlDub fever!
my cross stitch project	Facebook’s needy eh? 😀
wedding 1.0	wedding 2.0

Details on my next posts… Watch out and chillax! 🙂 mmmmmwa!

hiatus

Whoa! Time indeed flies…

I have gone on hiatus (unintentionally!) for the past two months. I was feeling burnt out so I decided to take a few days vacation to rejuvenate and recharge. To my dismay… I felt even more tired after my vacation… It’s crazy! So, I opted to take it slow, relax, and enjoy the rest of short summer. 😀

Now… I feel refreshed! And yes, I’m back! I bet you’re excited what I’ve been up to, right Justin? 😀

Here’s a sneak peek:

See you later alligator… 😉

basketball

Is basketball only for tall people?
Think again…. 😉

Tacloban-After Typhoon Haiyan (a.k.a. Yolanda) courtesy of: http://l3.yimg.com

intramuros-basketball — Intramuros, Manila (photo courtesy of: Wikimedia.org)

Filipinos love for basketball can be likened to Canadians innate love for hockey. Every street corner in the Philippines is an impromptu basketball court… and people play the game whether they are wearing flip flops (a.k.a. tsinelas), sneakers, leather shoes, or even barefoot!

Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) (courtesy of: http://www.slamonlineph.com)	Canada Hockey (photo courtesy of: Google 🙂 )
street basketball (photo courtesy of: http://www.bubblews.com/)	street hockey (photo courtesy of: http://www.womenshockeylife.com)

You betcha! I remember when I was 15 – 19 years old, I used to be a basketball announcer whenever there was a tournament in our community; that was one of my tasks as part of the youth council.

One basketball player was always assigned to sit beside me to help me interpret the referee’s call and the names of the violations committed during the game. In other words, he needs to make sure that I don’t screw up! 🙂 All I had to do was announce what’s going on in the court, joke a little bit to liven up the game, and speak with conviction regarding the violations.

The tournament was something similar to the photos below:

kids-basketball — photo courtesy of: http://mati.gov.ph/

It’s fun and at the same time scary… especially if the intensity of the match was too high! Whew! Even though the games were a frenzy, they never broke into riots.. there were no cars being set on fire like during the Vancouver Stanley Cup riot. :p We know how to keep it under control. 😉

Riot – Vancouver (photo courtesy of: http://www.ctvnews.ca)

Riot-aftermath-Vancouver — Riot Aftermath – Vancouver (photo courtesy of: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/)

By any means, the Filipino fascination (or should I say obsession?) with basketball prompted American author Rafe Bartholomew to go to the Philippines, conduct a study, and write a book about it. (Click here to read the snapshot of his book, Pacific Rims).

Rafe Bartholomew (photo courtesy of: http://rafebartholomew.com/sites/)

pacificrims_cover — Pacific Rims (photo courtesy of: http://rafebartholomew.com/)

Who wants to play ball? Let’s go, let’s go! 😀

ilocano = stingy (?)

Filipinos are playful and creative by nature, especially when it comes to coming up with children or shop names. Combination of several names with “h” thrown in between the letters or a parody of a controversial personality or issue, and even brand names is one of the favorite techniques.

This playful naming game applies to the specific Philippine ethnic groups too… each stereotyped with a name based on the common characteristics of the people who belong to that society.

Here’s few examples to illustrate:

Ilocanos are known for being stingy (a.k.a. kuripot).

courtesy of: http://www.threethriftyguys.com

piggybank — courtesy of: http://us.cdn3.123rf.com

Kapampangans are known for being extravagant (a.k.a. magastos)
From what I’ve heard, Ilonggo, Pangasinense, and Cebuanos are known for being fond of shopping branded clothes and jewelry.

shopping — courtesy of: popularphotographybiz.com/

There must be a grain of truth to it but I can confirm that not all are like that. My Kapampangan, Ilonggo, Pangasinense, and Cebuano friends are pretty good with their finances and do not shop all the time. Some of them are even thrifty! For my Ilocano friends, some like to splurge on branded clothing, handbags, and jewelry.

Let’s face it, not all people are the same. Whatever ethnic group or country you belong and whatever “name” you are known for… your own principle and belief still rules out! :p

For me, I’m a practical spender. The question that I ask myself when I need to purchase something is, “Is it a luxury or a necessity?”. If it’s a luxury, then no go. However, if it’s a necessity, no matter how expensive that is… it’s definitely a go.

By the way, I’m an Ilocano and proud to be one! 😀 Ta ta for now! 🙂

P.S.
Click here to learn more about the Ethnic Groups of the Philippines.

The Chancellor

Click here to read the related blog entry for a preview -> “Boy & Cel”
While visiting the Olympic Village in Whistler, British Columbia… I had a chance to ride the Peak 2 Peak Gondola with my cousin Chancee (a.k.a. Chancellor) and Kuya Freddie. The long cable-car ride gave us some time to enjoy the view and chat about life… somehow the topic of my blog (thecuriousme.com) came up and how I use it to chronicle my trips, funny moments and embarrassing experiences.

Chancee was enjoying the scenery when he turned solemn; lost in thought. The abrupt stop of the peak 2 peak for almost half an hour heightened his reverie. Most probably out of boredom, he started a monologue, his tone was like a politician delivering a melodramatic speech. :p It’s also his way of giving me “materials” because he wants me to write a blog entry about his adventure in Canada.

The gist of his monologue as I remember it was some crazy plan on how to get out from the peak 2 peak, just in case we will be stranded… Here you go:

Three options!
1. Walk through the railings and climb down using one of the posts.
2. Jump down to the forest straight from the peak 2 peak.
3. Wait for someone to rescue us.

Lucky for us though, the cable-car started running again and we got back down safe and sound. Thank God!

Moving on, see below for the snapshots of Chancee’s adventure in British Columbia, Canada:

Whistler (Peak 2 Peak / Olympic Village)	snowmobile (Whistler -Olympic Village)
glacier (Whistler / Olympic Village)	Queen Elizabeth Park
Shannon Falls	Capilano Suspension Bridge
	Canada-US border

See you again soon Chancee! 🙂

sad reality

Quotes and thoughts from TheCuriousMe… Read on… 🙂

No matter what you do or what you say… people will always have something to say against you…
*** Accept it.

People will always believe what they want to believe.
*** Let it be. Truth will come out in the end.

It’s sad when you realize that your friends know and understand you better than some of your relatives.
*** Super sad.

Being butchered with terrible accusations and not given the chance to explain your side is emotionally draining.

Having been showered with unconditional love and support from immediate family… the terms “used and being used” are never included in my dictionary when it comes to helping relatives and friends…
*** not all people think the same way
*** life is tough.

The people whom you think know you inside and out… don’t really know you at all.

The people whom you think know and understand you are the people who pass judgment at the blink of an eye without clarifying things directly from you.

No matter how you reach out and how good your intentions are… people who you least expect still tend to misconstrue things.

At the end of the day… be the bigger person… be understanding of someone else’s perspective and be forgiving… it may be exhausting sometimes… but that’s how it should be dealt with in a mature fashion. As they say, there’s always a light at the end of the tunnel.

Stay positive and keep the faith. 😉

virus attack

2014… A New Year… A new list of resolutions to fulfill or to ignore… 😉 It can always be carried forward to another year right…? 🙂

Part of my goal was to welcome the New Year with a flood of blog entries, posted one after the other. Little did I know, I would be hit with a nasty virus… my throat hurt like hell from the incessant coughing, it was so painful that even eating an orange was an ordeal. 😦

To top it off, I lost my voice and I was nearly hospitalized due to an incredibly high fever (almost 104 degrees fahrenheit). Thank God for my guardian angels’ (Jellybean and Jellybean’s Mom) help, the fever went down. I didn’t go to work for 3 days and I was informed that for cases like this, it typically takes 3-4 weeks for a full recovery.

220px-Viral_infections_and_involved_species — courtesy of Wikipedia

I went to see a doctor at the walk in clinic, and she prescribed some medicine to help with my cough… but it caused terrible side-effects form me. I got high; I felt like I was floating and couldn’t stop giggling (pretty much like the photo below courtesy of yourdailysource.netf) … it was terrifying. I decided to stop taking that “horrific” medicine and opted for the regular and over the counter medication (Vicks, Advil and Benadryl).

I guess it’s partially my fault… Late in 2013 around Christmas, I started having trouble breathing but I ignored it and continued going to work. I’ve always been a workaholic; working long hours and pushed myself to the limit. And truly, I suffered the consequences.

The greatest lesson I’ve learned from this is to take care of myself better, exercise regularly, cutting out the extra hours spent at the office, and improve my work-life balance… A challenging task for a workaholic me…

Be careful folks… balance is the key… As they say, health is wealth! 😉