Just Us

A journey of discovery and growth

Taken at Bintan, Indonesia

Marriage is not a noun; it's a verb. It isn't something you get. It's something you do. It's the way you love your partner every day. - Barbara De Angelis

Valentine in April

"Embrace Imperfection."
My father told me this simple mantra that has obviously made their marriage one of those with the happiest. Ours is continuously leading the same way. This month Archie and I are going to celebrate our 12 years of marital bliss. We normally celebrate our anniversary with Pancit and ice cream. This year will probably just be same!

Love is composed of a single soul inhabiting two bodies. -Aristotle-

Old songs elicit nostalgia. A peaceful walk. A delightful meal. An invigorating coffee. Absence of palpitation. An intimate spontaneous conversation with Archie. Life is amazingly beautiful!

Forget about flowers, expensive dinner date and gifts - they don't really define a good romance. A walk at the park, picnics, play chess as we often do, embark unplanned kitchen adventures, simple and sacred dinner, 'kulitan' with Dayne, laugh a lot and a good conversation are seemingly good choices to celebrate our anniversary this month. I'm so excited!

And certainly a 6PM mass is always significant.

Taken at the flat's lobby!

Love does not begin and end the way we seem to think it does. Love is a battle, love is a war; love is a growing up. -James A. Baldwin-

Love is a meeting of two souls, fully accepting the dark and the light within each other bound by the courage to grow thru struggle into bliss.
-The Daily Love-


Pictures taken via Instagram

Goodnight everyone!

The Secrets of Me and My Man: Opposites Attract!

With him, I was able to create my own fairy tale, my own music!

If you're going to asses us individually, I guarantee, you will derive a conclusion that opposites really attract.
May I share with you our beyond ordinary understanding of each other.

My husband is known for creating a 'bad boy persona' which from the start I was secretly enchanted to. His arrogance is more of being able to express his own intentions without being afraid of what other people may think of him. I realized, I found a pleasant and a relaxed man out of what other claimed 'the tough and arrogant guy'. Negative thoughts or outcomes will never rattle him neither will make him desperate. This attitude of his is totally contrary to mine. I am very vulnerable and I've got a sensitive soul. Perhaps they became natural part of my own sense of modesty. I'm so lucky to find my own hero in him!

I found my own star! He frequently tells me that life is too short for dramas but in situations when for an instance I get sick, he portrays good role and easily gets into the skin of a good nightingale. He can be a surreal quality film actor in his own terms. He can be overacting when it comes to caring and he definitely can render better nursing care than I do. Just deduct his being sympathetic and voila, he can surely take my place!
But when sickness strikes him, I can be the coolest. When he feels like very weak, I can effortlessly make him feel better. I know my man!

I found an Ilocano in Marinduque!
While coins don't last with me, he can be the total opposite. Economizing can be his great forte. Yes, he values money carefully. He don't purchase unnecessary things.  He is comfortable, thankful and satisfied with the little things available around him. He never wished for a lavish lifestyle, just within moderation is more than enough! His frugality is acceptable and that makes me so proud of him!

I am a night owl. Probably, this is the prize I have to pay of doing alternate day and graveyard shifting schedules. Yet he embraced my 'me time' at my 'night time'! He can tolerate seeing me awake until the wee hours of the morning trying to attack free Pinoy online shows, catching up with friends on Facebook, writing, reading blogs, visiting online shopping websites and doing minimal  domestic tasks. On the other hand, sleeping early and waking up early are always beneficial and healthy to him. This is his strict policy, 'respect me when I am sleeping' and so I have to abide by that simple rule.
When I wake up, great coffee comes from my great automatic coffee maker!

He is a madman when it comes to chocolates and ice cream. I'm trying to be flexible especially when it comes to food. I can just finish his left-over ice cream and sorbet. Don't give me a full share. It would only be a sin!

I have a profound memory loss when it comes to numbers, names and special occasions, but he always serves as my calendar even in remembering my parent's birthday.
In directions and locations, he can operate as my global positioning system monitor or my navigational compass.

My life became exciting when I chose to be with him. I mean, he is not apprehensive to take risks. He is adventurous while I am quiet, plain and stagnant. He can do both outdoor and indoor games. He found his passion for basketball when he was young and I suddenly found myself his greatest fan! Now, he's into windsurfing while I just remained his greatest fan.

I love romantic novels and movies while he is keen on seeing Robin Padilla's acting prowess strutting in action films. Well, I admit, I hate action movies before but now, I am trying to enjoy them because I watch them with him. Similarly, he carries out the same! You see, everything can be reciprocated if only both parties are willing to do so. Cultivate the willingness of being submissive!

I am a Shaina Magyadao fan and to him Shaina became the prettiest and the most versatile actress in local show-business. I remember the time when he delivered to me the offensive rumor of Shaina and John Lloyd, the couple being referred to in the dirty hospital scandal. True or not, that we really don't know.
But liking hard rock musicians like the legendary Guns N Roses and Nirvana is yet for me to understand! Well, I have nothing against them. I just find them loud and noisy. I love serenity and he understands that! Listening to Bob Marley and U2 can be tolerable at all times!


I am a certified trying hard artist and he is not! But the moment I started to touch my pen and pencil, my camera and other art paraphernalias, he will try to ease his boredom by watching TV Patrol, Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations, Steve Austin's adventures on Animal Planet or if not, he would cling to NBA playoff games.
In every rule there is an exception, he can be my photographer whether he likes it or not!

He loves current events and latest news updates, from a different standpoint, I don't. Why? I just hate seeing news about murder and other tragic events around the globe. They'll unfailingly haunt me for days and I don't like that. He serves as my personal broadcaster keeping me abreast with the latest news so that they won't sound too exaggerating!

He is the best cook ever! Ironically,  I'm just another constant dumb taster! Well, I can always try.
He loves my Sweet and Sour and Batchoy though.

Vices? Yes, but honestly, I never admired them (no wife would, i presumed). He was a chain smoker before but because of his strong determination to quit, he was able to do it. He made me the happiest wife and  I was truly proud of him.
He drinks moderately in separate few occasions. Well, i think that's okay. Episodic drinking will not overload and damage our liver and kidneys.
One thing I don't really understand is his slight enthusiasm about cockfighting. He would breed roosters but then he would subject the latter to possible death. My husband please don't give me a discreet silence, just help me understand!

Behind his very masculine aura is a soft-hearted, god-fearing and tender loving man. I can never forget the time when I made this man cried with great gusto. And that was when I finally favored to his courtship, that was the day I was ready to accept his flaws and future failures. Saying I Love You became extraordinary out of the ordinary. It is one way to keep our romance burning!
Yes, he is so crazy about me just as I am to him! Our daughter would often say with amusement 'ang baduy nyo Dadi' whenever she hears our love story.

I am not perfect. I am vulnerable to commit mistakes. My husband, forgive me when such imperfection persists!

Yes, we are indeed blessed and happy couple. We always believe in living happily ever after without forgetting the call to holiness as a couple, the love and blessings we usually share to his family, my family and vice versa and finally, the demand of total dedication and constant love to our child, Dayne!

Looking forward to do penance for 'Semana Santa 2011'

And in this season of Lent, I hope we stand firm amidst the debris of great problems that assaulted our lives and may we continue to live within the richness of God's love!

Celebrating the Past

A British examiner asked me to describe a museum. I suddenly caught myself just staring at her for a moment, grasping for words. I felt I was left high and dry, probably because I haven't been to a museum itself. Finally, I answered her in the most honest way I can...that I was reared and grew up in the province where a museum is hardly available. And at the back of my mind, Music Museum and what she's asking about are basically the same but I didn't consider to elaborate more. Funny, isn't? ( That's the problem when mental block strikes. I even blamed the coffee that I took prior to the interview.) I felt so embarrassed by giving her the stupidest answer one could ever imagine. How could I miss the chance of exploring a place where historical records and artifacts are being exhibited?


After the interview, I saw my husband waiting for me at the university lobby. He hugged me upon seeing my frustrated, teary-eyed and dazed looking face. He didn't bother to ask me if the interview went well as perhaps my facial grimace left him an undeniably clear answer . Instead, he just took my hand and we went to the nearest available church. He finally broke his silence by asking me what were the questions asked during the interview and I told him with reluctance. He was surprised that I wasn't able to discuss even the simplest description of a museum. He even reminded me of our visit to 'Museo Pambata' when Dayne was four. Oh God, how could I not remember!

Not caring a bit too much of the interview result but my honesty or should I say my stupidity and forgetfulness yielded a satisfactory result. 


Following my third graveyard shift was my rest day, my husband told me to rest as he will take me for a walk later in the afternoon. I just ignored him because I thought he will just bring me to a hawker nearby so I rested and had a good nap! At nearly 3pm he woke me up and invited me for a late lunch...oh having a leftover 'Sinigang na Isda' was heavenly. He again told me that we're going for a walk. For the second time, I just shrugged off.


And why are we taking MRT? out of curiosity, I asked him...


Contrary to what I thought, he's going to bring me to the National Museum! And just as I thought that we're going to pay for the entrance fee, surprisingly, it's free!

A dramatic pose with Archie at the museum's lobby

Take a tour of Singapore’s food heritage and discover how our hawker culture has developed. Learn about the origins of certain Singapore foods such as Chicken Rice and Chilli Crab, and find out about secret food hideaways here. Where can you find the best char kway teow in town? Or the most sedap mee rebus or laksa? This yummilicious talk will include a short tour of the Food Gallery and tasting of Singapore’s cult hawker favourites!
-Credit to Singapore's Food Heritage - National Museum Singapore-

Taken at the living gallery

I love doing normal things - movies, shopping, going out with friends, writing, reading, taking hot bubble baths - that's a big one for relaxation. I also love to go to art and history museums.
-Christina Aguilera-

Living is like tearing through a museum. Not until later do you really start absorbing what you saw, thinking about it, looking it up in a book, and remembering - because you can't take it in all at once.
-Audrey Hepburn-

At the fashion gallery

At the food gallery

At the photo gallery where flash is strictly prohibited.

At the National museum lobby. Ganito pala kapag tumatanda na, yung simpleng pasyal at lakad ay nag dudulot na ng sobrang saya.