Happy 27th to me!

Last year was a test of my character. It tested me as a person. I was almost hanging and  I struggled as a wife. It was a rollercoaster ride of emotions. It was my first year of being a wife and childless by choice. I embraced independence that somehow got into my head and in my relationship with other people. But that's all from the past. I thank God because even when things weren't really like the sweet cake like I've always wanted, I was still able to keep my faith in Him.

As I turn another year older, I feel more empowered. I have gained more wisdom. My faith is deeper than what it used to be. I am a woman now. I am beautifully contented with what I have right now but I will be more successful. I will be a blessing to other people. I will elaborately practice my gift of sharing. And with all these wishes, I pray for inner peace and happiness in my heart.

Thank you, Dear Lord for my life. Happy Birthday to me! : )

Meet our new baby, Jacob

Nope, he's not me and my husband's baby. This is Ethan Jacob L. Saldua, my brother's first born. He was born June 4, 2010 in our province in Cagayan de Oro City.

I first met Jacob on July when he was still a month old. He was not really that tiny but he was delicate. And since he was still too tiny at that time, he wasn't that interactive at all.

Jacob at 1 month

I, then, met for the second time, my nephew Jacob during the holidays. Oh my, what a cute baby! I have come to realize that his face changed since then.

Here he is at 6 months. So big na!

This is how he sleeps

with Tito Aldrin

Tito Aldrin, please open your mouth.

this is LOVE

oh how i miss him sooo bad

But what I really loved about this second meeting is that he's already interacting with people! And mind you, this little man is a people person. He's a charm. He talks (murmur) a lot, laughs a lot, is always hungry but never sad. He's a happy kid. He only cries when he's hungry. He doesn't throw tantrums when he's sleepy. If he's sleepy, he will just close his eyes and sleep. No kiddin'! And at 6 months, he can already utter the word "duh-di" (daddy). Am I a proud tita, oh yes! And I do miss him terribly. *sobs now*

Turning 27 on the 27th! My Birthday Wish

So I'm turning 27 on the 27th! How cool is that?! On my birthdays, I start my day by thanking our Dear God for all the blessings he had given for the past years; food, clothing, shelter, career, money, travels, etc. I couldn't even thank Him enough for my life itself. I also thank Him for my relationships; my family, close and real friends, colleagues and most importantly, my husband.

What's my wish? Believe me, I have a long list! My wish would start by asking God for the best health ever! I also wish for safety and guidance all the time. And I also wish for more blessings to come to also become a blessing to other people. But my special wish for this year is to have a GO on our business by mid year and hopefully it'll become successful. I wish I would also retire this year and focus more on our business.

As for my "other" (read: material) wishes, here they go:

1. Hair Makeover. I badly need my hair done. Seriously.The last time I cut and colored my hair was December 30, 2009. My ultimate dream is to have it done by Jing Monis. But given his rates, uhm, I think, I will need a GC for that. But given the chance, I would love to have Kaye Abad's hair color and hair style.

ash blonde, baby!

2. A new piece of jewelry. A few days ago, I've come to realize that I lost some of my jewelry due to bad management. Oh well, I just want to replace them. They are the fruits of my labor. I worked hard for those jewelry and now they're gone. I would love to have a new necklace or diamond earrings.

Tiffany key necklace

diamond stud earrings

 

3. Philip Stein Mother of Pearl watch. Need I say more? It's just simply gorgeous.

No pressure, guys! hahaha. I know these are oh-so-impossible gifts to give. I can just assure myself that I can buy myself these things one of these days. But if you insist, I won't mind. : )

Happy New Year!

I know it's been 11 days... but it's at least late than never. Happy New Year, everyone!

First of all, allow me to share my excuses for not having been updating my blog for weeks! Yes, for weeks! And if you check out my previous blog (anniversary at Laiya), it was actually a long overdue entry. You see, our anniversary was on December 18 and I created that blog a few days after. But, to my dismay, I encountered some technical difficulty in posting images in my blog. I thought it might be some server issues but days passed and I can't seem to add more photos. So I let it be, and there, my previous entry about our anniversary.

So what have I been up to?

A lot. I'd say a lot! First, I started the year emailing clients and buyers of my (shameless plug) Corelle sets. Yep, I sell those! Second, before I left CDO after the holidays, my friends asked me to meet them up for a business proposal. Oh yes, another business. But I'll keep that as a secret for now. But one thing's for sure, it will be huge! It is so huge that I could not sleep at night thinking about it; the papers, the process, the fees, capital, etc. The truth is, I'm excited! And at the same time, I'm nervous. Just a few minutes ago I was researching about registering our own corporation. And just earlier today, I was texting my mom, my aunt and my future business partner. What a busy day! And for all these things, I still thank the Lord for all these blessings and the more blessings to come. That's all for now. G'nyt!

Reminiscing Laiya on our First Wedding Anniversary

My husband and I celebrated our first wedding anniversary last December 18. It was a Saturday. I thought, what a great day to spend our anniversary out of town! A few months before December, we planned to go to Tagaytay. But unfortunately, on the last week of November, our Frankie (old computer) died on us. So we spent most of our budget in buying a new laptop.

The plans changed, but definitely, we'll be going out. Where to? We just really don't know yet. A few days before our anniversary, I was already researching for restaurants in the metro because I have closely given up to the thought that we could go out of town. Then, with God's goodness, we can make it out of town? But where? We tried searching for rates in Tagaytay. However, the rates were a bit high since it's already peak season. Also, we just came from here a few days ago when my mom and sister was here in Manila. Then I thought, why not go the beach? I searched on Laiya.

Balai Laiya is where we spent our first anniversary as girlfriend-boyfriend. I can vividly remember how I gave him our his and her watch. When I read upon Balai Laiya's homepage that they will be closing temporarily this December, I couldn't let the month pass without paying a visit to this  beautiful place.

We love Balai Laiya. It's a simple resort; no fancy furniture, appliances, etc. It doesn't even have a TV! It just simply lets you enjoy the nature. But what we really love about this place is the food. Once you checked in to this place, you are required to pay for their buffet meals. But you don't have to worry. The meals are in buffet and very delicious. And oh, their service and staff are superb! They always smile and greet you.

Friday morning when I emailed Balai to have a reservation to on of their seaside rooms. I checked their terms and it is their policy to deposit 50% of the accomodation rate to confirm our booking. Unfortunately, we were busy that day. We asked Edith (sales personnel) if we could just pay the whole day tomorrow, and she refused as expected. But it did not stop me with my plans. I asked Edith if we can go on walk-in guests and she replied that we could but with the disclaimer that they can't guarantee rooms for us since they are on first come, first serve basis. We totally understand.

December 18, 2011, Saturday. Aldrin picked my up at my office after our shift and headed straight to Cubao. At 10am, we boarded Jam Transport Bus on our way to Lipa. The journey was long and tiring since we have to deal wth traffic and transferring from bus to tricycle to jeep and to another jeep to get to Laiya. Not to mention, it rained when we reached Laiya. At the resort entrance, the guard greeted me but told me they have no vacant rooms upon knowing that we don't have a reservation. I told them "bakit sabi ni Edith meron pa?", then the guard said "sabi ba ni Edith? teka lang maam", then he escorted us to their reception area. Ate Susan (admin) greeted me and asked if I am Melissa Saldua. I gladly said yes. She said, Edith had informed them that I am checking in on that day. I am impressed!

                                                             bus on our way to Lipa
And so we checked in. We rested for a while and had our snacks in nearby restaurant because Laiya doesn't have a restaurant.

Tiramindu

Then we strolled. We just witnessed a wedding!

 at Acuatico's infinity pool

Then our dinner. We were so tired from our trip that instead of having cocktails in Acuatico, we fell asleep at around 9pm after we took a bath.

 veggies, chicken barbeque, inihaw na tanigue

  this mangro crepe is so delicious that other guests asked how much it is because they wanted to  order  some more. this was only served once as a dessert. the syrup was home made dark chocolate.

Hello sunshine! Our Sunday greeted us with a warm morning from last night's rain. It felt good. Then the breakfast.

the view from our cottage

the breakfast buffet

my favorite tuyo

Then we swam.

that's our cottage at my back

Then we ate again. Our last meal was a lunch.

Then we bid Balai Laiya goodbye.

Going back to Laiya felt like the same as it was six years ago. The staff are still very friendly. I even asked Susan if the sampaloc that fell in our cottage is already ripe enough to eat, she said yes and talked to kuya Alvin (another staff). When she came back to us she said they will give us more of the bunga of the sampaloc. How cool is that?

It's just sad to know that it was tehir last day in that resort. And yes, we were their last guest. We found out, the just  leased the land and their contract has ended and that Acuatico bought the property. I was so sad to find about this but hey, no need to worry. They still get their jobs. They will have a new Balai. They said it will be in Puting Buhangin (or was it Bato?) and they will just be transferring there. Unfortunately, they will have to wait for a while since it is still just being constructed.