honoring my mom on mother’s day

to my dearest mommy—HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY to you!!!! i love you so much!  i miss you especially today but you are always in my thoughts each and every waking moment.  near or far, i am always loving you.  we might have bad moments (my mom and i have catfights once in a while, we're like aso't pusa, we never seem to agree on things some times but we dearly love each other) but i hope you know how much i adore you and honor whatever you say.

you are one of the reasons why i strive to be a better person.  you are one of the reasons why i never give up on what i believe in.  you are my reason for being the strong woman that i am now.  you are the reason why i am what i am today coz i don't want to fail you simply because i respect and love you.   after all you've been thru just to love me and daddy, thank you so much!!!!! our family wouldn't be what it is today if you weren't as strong as you are.  i wish someday, i could be as strong as you.  your resilience still leaves me in awe til now, hopefully in time i'd be able to develop that too.  if given the chance, i hope i could be a great mom like you.

thank you also for loving the people i love–chris, chris' family, my friends.  your heart never seem to tire of loving (i think that's why moms are different—they love, love and love).  sana wag kang magsasawa.  i love you mommy!!!! hope you enjoy mother's day today with dad and me & chris in your heart.  a big mwah!!!!

-o0o0o-

special mention to teng and armi–happy mother's day mga bruha hehehe.  once or twice i have mentioned to both of you na ang galing ninyo at idol ko kayo dahil superwoman kayo –may career na, loving wife and mom pa.  sana dumating ang panahon na maging superwoman din ako tulad ninyo.

to every mommy in the world, enjoy your special day today.  remember that the world wouldn't be as beautiful if mommies weren't created.  you are the reason why there are so many wonderful people here on earth. 

just in time

a few minutes ago, at our little pantry, i was blessed to have a short chit-chat with one of my workmates.  it started with me asking him "how's the new dad?" (his wife just gave birth to a son ten weeks ago).  and like any new dad, he excitedly talked about his baby boy's funny little habits.  before our little meeting ended, i told him "you know i like the name of your son".  and he said, "oh really?  do you know what it means?"  and i replied "no."  with that he said "i got his name from a love song, and when i looked it up, it means hope". and all i had to say to that was "wow, that's a very nice name indeed, with the meaning and all."

now i took that as a sign from the fates.   because at this point in time, i'm nearly losing hope.  out of nowhere, out of a simple how-are-you conversation, god made a way for me to hear his words from another person's lips.  it was his way of saying "have a little more hope".

it is true then, that we just have to look more closely, listen more carefully and he is really where you need him to be.  and even if you're too distracted and lost, he will make a way for you to find him.

by the way, the name of my workmate's son is Armand.

kahapon

 Wala na sya 

Iniwan ka na nyang nag-iisa

Dala ang gamit

Walang paalam

Isang tawag sa telepono lamang

At sinabi nya na tapos na ang lahat…. 

***ano ang sasabihin mo sa kaibigan na naiwang mag-isa?  paano mo patatahanin ang puso nya?***

a day in the city

so what did i do while waiting for my passport to be released yesterday?
i hung out at hyde park, david jones (equivalent to phils' rustan's), borders book shop, angus & robertson and starbucks. i had a good time =) feeling ko para akong inday na nag-day off hehehehe.

i took a couple of photos at hyde park. i tried my best to capture the beauty of the place, hoping that the photos would turn out as alive as it can. had i had our Kanyon* with me, i would have probably took better ones. but this will do for now.
in times like these, i really miss having Kanyon around…di bale konting panahon na lang at makakapiling ko na siya.

after hanging out at sydney's most beautiful park, i went inside of david jones. it was my first time to go there. david jones has all the high-end brands you can think of. most of the time, kuripots like me don't have any bag with them when they go out of the store. highlight of my visit here was a trip to their food court na hindi mukhang foodcourt. it's foodcourt but the prices of the meals aren't "foodcourt-y". strike 2 for kuripot me. i decided to eat at a different foodcourt so i can have starbucks after lunch. i seldom spurlge on food when i'm alone, i believe it's more worth it when you have a friend whom you can share good food and great conversations with.

after lunch, i indulged myself in the company of books so i went to borders and angus & robertson (2 bookstores!). silly me 'no? i finally had the chance to roam around the city, but i spent it with books! my passion for books is back so i'm on the lookout for recommended books i've been reading about online. after an hour or so, i left angus & robertson smiling coz i was able to find "the time traveler's wife" by Audrey Niffenegger.

my last stop was at starbucks. i've been craving for their new york cheesecake for days and i just had to celebrate my day-off with two of my favorite companions: starbucks' cafe americano and cheesecake. i savored every sip of my coffee and slice of my cake while reading pugad baboy 19. the latest issue was sooo funny i didn't care if i looked like an idiot laughing at what i was reading.

it's nice to have days like these when you feel like you're the most unhurried woman in the world, when you feel like time is just watching you enjoy your moment. for a busy with woman like me, it was a gift!

*Kanyon - name of our DSLR (from the root word Canon hehehehe). Chris and I baptize all our gadgets with names as if they were our kids. Kanyon is lovingly being taken cared of by his daddy at the moment dahil si Chris ang nanalo sa custody battle ng "anak" namin hehehe.

PHOTOS CAN BE FOUND AT: http://ibyangbabe.multiply.com/photos/album/66

i’m officially mrs. ibyang sanchez

took the day off to finally (finally!) have my passport amended to my new surname.  i went to the philippline consulate at 10am then went back at 3pm to get the amended passport.  when they called me upon releasing of the passport, the counter person said "mrs. sanchez?!" and i had to ask myself, "ako ba'ng tinatawag niya?" hahaha.  with a few seconds of hesitation (and confusion?), it finally dawned on me that yes, it was ME he was referring to.  for a $40 change fee, my passport now bears my new name (tadaaa!!!):

i never thought that changing my name can baffle me.  when i got engaged, i thought changing my name would be the easiest part of my transition to being a wife.  i thought that i would embrace the idea with my arms wide open, hindi pala.  i had hesitation changing my name—this of course had nothing to do with being chris' wife.  walang personalan ito, dala lang siguro ito ng pagiging independent ko.  when i realized that i need to decide if i will be using chris' name, i thought "do i really have to give my name up?"  a part of me felt i was giving up some part of identity that i have. 

before the wedding, i even researched on what my options were for legality's sake.  i'm the kind of person that will look at all angles.  even if getting married to chris is all about love really, i wanted to know what my rights are before plunging in.  after getting all the facts that i needed and getting it all sorted out in my heart and mind, i chose to take in chris' name.  i just needed to make sure that i've decided on this matter based on what i want and not because it's the norm in the society.  and i also needed to internalize it all—that changing my name would be a good change for me and that i wouldn't really lose anything of myself after all. 

on the technical side of things, the philippine consulate here in sydney made it very easy for wives like me to have passports amended.  all requirements are listed on their website: http://philippineconsulate.com.au/passports.html. you should be able to submit the requirements between 9am-12nn and releasing period is from 3-5pm on the same day.

my additonal learning today that could be helpful to soon-to-be parents:  parents be mindful of the names you put on your newborn baby's birth certificate, especially those who aren't married yet.  i learned that names to be put on the birth certificate of the baby should be talked about before delivery of the baby (mga mommies, ibilin na nyo na sa tatay o sa kahit sinong makakasama nyo sa ospital kung ano ang TAMANG ilalagay na pangalan sa birth certificate ng baby nyo).  when i was at the consulate office, there was this woman applying for her baby's passport but was unable to process because the baby had combined surnames of the mom and dad, however, the baby's parents weren't married yet. according to the consulate office, having combined the surnames of the the parents means that the baby had a new surname and no middle name (kumbaga ginawan nila ng bagong surname yung bata dahil pinagsama nila ang name ng magulang, example: santos-rivera).  it's all too complicated and there are a couple of documentation the mother should submit before getting the baby a passport (i.e. get an acknowledgement letter from the father coz the child is illegitimate) and it's all because they didn't know the legalities of naming their baby.  take note: these requirements are not only required here in australia but is also required in the philippines when you have illegitimate children.

so there, i'm finally mrs. ibyang sanchez…and because of this blog entry, you now know what my real name is =P.  next stop next week is at the australian immigration and the bank (goodness, i feel like an alien saying that) to let them know about my new name.

happy weekend!

boxes from heaven

chris and i each got a box from heaven today.

remember the package i was worried about a week ago? the one i thought would never reach him?  well, it did! =)  he got his package from me today.  the reason why it's so important for him to receive it was because that package includes some documents that we'll submit to the immigration (for his application of visa in order to come here).

and i got lucky today too coz i got my package too!!!  remember my anger regarding NSO two weeks ago?  well, i got our NSO Certified Marriage Certificate with me now and ALOT more.  i'm such a happy camper today coz i finally got a hold of my stash:

22 kilos of stuff i left in the phils.  now you know i did a lot of shopping.  i got my books: pugad baboy 19, bob's ong's stainless longganisa and ABNKKBSNPLAko, noli me tangere (idol ko si rizal) and pido aguilar jr.'s the gift of abundance na may bonus pang dedication and autograph niya (thanks nessy for my belated bday gift!!!!).  i got my clothes (tons of them, no need to buy winter clothes this season!) and my shoes (3 pairs hah!), plus my beloved havaianas (2 pairs).  when i saw my havaianas, bigla akong napakanta ng "reunited and it feels so good…".  i also got some gifts from the wedding and bridal shower and some kitchen stuff that i asked my mom to buy for me (thanks mom and dad!!!).  and oh i got my silent sanctuary CD!!!! i'm listening to it right now and i highly recommend that you get a copy coz they're so good and their music is something to be proud of. 

now that i have our NSO certified marriage certificate, it only means (1) our wedding is definitely genuine (totoo pala ang lahat!) and (2) there's work to be done— i have to finally face a wife's challenge of changing her name (i've been delaying it). 

nighty-night!