Life is too short...

Peace

^"Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." -Philippians 4:6-7

Sometimes it seems a bit much to even ask anything more from a God who has been faithful to us, knowing that we have been unfaithful to Him... but oftentimes, it is the only way to have peace. What a privilege it is to partner with God in every situation we face. To know that God is nearby and that God hears us and is willing and able to help us. 

I pray that as I grow older, our Heavenly Father will cause me to be more prayerful, and be more mindful of my thoughts. To take every thought captive and make it more receptive and obedient to Christ.

Kindness

Something that took me all these many years to realize is that being kind is more important than being right. 

Gong Xi Fa Cai!

suddenly remembered this photo from last year taken at the Chinatown in Melaka, Malaysia as i contemplate going to Binondo, Manila tomorrow morning for some Eng Bee Tin hopia, hehe! anyway, although its a bit late... please let me greet my Chinese relatives and friends: Gong Xi Fa Cai!!! a blessed, peaceful and prosperous new year to us all :)

the one with Shoichi

happy 1st month, Shoichi :)

i want you to know that we love driving around with you so much and we are so grateful to have you. such an answered prayer indeed and worth all the waiting for :) i pray for more hassle-free travel adventures with you in the coming years.

i also pray that God will allow us to bless others through you, in the same way that our Heavenly Father has used the young Japanese boy Shoichi, from which you have been named after, to help the typhoon Yolanda victims by donating his childhood savings. Such a little boy with a big heart! Your name will serve as a reminder to me to always look for ways to reach out and bless others in every way possible, no matter how small.

oh by the way, as your present, we will be getting you some window tints over the weekend :)

Wing It

In an attempt to make my boyish toes look and feel a lot girlie like the rest of me in time for the holidays and my husband's coming, I went to a nail salon and had them painted with gel polish. I could not decide on the color so I went for the one highly recommended by the nail artisan, "Wing It". Seems like an appropriate name as I literally am winging it :)

I can't help but be reminded of that line in the movie, "About Steve" as I look at my toes: like ten friends on a camping trip. 

And since this is gel polish, that's hopefully how it's going to be for the next 3-5 weeks :)

The salon was Nail Tropics in Trinoma. I have been going there since I had my nails done hours before the wedding day last year. The place is cozy and the artisans quite friendly. They can be very delicate about the whole process. The cost of both gel mani and pedi is P1300. Bit pricey but the gel polish really lasts long so I think fair enough.