I'm back !!

It has been almost a year since I last wrote on this blog -- Thursday, August 9, 2012 , to be exact!

I have been doing a lot of things --  had an operation (yes, another one!) , went to Manila twice to look after my granddaughters when my daughter went to South Africa, then to the USA.     I was back at work with my last employer to pitch in as Human Resource Officer while they were looking for a replacement of their last HR Officer, who was fired :( .   I also worked from home for various clients -- did some internet research ,  data entry , English/Spanish/English translations and lately, checked on the audio done by an actor for the Spanish translations.  

I am enjoying my semi-retirement :)  I can do what I want and go wherever I want , whenever I want to !!  Do a little work for my pocket money ,  read a book,  watch a movie at home (thanks to my son for downloading),  play a game on the internet, or just go to the mall with the hubby for lunch  or shopping.  

I have much to thank the Lord for the life I am living now.  I do not have much, but I do not lack anything, I can buy what I want , a roof over my head, friends I can have coffee or lunch with, and a family I love sooooooooo MUCH and who love me back unconditionally.

THANK YOU , LORD !!!

Haiku 2

I love writing Haiku, Japanese poetry.  My first set of Haiku was uploaded in this blog site on April 27, 2012.

Gabrielle Douglas

My husband and I have been watching the 2012 Olympics closely.  We each have our favorite athletes :)    I have two favorites…… Americans Michael Phelps and Gabrielle Douglas.  I have always admired Phelps and have read most of what was written about him.  I did not know who Gabrielle Douglas was, until she shone in the 2012 Olympics gymnastic competitions.

 

Gabby is a 16-year old from Virginia Beach, Virginia.   She, with a megawatt smile and a dazzling personality  is now  a popular all-around gymnastic champion !  Gabby became the third straight American to win gymnastics’ top prize, taking the lead on the very first event .  She finished with a score of 62.232.

The flying squirrel , as Gabby is nicknamed,  skillfully did  her energetic floor routine.   U.S. teammates Kyla Ross,  Jordyn Wieber and  McKayla Maroney  jumped to their feet and cheered when she finished.   Gabby flashed her now famous smile and coach Liang Chow lifted her off the podium.    She made it !!  She holds the Gold !!

This is my favorite photo of Gabby.  The teen from Virginia has captured the world’s hearts and is now flying high in victory!!

Quotes 2

Some quotes I like, which I would want to share with you. Hope you like these, too :-}

Photography :)

Today is  Sunday,  July 29, 2012 

I watched Paco Guerrero's TV show, "What I see" and cannot stop thinking of the awesome photos he got.   It gave me the fire to start taking photographs of my own, too!!!!   Am sure it would not be anything similar, even to the minutest fraction, as compared to Paco's breathtaking photos.......you will know what I mean if you check this out http://whatiseetv.com/    or this,   http://www.francisco-guerrero.com/.   The camera he uses must be sophisticated, something I cannot afford or know how to use.   I barely know how to take photos with the camera my daughter gave me and my hubby.  It is nothing fancy.  It is a Canon Power Shot A2200.... a nice red compact item, which the ad describes "as an expression of style, versatility and creativity".   I hope to live up to the ad description.  I will take some photos around the house, garden or wherever I can find an interesting subject , however simple it might be.
 Everytime I will take some photos,  I will upload these to this article.   Bear with me, I am a newbie here.   

So, here goes ..............................

I woke up at 6:00am today, July 30th.  I opened the bedroom window and this was the first thing I saw :)  I took my first photograph for this "photography section" of my blog.

August 2nd -- Chavi and Maitina came to visit us before going to Playmaze. The little one always plays with the swing at the backyard.  I quickly got the camera and took various shots.  These are the photos that I liked :} I put these together and placed the "thingys" little girls like!

August 15,2012 --- When Angie arrived from the convention tonight, Doy and Angie started taking photos with  the girls.  I took this photo of Mayumi when she stuck her head in the railing going up to the dining room.

Grandchildren

“Grandchildren are precious gifts given to parents from their children.”

While browsing the net, looking for quotes, I found this short saying about grandchildren. I liked it so much that I made a Facebook cover of this quotation with the photos of my beautiful grandchildren.

I am a proud mother of three wonderful children. As most parents, I love my children unconditionally….. the two older ones are amazing, strong individuals, the youngest is just as wonderful but with a more easygoing and chirpy personality. I was a working mom. I would start my day early so I can cook breakfast and have my children ready for school. I would come home from work and tutor them on their school assignments (until such time when they knew more than I did)hehehe, cook dinner and get them ready for bed. Sometimes, I would read them some stories before bedtime and they knew that I would change names, words, whatever just so it would be fun. An example would be from the story of Rapunzel.  When a child was sick with tonsillitis, I would read a line as “Rapunzel, Rapunzel let down your tonsils ” and everyone listening would open their mouth and show their tonsils! I had always been active in school activities…… PTA, soccer games, girls’ scout, boys’ scout, school programs….. I was always there and I took pride in their accomplishments. I watched them grow up and never stopped looking after them. I had to know where they were and who they were with….. this had always been the number one rule at home. Time came for them to leave home because of further studies or their jobs….. but I never stopped praying for their best and loving them! All three children got married and have lives of their own now.

Then, came my five beautiful grandchildren!!!! I never knew that I would have more fun with these kids, at my age now. I do not have the responsibility to educate, discipline or bring them up. I am just here to have fun with them! I love talking with the little ones…. so funny, yet intelligent! So young, yet articulate! Now, I bask in pride when their parents send me photos of Klaus receiving his medal of distinction , Amaya with her first ballet recital, Maive as Ms. India on United Nations Day and all three of them learning to swim during their summer vacation. The two littlest ones, Maitina and Mayumi have their own accomplishments, too…… drawings, zipline ride at JCentre and funny remarks like, Mommy Pie malaki puwit!!!!! I always look forward when they come to visit us…. I play and run around with them, although I get tired easily compared  to their boundless energy. I get to laugh a lot with them. We sing nursery rhymes, too and watch together Dora, Barney and some educational videos in Youtube. They are great kids and I pray that they will grow up to be even greater adults. 

I thank God for the precious gift of grandchildren!!  But then,  a thought just came to my mind.... one that I would want to ask the All Knowing....wouldn't it have been more fun if  You  had sent me my grandchildren before my children ?  Just a crazy thought  ;-) hehehehe

Quotes 1

I am trying to figure out what to write, but, I cannot think of anything I would want to say...........

Since inspiration has not visited me today, let me just share with you two  quotes, which I hope you will like.

A New Step in Life's Journey

I feel more effective and function much better  when I have something to do ......when I have responsibilities ..... when I am productive and I accomplish something.

I started working part-time when I was in second year college.   I worked at the school's book rental area, where I arranged dusty books in wide, tall storage spaces.   A year after, my father sent me to study in Spain .  In summer, when I had some free time,  I worked as a tour guide for English-speaking tourists.  After two years, I went back to the Philippines and resumed my college education....... this time, I worked part-time as a Spanish language instructor in a local Foreign Language institution.  After a few years, I found myself working as a secretary for the biggest food manufacturing company in the Philippines.   This was the start of my corporate employments.......a life I so much enjoyed, where I learned a lot of skills and expertise .  I gained experience  which made me proficient in the fields  of secretarial work, administrative functions and  human resources responsibilities.

I went on to work for different industries .....securities and exchange ,  real estate , immigration consultancy, online survey taker, service checker, English/Spanish/English translation and finally, I landed in the world of Outsourcing. 

Outsourcing is where I learned what information technology is all about and began to love the internet and everything related to it.  I was handling Human Resources but during our free time, I would sit down with graphic artists, programmers, web developers, operations guys.   I definitely did not understand what they did, but their work was awesome!  I only had respect on how they did their work and marveled at the finished product they would show me.  I never got tired listening to their conversations when they exchanged notes on how to do their job and what they would do next.   

I am a believer that age should never be a factor or an excuse to stop learning.   On my lunch break, I would eat quickly just so I can practice what one of the IT guys have taught me .....  maybe a keyboard short cut, a combination of keystrokes, how to upload / download, how to research/what key words to use, etc.   

Six months ago or, to be exact on December 31,2011, I retired from my job.   I was 65 years old and thought that I can now relax and do nothing for a while.   Have I mentioned that I am a people-person? Yes, I definitely am !  I thrive when I interact with other people.   Don't get me wrong here ....  I love sitting down and talking with my husband.  I learn a lot from him in history, current events and everything else in-between!   What I am hankering for now is a job I can do from home  :-)  ....  something to keep me busy, where I interact with a person I work with and again learn new skills......................another chapter of  my  chosen work and my life.  A new step in my life's journey!

I will start looking for a home-based job today, hoping that I will find a good person to work with and a job I will enjoy doing. 

Wish me luck !!