Salamin

Hahh, what a week! I had to disengage myself from blogging activities in order to concentrate on other more pressing matters. Matters like making a presentation in a conference, writing and submitting my proposals, rewriting a paper for a journal, submitting an abstract to another conference, yada, yada, yada. March is always the busiest time of the year, which, incidentally, also coincides with the end of the fiscal year here in Japan. Anyway, I'm glad that I've completed most of the tasks I needed to do. I can breathe now, thank you very much! On a brighter note, the sakura (cherry blossoms) are already in full bloom, and we can enjoy viewing them this week! Yay!

Well, there is a particular topic that I want to write about in this post. Thing is, I'm turning a year older tomorrow. It's no big deal, right? Everyone else will turn a year older this year. But for some reason, I'm having a "When Harry Met Sally" reflective moment. Ok, sure, 40 is still several years down the road, but hey, I will turn 40...someday! To paraphrase Sally's outburst: "Forty...it's just there, waiting!"

Our little girl just turned 4. Parang kailan lang na nag-rush kami sa Shoji for the delivery, now she's totally different from that red, bawling thing we took back home.

Our celebration for her 4th birthday is nothing fancy. Just went to a restaurant nearby, her favorite. Then we gave her a birthday cake, courtesy of the local bakery. Just for fun, we picked out an Anpanman character cake. Aya heartily ate Anpanman's "brains." Is it no wonder that Anpanman's brains is nothing but sponge? Hahaha!

Happy birthday to our dearest one, li'l Princess Aya. You make everything worthwhile. Keep your light shining for the rest of the world. We will always be here for you.

Always proud parents,
Nanay and Tatay

I wrote in my diary a year ago - "Growing old is everyone's business. There will always be someone younger than you, and always someone older than you. The point is not in comparing your age to someone else's, but in comparing yourself now to yourself as you were years ago. How much you have changed in the years that passed is what matters."

Today I feel nostalgic of sorts, because today marks the 10th year since I last spent my birthday together with my family in the Philippines. Fortunately, I've got my own family here in Japan - Baggy, Aya, and with Mommy as a "bonus," heheh. Plus the friends and other acquaintances I've made - Japanese, Filipinos, and other foreign friends. They're as much as my family now.

I'm not much into gifts, but well, I've just received my early gifts on this day. One is a humongous card from Mom and my sisters. The other is another flower "shower" from Baggy! Sobrang daming roses, hay - I have to use three flower vases to contain them all! A word of advice to all single women out there - if you're looking for a lifetime partner, look for someone who will give you flowers not when he is wooing you, but someone who will still give you flowers way after you're married. Di ba?

So much to be thankful for, so much to look forward to. I know this year will be GREAT.

Yes, it's another birthday, and this time it's Baggy's turn! Happy birthday Baggy dudes!

I'm sure masaya yan dahil meron siyang bagong new toy. It's a Sony. Sony what? Secret!