The inspiration for that very first post came after we heard CJ’s heartbeat for the first time, which was during one of Conne’s early pregnancy checkups.

As we eagerly await for a new chapter to be written into our lives, one which sees our Julianna on board, the current chapter ends with a special twist and on a high note — because it ends with a scene depicting CJ, with childlike amazement, hearing his unborn sister’s heartbeat for the first time as well.

Yes, CJ, it does sound like a train.

No related posts.

It took me forever to realize that, when life knocks us down or throws us a curve ball or two, the wisdom and experience gained from overcoming adversity are built up in trickles throughout the course of our lives.

Backtrack six years ago, I was struggling on a personal, professional and emotional level. But I now find myself a husband to a loving wife, father to an amazing son, stakeholder to a good company, and in control of my emotions (well, at least most of the time!). To top everything off, I woke up one day, while on an overseas trip almost 9 months back, to a blissful SMS message from my wife – telling me that I was to be a dad for the second time around!

One of the first questions that popped up in my mind: Was I ready for this new challenge?

Backtrack again, those six years saw four job changes (with odd jobs in between some), three house transfers, a thousand arguments with the wife, countless temper tantrums (with the occasional gadget “collateral damage”, to boot), questions on faith, a slew of loan payments that needed to be settled, forays into the business world, an investment gamble, and frequent, lonely, extended trips overseas.

Fast forward: I have a good job, we’re saving up for our dream house, arguments are few and far between, temper is in check (with zero collateral damage!), I have a strengthened belief in God, loans are settled, business is good, and investments are paying off. As for staying abroad, the loneliness didn’t kill me but only made me strong.

In retrospect, time allowed courage, wisdom, experience and a bit of luck to eventually stack up on my side. It allowed me and my wife to grow – as a couple and as parents.

So to answer my question, I can say with optimism that I’m up for the challenge.

And the geek in me says that the ongoing upgrade to Parent2.0 (ergo Daddy2.0) is on track.

No related posts.

No related posts.

Having had a string of successful kiddie party catering events added to her belt, and due to the high demand from clients, Conne finally decided to add kiddie party packages as a Caterrific standard package offering.

—

Caterrific Catering Services is a full service food catering company operating in Metro Manila and its neighboring provinces.

No related posts.

Caterrific Catering Services, Conne’s food catering business, can help make your event a success by providing you with well-trained catering staff or by supplying you with clean, stylish and well-appointed food catering equipment. This is made possible by their recent move to expand their service offerings to include catering equipment rentals and staffing services.

With this in mind, you could then focus on enjoying your party and relaxing with your guests instead of worrying about the nitty-gritty stuff.

No related posts.

I initially felt bad because I knew that I wouldn’t be able to spend the entire day with her as initially planned since I had a meeting scheduled in the morning, so I felt that I had to make it up to her for the remainder of the day.

I immediately rushed home after the meeting so that I could spend some quality time with Conne and CJ. We  heard mass in the afternoon, a family tradition every time we celebrate someone’s birthday. Her birthday, by the way, also coincides with the feast of the Immaculate Conception, hence Conne’s full first names were derived from “Maria Concepcion” in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

We then had dinner afterwards at Sophia’s in Alabang with our close friends, Cocoy and Li-ann, and capped the day with some late-night, after-dinner coffee.

So what did I give her as a birthday gift?

For starters, I bought her a new laptop since she’s been extremely busy with her catering business (Caterrific) lately, and has been struggling in terms of mobility and productivity, particularly since she can’t lug our desktop PC around for client meetings and oculars. I also did a little e-baying earlier this week and bought her some perfume online, only to find out later on that I mistakenly ordered the men’s version instead of the women’s version of the perfume(!), much to my utter disappointment and consternation! Darn it! :( It’s the thought that counts, right? (Yes, it’s such a lame excuse! Ha!)

Anyway, Happy Birthday mahal! May the Lord bless you always! We love you so much!

No related posts.

We were finally able to make that long awaited Hong Kong trip as a family. We’ve been planning the trip since last year but had to defer it a couple of times because “something came up.” This trip is actually Conne’s birthday gift to me! :)

We touched down at Hong Kong International Airport at around 10AM yesterday, July 4th, via Cebu Pacific. We were expecting the flight to be delayed but, fortunately, everything went according to schedule!

Here are some pictures taken upon arrival at the Hong Kong International Airport:

No related posts.

Here are some early morning shots of Fort Ilocandia taken from my mobile phone:

Here are some pictures taken while on the way to Pagudpud, which was roughly a one and a half hour’s drive from Fort Ilocandia in Laoag.

We came across the scenic coastline of Cape Bojeador in the municipality of Burgos, Ilocos Norte:

Here are some pictures of us featuring the awesome windmills of Bangui, Ilocos Norte (the first power generating windmill farm in the country) in the background:

—–
Related Blog Entries:
Holy Week 2008 – Fort Ilocandia and Pagudpud – Day 1

No related posts.

We left Manila yesterday at around 11:30AM but had to make an initial stopover at Clark, in Pampanga, for lunch and some provisions. We also had to meet up with Li-Ann, who had to come from Subic.

We left Clark at around 7:30PM yesterday evening and arrived in Fort Ilocandia at around 5:30AM this morning, which makes it roughly about a 10-hour drive (9 hours on the road, 1 hour for stopovers) . Cocoy and I took turns at the wheel, where I drove the first half of the journey, and Cocoy the final half. Our first stopover was at 8:30PM at the Hacienda Luisita in Tarlac. We stayed there for about 30 minutes to have dinner. Our next stopover was at 12 midnight at a gasoline station somewhere near the border of Pangasinan and La Union.

Here are some pictures taken today.

CJ in the shade:

—–
Related Blog Entries:
Holy Week 2008 – Fort Ilocandia and Pagudpud – Day 2

No related posts.

This was sort of a post-valentine date, family vacation and celebration (Conne’s promotion to manager-lvl2) – rolled into one – event.

Conne, CJ and I had lots of fun. And we thank the Lord for giving us the opportunity to have a safe and wonderful trip.

Cheers!

No related posts.