A Father’s Day Gift
My older daughter who is now 16 years old is back home. She had been away from home for about 7 months. It was an awakening experience for her and now she had come to realize that there is no place like home and with her family. I hope that she really learned her lessons and will not drift off again from us. We are thankful that she is now with us again. Even though my husband is not very vocal about his feelings, I know that he is equally thankful of the turn of events.
And as it was Father’s Day yesterday, my daughters had the chance to let their father know how grateful they are to him and that they love him no matter what. He may not be the perfect father but nonetheless, he is a good one.
While watching TV last night, I didn’t realize that I had already fallen asleep. I am supposed to cook for dinner but I wasn’t able to. When my daughters saw me sleeping peacefully on the couch, they took charge in the kitchen. They had prepared and cooked our dinner. It was also their way of treating their father for a simple yet scrumptious dish. I was surprised when they finally woke me up. The table was set and the food looked inviting that my stomach growled. We waited for their father to arrive and we all ate delightfully and had our fill. He complimented about the food and the girls were thrilled about it. It was a gift that was well received with appreciation and love.
“Above, children need our unconditional love, whether they succeed or make mistakes; when life is easy and when life is tough.” -President Barack Obama
LOOK UP!
Look around you, look up!
Catch that glimpse of the cosmos in the sky.
Hear, yeah!
Those lovely breezy tunes.
Come, let’s see!
What a gift of togetherness there is.
Instinct for Making Money
This is just ironic that I was thinking about making money at the time I come across the Daily Prompt. It’s been some time that I have been considering of making extra income to augment our family finances.
Starting a business is a good idea but then a lot of factors have to be considered to make it happen. What I need now is something I can start working on and start earning right away.
Anyone who can advise me what to do?
SAKURA JELLIES
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I just can’t get enough of these delectable- looking sakura jellies.
As the cherry blossoms begin to bloom around Japan, more and more sakura-themed temptations are making an appearance on store shelves around the country.
One of this year’s most popular offerings is the delectable-looking sakura jelly, which pays homage to Japan’s iconic springtime flower by encasing it in a globe of jelly so transparent it looks like a beautiful oversized dewdrop!
Read more about it here.
“Food is essential to life. Therefore, make it good.”
A Gift of “Good News”
I still feel exhilarated of all the good news I received the day before. It was surprising to know that I passed the teaching evaluation for IELTS test. My boss informed me and congratulated me on it. So from now on, I will be teaching IELTS review courses as well. I really do not like it because it is somewhat complicated. It requires a lot of patience and hard work, but then I just can’t turn down an opportunity to improve my teaching capability. This is an added bonus to include in my experience as a teacher. It is challenging at the same time to help the students to get a high score in the test. My boss believed that I can handle this class so I really hope that I will be able to meet their expectations. I just have to prepare and equip myself to start with. We have some available resources I can go through to get knowledgeable on it. I am already looking forward to teaching this course. I hope there won’t be surprise classes so I will have ample time to prepare for each class. This is just exciting!
And another good news, the best one actually, was about having a raise in our salary. Isn’t that wonderful? I really couldn’t believe it but then it has been announced by the management and it couldn’t be any better. I have been thinking of my salary recently and I was already considering of looking for a better-paying company but now I don’t have to worry about it anymore. It was an answered prayer! Oh, it’s just so timely! What a beautiful blessing!
This month started so well and I hope that there will be more good news to come.
🙂 🙂
“Keep your face to the sunshine and you cannot see a shadow.” – Helen Keller
WISHLIST
Starbucks Japan New Lineup of Sakura drinkware 2017
Love at first sight! Aren’t they lovely? Can someone send me any of these? 😀 😀
SPREAD THE LOVE
It’s Valentine’s Day!!! Happy, happy Valentine’s Day to all!!!
Let us all spread the love to each and every one.
This is how we will celebrate the love day in the office. We are now preparing for the “Sugar Rush Party”. We also have a Love Board where we can post love notes and messages for our co-workers. It’s still pouring in and soon there will be no space left in it.
Will be posting more photos… 🙂
More of our celebration photos:
“All you need is love. But a little chocolate now and then doesn’t hurt.” -Charles M. Schulz
Festivities In Action
855-06313801 © Oriental Touch / Masterfile Model Release: No Property Release: No Dragon dance show celebrating the Chinese new year at Ocean Park, Hong Kong
As the world celebrate the Chinese New Year, we can witness a lot of hustle and bustle around us. Chinese people consider this the most important traditional holiday. It’s one of the most colorful events in the calendar. The date is different each year but is always between January 21st and February 20th. The celebration continues for around 2 weeks. Traditionally, new year activities may start as early as three weeks before but a week before is more common. People take on the streets teeming with beautiful ornaments and decorations, light illumination, fireworks display and traditional lion dances. Chinese families gather together for a festive dinner and drink a toast on New Year’s Eve to ring in the new year. This is a time where relatives from other places would come and visit their family to be reunited on this special holiday. Children would receive red envelopes stuffed with “luck money” and positive wishes. They also clean their houses to sweep away the bad fortune on New Year’s Day. This is believed to be a superstition but even non-Chinese people are also practicing this custom. There is no harm in trying, anyway. Another prevalent custom is to make a resolution for the year ahead. It would be a good reminder as we turn over a new leaf to see if it has really been successful or not. Chinese people also believes in fortune telling. I sure am that fortune tellers will be having a handful at this time of year as there will be a lot of people that will seek their wisdom about the future.
Since I am working in a Taiwanese company (they are basically Chinese), we will be having a 3-day holiday as they celebrate the Chinese New Year. It will be a good opportunity for me to do some stuff at home and to spend some time with my daughters. There will be some activities in the mall nearby so we will be watching it over the weekend. My daughters would love to see the Lion Dance. We also love to celebrate the festivities of the Chinese New Year.
So cheers to the Chinese New Year!
Gōngxǐ fācái!
MY TOP 7 SATISFYING SIMPLE PLEASURES LIFE HAS TO OFFER
As we go about our busy days, it is such a great relief to get away some time. It may not be a grand holiday but just a special day of the week to escape from the rowdiness that happened all throughout. And for me, nothing beats Sunday as it is my most favorite and special day wherein I can really get lazy at some point. Life is filled with simple pleasures that we do not really anticipate but always find great delight in our own unique way.
Here is my list of my top 7 satisfying simple pleasures as we celebrate the gifts of life.
1. Stay and snuggle in bed on Sundays– It is a great delight for me to stay in bed longer than usual days over the fact that I do not have to rush to prepare to work. It is so nice to have that extra time to cuddle with my hubby.
2. Enjoy my morning brew– coffee is my day starter. I can enjoy its aroma and slowly sip its creaminess until it awakens all my senses.
3. Bask in the morning rays– go for a jog or a walk to sweat away those extra pounds. It feels good to be out under the sun after missing it for several days as I work on the PM shift. On weekdays, I normally get up at around noon so there is no time for me to say “Hi” to Mr. Sun for that D vitamin our body needs.
4. Get charmed of the sweet smiles of my daughters and their bantering– they always love to have me at home and there is no place I would rather be.
5. Curling up with a book and finding a quiet hour to read– I always love books and I always try to find a good read to lift up my mood.
6. The smell of home cooked meals– my hubby is our kitchen master and we always love to see him in action. Our stomach is always satisfied.
7. Enjoy listening to the tune of the timeless country, pop and dance music– Mornings had never been this so good. I wish that it would always be Sunday morning so we can always enjoy moments like this.
However, I just have to savor every moment of it as time flies so fast. These are simple indulgences that don’t cost a penny and that I always look forward to as we celebrate life’s little luxuries.
How about you? What are your simple pleasures in life?
