Extended ... till April

Thank God for granting the desire of our heart! I'm soooo happy that our stay here in Japan has been extended for one more month.

This means many things ...
... have the chance to experience spring and all the beauty goes with it.
... visit nice places (within Kanto area only) notably wide and glamorous parks here and there
... Jap dishes to munch -- the likes of sushi, tempura and many others
... and of course, cook yakisoba almost every day. ;)

More than all these, we have lots of time to see friends, especially those we haven't seen for quite a long time.

And a little time for a meager work on the side. ;)

Got to squeeze all these in one whole month. Ahh, I must schedule things wisely. ;)

New mothers

Two of my close friends have recently entered motherhood. And I'm pretty sure they are both ecstatic with this new experience in life. The feeling of happiness and joy could not be measured, and, despite the physical pain of giving birth and those sleepless nights that follow, the experience is simply beyond fathom. As Tippi puts it, "Ang sarap palang maging mommy." Indeed, it is. I can assure you that.

To Tippi and Pilar, welcome to the most wonderful world of mothers and of motherhood. Being a mother is a special gift from God, and we are blessed to be chosen as such. There are hardships along the way, but those are just lesser part of life that I'm sure you have the courage and strength to endure.

Congratulations also to their respective hubbies who are equally proud as first-time fathers. I hope you do your part, i.e. those "dirty" jobs of changing diapers and washing poop-stained baby clothes -- I'm telling you, it's a surefire fun for you; aside of course from having to do the groceries, and sometimes cooking. ;)

Most of all, to Lance and Yana, welcome to this wonderful world, and enjoy every moment of your growing up with your most loving parents who treasure every second of life with you.

Again, congrats!