Sunday Mornings

One of the blessings I received when my husband and I moved to Melbourne is my “ideal” work roster. I love that my husband and I have Sundays off.

My language of love is time so spending quality time with my husband is important to me. As we both have Sundays off, we could do things together and talk freely about anything under the sun. We are always busy over the week and even though we are together, our minds our always elsewhere.

My ideal Sunday is attending church together. This is the only time that I am excited to wake up early. We’ve been here for a year but we are still looking for a church to be a part of. I hope we find it soon. Depending on the church we go to, we plan the rest of the day around it. As long as we head home by 2pm then we’re good. Of course, coffee will be a part of it. If the church is in South Melbourne, then I go to Brazil Coffee, which is under renovation the last time I went there. If it’s in the west, then any cafe will do because that will be my chance to try their coffee. If it is in the city, then Industry Beans is my go-to coffee place. I highly recommend this. The oat flat white is fruity and sweet and well-balanced. Melbourne brought back my love for coffee.

Sunday is also a chance for us to try brunch places. Brunch, aside from coffee, is an important part of Melbourne culture. Aussies love their breakfast, I think. Brunch for me can either be just jam and scone, pancakes, or the big breakfast. But I noticed that it has evolved since then, I am now keen to try other “aesthetic” dishes–you know those with flowers and blueberries. 🙂 A few weeks ago, we tried baked eggs, which is the cafe’s version of shakshuka. I also had this nice baked salmon with asparagus and eggplant. That was the first time I finished a veggie side dish. It pays to be in an area with different cultures when it comes to food.

Trying new cafes and churches forces us to drive for more than 20 minutes. However, it is tolerable on Sundays because there are fewer cars on the streets. Furthermore, it is also a chance for my husband and I to talk more with each other, aside from us enjoying sceneries and the music as well.

I pray for more ideal Sundays for me and my husband.

Elusive

This was my second attempt to buy croissants from Bakemono Cafe. People say it sells one of the best croissants in Melbourne. Last week I tried but they were sold out. This time, they were sold out again. So elusive. I should come in really early next time, or maybe I should just pre-order.

I ended up eating at The Bagel Shop. It has the dill cream cheese bagel. It’s similar to The Brown Bagel’s chive cream cheese. Anyway, it goes really nicely with Starbucks’ shaken hibiscus lemonade tea, my new favourite tea flavour.

I then went to my favourite coffee shop–Industry Beans along Little Collins St. I went through a building leading out to Collins St. I then walked to Dymocks to check out Atalanta. It was still very expensive so I just browsed, and then came across another book. But in the end, I still bought Atalanta despite the price because if it’s really good, it’s something that I would want to give to my niece.

It was a good day. I went home early to curl up on the couch reading my books. 🙂

No more excuse

When I was young, I could never understand why my highschool batchmates would rather stay in Manila rather than go home during our weekends or days off. What’s better than going home and relaxing and being free to be my true self. It makes me wonder what I could have achieved if I wasn’t as pressured living with strangers, when it comes to my studies. I would be able to concentrate more and study better.

I am a self-proclaimed Mommy’s/Daddy’s girl. I just want to be at home. But I always knew that I couldn’t rely on my parents forever. I have to learn to live on my own. To be independent. Self-reliant. So I know that I have to try to go abroad because my potential salary there would be higher than what I could get in the Philippines. Kung pwede lang eh.

Now that I am in Australia, I had to go through a lot para lang mansany to live here. I have settled down. We don’t own our house yet but I know that I would settle down and be old in Melbourne. I would retire here. I haven’t really felt homesick in a long time.

I had no plans to visit home anytime soon.

But in one of my video call with my Mom, she was already trying to reach out for me through the iPad. She was trying to touch me. For a while she got confused that she was talking to me via iPad. She thought I was real and that she could just reach out her hand and touch me. When she did that, I felt my heart got squeezed. i knew then that I have to make an effort to go home to see her. So I told her that I would be going home soon. I didn’t dare make it a surprise. I wanted to give her something to look forward to.

A few months later, I was able to go home.

I was so excited to go home. Apprehensive but yearning to eat all the food I want to eat. Iba pa rin and pagkaing pinoy sa Pilipinas. I want Lipa lomi. I want chami. I want all the kakanins, dunking donut and Jollibee!!!

My stay in the Philippines was short–10 days only. So I can only spend it with my family. Sarap tumambay sa bahay and be with my pamangkins.

It’s also good that there is FoodPAnda for food delivery. So onvenenient.

However, I noticed that there are far less brands available now than before. that means that a lot of companies weren’t able to survive the pandemic. It’s sad. On the contrary, my relatives seem to be making it bigger. Almost everyone has a car now –except for us. But that’s okay. I am not in a hurry to buy one. We have a tricyle. 🙂

I got sick though. I had TD. That was why I couldn’t really go anywhere far from our house. I could only go to SM Lipa for a while then ran back home. I should plan for this next time to avoid getting TD.

Next time, I would stay longer so I can meet up with friends. I miss socialising with my friends. My extroverted side is craving for it.

In hindsight, I am grateful. I will always love the Philippines because my family is there. I still love my family. I could never outgrow them. I am glad that this recent trip reminded me how I love my family. I am grateful that I was able to spend time with them so we better understand each other. I have a newfound appreciation for all the sacrifices that each and everyone of us do for one another. We may not talk all the time, but I know that we do love one another.

First post for the year

Happy new year everyone! I am grateful for 2022. It was the year I was finally able to move to Melbourne to be closer to relatives. This is 10 years in the making. This year I am hoping to be more settled here.

The new year had me reminiscing. This made me realise that I have been blogging for almost 20 years now(since 2004). It started with blog drive then Blogspot then WordPress. I also had Multiply, where I met new friends and also LiveJournal. Well actually, I’ve been journalling virtually all my life. It started when I was in third grade but I became active when I was in 5th grade. From then on, I’ve been writing. It’s too bad I destroyed my old diaries. It would have been nice to read them now that I am older. One thing I got from journalling is I am able to gather my thoughts and analyse them and come up with realisations and solutions. In short, it was like therapy to me. I have also loved writing. When I was in high school, I did consider to be a writer. But I wasn’t talented enough so I gave up the idea.

One thing that resonated with me was when I was still writing in my Live Journal. There is a portion where you can share the title of the song you listen to. You can also choose some nice icons to post it with. At that time, I wanted to do so many things and I was frustrated that I couldn’t do yet any of them. I yearn for a better version of myself. I have these pictures in my head of who I wanted to be. I’ve been working to be that person. It’s more than 20 years but I still cannot fully say that I am there already. It is a constant thought in my head. This helped me to keep going and not settle for less.

2022 is my mid-life year. This is the year I turned 40. Of course, this caused me to reflect heavily on my life’s choices. I did consider so many things. The whole year is full of what ifs, could Is, should I have hads, and more yearning. I am grateful that God helps me along the way. So far, up to this point in my life, I have started to see the whys in my life. They all make sense. I could see God’s hand in these. He is really a good God and He is in control.

So what have I realised in my mid-life reflections? That I am where God wants me to be. I can thrive. I can live fully. I can choose to be happy. That I have always been joyful because of Jesus. I can choose to see God’s hand in my life. I can have peace of mind. And I can be kinder to myself.

This 2023, I hope to finally settle down. To live in my own house. To settle in the promised land. I have been living in “tents” for so long. This year, I also want to be like Joshua–that as for me and my family, we will serve the Lord and that we will dwell in the house of the Lord forever and that goodness and mercy will follow me where I go and where I am right now.

Daiso Sticker Haul

My husband wanted to go to the shopping centre last Saturday and it made me think what I would do there. I have gone back to being a homebody again since I got flu 2 weeks ago. And since I’m still over the moon with my Hobonichi, might as well get some accessories for it which are stickers and washi tapes 😊

https://youtu.be/vitRzNL-7Tw

And while on it, might as well show you my purchases.

Hobonichi Haul 2023

My planner for next year.

It is a nice surprise to realise that I have ordered bank papers. I have been hearing about them from stationery vlogs and I have wanted to try them so when I saw them on the Hobonichi English website, I just have to buy them.

My next purchase would be planner stickers. I have been collecting washi tapes slowly but the ones I really love are so expensive. I can’t really spend $65 for 6 rolls of washi tapes when I can buy 10 rolls for $6 at Officeworks. I wish they would lower the price. Maybe then I can buy a few. But for now, it’s just nice to look at them from the screen. 🙂

Choose to be Kind

This was what I reminded myself of yesterday. The day started hard. But it ended sweet. I thank God that He hears me and answers my prayers. I thank God for giving me the strength to click on the preachings from the church I attend here. It shows that sharing the gospel is not a waste of time.

I went to the city because I wanted to have coffee and a Japanese egg sandwich. The one from Melbourne Central is really, really good. I was planning to just buy what I needed and go home right away but the weather was nice–clear skies. I went outside and I have a clearer view of the city. It gives me a clearer view of where Emporium is and QV and how they are all interconnected or just adjacent to one another. I am feeling more like a local now.

I also saw a very bougie Asian grocery near the train station so I had to check it out. The only thing I bought is a $2 potato cookie.

I then went to Footscray to catch a train home. I stopped by a Vietnamese restaurant that sells the best pork chop in Melbourne. I would have done some groceries as well but I forgot that the market was closed on Mondays. I also bought coffee from Maples Cafe before finally going to the train station.

My fascination for Melbourne coffee has stopped. I find coffee so bitter now. I don’t know why. I’ll try coffee again next week. But for now, I’ll just stick to my iced teas. 🙂

Modular

I’ve been here in Melbourne for 3 months now. It’s been a busy 3 months. So much has happened that I couldn’t stop and look at life to see how I was doing.

The move to Melbourne was not easy. The drive was long and scary. I also experienced some sort of discrimination. This experience convinced me that I was right to move to Melbourne.

Still healing from the awful encounter, we stopped by Albury for lunch and the bustling town sparked my excitement. I was also shocked, in a good way, that drivers in this town give way to other drivers, unlike in NSW. This is because Albury is a border town to VIC.

Philip’s (my car) tenacity was tested. 1500kms of distance traveled is no joke considering how heavy my car was. By the end of our ride, Philip was like crawling already. The first thing we did was pass by my current work. Then we went home but since we didn’t have any food, we went to the nearest shopping center to buy food.

Melbourne is definitely busier. Driving was a challenge at first but I got the hang of it. Now I can drive further but I still couldn’t drive along the freeway and in the city.

My new workplace is different and much busier but I don’t really mind.

I do miss the sense of community in the country. Here, people don’t really care about one another. They are not used to greeting anyone sincerely like smiling at someone you meet on the street. I still don’t know any of my customers.

However, Melbourne is a big city and there are so many things to explore and do here. I do like the food here–I like Asian cuisine–especially Chinese-Vietnamese and of course Filipino food. We recently ate at this restaurant in St Albans where we had the salt and pepper pork and it was heavenly. I’ve never had SAPP that good! It was amazing! The best thing is, I am discovering other dishes as well and I have easy access to them!

Another thing I like here is the coffee. I’ve discovered with myself my favorite coffee which is flat white with oat milk and 2 sugars. I don’t like my coffee that bitter. I want it smooth and creamy.

Moreover, I love that Melbourne has lots of bookshops!!!

My relatives and I went camping/glamping in Bright Victoria. It was really enjoyable. I really loved it. I am definitely doing it again.

Melbourne is beginning to feel like home as days go by especially since our modular has been delivered. It took them almost 4 months to deliver our couch. I am looking forward to inviting people over but at this point, our priority is to work whenever we can. I also hope to find a church near where we live. I miss going to an actual church to praise and worship and fellowship with others as well.

Now that I am in Melbourne, there are so many things that I want to do. I pray that God will teach me how to manage my time properly so I will be able to do not just what I need to do but also what I want to do.

time at all.

I also started some additional job in the city.

Easy

Browsing through social media has its disadvantages. Seeing updates from people got me envious because they have it easy. Like they don’t have to struggle so much with what they have because they were born rich, or their partners did a lot of the hard work to be where they are. They don’t have to think about or worry about what I worry about.

Gratefulness stops envy.

These are the things I realise:

Yes, I have to work hard for everything. I have to study hard, when my cousins are having a great time playing with each other, I was the only one with notes with them, sneaking to study. But I was able to finish and graduate from the top university in my country. I was also able to meet interesting and intelligent people. I wouldn’t have met them if I didn’t go to that school (if I’ve chosen the easy way).

When everyone is moving to greener pastures, I had to deal with bad people first before I was able to move to my “greener” pasture. But going through those adversities made me realize the power of God in my life. He truly made rivers in the desert. His power and glory were shown in those situations.

And when I finally got to my greener pasture, I had to move away from the people I know to move to a remote area while they enjoy the city life. But moving to the remote area paved the way for me to practice my profession.

While people my age have their own houses already, I still live in tents. Living in tents mean living in different places, ready to go wherever God takes me. Because of that, I was able to meet kind and generous people. I greatly relied on the kindness of strangers. It truly is God’s power manifesting.

While my friends would get together to travel or drink or do fun stuff, I couldn’t go because my salary is lower than theirs. But being in my job, I was able to serve the Filipino masses.

While everyone has their own savings, I don’t have any because I have to support my family. But I was able to do everything I can to help extend the life of my mother.

While everyone is having a child of their own, I couldn’t because (of my age) having a child means not being able to support my family. I couldn’t find the time to go see a specialist to look into IVF because I have to keep working. I asked God that if He’s gonna give me a child, I hope it is through natural means. I might feel a little worried but I know that if God would give me a child, I know that He will provide. A child is always a blessing. I would be honored, honestly, to have the chance to bring up someone. Who knows, maybe my child will have a great impact in the world in sharing Jesus and the gospel.

I may have had it hard, but I am still able to do what I want to do and able to go where I want to go. Moreover, there is one thing I do not have to struggle with–the love of my family. A great example set by my parents. How my father loved my mother and how both of them are great providers. We may not have a lot of money but they were still able to send us to the best schools. They also continue to help us set out into the world even after college. They may not be the wisest in the ways of the world, but I know that they have done their best for us, for which I am eternally grateful.

Get There

It is my tradition to do prayer and fasting at the start of the year to put things back in perspective–to remind me who I am in Christ. I was not able to do it with the rest of the church this year so I did it the week after. The first day was really difficult. I was about to give up but I got a breakthrough, which kept me going. On the last day, I could feel the momentum of an answered prayer. I was ready to shout for joy and proclaim the glory of God in my life. I was ready to shout Hallelujah! But we’ve got the virus instead. We recovered in no time but we still had to isolate for a number of days as per protocol in this country. I am thankful for the good system in place in this country. Because I had a symptom, a doctor called me to check up on me. She assessed if I could manage my symptoms at home or if I needed to be monitored closely. I am also thankful for the delivery services for the basic goods. We didn’t have to ask any of our friends to get us any necessities. I did ask God why it had to happen then but knowing God, He has a good reason for this. I was also grateful for a few days of rest. I had been exhausted with everything going on with my life. Those few days allowed me to just rest and let God. Although in the end, I had to fight for what would give me peace. Getting sick showed me the true colors of some people, of how selfish they are. I have always been aware of that but still, it did not feel good to witness it firsthand. My faith in humanity was low at the time. I thought no one really cared. Little did I know, some people actually cared for us. A fellow believer told me, when she finally heard from me, that she has been praying for my recovery.

Several days after our recovery, my husband had to drive down to Melbourne to start work as part of our long-term plan. We have to be in a long-distance relationship for a few weeks. It’s hard but I am gonna follow him there soon. I am impressed with him and grateful that God gave him the courage to go out there and chase after our dreams and that we are on the same page with this.