Be Happy

One of the famous advertisements here in the Philippines is that of a multivitamin. I guess it was because of its tagline - Be Happy. Another known politician in this country used a similar campaign motto during the May 2010 elections - Gusto ko happy ka (i.e. I want you to be happy). I guess it's a common thought that everyone wants to be happy - may it be in one's personal life, love life, career or family life. I also share that thought - I also want to be happy. But I personally think that one's happiness relies on how one defines happiness. For one, I am happy with the simple things - lose 2-3 lbs, a 3-day weekend, good rest from a stressful week at work, digital scrapbooking, travelling to local and foreign places, and a simple hug and kiss from my little one Zion.

For my layout today, I feature my cousin Josie during our trip to Lake Pandin (as part of the Viaje del Sol trip) in the province of Laguna. To be honest (and she might get pissed with this comment), my cousin Josie is not really fond of smiling. She is normally the serious type, mukhang problemado sa buhay type of girl. There should be some good reason before she actually smiles, albeit laugh. It is during this rare occassions, during these more relaxing moments, when I actually see my cousin smile. And I am glad that I've got my camera ready to capture this kind of moments.

By the way, to my cousin Josie, belated happy happy birthday (last October 15)!! Hope to see you smile more frequently. :-D

Journalling: If you want to Be Happy, Be. - Leo Tolstoy

Credits for this layout: Citrus Twist Kit from Sprouting Seeds Studio; WordArt by Bethany Elegant WordArt.

Dare to Explore

For my 2nd layout this week, I would like to feature some more photos from the summer outing I've had with my close friends from my most recent workplace. As I've mentioned in my layout One Last Summer Together, my friends from my last workplace and I went to the pristine island of Potipot in Zambales. In the island, was a big wooden branch that was somewhat strategically placed in one part of the island. It's location was really perfect for picture-taking. We had so much fun taking pictures on the said location. Some of our pics were quite serious, but most of it were definitely wacky.

Journalling: Dare to Explore

Credits for this layout: Jejak Petualang Kit by Jak-ART-a Scrappers available at Aprilisa Designs; Baby Boston Font available at Kevin and Amanda.com; Summer picture with friends from Shy Arizala;

Four Generations

I was lucky enough to be able to go to a lot of places this summer. One of the places I've visited was the Summer Capital of the Philippines, Baguio City. I went there last May with my family. We have been to Baguio several times before, but somehow, each visit is always unique and the experience is always fun and rejuvenating. Perhaps it can attributed the cool climate of Baguio, which is around 18 - 20 deg Celsius (a far cry from the scorching 37-38 deg Celsius here in Manila last summer). This cool climate makes everyone relaxed and less irritable.

One of the places we've visited in Baguio was the Philippine Military Academy. Filipino men and women who dream of joining the Army study and train in this prestigious place of learning. The picture I used in this layout was taken in the said place. The four guys in the family had their picture taken in front of the bronze emblem of the PMA. Four generation of Tarrancos - my Dad Erick, my son Zion, my brother Philip, and my grandfather Lolo Pilo.

Credits for this layout: Sweet Afternoon by Sunshine Studio Scraps; Spring Mini Kit by Kevin and Amanda.com; Amazing Ruler font available at Kevin and Amanda.com;

June 2K10 Calendar Layout

The month of June marks the end of summer here in the Philippines. Rains have started pouring in, and parents start to prepare their kids for the start of another school year. June is also Father's Day month, and incidentally, it is also the birthmonth of my grandfather Lolo Pilo. So for my calendar layout this month, I am featuring my grandfather - Lolo Pilo. Lolo Pilo is my Dad's father and he used to be a farmer in our province in Quezon. After my grandmother, Lola Azon, died, my Dad convinced him to stay with us here in Manila so that he could officially "retire" from being a farmer, and to prevent him from having drinking sessions with our other relatives in the province.

Lolo Pilo has a great reputation for being close and loving to his grandchildren (including me!). I remember our trip to Quezon when I was about 5 years old. I wanted to go hiking with my Dad, my uncles, cousins, and my grandparents. However, the hike was difficult given the muddy and slippery mountain roads. Since I wanted to join the hike (and I was already throwing tantrums), Lolo Pilo carried me during the entire hike and on our way down the mountain. He also killed and cooked one of his pet chickens, when we were there, because he knows that I am not fond of seafoods when I was still a kid. My grandfather would always have a special place in my heart. Let this layout be a small token of my gratitude and appreciation of all the things Lolo Pilo has done for me.

Credits for this Layout: Daddy Number 1 Kit from Jaelop Designs; Miss Mint 2010 Caledar Templates from Peppermint Creative;

Kapurpurarwan Rock - God's Magnificence

It has been some time before I was able to create some digiscrap layouts. I was too busy with some summer family activities, as well as some summer activities with my office pals (hope to create digiscrap layouts out of those summer activities. :-)). Let me make up for those time by creating 3 digiscrap layouts this week. Here's the first.

This first layout is a continuation of my adventure in the northern province of Ilocos, here in the Philippines. The pictures used in this layout were taken at the Kapurpurawan Rock in Ilocos Norte. Basically, Kapurpurawan Rock is a rock formation near the shorelines of Ilocos. The view (both rock formation and the angry sea) is soooo majestic and breathtaking from afar, and much more when you are actually near or on top of the rock formation. I must admit it was a long and somehow tiring trek to get to the rock formation (I actually sprained my right ankle during the trek). It was made harder because the rain poured when we were on our way back to the bus. But every sweat, tear, (and even sprain) was worth it. Looking out onto the angry sea while on top or near the top of the rock formation will make one reflect on God's magnificence as manifested in the grandeur of Mother Nature.

Journalling: Mother Nature is God's way of showing man that He provides and is always there.

Credits for this Layout: Tendresse Kit by Happy Scrap; Socially Akward font available at Kevin and Amanda.com;

Enjoying the Long Road

Another place which we visited during our trip to Ilocos was the Patapat Viaduct. The Patapat Viaduct is a loooooong bridge. On one side is the mountains of Ilocos, while on the other side is a raging sea. The long bridge connects the province of Ilocos to the Cagayan Valley. We stopped by the end of the bridge to get some pictures. Some of us walked along the looooong bridge, while the others posed at the middle of the road (there were only a few trucks and vans that were passing that time). My mom and I opted to stay and pose near the bridge, having the long bridge as our background. My brother was more "emo" that time. He doesn't want any picture. So I had to steal a shot from him while he was "thinking about things" while he stood facing the sea.

In fairness to my "emo" brother, it was nice to just stand by the side of the bridge and look over the sea. There's a calming effect when one does it. Personally, it allowed me to breathe in fresh air, relax, and take my mind from the stressful city life.

Journalling: Note to Self: Take time to enjoy the Long Road called LIFE. Patapat Viaduct, Ilocos Norte, Philippines, April 2010.

Credits for this Layout: Without End Collab Kit from Scrapmalin.com; Font: Baby Bostong font available at Kevin and Amanda.com.

Free As The Wind

One of the wonderful places that we visited from our trip to Ilocos last April was the Bangui Windmills in Ilocos Norte. Yes! We have those here in the Philippines! :-) According to one of the locals, the Bangui Windmills are the main suppliers of electricity in the province of Ilocos. If I remembered it correctly, there were around 20 towering windmills in the area, all facing the sea (the locals say it is already the South China Sea). The sight of these windmills was really majestic and breathtaking. Being under one of these gigantic windmills and feeling the sea breeze through your hair and face, one would have an exhilirating feeling of freedom. For all those visiting the northern region of Ilocos, the Bangui Windmills is a must-see landmark.

Journalling: As Free As the Wind.. Bangui Windmills, Ilocos Norte, Philippines, April 2010.

Credits for this layout: Escape Kit by Jayedid Designs; Only by Request font and Fontmoochers font both available at Kevin and Amanda.com;

Memories at Bantay Bell Tower

One of the "highlights" of my somehow-long vacation a few days ago was our trip to Ilocos province, a province located at the northern part of Manila. My mom, my brother, and I went there as part of a travel group which was handled by Travel Factor. We departed Manila on the evening of April 29, and arrived at Ilocos at 6AM of April 30. Our first stop was the Shrine of Our Lady of Charity St. Augustine Parish Church and the Bantay Bell Tower. It was an old church (which dates back to 1590 when the Spanish colonized the country. Coming near or going inside the church and the bell tower, one can see that both are made of solid bricks - a trademark of old Spanish architecture.

It is unfortunate that we don't have a picture inside the bell tower because my Mom had a hard time walking and climbing the long flight of stairs. Nevertheless, we had fun taking serious and wacky pictures (like the one in the layout), having the bell tower as our background.

Watch out for more pictures from our Ilocos trip in my succeeding layouts! It's my way of sharing with my readers/viewers the places they can visit here in the Philippines.

Journalling: MEMORY is a way of holding on to the things you love, the things you are, the things you never want to lose. || Mama * Cherick * Philip - Bantay Bell Tower - Ilocos Sur, Philippines - April 30, 2010.

Credits for this Layout: Starstruck Kit by List West Designs and Digi Diva; MemoriesWAFreebie by Agnieszkag;

May 2K10 Calendar Layout

How fast time flies. My one-and-a-half weeks vacation has come to an end. Back to work. Back to reality. Nevertheless, I can say that I had a great time during that short respite from work. I was able to process and obtain my Solo Parent ID (yehey for additional 7-days paid leave from work!!), was able to have a foot spa, was able to watch Ironman2, was able to travel up north to Ilocos (one of the northern provinces here in the Philippines), and most importantly, I was able to have some quality time with my family and my son, Zion.

Now back to my digital scrapping world. :-) The month of May is usually devoted to one of the most important women in our lives - our mother. Today, March 9, is Mother's Day. For this reason, I chose my Mom as my model for my May 2010 calendar layout. My mom went with me during my trip to Ilocos last April 30. Despite having a hard time walking, she managed to take care of her 2 children (my brother and I) during that loooong travel to Ilocos. One of the first places we've visited was the Bantay Bell Tower in Ilocos Sur. It was really a landmark that should never be missed when one visits the said province. More Ilocos pictures to come in my next layouts!! :-)

Credits for this layout: Family Ties Collab Kit by Jak-ART-a Scrappers; Love WordArt by Thaty Borges Designs; Calendar Template by Peppermint Creative;

Trust Yourself

Last Monday (April 26) was the start of my one-and-a-half vacation leave. Well, it was supposed to be a 2-weeks leave from work, and we were supposed to visit some relatives in Canada. However, due to some unforeseen circumstances, we had to postpone the trip to next year. It would be quite a hassle on my part, since I wasted PHP6000 (approximately $120) just to get this Canadian visa. Oh well. I am hoping that I could still get one next year.

As a consolation, I still took my vacation leave. I just shortened it to a week and a half (instead of 2 whole weeks). I still have a lot of things to take care of, including my Solo Parent ID, my son's enrollment, and of course, a short trip to a local spot here in the Philippines. I took leave off from work, as a reward to myself - a much-deserved reward after going through some stressful and grueling things at work. Well, I hope that this long break from work would give me some time to unwind and spend some time for myself and my family.

Journalling: You can Trust Yourself. Other people's opinion are driven by their needs and emotions - not by magical insights about your worth.

Credits for this layout: Back N Why Kit by Caroline B. available at KreativeKreationsKorner; Photomasks Pack2 by Brouille; WordArt by Bethany Elegant WordArt

It's A Boy Thing

One of the recent places we've been to last Holy Week was the Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar in Bagac, Bataan. If you're that kind of person which loves old Philippine architecture, then this is the place for you. It features famous old houses, mostly from the Luzon area, which were reconstructed in the said resort. The owner, as he was described by our tour guide, was sort of "house collector" - wherein he buys old houses, bring down the house piece by piece, and reconstruct it in the said resort. Talk about an expensive hobby! Tee hee!! :-)

Well, it appears that my son Zion, my brother, and my cousin had a great time, as seen in the photos used in this layout. They may be boys, and may be quite indifferent while I was marveling at the old houses, but they sure know how to appreciate good places (and good photo venues) when they see one.

Journalling: It's a Boy thing...

Credits for this layout: Boys2Men Kit by Snowsmoon Designs; BoysBoys WordArt by Kellie's Kreations;

Erick & Ching @ 33

If there is one reason why I still believe Love exists, despite my not-so-nice experiences in it, it would definitely be my parents. I have seen my parents literally and figuratively grow old and mature together. Of course there is no perfect relationship, and even my parents have had their share of fights and arguments, but the good times always outweighed the bad. They may have had their rough moments, but they somehow managed to make things work, raise two stubborn kids (and now helping their daughter raise another stubborn kid, in the form of their grandson Zion), and keep the house strong. Come March 6, my mom and dad will be celebrating their 33rd wedding anniversary. It may be a long way to their golden anniversary, but I am proud to say that 33 years is not a bad number of years to say that my parents have definitely shown what Love is all about.

Credits for this layout: My Romance Kit by Caroline B. avaialable at Kreative Kreations Korner.

This Moment Together

I am really happy whenever there is a chance for me and my son to have our picture taken together. This seldom happens even during family outings because I'm the family's official photographer. I take pictures of everybody, and I'm quite meticulous about the poses and the angles from where the shot is taken. Unfortunately, there is a downside to this duty. Whenever I want myself to be photographed - either solo or with my son or with the rest of the family - I have hard time giving instructions to whomever will be taking the shot. In addition, another downside would be I have less pictures than everybody else. And the "saddest" downside would be, I only have a few pictures with my own son. Zion would have more pictures taken together with his grandpa, grandma, my brother (his Ninong - godfather), and even his nanny! This is the reason why I really make it a point to ask, or should I say require, the last person with whom Zion is photographed, to take a picture of me and my son together. I make it a point to make a deal with that last person, that I would only take their picture together, if he/she, in return, would take a picture of Zion and his mom together.

Journalling: This moment together... this moment together...

Credits for this layout: Sweet Harmony Kit by Letiscrap available at Digiscrapmania Shop; Just a Moment WordArts by Choukette (http://http//ledigidechoukette.blogspot.com) available at The French Frog (http://digital-crea.fr/shop/).

Fun, Sun, Beach

I cannot forget Zion's first time at the beach. He was barely a year old when my family and I brought him to Camayan Beach in Subic (Philippines). My dad was quite hesitant in bringing his beloved "apo" (grandson) to the beach, because his "apong tisoy" (fair-skinned grandson) might get sunburned and or rashes from playing on the sand. So when we set Zion's beach chair, and when we got him all-dressed up with his beach getup, his Lolo (grandfather) was closely watching him. But as Zion's mother, I made sure my son had a feel of what the beach was like. I allowed him to play, walk, touch, and almost rolled on the sand. I allowed him to waddle a little in the sea water. And to my father's shock (tho' he can't do anything about it because I'm still Zion's mom), I allowed Zion to experience and have fun under the sun. Well.. I just made sure to apply baby lotion and sunblock so he won't get sunburn. A little of everything is not that bad, most especially if it pertains to the sun and the beach. :-)

Journalling: Fun & Sun @ the Beach, Subic, Phils. 02.03.07

Credits for this layout: Viva Carnaval Bundle Kit by Caroline B. available at Kreative Kreations Korner; font: Segoe Script available at Dafont.com.

Christmas Cheers

Merry Christmas!!! Yeah I know my Christmas greetings is 2 days late. Well, I was busy with work the past weeks, and busy preparing for the Holiday seasons these past days.

For this layout, I chose to create a "non-traditional" Christmas layout. Non-traditional because it doesn't use the usual Christmas colors of green and red. Instead, I used the girly pastel colors of pink and sky blue. Well, the pictures I used were "girly" also. It featured my mom, my cousin, and I during our trip to Singapore. The pictures were taken at the Singapore airport during our last day in Singapore. There was these HHHUUUGGGEE christmas balls in the airport waiting area. My cousin and I went on a photo-shoot trip. We didn't mind that some of the people were staring at us. We're just enjoying the holidays anyway... Tee hee!! :-)

Credits for this layout: A Little Whimsy Kit by Scraps by Andrea available at Stufftoscrap.com

Three Peas In A Pod

My mother once told me that a fortune-teller had predicted that she would have 3 children. Well.. biologically speaking, the fortune-teller was wrong, because my mother has only 2 biological children - my brother and I. But looking at my family from a "non-biological perspective", the fortune-teller was correct. My cousin Josie who has stayed with us for the past 12 years, can be considered as my mother's 3rd child. She has stayed with us to help in taking care of my brother when the latter was just about 5 or 6 years old (my brother is now 17). Eversince, my mother has always considered my cousin as her 3rd child. Together, my cousin, my brother, and I can be considered as the "Tatlong Itlog" here at home. During long travels (such as our trip to Baguio, in the picture in this layout), we usually enjoy taking funny picture shots, just like any other siblings would.

Journalling: Three peas in a Pod.

Credits for this layout: Crazy Earth Mega Collab Kit available at Digiscrapdepot;
WordArt from WordArtWorld.

Remembering HappyTeamLaklak

If there was one set of friends I will always remember, aside from my high school buddies (who are like sisters to me), it would be my first officemates at BPI. We were like in college during training, and adjusting to the real corporate world became easier with them by my side. One memorable experience I had with my very first officemates was our trip to Boracay last 2004. It was my first time to Boracay. And my first time in Boracay was made more memorable because I was with a bunch of people whom I was very comfortable with. I remembered how we saved for that Bora trip (we initially planned for Hongkong but due to booking problems, we ended up in Boracay.. hehehe..). I remember our One-two-three-pass games while gulping fruit shakes at Jonah's, our banana boat ride, our snorkelling (mis)adventures. I will always remember and cherish our gimmick-till-we-drop-nights at Bora while dancing to Squareheads' Happy - which gave birth to our group's name HappyTeamLaklak. And best of all, I will definitely remember (and miss) the sincere friendship and memories I've made with my first officemates. *sigh*

Credits for this layout: Our Friendship Kit from Jaelop designs available at Scrapbookflair.

Tahitian Goddess

I was going through the pics here in my laptop, trying to create some backups of the files, when I suddenly chanced upon the pics we had during our summer getaway at Golden Sunset last April. I went through the pics and was really amused when I found Glenda's pics while she was dancing the hula/tahitian. Everytime I remember the events that led her to be on stage dancing the hula, I can't help but giggle. All of us were actually surprised that Glenda agreed to go on stage and do the hula. But I definitely would like to give a thumbs-up to my friend Glenda for being a good sport, and a graceful hula dancer.

Glenda doesn't know that I will be creating and posting this layout. Well.. being an honest friend, I will tell her eventually that I created this layout, to give tribute to her being a good sport, and for making our summer getaway much more fun.

Journalling: Dance like nobody's watching.

Credits for this layout: Hawaiian Kit from Digiscrapdepot.

Little Schumacher

Among Zion's prized toys are his toy cars and motorcycles. Young as he is, he knows some car models like Mitsubishi Adventure, Toyota Fortuner, and Honda CRV. Although I must admit, he has his own way of naming these car models - "Enchum" (for Adventure), "Pichuchum" (for the Fortuner), and "Arbee" (for the CRV). He calls his little toy motorcyle "Onda" (I presume this is Honda).

For this layout, the pictures I used were taken during our trip to Tagaytay last May 1, 2009. Zion was enjoying his photo shots while he was wearing his race car driver jacket. He appears proud, happy, and contented while wearing this jacket. Even on our trip back to Manila, he still insisted on wearing the jacket despite the warm climate.

Credits for this layout: Boys Kit by Claudia Sachs Designs

Take Time to Explore

It was the last week of June 2008 when I first started to create digiscrap layouts. I thought it was just a "ningas-kugon" thing (i.e "ningas-kugon" in my native language means something that one is only interested in doing at the start, but later on one will lose interest in that thing). As the months passed by, I noticed that my interest in digiscrapping increased. It was no longer a task I did to "document" my son's growth milestones. But instead, my layouts already featured family members and friends, places I've been to, as well as funny and serious moments. I also remembered starting with Scrapbookflair in creating my layouts, until I finally leaped to Adobe Photoshop CS3. Digiscrapping became the outlet to unleash those creative juices that were suppressed when I entered my logic-filled job. It became my respite from my stressful Monday to Friday sched. I would like to thank my friends and sisses in Girltalk for inspiring me to start and continue pursuing this interest.

For this layout, I feature my brother walking on the shores of Bohol beach. He doesn't know that I was walking behind him while he was trying to look around the beach. In this aspect, I think my brother and I are the same - we are interested in exploring new things. And I guess this desire to explore is one of the things that helped me start and continue with my digiscrapping.

Journalling: Take time to explore the untravelled paths and secret gardens of the sweet life.

Credits for this layout: Gentle Spring Kit from Un-Leashed-Scraps available from digiscrapdepot.com. WordArt from tinadesigns.blogspot.com.