The Heavensent Life

I'm saying goodbye to the old and hello to the new. Thank you for all those who visited this blog and thank you to Blogger for being my home on the web for more than 2 years.

I am moving to my own home:

Posted by Angel Jayme at 5:31 PM | 0 comments  

And so the wise men say.

I've been trying to organize my life lately: my schedules, my finances, my stuff, my files, my clothes, my blogs and even my online accounts. I've also re-connected with friends and I even respond to email now.

I'm beginning to see how messy everything has been. Since I got pregnant and gave birth to Jamaine, I focused profusely on everything about her. I guess I was worried, unneccessarily, that something might go wrong the moment I shift my focus.

A lot of things cluttered my mind and it resulted to as much clutter all around me. It's not a very happy sight, you see.

So now, I'm taking it one step at a time. No pressure. Just little organizing accomplishments one after the other.

Burning letters

I've recently thrown out all the letters and miscellaneous notes, I've accumulated since my gradeschool years. I consider it my biggest accomplishment yet.

The sentimental side of me vehemently refused at first. Perhaps, that's why I've kept it all these years. There were love letters, letters from friends, farewell notes during graduation, retreat letters, and love poems. A bulk of it were letters from my bestfriend Tin, most of which were on those cute stationeries commonly collected by little girls.

But I realized many of those letters have already done their purpose. They've made me laugh, cry, fume and swoon at one time or the other. But they are all part of the past and should be kept there.

It's time to let go.

Though I can't remember all of them, I do remember that I've been loved and treasured by some of the most wonderful people in this world. And that's something that I would keep for a lifetime.

Besides, seeing the empty space where the box of letters used to be brought a sense of relief over me. As if something was lifted off my shoulders.

I guess in a way, it cleared some clutter off my mind as well.

Charting my direction

Did you ever experience just waking up and aimlessly going about your day?

I did. A lot of times actually.

Before, I had a tendency to live my life on autopilot especially when things got routinary and comfortable. Besides I was only living for me.

It continues to amaze me how one tiny baby can change my life in such a huge way.

Now, I have someone who depends on me to raise her and take care of her. And if I want to do that right, I know I've got to have a plan.

I can no longer live just day to day. I have to live my life with purpose and set some goals.

It sounds hard actually, especially when you're used to just letting things happen and going with the flow.

But having goals helps me determine where I want to be, where I want us to be. And when you know your destination, it makes charting your direction a whole lot easier.

Have you set any goals lately?

Posted by Angel Jayme at 10:57 AM | 4 comments  

Wow! Did you see the dust I just blew off this blog? Just one more day and it would have been exactly one month since I last wrote an entry here.

Well apart from my mommy, wifey and employee duties, my absence has been partly due to my renewed obsession with reading books.

I aim to finish reading at least one book a week and it's really been an enlightening and inspiring experience. The last time I remember reading this much was when I was in highschool. As to what books have sparked this obsession, that will have to be another story, hopefully to be written within this week...hehe...=)

Thank you to everyone who dropped a note, prayed for and wished my baby well. Jamaine has recovered completely and is a bouncing and beautiful baby again. She can do a 360 degree roll on the bed now, that's why I'm keeping a steady eye on her lest she ends up on the floor. It amazes me how she's growing so fast.

We also had her christened last July 7. I think the 777 date will bring her lots of luck. I will post the pics of the event in my next post.

Meanwhile, Kernie and I are planning to take up taekwondo together. We recently discovered that I've got good flexibility, one of the musts if you want to take up the martial art. He says I'm actually more flexible than he is, but he's the one who's got the red belt. We think going to Taekwondo class may be a good way to spend time together and get back in shape.

Before I end this post, I'll finally answer the meme from Atomicgirl, sorry it took so long. Joel, I'll answer yours next.

Some weird things about me (It's supposed to be ten but I came up short)

1. I sleep with my fists closed or with my hands under a pillow. When I was still a naive little girl, someone told me elementals can read your palms when you're asleep so they can enter your dreams and give you a nightmare. Since then, I always slept with closed fists and/or with my hands under a pillow. Though I don't believe that now, I carried the mannerism with me until I grew older.

2. I hate watching horror movies. I tend to remember the icky scenes and get nightmares.

3. I like to find out the ending of a movie or a story/book before watching or reading it. Some will say this is a spoiler and it takes out the thrill of watching or reading. But I'm a sucker for happy endings, I'm just built that way i guess. When I find out the ending of the movie/book is unhappy, I will not watch/read it. (Imagine my disappointment when I watched the "City of Angels" without finding out the ending first! I ended up loving and hating the movie at the same time.)

4. I like sitting with my legs crossed under me... even when I'm in the office (sometimes when I'm in a resto with comfy couches). I don't know why but sitting that way is more comfortable for me.

5. I eat dessert first. Chocolate is like my appetizer.

I tag Carli, A, Kris and Leah.

More posts soon.

Have a Lovely Day everyone!

Posted by Angel Jayme at 12:52 PM | 2 comments  

Labels: Thoughts

For those who are not familiar with the term, usog is:
- an old belief that certain people carry an unconscious ability to cause discomfort or illness to someone they greet
- it is said that people who are tired and hungry have the strongest power of usog
- babies are the most susceptible to usog though some adults are prone to it too
- usog can be prevented by saying "pera usog," wiping some of the person's saliva on the leg, stomach or forehead of the one he greets, or by wearing amulets

Whatever it is, I'm sure glad it was all over.

Last week, Jamaine was confined in the hospital for four days due to UTI. That's according to the pedia's diagnosis. But according to my folks' theory, she had gotten usog.

Last Tuesday, when Jamaine started vomitting all the milk she took in, I surmised she must have a stomach problem or she must have been allergic to my breastmilk. But when I gave her formula, she vomitted just the same. After the second vomit episode, I consulted her pedia who advised that if she vomits a third time, we must bring her to the ER.

I was clueless as to what may have caused the vomitting. She was completely alright and bouncy before it started. She had no fever, colds or coughs. And after each vomit, she would go back to her usual self as if nothing happened.

A voice echoed in my head, one that I knew too well: "O wag niyo muna ilalabas si Jamaine hangga't di nabibinyagan. Baka mausog yan."

My mom always warned us about that old belief that a baby should not be taken out of the house until she is baptized because she will be susceptible to usog. I simply thought, we shouldn't take Jamaine out because she might be susceptible to a lot of bacteria outside the home.

I suddenly had a flashback: Kernan took Jamaine to the office two days before to visit me during our spiels shoot. And a lot of people greeted her then. I don't remember anyone of them saying "pera usog" or wiping a little saliva on Jamaine's leg which, as the elders say, should ward off usog.

Actually, Kernan and I don't believe in that stuff. Besides, i think, wiping saliva on whatever part of the baby's limbs is so unhygienic and, well, icky. So I simply dismissed the possibility of usog and hoped Jamaine would get well.

But she vomitted a third time so we brought her to the hospital where she vomitted a fourth time. This time, she had gotten weak and her fontanel was a bit sunken signalling dehydration. I couldn't feed her anything since she needed to rest from all the vomitting episodes she had.

The nurses hooked her to an IV and told us she needed to be confined. They conducted a urinalysis and found out there were bacteria and traces of blood in her urine signalling UTI.

I asked the pedia how she could have possibly contracted UTI when she was just a baby. She said Jamaine may have gotten the bacteria from being soaked in a diaper or because of an internal infection. I didn't agree with the former because Jamaine wore cloth diapers throughout the day and disposable diapers only at night. I emphasized to my yaya the importance of cleaning Jamaine immediately and thoroughly whenever she pees or poos. But how could she have gotten an internal infection?

Anyway, Jamaine was given some antibiotics, and she seemed to be doing better. But when I tried to feed her again, she vomitted for the fifth time.

Finally, my parents told me to consider that Jamaine's vomitting may not be an entirely medical case. My mom said we should try to remember the people who greeted Jamaine and who among them possibly carried an usog.

My yaya, who hails from Bicol, believed in such stuff and mentioned that one of Kernan's officemates may have probably caused the usog. The guy, she said, actually mentioned that he did not want to greet Jamaine because he was very exhausted at that time. (It was a common belief that people who are extremely exhausted or hungry should not greet a baby because they carry a very strong usog with them.) But he couldn't resist and greeted Jamaine anyway.

I know it all sounded too ridiculous. My parents said these are things that doctors don't know and believe but they are true.

I looked at Jamaine and my heart was broken at how she would bang her IV board to her face in an attempt to remove it. I would distract her for a bit but then she would go at it again.

I decided it wouldn't hurt to follow my parents advice. I asked Kernan to request his officemate if he could please drop by the hospital and visit Jamaine. I told Kernan, I may not fully believe in that usog stuff, but at that point, I was willing to try anything for Jamaine to get better.

That guy did come a few hours later, He told me that he, in fact, believes in usog and knows he has it. He said he has kids too and he abides by certain supernatural / traditional beliefs and practices whenever one of his kids get sick. Before leaving, he said, "Okay na yan, magaling na yan."

Hours after that, Jamaine started feeding normally and didn't vomit at all. Her repeat urinalysis and urine culture test also came out negative as if the infection never happened.

I told the pedia about the possibility of usog. She said, she does not rule out such possibilities but it was also important that Jamaine's UTI was detected and it should be treated completely.

We were finally discharged from the hospital last Saturday afternoon and Jamaine has been on oral antibiotics since then.

She's doing better everyday and healthy as ever.

So, was it UTI or usog?

Some told me that usog is true and they have actually experienced it themselves. Some say it's just an old folk's belief and the possibility of it happening may just as well be a coincidence.

If there's anything I learned from this, it's to be open to all possibilities and beliefs. As long as it's not harmful or out of this world crazy, it wouldn't hurt to follow some old-fashioned advice.

After all, it's not about proving which between old beliefs and medicine work better. What's more important is to use both to ensure that my baby's happier and healthier.

Posted by Angel Jayme at 12:06 PM | 14 comments  

You know that situation when you think so much so you never get anything done?
Some have writer’s block or blogger’s block if you will, because they can’t think about what to write.

I , on the other hand, was thinking so much about a lot of stuff I want to write about that I never got to write anything. (I won’t list them down because they’re bound to be endless)

So I’m calling it the Thinking Block.

This is something you don’t want to get stuck with because it’s a waste of ideas and opportunities. And it’s not just with writing but with other aspects of life as well.

Thinking is a good thing because it spurs on potentially great ideas. But when you just spend all your energy thinking and planning but never start doing something, you’re putting all those ideas to waste and end up accomplishing nothing.

So this morning, I finally got myself to stop thinking and just start writing.

Can you think about one thing you want to do today but you have postponed it for days or weeks or (fill your time frame here )?

I say, “Just do it.”

Note: You can stop reading this entry and just get moving. I’d be so happy for you because you’re on your way to accomplishing greater things. But if you’re still feeling a little lazy or curious about what I have to say, then read on. I’d appreciate that too. A little delay won’t hurt.
“Just do it” has become one of my favorite phrases lately because it motivates you to take action and empowers you to accomplish greater things.

Whether it’s writing that awe-inspiring blog entry, achieving that healthy body, learning to cook that superb meal, or talking to that guy you’ve been wanting to ask out for a date. They all involve one crucial step: just do it.

You can plan all you want, think all you want, prepare all you want. But those won’t amount to anything unless you take action.

It’s funny how sometimes you build your own obstacles when you think about doing something or trying something new. You think “It’s gonna be hard,” “I’m scared,” “I don’t have the time,” or “I have more important things to do.” You come up with a hundred and one reasons not to do it when there’s just one important reason why you should: to make you happy.

Why postpone your own happiness?

Just start taking action. And when you’re already doing it, you’ll see that all those excuses and fears just start fading away. You’ll find out that things get more exciting as you go along and before you know it you’ve done it.

This post is a concrete example. I started with four words and now I’ve written an entire entry.

Accomplishment is a wonderful feeling to carry around everyday.

An accomplishment, no matter how small, moves you to believe that “I CAN.”

And just imagine how a whole world of possibilities open for you when you start believing in yourself.

Are you thinking of accomplishing something that you want today?

Just do it.

And be sure to tell me how it worked for you. I’d be happy to hear about it.

Posted by Angel Jayme at 9:56 AM | 8 comments  

Labels: Lifehacks, Positive Living

How many times have you tried to start an exercise regimen but never got around to doing it?

I am guilty of this several times over. I would set a goal and promise myself that I would be lean and mean in time for my birthday...for summer...for our anniversary...for Christmas...for New Year. All these have come and gone but my abs remained flabs.

I was never really fat but I was a little sluggish. I wanted to get fit so that I would have more energy.

But everyday, I would manage to come up with little excuses not to exercise.

My body's alright, I don't need to get fit.
I get bored in the gym.
I don't have money for the gym.
I don't have time.

When I was pregnant, one of the perks I enjoyed was not having to mind about my belly sticking out. That's a baby not flab. I actually felt sexier when I was pregnant.

But now that I'm into my second post partum month, some people still mistake me for a pregnant woman. There's nothing more annoying than somebody asking, "How many months?" when you've just given birth. It makes me want to put a sign on my belly saying "Just got a baby."

Even my hubby who loves me dearly asked me, "Are you exercising yet?" Of course, we both know the answer to that.

Inside my head, Ms. Excuses said, "But you're tired. You're busy with the baby. Why bother to exercise?"

I was tempted to agree.

But when I looked in the mirror, I knew I had to kill Ms. Excuses and start doing something.

And I'm doing it not for other people, not for my hubby, but for me.

I'm doing it not to be sexy but to be healthy.

So now I finally did it.

I started doing Pilates again this morning.

And though I haven't gotten the abs in 30 minutes, I feel great.

5 Ways to start exercising

So how do you quash those excuses swimming in your head and motivate yourself to get moving?

1. Be honest to yourself. Admit that you need to get fit and healthy. Remember that the quality of your life also depends on the state of your health. Before you can start taking good care of other people, you have to take better care of yourself.

2. Make it an "excitecise." Choose an exercise that's fun for you. Whether it's exercising in the gym, taking up boxing, playing badminton or learning taekwondo. Choose one that excites you so that you'll be motivated to do it everyday. When you get bored or if you feel you're no longer challenged, choose another.

3. Explore your options. If you don't have the money to shell out for membership fees, there are a lot of other ways to get fit without breaking the bank. Since I can't afford going to a Pilates class on a monthly basis, I bought a Pilates exercise CD and do it at home. Go to any record store and you'll find that they have a decent number of exercise videos on sale, you just have to take your pick. But If doing it at home makes you feel lazy, then go outdoors and go speed-walking, biking or jogging.

4. Make time for exercise. I find that doing it in the morning works wonders for me the whole day. Here's a useful tip to help motivate you: Get something that will remind you to exercise like your rubber shoes or any other exercise gear, and place it strategically so that it will be the first thing you see in the morning. In that way, exercise will be one of the first things on your mind when you wake up. But if you absolutely can't do it in the morning, then do it whenever you're free. Start with 15 or 30 minutes of exercise. Time flies pretty fast once you start moving, you'll be done before you know it.

5. Just do it. Do yourself a favor and just start.

Finally, the most important thing is, get fit for the right reasons. Don't do it for other people because you'll only set yourself up for failure and disappointment. Don't do it because you want to be sexy like (insert celebrity's name here). Your body is unique so it will never be like somebody else's.

Define your own sexy and be proud of your healthy body.

Posted by Angel Jayme at 6:17 PM | 9 comments  

Labels: Health and Fitness

"Gusto mong pumunta ng Trinoma?" A asked me.

"Ano yun?"

"it's the mall across SM North. Maganda raw dun."

I haven't frequented the north area lately so I imagined Trinoma was some mini-mall with your usual fare of boutiques and restaurants. I wondered how the owner could have possibly thought it would stand a chance against the SM North.

"Parang Greenbelt daw yun." A added.

A Greenbelt in the north? Now that I have to see. Apparently, A forgot to mention the keyword in the mall's name that says it all: Ayala. So it's not just Trinoma, it's the Ayala Trinoma.

If you haven't been reading the papers lately (like me), these articles from the Manila Standard and Inquirer may be helpful.

And if you're also wondering where they got the name from, Trinoma means "Triangle North of Manila." So would that make SM a Recnoma as in "Rectangle North of Manila?" (Ang corny ko.)

Anyway, since A and I are rich lazy commuters, we got there via cab, roughly 60 to 70 bucks if you're coming from Kamuning Road. But you can actually get to Trinoma faster and for a fraction of that amount if you take the MRT.

Trinoma wins plus points for accessibility because it has an entrance directly connected to the MRT North Station. (It's not yet open though but I suppose it will be opened pretty soon.) I'm thinking it will definitely be one of the reasons why people will be drawn to Trinoma, especially for those people who hate the hassle of commuting and walking along polluted roads.

I, for one, always find it a hassle to go to SM North, Megamall or Robinson's because I don't like having to walk along EDSA just to get there. With all the smoke and fumes you'll inhale while walking, you might as well die of pollution before you enter the mall. SM Makati could be the next best option but it's too far for a QC girl like me. So when Gateway opened, it easily became a favorite hang out. But now, I'm guessing Trinoma will give Gateway a run for it's money as well.

When we got inside Trinoma, we could readily tell it was constructed just like Glorietta. You won't feel the classy ambience yet since many parts of the mall are sill under construction. The floors are still a bit dirty, there are plywood markers for the boutiques and you'll encounter the occasional fly malling with you. But when you go around, you could almost imagine how sleek it would look like when construction's all done.


Just like Gateway, Trinoma gives you the feeling that you've entered another albeit classy world. Considering it's location, Trinoma is like an oasis in the north desert.

A number of stores were already open: boutiques like Genevieve Gozum, YRYS, Oxygen, Apple and Eve, Karimadon, Bench, and Mango are among those I remember. Of course, the ever reliable fastfoods are ready to serve you: Jollibee, McDonalds (directly across each other) and Chowking. I also remember seeing National Bookstore and Powerbooks already open. Plus,Timezone at the topmost floor.

Trinoma's advantage over Gateway, SM and SM's The Block is it's wide array of high end as well as middle class boutiques that can surely capture the A - C crowd. From the signboards, I could tell Trinoma will also house a slew of new restaurants (read: not fast food) that can make it a center of gastronomic feasts.

The Ayalas also made a smart move by getting Landmark Department Store as one of its tenants. Landmark has some really great quality brands that can be had at the cheapest price. I remember my family would always troop to Makati on weekends even if we lived in Manila just to go to Landmark. My mom says most of her best buys were from Landmark's Department Store.It has a great supermarket too.

But what I love best about Trinoma is the viewdeck and the outdoor park that's very reminiscent of Greenbelt.


Perfect for hanging out when you don't have money or you're not in the mood for malling. I saw signs for 7 water features but only a few are operational.


If only our feet weren't killing us, we would have wanted to explore Trinoma's every nook and cranny. A and I can't stop raving about how Trinoma would be our best hang out yet.

Can't wait for it to be completed. i won't be surprised if we'll be malling almost every day.

Goodbye SM and Gateway.

Hello Trinoma!

Posted by Angel Jayme at 6:21 PM | 10 comments  

It started with a simple request that ended with a sarcastic remark and a slamming door. Minutes later, he makes four attempts to call but she left them unanswered. Finally, he sends a message, "Sorry, I got mad. I love you so much." Soon, he returns. They hug, kiss and make up. And just like that, it was all over.

Can having a fight really be that simple?

When couples fight, it's so easy to let a little misunderstanding to snowball into gigantic proportions. They get carried away with the wave of anger and intense emotion.

In the heat of the moment, hurtful words are thrown, grudges resurface, maybe even curses are exchanged.

Before they know it, they've hurt each other so deeply that it becomes hard to remember if they ever loved each other. The relationship hits the rocks, the damage almost irrepairable.

For those in steady relationships, it may be hard to call it quits and just break up. But between a husband and wife, it's even harder especially when you've got kids.

So how do you keep from being doomed to a relationship or marriage of misery?

Having been together for five years, Kernan and I have had our share of fights. But none of them ever escalated into a verbal abuse match because of three important things we've learned through the years:

Respect. It wasn't easy at first, but we've learned to respect each other's differences and how we each deal with conflict: one needs space while the other needs silence. We've accepted the fact that there will be times when we'll have differing points of view and that's ok.

Humility. We've learned long ago that matching each other word for word only leads to more misunderstanding. When one of us is high on anger, the other remains low. Pride can certainly make it tempting to shout back, that's for sure. But you'll find that when you stop and listen, you'll understand where the other is coming from. Humility also means admitting you're wrong and saying "I'm sorry."

Love. And with love comes unconditional forgiveness. No counting of offenses or relegating sins into the back burner, ready to be brought up during another argument. Forgiveness means closing the door behind you and looking forward to start anew.

I've always believed that it doesn't matter who was wrong or who was right. Love doesn't keep a tally board of wins and losses.

What matters is emerging from the fight, not bruised or battered, but better and stronger.

Posted by Angel Jayme at 9:28 PM | 4 comments  

Labels: Love and relationships, Marriage

Posted by Angel Jayme at 6:32 PM | 0 comments  

I have a confession to make: I am not a good cook.

I can't say I'm bad, but I know I'm not that good at it.

I can cook rice (using a rice cooker), I can do your basic sauteing and frying. But when it comes to the real dishes, I'm lost.

Kernan knew my lack of culinary abilities long before we married, and he was fine with it. After all, whatever I lacked in cooking, I more than made up for in dishwashing. So when we started living together, he automatically became the cook, I the dishwasher. A perfect fit really.

But as his wife, somehow it doesn't feel right that I don't know how to cook. I decided it's time to learn how.

Kernan had these fancy cookbooks at home but they seemed too complicated for a beginner like me.

Yesterday, I surfed the net for recipes I could try. I had three requirements: it had to be simple, quick and easy.

I remember how my mom used to watch Del Monte Kitchenomics on TV so I googled their recipes. Good thing they now have a great website with recipes that matched my three requirements. Plus, all the ingredients were locally available and easy to procure.


And for my first experiment trial, I chose the recipe for Corny Beef.


The verdict: perfect.... just kidding! I'd have to be gifted if I got it perfectly the first time.

Being the sweetheart that he is, Kernan finished his plate clean. He said it was a bit too sweet for his taste but it was alright.

I'd say not bad for a first try. Lesson learned: lay off the sugar.

Anyway, I found other great sites for recipes from Nestle, Purefoods and Century Tuna. Can't wait to try all the other dishes.

Maybe when I become good at cooking, I can make recipes of my own too. Til then, it's these two - step recipes for me.

Care to share your easy and tasty recipes?

Posted by Angel Jayme at 3:09 PM | 4 comments  

Labels: Love and relationships, Marriage