Thankful Thursday: Pre-Birthday Musings

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I must be getting old as every time my birthday approaches, my thoughts are filled not with wishes that I hope to come true on my special day but of gratitude and thanks for all the blessings I am getting from Above since Day 1. In my 36 years, I have long realized that after all that I have been through in life, I was truly blessed to be living the life that I am living now, to be able to witness my son grow up each and every single day, to be there for my little man especially when he needs me the most instead of being tied up to a desk or a headset-and-a-computer. I am very blessed to be doing what I love doing and that is to be a mother to my son and to write, even when I am currently neck-deep with deadlines and backlogs on this blog.

It is a good night’s sleep away from my very special day and today I thank the Universe for these:

  • for making me realize how blessed I am
  • for another year to experience everything that life has to offer
  • for allowing me to live the kind of life that I love
  • for giving me special people in my life who makes me feel special
  • for Jared’s dad  :heart:
  • for the unexpected surprises in the mail
  • for  the opportunity to do and earn from doing what I love to do the most ~ to write
  • for making my blogs instruments for blessings, friendships, and opportunities
  • for the chance to cuddle up with a good book even when I cannot finish it {currently reading this awesome book about one of my favorite people, Princess Diana}
  • for making me experience childhood all over again with my little man  :heart:
  • for a good night sleep
  • for good health
  • for seemingly endless chores that keep me occupied throughout the day
  • for finding inspirations from just about anything and anyone around me {like these wild flowers on the photo I chanced upon one day while on my way to my parents home}
  • for random acts of kindness
  • for the constant reminder of God’s love and grace

Truly, there is so much to be thankful for if we only look around us closely with an open heart. What are you thankful for today?

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Happy 5th Birthday Love!

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“Where did the time go and how did you grow into this not-so-little man from the little baby you used to be?”

I ask these questions each time your birthday approaches. I guess we were too busy having an adventure, laughing, or arguing that I often disregard the minute details until they are screaming to be noticed, like how your feet get that big, or where you get the words you are blurting out, or where did you ever get those quirks.

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Today you are celebrating your 5th and I wish you all the happiness in the world your little heart can contain. I wish for you to continue to bring your own ray of sunshine wherever you may go. I wish you continue to be your own unique self and blossom into a wonderful, God-fearing young man you are meant to be. I wish that the Lord will always bless and nurture you.

Thank you, my love, for making this world a better place because you are in it. Thank you for making mum’s life more meaningful and thank you for always inspiring me to become a better person. Thank you for changing me and giving me the privilege to be your mother. Thank you for giving me the wonderful blessing of spending every waking hour with you. Know that mum will love you to infinity and beyond, to the moon and back!

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Birthday Movie Date: Disney Planes

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at the SM North Cinema, after seeing the film

The little man had been wanting to see this new Disney movie, Planes, since he first saw the trailer on youtube. That is why on his very special day, we decided to go to Manila and watched the film as part of our celebration. After a hearty lunch at Aristocrat and a short visit to the toy store, where the little man got a complete set of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles action figures, plus another new Cars diecast, as his birthday gifts, we then trooped to the cinema to finally see the film.

The characters in this movie are rather familiar as it was made by the same guys who created our favorite Cars film and this was a spin-off of our beloved Lightning McQueen adventures.

Planes in a nutshell

The film is all about Dusty Crophopper and his dream to be a high-flying air racer someday. The problem is as his name suggests, Dusty is not built for high-flying and racing as he is a simple crop duster plane. Even his mechanic friend, Dottie, advise him against it. But this will not dishearten Dusty, together with his friend, Chug, they practiced hard through the night so he can join the qualifiers for the upcoming race, Wings Across the World. Come race time, he wowed the audience and the contestants alike with his well-maneuvered moves and his bold flying. Unfortunately he came in 6th in the race where the first 5 qualified. But a sudden turn of events led a representative of the qualifier  to Dusty’s town  bearing the good news that he is now in 5th place as the original 5th placer was disqualified due to illegal activities.  Dusty then set out to train with navy war plane, Skipper, and worked on his speed and agility in preparation for the contest.

During the race, Dusty made friends with the eccentric Mexican race-plane El Chupacabra and fell in love with another race plane, Ishani. He also bumped into fellow racers, Ripslinger, who is the crowd favorite, as well as the beautiful French-Canadian racer, Rochelle.

The race brought Dusty and his fellow racers to different parts of the world, from New York to Iceland, to Germany, to Agra in India where they visited the Taj Mahal, to Nepal, to Shanghai, from Pacific Ocean to Mexico, and finally, back to New York for the finish. At the beginning of the race, Dusty started slow and always ended up last. Although, he slowly gained popularity among the racers and the spectators with his commendable show of sportsmanship and concern to his fellow racers. Towards the middle of the race, Dusty slowly gained speed and started placing in the race. And even when Ripslingers’ sidekicks, Ned and Zed tried to thwart him too often, he managed to land top spot in the race.

Dane Cook gives his voice to Dustry Crophopper while other popular celebrities also lend their talent to give life to the other characters, including Teri Hatcher {Dottie}, Cedric the Entertainer {Leadbottom}, Val Kilmer {Bravo} and Anthony Edwards {Echo}.

 Why We Love The Film

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getting ready to watch the film

Everybody loves the underdog so I bet everyone will love Dusty Crophopper and his adventures, the little man + I did! His story is one that inspires anyone to persevere and to work hard to be successful in the end. Also, apart from showing an all-too-familiar landscape and with the tractors making a cameo, Planes is very much like the movie Cars and Cars2, you’d expect Lightning McQueen and his friends showing up at any given time. The friendly yet fierce mechanic Dottie also reminds us of the lovable Guido.  😀 The little man also enjoyed the lovely songs played throughout the film.

Go watch it with your little ones, if you haven’t already! 🙂

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