Pink thoughts: Dior

It's been almost a month. Living away from hubby (and youngest daughter) is an everyday torture. Then I realized, for ten years of being married, actually, we've always been living apart...

The first time was after a year of our marriage. Hubby left me and our then 6-month old eldest daughter for a one-year study in Japan. After he got back and we lived together for two years, it was then me who left him for a teaching job far from home ~ for two long years. Our kids stayed with me and we got to see each other only on holidays. Then I got granted for a graduate study abroad, so again I left him behind, this time him and our kids. A year later, he came to join me and subsequently took our kids to join us. However, such short happy years of living together came to end. Hubby was now back in our country (with our youngest daughter), leaving me (and our eldest daughter) behind for his teaching job. 

This kind of set-up oftentimes leave me wondering. Is this what we really wanted? I think there is more of a life out there, much better, less complicated and far happier. 

Earlier this week, I was cleaning our closet when I saw this lovely pink special Christian Dior perfume. Hubby bought it for me years ago ~ the fist time he left us.

Chris 1947 ~ a hot pink colored fragrance contained in a pink attractive bottle. A special limited edition fragrance from the Dior fashion house.

 Chris 1947 (a floral scent with a hint of wood and musk) is said to be the embodiment of the sexy woman who works and plays hard. Hmmm, interesting...

Looking at this perfume, I am once again reminded of my hubby's love for me (or of his leaving me lol). Boy, I'm glad he is just a text message or skype away.

Nevertheless, I'm still hoping and praying that our difficult situation will pass. Can't wait to come home and live together as a whole and normal family again.

A peek to my world

Since my laboratory and most other experimental labs I've been working in are painted white, I decided to post a few of them here. Thus, a peek to my little world...

Our Pharmacokenitics lab, where I often do my experiments on drugs.

Chemical bench

Our office, kind of busy (or pretending to be lol)

Our capillary electrophoresis room, where I analyze my samples. HPLC room is on the other side (not seen).

The first time I came to Taiwan for my graduate studies, year 2007. With my labmates in our lab (I'm in the middle). I felt like a normal human being back then. Now, I felt like I'm some alien or zombie!

Bacteriology lab, experiments on bacteria. Taken two years ago, I looked really tired (a zombie).

Again doing my bacterial experiments here. Taken few weeks ago, still looking like a zombie lol.

That's basically my life here. Too stressful. Need to be working consistently, otherwise I would not finish on time and can't go home to my family as soon possible. Wish me luck (huhuhu)!

Let's fight breast cancer

My Aunt D.

A favorite Aunt lost her battle against breast cancer. It's been ten years now but the pain of losing her still linger. She was terribly missed.

She's my mom's cousin but she was more of a second mother to me. Guiding me through school, giving me extra allowances, bringing me and my siblings to travels, buying us gifts, training us to become good businesswomen, and making our lives a bit colorful and special one. She was my beautiful, soft-spoken, sweet, hard working and big-hearted Aunt. Indeed, a favorite one. I was so blessed to have known her and to have her by our sides all those growing up years.

Diagnosed with a breast cancer, she fought the disease, real hard. She was one of the bravest. In spite of all the chemotherapy sessions, surgeries and courage to fight this deadly disease, she finally succumbed. It was so painful for all of us who fought with her and for all of us who loved her so much.

Cancer needs to be beaten.

To help a woman in need in getting a free mammogram, please join and click here. Every click helps give free mammograms and save lives. October is a breast cancer awareness month and everybody deserves to be educated about this disease. Pink  represents breast cancer awareness and support for its cause.

Our thoughts, prayers and encouragements for all of those who are fighting breast cancer. We are fighting with you. Together, let us beat this disease.

My siblings and I on our solidarity with the cause. 

Carinosa Moments

Living in a foreign land, it is so rare that we get to wear our country's national costume (if lucky, once a year). The fact that we got invited to dance and represent our country also happen once in a blue moon. On such rare occasion, my husband and I, together with two other friends danced Carinosa, a famous cultural dance back home. We cast our dancing prowess (no, we're not professionals lol) first in a hotel filled with VIPs and university presidents from partner universities in and outside the country, and second, in front of everybody in the university in time for the International Students Day.

Hubby in Barong Tagalog and me in an orange Baro at Saya!

With two friends/neighbors/kababayans in Evergreen Hotel, Taichung, Taiwan.

The guys are handsome in their neat Barong Tagalog.

Of course, the ladies are equally dashing in our colorful  (Baro at Saya) get-ups lol.

Fun in white Barong.

Performed again the next day, in my beautiful orange Maria Clara dress.

Braving the overwhelming stage.

Such presentations once again reminded everybody how beautiful and colorful our culture is. I am proud of my country. My heartfelt gratitude to Manila Economic and Cultural Office (de facto Philippine embassy in Taiwan) Taichung for providing the dresses. Those adrenaline-filled days were indeed memorable.

Wordless Wednesday: Ang Hari

The King of his jungle!
(hubby and kids)

The Liebster Award

Blogging has become one of my stress reliever these past crazy busy days. Being awarded with an amazing Liebster Award by an amazing blogger Rachel Joy of Cool Bean Mommas indeed made my day. Check out her awesome blog where she shares about her life and her exciting escapades.

Liebster Award, I just learned is aimed to spotlight up-and-coming bloggers with less than 200 followers. So sweet, isn't it? Being appreciated for somethin' we love to do is good enough and being recognized with this rare and inspiring award is indeed exhilarating. Thank you once again Rachel Joy. You are awesome.

Here are few rules upon recieving the Liebster Award: 

1. Copy and paste the award on your blog. Done.

2. Thank the giver and link back to the blogger who gave it to you. Done. 

3. Reveal your top 5 picks and let them know by leaving a comment on their blog. Done.

4. Have faith that your followers will spread the love to other bloggers. Done.

5. And most of all ~ have fun! Oh yeah!

Hence, without further ado, I am passing this Liebster Award to the following awesome blogs (although I understand most of them are already seasoned bloggers, but I still love their blogs anyway), so here it goes...

A Writer Weaves a Tale

Our Home and Haven

More Than Sexy

My Funny Dad Harry

Mai Three Boyz

Hope you could visit their cool blogs too because I just did! Have a great day to yah all!

Colorful Diwali Fest

The Indian international students held their annual Diwali Festival last year (end of October) in our university. Diwali Festival, also known as the "festival of lights" is an important event for our Indian friends. The lighting of small clay lamps filled with oil signifies the triumph of good over evil, of light over darkness, and of knowledge over ignorance.

Co-sponsored by our university, the Indian students performed a lot of cultural dances in their uniquely colorful clothes and upbeat music. They also invited some of their international student friends, thus I, my daughter and some friends joined the fun. I was privileged enough to join a Bollywood courtship dance to the tune of Bole Chudiyan and a Punjabi pop song to the tune of Tunak Tunak Tun (performed with my daughter). My then 8-year old daughter on the other hand joined a family dramatization with an Indian friend as her dad and an Indonesian friend as her mom. I was so proud of her acting skills and the fact that she memorized all her lines. Towards the end of the program, we then joined a fashion show that showcased various Indian traditional and colorful clothes. A scrumptious Indian dinner followed. 

Here are some of the colorful photos from that fun night:

This colorful flower on the floor greeted the guests. Guess what these colorful stuff made up of? Yes, colored salts. Ain't they resourceful!

My daughter Joey (leftmost) and her little Indian friends in their colorful dresses. 

Dancing Bollywood's Bole Chudiyan (I'm at the right side, front).

A fun dance for couples...

Now, this was me at the far left with our friends and kids dancing a really fast-paced dance. We ran out of breath afterwards lol.

On colorful get-ups. Ain't the kids the cutest! They had a blast!

Joey (leftmost) with her friends and the dancer/choreographer friend.

My daughter in a family funny short dramatization onstage.

 These are professional Taiwanese Bollywood dancers on their colorful dresses. Lovely!

Indian friends dancin' some funny cultural dance.

Colorful fashion show with India's famous hero Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi in the middle.


Me at the orange Punjabi dress.

With my gorgeous friends on our Indian outfits. Love the exotic feel!

That event was by far one of the most memorable one. We strengthened our friendship with our Indian colleagues and learned a lot about their colorful culture. Indeed, everybody had a blast!

Pink Farewell

This post got me teary-eyed today. I missed my husband and my 5-year old daughter so much. Both went back home to our country two weeks ago thus leaving me and my eldest daughter behind to finish our respective studies. Two days before her flight for home, my baby bade farewell to her teachers and peers at school. This cute personalized pink card was given to her by her kindergarten teacher and classmates.

I love what her teacher wrote. So touching! Notice the blue thumb prints of all her classmates with their respective names on it. So creative and sweet!

My baby with her kind kindergarten teacher Miss Jenny. 

This was the first thing my baby showed me when I came to visit her at school.

Holding on to her dear memorable piece.

Us with my baby's cute classmates.

How sweet and cuter can they be! Everybody was hugging Aron goodbye every now and then.

Now, I wonna cry again. I missed my baby so much. It's been two lonely weeks. On a lighter note, I'm just glad her Dad and grandparents love her so much that she might not even notice my absence...

To the farm in White

Yesterday, we went to Changhua County to visit a poultry farm with my professor and classmates. The poultry farm does not actually looked like the usual poultry farm (odorous, noisy, messy, etc.) but is composed of three huge sealed, clean, peaceful, odorless warehouse-like structures. These are tunnel ventilated poultry houses. Meaning, the environment inside are easily controlled and everything is automated. Thus, the chickens are enjoying the right temperature and humidity that kept them from getting sick. Imagine seeing a 30,000 broilers in one house sitting calmly side by side with each other ~ no stress, no fights, no noises, just eating, drinking and sleeping (and blogging lolz). Their energies are well conserved and meant only for producing meats. One poultry house by the way cost around 330,000 usd. Whew!

the poultry houses

 We are all required to wear this white disposable coverall and  boot cover to protect the chickens from any possible contamination.

Hail the Taiwan (breed) broilers at 3 weeks old. To be harvested at about 7 weeks old. 

Notice  how calm the chickens are.

Me with the tunnel ventilated poultry house. Notice the gray walls beside me, these helped to filter the air that goes in, and huge fans inside to suck the dirty air out towards the vent (found at the end).

Fully automated switches to control the temperature and humidity inside. Feeders and waterers are also automated. Therefore less labor is needed.

Overall, we had fun with this educational trip. Wish I could afford to build such business in the future though. Hmmm, dream on hehe.