HSBC's Walk, Run, Cycle 2012 paints the town red

They say more than 10,000 registered for HSBC's Walk, Run, Cycle, which was held yesterday,19th May at Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei. I attended the event with my husband, Elijah, and while we're not sure if all the 10,000 registrants showed up, we certainly had great fun!


We took the HSBC's hired shuttle bus from the National Stadium since it's difficult to find parking space near the event location. It's our first bus ride in Brunei (not to mention it's free!) and it was a quick field trip around Bandar, which we haven't done yet.

When we arrived at the venue, the Taman Hj Sir Muda Omar Ali Saifuddien (SOAS), there were already lots of people!

We arrived at the site two hours early so we had time to walk around the area and found food stalls that reminded us of China Town in the Philippines.

We took pictures near the famous Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddin Mosque.

Saw some people in costumes - SpongeBob,  Naruto and this pretty lady in red. See the hat?

 We saw some lovebirds too.

And families enjoying their bonding moments.

There was also special performance from special needs children of KACA, SMARTER, Pusat Ehsan and Learning Ladders who are the main beneficiaries of the event.

Had some warm up exercises before we headed to the START line.

After the 30km cyclists, 11.5 km runners, it's our time to head out!

Saw a dollar on the ground and hoped to find a hundred.

After more than an hour of walking (but it's brisk walking!) we made it to the finish line!

We were a little tired, but still had some energy to play carnival games.

We're looking forward to another great Charity event from HSBC next year. 

Thank you HSBC!

Eligay: Year One

It feels like yesterday when we went to Divisoria almost everyday for our wedding needs. We even had our army of angels who helped us voluntarily.

We fought through the trials and tests...

And even dressed up for the battles ahead...

We were blessed with our own paparazzi...

Enjoyed our pre-nup photoshoots

Got a little nervous over "pamamanhikan"

Ensured that our wedding represented who we are and what we value...

We cherished the support of our friends and families who were with us through many sleepless nights in preparation of our big day...

And on our wedding day, we did not only celebrate our love for each other but also our love for people whom God has abundantly blessed us with...

The next day after the wedding, we escaped from our honeymoon site and met with our family in Luneta because we missed them already...

I went back to Brunei 3 days after our wedding and saw you again after 4 months. As always, it's fun to be with you and the family...

On October 2011, God answered our prayer and you finally made it to Brunei!

We had lots of food trips...

Enjoyed the beach...

Loved the rainbow...

Hiked...

And ate some more...

However, you went back to the Philippines in January 2012. And during the 2 months that we're apart, we lost our first child but God continued to comfort us. He closed a door and opened a window--your employment in Brunei.

As we look back on our first year, we're in awe of how God has guided us each step of the way, how He has manifested His kindness to us with every trial and how He has showered us with love.

I love you Elijah!Thank you for being my best friend and husband! Happy Anniversary!

I lost my baby

I had a miscarriage last February 7 and even though my baby stayed in my womb for 6 weeks only, it’s still painful especially because I’ve been wanting to become a mom for so long. I even thought of adopting a child when I was still single.

But I cannot let myself mourn right now. No, not when I’m alone. And while I have friends here who comfort me, I still long for the comfort of my husband and my family. God knows I want to wail in grief. But I can’t do that; otherwise, I’ll lose myself in the process.

Outside the hospital window today, February 8, I can see that the rain is falling. The clouds are crying the tears that I’ve been holding back.

It’s painful that I lost my baby but I am amazed at the strength God provides me with and the encouragement I receive from my husband, family, in-laws and friends. He answered my prayer when I asked him a few days ago to set my heart to His will. To brace me for what He’ll do in my life and in my baby’s life.

"You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You," Isaiah 26.3-God's encouragement to me the night I started having spotting.

But I’m ready for the next challenge, Lord. If we can go through this together, I know we can accomplish the next. If I’ll shed tears, it is only because I’m in awe of God’s work in my life.

The bad news is that I lost my baby. The bright side is that now I know I can conceive. As Job said, God gives and God takes away. It is not my business to ask God why this happened to me. It is my sole business to trust in Him.

Farewell our little Eligay, we love you! 

Gone too soon.