When I knew that Mark was leaving, I kept on praying that God would give us just a few more days to spend together. I was greatly hoping for him to still be here with me even just up to this day. But oh well, he really had to leave too soon.

He's been away for a couple of weeks now but I still haven't gotten over his absence. Ever since he left, everyday is just like one of those days where everything seems to remind me of him. Every song I hear relates to him. Everyday just makes me miss him even more...

Today marks our 6th year of being in love, and yes, I hate days like today, because they remind me of the one thing which I don't have. And I feel so sad for not having him here with me to celebrate this special day.

But then again, when I look back and reminisce about all our happy times together...

He loves doing this to me! :p

and look at how great our love for each other has become, despite all the bad things that happened, I start to feel fine.


Mark and I had been through a lot for the past years, been through every obstacle that we can imagine, had a million fights and sleepless nights, but we are still able to get past all of them.

Mark and I being crazy..in love! :p

And us being apart for so long has got to be one of the biggest challenges that we have to face. But I always tell myself that this distance should never be an obstacle for us. I just treat each day as if he will already be coming back home tomorrow. And just the thought of being with him tomorrow is enough to get me through the day. :)


It doesn't matter how far apart we are, we do not really need to see each other everyday to be in love. It's hard, well yes, it really is, but our love for each other is the one thing that gets us through each day. And his promise is what keeps me holding on... :)


No matter how painful this distance could be, no matter how long we will have to be apart, I take comfort in the fact that he will come back home, that we will be together again, that we will be able to hold each others' hands and fill the emptiness in each others' hearts. :)

I miss you so much Makoy! Happy 6th Anniversary! Looking forward to a lifetime of love with you! I love you! :)

Mark and I usually go out on Fridays and Saturdays when he was still here in the Philippines. But now that he's already in Qatar, I can no longer have weekend dates with him anymore, or at least in the next two years.

I already got lunch/dinner invites from friends, but I was still not in the mood to go out, so here's how I spent my first weekend without Mark.

Most people cling to food whenever they feel blue. They say that eating somehow makes sad people feel better. So I spent the weekend by having a scrumptious feast with my family! Haha! :p And here's what we had for lunch:

First on the table were Crabs in Coconut Milk, which is definitely our family's favorite! Every time I eat crabs I am reminded of Mark. This is one of Mark's favorite too, but he seldom eats this unless I separate the crab meat from the shell for him!

Crabs in Coconut Milk

Next is the Cream Dory Steak. Whenever I ask Mark which of my dad's specialties his favorite is, Cream Dory would always be in the list. May it be steak or with tofu in sweet and sour sauce, may he be on a diet or not, cream dory will always be a hit for Mark. My dad knows how Mark loves cream dory. There was one time that he prepared a separate dish, a whole fillet, just for Mark, while the rest of us just had to share on what's left! :p

Cream Dory Steak

We also had Sinigang na Maya-maya sa Miso. I don't usually eat fish with soups, but this is Mark's favorite especially if he's on a diet.

Sinigang na Maya-maya sa Miso

If there's one thing that Mark can eat in huge amounts when he's on a diet, it's seafood and fruits! So I bet this Squid Steak will definitely appeal to Mark's taste. :)

Squid Steak

We also had some fruits for dessert. :) Whenever Mark comes over our house, he would always ask for some bananas when he feels hungry. :p

Bananas, Atis, and Oranges

The feast continued up to merienda...

Mark could be so strict when he's on a diet, but can also be so craving and would eat anything, just like any other guy, when he's not on diet. Oh, I can just imagine him eating these mouth-watering dishes! :)

Pancit Malabon

Mark always helps me whenever we grill pork barbecue at home. He would always have a taste test and get a stick or two as we do the grilling. :p

Pork Barbecue

Mark doesn't always get to eat 'kakanin' in Caloocan. So whenever he's in our house and we have 'kakanin', you would always see him eating a lot of it, especially his favorite Biko. :p

Puto

Kutsinta

And for dinner we had another set of irresistible treats which I'm sure Mark would really enjoy. :)

Squid Tempura

Cream Dory Tempura

Buttered Veggies

At first I thought all these food will somehow lessen my longing for Mark, but oh well, these just made me miss him more! :) Wish you were here Mark! Can't wait for our next food trip together! :)

...a little too often, and a little too much!

Everything seemed to have happened too soon. I can still remember Mark telling me about how he was able to get a call from someone offering him work in Qatar. He took the offer and within just less than 2 weeks, his papers were processed. Until finally he was all ready to go.

Just days before he left, I already had my mind set that he will be away for a long time. I already have accepted the fact that we will have to be apart. But I never thought that it would be a lot harder!

I stayed in their house last Friday and spent the night with him. Saturday morning came and I accompanied him to the airport. It was the loneliest Saturday that I ever had! I told myself that I won't cry, but my heart broke the moment I saw tears rushing down from Mark's eyes when we had our last hug and kiss. And up to now I still find myself in tears everytime I remember that very moment. :'(

It's been just a few days since Mark left, but it feels like he's been away for years! I miss him so much! Not being able to see him, be with him, and hold him as much as I want have got to be the hardest things that I'd ever have to do. But missing him gets a lot easier everyday knowing that even though we are another day further from the last time we hugged and kissed, we know that we are another day closer to the next time we will.

Since Mark left, he has always been telling me that things will all be fine. That we just need to believe and have faith in Him. That we just have to be strong and know that we will still have each other no matter what. And this is what really keeps us going.

Mark, now that we are miles apart, I won't be there to take care of you. So please take good care of yourself, for me, ok? And always be good! Don't forget to pray. Don't worry about your mom, I'm here for her. :)

I love you so much my boy! Come back home soon! :D

It was my mom's birthday last August 5. Since her birthday fell on a weekday, we just had a simple dinner at home. On our way home from work, my dad and I bought some food for dinner.

We bought Pancit Malabon along Ortigas Avenue. We just had the smallest 'bilao' which is good for 4-6 persons. We first thought it wouldn't be enough for us since the bilao was just like the size of a usual plate, but we were surprised to see that the pancit was overflowing. The serving was generous and the taste was just fine, but it should have been more tasty if they added in more salt. :p


We decided to pair the pancit with pork barbecue. Good thing we were able to pass by a barbecue stand on our way home. The barbecue was good. The meat was tender and I love that it wasn't even charred at all.


Birthdays will never be complete without cakes of course. So we dropped by at Red Ribbon and bought my mom's favorite Chocolate Marjolaine.


We continued the celebration over the weekend, from lunch to dinner. And as always, it was my dad who cooked the food. :)

Lumpiang Shanghai

Pork Siomai

Pork Barbecue

Squid and Cream Dory Dumplings

Lechon Kawali

Spaghetti

And my mom's requests...

Chicken Feet

Kare-kare

I was supposed to buy another Chocolate Marjolaine, but it was out of stock so I just bought the Tiramisu Meltdown. :)

Tiramisu Meltdown

We were so full from the luscious feast that we weren't able to eat the ice cream. So we just had it after lunch the next day..:)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOMMY!!!

I've been dying to know how ice scramble tastes like. I never got to taste this very famous treat because most people say that street foods are dirty. My mom would also not allow us to buy street foods especially after my siblings got sick of Hepatitis (when they were like 5 or 6 years old) after eating barbecue in some barbecue stand in the streets. And so I grew up not having to experience eating ice scramble and well, street foods in general.

I remember how envious I get every time I see kids piling up whenever they see the ice scramble vendor coming. My mom would always say that there's nothing really special about it, it's just crushed ice with pink food coloring, powdered milk, and chocolate syrup. But it seems that children and adults alike are drawn to it so much.

And so when I found out that ice scrambles are now being sold in malls, I immediately told Mark that we should try it. He was able to find one stall at SM North but we never got the chance to get there.

We were in SM Taytay to buy some presents for my mom's birthday, when I and my sister came across this cute pink food cart with people in a long queue. My eyes sparkled when I learned that it was an ice scramble food cart!

We ordered the large cup and had all 4 toppings added haha! I immediately fell in love with it at first my scoop! It tasted like bubble gum and vanilla and I just love how refreshing it was. *drools*


buzBox Scrambles come in 3 sizes: small for Php10, medium for Php14, large for Php 14; with powdered milk and chocolate and strawberry syrup; plus Php3 for every additional topping of chocolate sprinkles, candy sprinkles, rice crispies, and marshmallows.


I finally got to taste ice scramble! Yipee! :p I also bought one for my brother and my mom and they loved it too. My mom said that it's just like the ones sold in streets but a lot tastier because it has more milk and toppings. :)

Here's my sister Gia loving the buzBOX Scrambles!

BUZBOX SCRAMBLES
3F SM City Taytay

Mark accompanied me to the dentist for my dental checkup last Saturday (July 25). We also planned of going to the gym for some workout. But before hitting the gym, we first had a luscious lunch at The Old Spaghetti House. Haha!

It took me some time choosing from the menu, until I finally decided to try the Swiss Mushroom Chicken with Creamed Fettuccine. The generous amount of pasta cooked al dente with a generous amount of creamy sauce was not superb, but I just love how the chopped parsley, parmesan cheese, and ground pepper gave the pasta its distinct taste. The Swiss Mushroom Chicken was what I loved the most! The melted mozzarella with Swiss mushroom gravy on top of the grilled chicken breast fillet was oh so delicious! The dish also came with a slice of garlic bread and a salad of fresh lettuce with fried shoestring potatoes seasoned with apple cider vinegar. ♥♥♥

Swiss Mushroom Chicken with Creamed Fettuccine - Php 175

Mark just had a quick glance at the menu and already knew what he wanted. He ordered for their Classic Lasagna. I got to taste it and it was so good! It was like a mixture of tastes of spaghetti, lasagna, and pizza. :p The serving was generous too. :)