25.

Pretty teacup roses from my mom.

I know I’ve not been a very diligent blogger for the past 2 years. Getting digitally lazy because real life is so much more fun. Nonetheless, I will always try to make my birthday and new year posts!! I know there are some followers of my work who look forward to my blogging, and I want to apologize to you guys specifically. I know how it feels to like a blog and get disappointed that the blogger suddenly fades away~ I appreciate the facebook messages and comments you leave me. Always know you touch my heart with your generous words!

Yesterday I had dinner with a few of my friends here in Canada. We dined out like pigs at Sushimoto (pretty good Japanese restaurant!) in North Burnaby. I was really excited to treat my good friends to this wonderful dinner but… Christina hid my credit card so I couldn’t pay! T_T Turns out the custom here in Canada is if its your birthday, your friends pay for you! They did it for me last year but I only thought it was because I was FOB– fresh off the boat (or should I say plane) and they were being nice by welcoming me here in Canada. Back in the Philippines, the birthday celebrant treats all his friends not the other way around!

Matcha green tea and red bean cake with raspberries cake. Divine.

Well. Have to admit I was really uncomfortable with the tables turned, I felt uneasy like I totally didn’t deserve the treat and the veryyyy yummy matcha green tea and red bean cake!! Can a cake be anymore my type?! It’s funny coz Fung was “obviously” carrying it from the car to the restaurant but I NEVER even noticed. Actually can’t believe I didn’t suspect a-n-y-t-h-i-n-g. I have fooled myself to believe I’m really receptive and sensitive to things but turns out I’m not! Haha. When the cake arrived I was thinking “How does the restaurant know its my birthday?? :o” But wow my friends are great T_T Never even suspected one bit they would do these sweet things for me!! I’m so thankful! Don’t you think I have awesome friends too? Can’t wait until their birthdays come so we can all have a great day like mine!

Happy girl being posed and dictated on how to slice the cake.

More pictures of the cake coz its AWEZUM.

Diane made that sweet gift and letter for me and Christina gave me those instax photos! These two girls are really sweet and thoughtful T_T My heart is really swelling now. Lord please bless all my friends so much. I’m asking you because I don’t think I can really give them as much as You can! On a side note, my hair is getting extra curly like mad, especially when it rains. The frizzzz… If you guys didn’t know, I’m trying to embrace my wavy hair so I’ve stopped rebonding it since last year.

After stuffing ourselves with Vancouver sushi and birthday cake, I told my friends that I want to treat them out somewhere else if I’m not allowed to pay for dinner. So we walked over to a bowling center nearby, but again my card was still confiscated. So OK, you know what… I won’t tell my plans but I will make it up to them for sure. If you guys are reading this right now I just wanna say how thankful I am to have you as friends. T_T I’m afraid this blog post is getting too emo so I will stop with the cheesy overflows now.

I haven’t played bowling in a very long time but its actually more fun to play with people my age. I used to bowl with my Aunts and Uncles and struggle with the bowling ball weight… Well that part hasn’t changed. Kiddie bowling ball is still my choice of weapon!! We all had lots of fun. I’m happy that my friends enjoyed my pre-birthday as much as I did 😀

Check out Christina’s instax frames!! So cute. I think these pictures also make up for my lack of posting on Facebook. Haha.

So that was yesterday night. What did I do today on my actual birthday?

I attended the EMPOWER Kids Ministry training at Willingdon church! This is in preparation for my volunteering every Sunday to help take care of the kids at Willingdon Sunday school. In the past when I would volunteer for DVBS (Daily Vacation Bible Study for kids) I would always know at least a handful of people already and feel familiar with the environment. This time was totally different. Everyone was a mix of races and I was technically alone. This definitely helped me step out of my comfort zone to talk to new people, introduce myself and listen to their stories. After my interview tomorrow I’ll know what Grade level of kids I’ll be taking care of, I’m really excited! My heart swells as I think of the children that are and will learn about Jesus’ love for them. In the past year I’ve seen how important it is to be mindful of my actions and words when kids are around because it REALLY shapes their being. Believe it or not, kids see us adults as their HEROES! Its up to us to choose if we want to create a positive impact on the next generation. 🙂

Honestly, I feel that the church still needs more help than there is so if anyone reading in Vancouver finds it in their heart to help out, please email Amanda Ponte.

Off I go to eat what’s left of my birthday cake! Birthday cake for dinner oh yeaaa