Jill and the Books Talk

My dearest Melissa, The Lord Jesus answered my prayers when you came into our lives. Thank you so much for  everything. Words are not enough to express how grateful I am to have a sister like you.  May God grant you the desires of your heart according to His good, pleasing and perfect will. May you always be in good health and may your days be filled with love, joy and peace. Happy happy birthday Mei-Mei! I love you! With my sister in law on their wedding day, July 16, 2011 at The Marriott Manila Epilogue: The Wife of Noble Character 10  A wife of noble character  who can find?      She is worth far more than rubies. 11  Her husband  has full confidence in her      and lacks nothing of value. 12  She brings him good, not harm,      all the days of her life. 13  She selects wool and flax      and works with eager hands. 14  She i...

We survived college life together.  And now, we celebrate the kind of friendship  that surpassed the test of time  and challenges of building careers and families. 

In the midst of this chaotic urban life,  I often find myself retreating to seek serenity  in special places that make me feel like  i'm a queen for a couple of hours.  I usually go by myself  but there are special moments when  one of my best friends joins me for a day of pampering.  Take a rest; a field that has rested gives a bountiful crop.  - Ovid (43 BC - 17 AD)

One of life's greatest pleasures is to languidly dine and catch up with good friends in a charming place like this. Great food, excellent service, eclectic interior.  There's just something about this quaint and fancy restaurant that keeps us coming back. Dining with friends at Cafe Juanita “One of the very nicest things about life is the way we must regularly stop whatever it is we are doing and devote our attention to eating.”  – Luciano Pavarotti

Tea time knows no bounds.  It is no longer just an afternoon delight for us.  Oh how far we've come  from drinking cocktails in sparkling glasses  to sipping tea in fine china. From enjoying girly talks  to having interesting conversations between ladies. Indeed, we have come a long way  my dearest best friend. Happy happy birthday! Midnight tea at the Edsa Shangri-La Hotel to welcome my best friend's birthday.  My best friend Genevieve's birthday.

You crown the year with Your goodness, And Your paths drip with abundance. - Psalm 65:11 Thanking God for the triumphs and trials of 2014, my family and I welcomed the New Year with so much hope for what is yet to come this year.  Experiencing that God's hand is never to short to help in times of trouble personally made me see that God is indeed beautiful and worthy to be praised from beginning to end. To celebrate what was and what is to come, we had a sumptuous Media Noche shared with immediate family and some of our employees.  I have welcomed 35 new years in my hometown with my family and our employees. I could never imagine being somewhere else when I wake up to greet the first day of the year.  This photo was taken by my brother. We didn't have fireworks from our home for the past 3 or 4 years but we can watch from afar. Happy New Year! (Photo taken by my only brother) At my parents'  home with my 94-year old A...

On the 4th day of my prayer and fasting, I woke up disoriented and upset. Perhaps it was because I did not get a restful sleep yet again. This has been going on since day one of my prayer and fasting week. I have been having dreams that seemed like they were overloaded with details which I could not recall.  And then it dawned on me that the reason I was feeling out of sorts was because I somehow felt that God was hiding from me. For the past 10 years of joining our corporate prayer and fasting, God always clearly revealed Himself to me through promises, revelations and even through the shaking of people and things that were important to me. He would even directly point out things in my life that were dishonoring him. This year however was different. I was not content. I praise God for the trials and triumphs of 2014. I stand in faith that He will answer all my prayer requests according to His good, pleasing and perfect will this year but I still don't feel right. I want more! ...