Sharing from my English blog: joysnotepad.blogspot.com.

One summer my family agreed to spend our vacation in Bulgaria. This time in Varna!

 Airport in Bulgaria. Just waiting for our luggage.

We stayed on this hotel. It has a swimming pool for the guests. Nice and clean, but those who worked there were not so polite. 

We arrived at the  hotel past midnight, hungry and thirsty, met by a  receptionist who was not friendly at all. We asked her where we can buy drinking water and food, and she just told us to go outside, walked ca 500 meter where we can find another hotel who was open past midnight and selling something to eat. But to go out past midnight in a dark and unknown place was not so easy for us. But we were so thirsty and hungry, so off we went. And I just prayed while we were walking, asking God for protection. And we indeed found the hotel and found something to eat. 

Next morning, we passed by the reception and say good morning to those who worked there. Or else they would not say a word. What a difference! 

We spent a vacation in the Philippines in 2004 and my husband was so impressed of the hotel employees that  were so polite. Always smiling and greeting us good day and opening the door for us everytime we passed by. Well,  there is difference in culture. And maybe it is tiring for the employees also to say hello to every guest  whole the day. So, I understand them. 

Anyway we were there to enjoy, so here we are roaming around!

 My daughter just had to go to all the shopping stall. Looking for something to buy. She thought that we had a bag full of money. But she was wrong, coz his daddy is not a millionaire. But we had  follow her anyhow. Lucky that she didn’t find much that she liked. Good for us and our wallets. 

 The hotel is only one kilometer away  from the beach, restaurants and shopping area. So it was a nice walking distance for us. But sometimes, we took this train to roam around, when our feets needed rest.

 Enjoying the ride:)

Stopped by in many different places!

Since we were on vacation there, we didn’t cook our food in the hotel. We tried different restaurants. They do serve big portions meal for very low prices. And they have also welcome drinks, but since me and my daughter does not drink alcohol beverage, my husband drinked them all. 

Bulgaria by night! Don’t judge us! We just took picture outside the casino. 

Like I said, it was cheaper there, so we went to the beauty shop for hair treatment.

Time for entertainment! Fiesta Bulgaria. A bus pick us from the hotel so we can see  a showcase of Bulgaria’s specialties.

A few of them. It was a very long program, so the result….

Before and after!

At last my husband found his long lost friend. The pirate:)

But me, I preferred  to wait for my chicken barbeque. The smell reminds me of my homecountry. 

It was very nice in Bulgaria, but there is no place like home…………………………………………………………!

Bulgaria in 2007

JOY

Hei, bloggvenner! Stormer det hos dere ogspå? I hvert fall, her i Trøndelag har det vært storm i snart en uke nå. Og vinden tar pusten fra meg hver gang jeg er ut i noen sekunder. Ut av huset, inn i bilen og til jobben. Ut på tur! Nei! Det ble bare trening i  trening kjeller for de ansatte på sykehjemmet der jeg jobber. Snart skal jeg trene  med vaskemoppen.

Man kan bli deprimert av dette været og glemmer at vi har mye å være takknemlig for. Lysten til bare gjemme seg under dyna på en lørdagsmorgen er fristende. Men plikten kaller.

Annonsørinnhold

Oversikt over salgene: De beste kuppene nå

For å komme ut av tristheten, måtte jeg prøve å finne noe å glede meg over.

Som disse blomstene som jeg fikk forrige torsdag som er fortsatt i blomst.

for denne orkideen

 Amarelius blomster

Minner om middagen jeg fikk hos svigermor sist tirsdag. kylling filet innpakket me bacon, ris og salat.

  Forskjellige bærsorter  med mye krem som dessert. Hmm. Deilig!

For å være litt sunt hjem hos meg! Kalkun filet med salat.

Wok: Kalkun lever og hjerte med grønnsaker

For disse frukt muffins som jeg har klart å bake til de eldre på aktivitetsenteret, som de likte så godt.

 Mer å være glad. Nettopp heklet ferdig disse gryteklutene som selges på aktivitetsenteret. Inntekten går til de eldre. 

Grønn farge

Blå ( denne heklet jeg for å gi som gave til noen på Filippinene)

 Holder på å strikke en kjerring. Hun skal være en vinbærer! Jeg må tove henne først!

 Nå er jeg faktisk glad for å ta fatt på nytt storm eller ikke storm!

Hva med deg? Har du hatt en fin uke?

JOY

Tårene våre…

Takk for at du er interessert i tårene våre Gud. Du teller hver dråpe av dem. Du vet hvor det kommer fra. Fra et fortvilt hjerte. Du rekkert en hånd , tørker tårene og lar oss få den trøsten vi trenger. Takk for din omsorg og at ingen som kan skille oss fra din kjærlighet…

Annonsørinnhold

Netthandelen tømmer lageret: Siste sjanse på kvalitetsvarer med opptil 75% rabatt

Joy

Sharing from my English blog: joysnotepad.blogspot.com.

Continuation of  the highlights of our trip to the Philippines.

Annonsørinnhold

Superkupp innen sport og friluft du gjør nå

This in Makati area where we stayed in the Philippines in 2004.

The City of Makati (pronounced /məˈkɑːtɪ/ mə-kah-tee; Filipino: Makati), in the Philippines, is one of the 17 cities that make up Metro Manila, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. Makati is the financial center of the Philippines and one of the major financial, commercial and economic hubs in Asia^{[citation needed]}. As the host of various embassies, it is also an important center for international affairs.

Makati is noted for its highly cosmopolitan culture, also being a major cultural and entertainment hub in Metro Manila. Many expatriates live and work in the city. Makati is home to many first-class shopping malls, such as Ayala Center and Rockwell Center, top hotels like The Peninsula Manila, the Shangri-La Hotel Makati and the Intercontinental Hotel Manila, and the tallest buildings in the Philippines like PBCom Tower, G.T. International Tower.

Source: Wikepedia

And this is my youngest daughter enjoying the heat of the sun and the beautiful garden in Makati area.

She wanted to be tanned!

But the sun was too hot, so now she seeks shadow from  the surroundings trees!

For me who was alreay tanned, I seeked places where the sun was not too sharp. 

My husband did not mind the heat of the sun. He needed to have tan color too . he he

In was in October month, but the malls were already decorated with Christmas decors! Christmas starts earlier here than Norway.

Makati by night!

Makati is really a beautiful city whether at night or day!

“Thought for the day”

Do not be wise in your own eyes, fear the Lord and shun evil.

This will be health to your body and nourishment to your bones. ( Pro. 3:7-8)

The secret of good health!

JOY

Sharing from my English blog: Joysnotepad.blogspot.com

Memories..year 2004. After visiting the some of our nearest relative, we went to Corregidor Island.

Corregidor Island. It was the Former Japanese and US Military Base during the second world war. 

Annonsørinnhold

Netthandelen tømmer lageret: Siste sjanse på kvalitetsvarer med opptil 75% rabatt

My three daughters. We are on the way to Corrigedor Island by ferry boat. 

I don’t know what you call this type of transportation. It was like  a passenger bus to me. We rode this one for sightseeing. 

This place is a museum. 

Picture taking outside. The nice weather was with us!

Outside the restaurant where we had eaten our lunch. My youngest daughter wondered what kind of animal was on the tree…..

It was really a bonding day for my three daughters.

 Their brother  was at work!

“Thought for the day”

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not unto thy own understanding, in all thy ways acknowledged Him and He shall direct thy path. “

Proverbs 3: 5-6

When our youngest daughter was still a baby, we just stayed at home and did not spend any vacation outside our home. But when she reached the age of three, we found out that we can already do it, because then she can enjoy the trip. Da vår ynste barn var baby, vi valgte å ikke reise noen steder pga. hun var for ung til å kose seg 

Annonsørinnhold

Oversikt over salgene: De beste kuppene nå

And this is our first trip to Lillehammer one summer many years ago.. 

Norway is known for trolls and I thought it will be  nice to  have a picture together with the troll. But my daughter was so afraid, as you can see in the picture.

She did not want to look at at troll at all:(

But enjoyed riding this man made cow:)

.                                               This is also a man made cow.

And these well known people were made of wax.

In this place, children were allowed to drive without a license. He he. So she did drive at the age of three:)

At last she found a playmate 🙂

Picture taking with her mother:)

And her mother again 🙂

This time she wanted to be alone in the picture.

But where was the father? Here he was at the children’s playground. He was still young at heart 🙂

Then its coffee and ice cream time after the trip:)

JOY

When I woke this morning, God gave me this words: 

Annonsørinnhold

Oversikt over salgene: De beste kuppene nå

First word is Joy. Well  my name is Ligaya and  in English it means  joy. God wants me to be joyful no matter what the circumstances are. Not easy most of the time when my body is in terrible pain, when my loved ones is having difficulties, when the world seems falling apart. But I just thank God for reminding me, coz no matter what,  I can put everything into His hands and be joyful under all circumstances.

I must have a bucket of patiece coz I’m an impatient woman. I don’t like waiting, especially for someone who is always late. If I want to do something, I have to do it now. If someone is telling a story, I don’t want to hear details. Tell me what happen and be finished with the story. For me,” time is gold”.

But God is saying it’s one of the fruit of the Spirit. I supposed I have to let the Spirit of God work in me and gave me a bucket full of patience 🙂

Kindness! Well, maybe it’s an easy part. I worked in an activity center for the elderly. And I loved them. So to show  kindness to them is a natural thing for me to do.

But, how about showing kindness to the people that hurt me? That I need Gods help, not only to forgive them , but show kindness to them. God is giving us the opportunity everyday to show kindness to everyone, not only to our loved ones, but also to  the unlovable. Well, that is everyday challenge. And that what makes life exciting!

LOVE! What is the definition of love? Everyone longs to be loved and to love. I believe that the greatest love that was shown was when God gave His Son Jesus Christ to die for us sinners, so that those who believe can be forgiven and be saved.

God definition of love is found in 1 Cor. 13: Love is patient and kind.  It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil, but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trust, always hopes, always persevere and it never fails.

Well, I have a long way to go to have that kind of love!

Peace! In this present world, it seems that peace is very difficult to acquire. We are surrounded by noise whereever we go. And not only noise. Problems or sickness that  make us worry. Storms in life rob us the peace we are longing for. But God said: ” Do not be anxious of anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your request to God. And the peace of God, which trancends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. ( Phil.  4:6-6) There we have it! That is the secret of having peace no matter what the circumstances are.

Faithfulness! Am I faithful in everything I do? Well, I am faithful to my husband, my work, my family. But how faithful I am to God? In prayer, in trust, in good works and in faith?  I have to depend on God for help to be faithful to what He entrusted me. I’m not perfect and no one is, but Him. I can call unto Him anytime of day and He is faithful to listen. I just hope that each and everyone of us will always be faithful in listening to God. Coz His wisdom never ends 🙂

 Do we experience Gods goodness everyday? Sometimes people are getting blind and asking where God is in the midst of all the bad things that are happening around the world. But Gods goodness is everywhere. In nature, in people who lends us a helping  hand.  God is good  who has given us eyes to see , ears to hear, hands to touch, feet to walk, mind to think etc. God has given us each other to loved and to be loved in return. God has given us talents and capability to develop them. Gods godness is too many to count, we only have to open our eyes 🙂

Well, I’m a person that is always on the go, always doing something and always busy and doing multi tasking all the time. Most of the time,when I’m doing something, I’m thinking of others things to do. That result is I’m forgetting to be gentle in things I have in my hands. I remember when  I was very young, I worked as a dishwasher in a Cafeteria. The first month, I did’nt  earn anything. I broke many plates and glasses while washing them, coz I was always in a hurry. So my employer did not pay me. I found out that a dishwasher job was not for me.

Now I work with older people and  I need to be gentle with them. I supposed I’m very good at it now.

 Self-control! The cat in the picture is an example of self-control. I need that kind of self- control when our cat used our floor as her toilet.

Self control when my teen-age daughter is doing her thing and won’t hear from me.

When my husband wants to listen to country music on saturday night, when all I want is a quiet evening with him.  Oh how I thank God for creating tears, then I can just cry and feel better after.

Dear God, let the fruit of the Spirit be seen in me/ us so that this world will be a better place to lived in for each and everyone of us!

Annonsørinnhold

Netthandelen tømmer lageret: Siste sjanse på kvalitetsvarer med opptil 75% rabatt

En eldre nordlending var utrolig fotballinteressert. Ettersom han var kommet i en alder der han snart måtte regne med å forlate dette livet, var han kolossalt opptatt av en ting: om det var fotballbaner i himmelen. Han gikk til en spåkone. Hun tittet lenge i krystallkulen før hun sa:

-Jeg har en god og dårlig nyhet til deg.

– Hva er den gode? Spurte nordlendingen.

– Jo. Det er en rekke fantastiske fotballbaner i himmelen.

– Flott! Og hva er den dårlige nyheten?

– Du skal stå i mål på en av banene på tirsdag!

En latter per dagen forlenger livetJ

JOY

Sharing from my English blog:

This place is very memorable for me. Back in the eighties, it was the only park, as far as I know, that was located  in the middle of Manila city. It is a place where a family can have their picnics, where lovers meets and where friends strolled and have fun. And after so many years, nothing has changed. It is still a place where one can spend week ends or weekdays  for free. Open 24 hours a day. 

And because it is a popular place to visit, especially for foreigners, I took my husband, youngest daughter and mother -in-law to this place. We were accompanied by my eldest daughter. It feels safe to have her around, especially when I have foreigners with me. 🙂

Annonsørinnhold

Netthandelen tømmer lageret: Siste sjanse på kvalitetsvarer med opptil 75% rabatt

Bonding day for my eldest daughter and my youngest daughter. Here in front of Rizal monument. The older brother and the other sister were at work.

Located along Manila Bay, Luneta has been the site of some of the most significant moments in Philippine history. The execution of pacifistDr. José Rizal on December 30, 1896, sparked the fire of the Philippine Revolution against the Spanish colonizers, elevating the martyr as the national hero of the country

With smiles on their faces!

It was a happy and precious moment for these two, who didn’t had the chance to grow up together.

My mother -in-law does not like to be published. He he

My husband was busy video taking. He had a very nice experience with a beggar who sat in a wheelchair. Felt sorry for the fellow. But later ,we saw the same beggar walking . My husband was shocked. I told him that they do everything to earn money and that is life in the Philippines. Lesson learned! Do not judge the book by it’s cover! he he

My eldest and youngest daughter ended the day by talking with each other almost the whole night. They had so many things to talk about. Childhood days and their mother:)

More in my next posts!

JOY

Sharimg this from my English blog: Joysnotepad.blogspot.com

 How did this happen? Well, in today’s tecnology, there is no impossible!

Annonsørinnhold

Hoka på salg: Kupp årets modeller til nedsatt pris

 Philippines, my home country, consist of 7,100-plus islands  with the population of 99.900,177 as of 2010.

Being an archipelago, it  has different languages. The official languages of the Philippines are English and filipino based on tagalog but it has 12 major langauges scattered across its island, some of these are, tagalog, cebuano, ilocano, kapampangan, kinaray-a, waray-waray, pangasinense, tausug, bisaya, ilonggo.

Its land area is 300,000 square kilometers (115,830 square miles), and its coastline is 36,289 kilometers (22,550 miles). 

Norway which is a little bigger than my homecountry country ( 385 199 square  km) has less population. Only 4,9 million people and with only 2 languages:  Norwegian ( Bokmål and Nynorsk)

Well, good for me. It was difficult enough to learn a new one! Anyway after 24 years, I did learn to speak this language:)

The brown eyed-girl from the east met ……..

the blue-eyed man from the west ……

and the result…….18 years after! She is 20 now.

But how about the rest of the family?

Well, after many years living together, my husband finally decided to meet my family in the Philippines.

At last they met. Our daughter, my husband and my mother in 2004! It was a memorable day for all of us.

My four children, reunited again for the third time.

They met the first time in 1995 in the Philippines. 

Second time in Norway in 1998!

Anyway, one of the highlights was to visit some of the nearest  relatives. This is my younger sister’s kitchen.

And for our beauty treatment, we went to my oldest sister beauty salong. Our younger sister Eden ( in the middle, red blouse) is also a beautician.

And at last my husband met my daughter-in-law and my two grandchildren that time. Now I have six adorable grandchildren!

My son-in-law with  my husband. I think they both look nice.  He he. Ariel is the husband of my second daughter!

My first daughter together with her husband! She was pregnant that time.

My mother-in-law was with us, but she did not want to be published, so I did not included her in my post. 

End of part one! I will be sharing more of the highlights of our visit to the Philippines in my next blog!

Thougt for the day!

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdon and discipline. 

( Proverbs:1)