Lalaine's 40th Birthday

Lalaine, a family friend celebrated yesterday her late birthday celebration. They just arrived from Philippines three days ago but somehow the garden/pool theme party was an organized one. It was attended by her relatives, close friends, some of their employees and her daughters friends. The food is a combination of catering, pot luck and lalaine's specialties.

The children enjoyed the family's swimming pool and the kid-friendly garden. We enjoyed the live music as well as the dancing. We really have lots of fun, displaying our own antics while her german guests just sit and staring at us.

When i arrived here in 2001, Lalaine is the first filipina whom i met. They owned a company and they're my first employer so i'm really very grateful to them.

To you Lalaine, Happy Birthday again and wishing you more success in life.

Dirk's New Toy

As part of his weight loss program, dirk bought a new electric bike, a bicycle which is designed to be propelled by human power using pedals and have an electric powered motor attached to it. Some of its advantages are faster travel, genuinely sustainable, no sweat, personal fitness and safety. Dirk is going to use his bike going to the golf course. I'm planning to use it as well, its more convenient to use than the regular bicycle.

The Empty Bottles

Everyday while doing our hotel chores, we collected empty bottles with disposable pledge. This means that there is a deposit on disposable packaging such as beverage cans, glass and plastic bottles. This deposit requirement started in January 2003 in Germany for recycling reason and its increasing proportion in recent years.

The machine that accepts glass and plastic bottles with pfand (deposit)

The DPG marking on disposable article pledge
Because of the money we got from returning the bottles, look at our lunch today, something special, it only proved that there's money in the trash

Maureen's Late Birthday Celebration

Last friday maureen celebrated her 30th birthday but its only yesterday that she had time to celebrate her big day with us. She also invited some of our friends but they were not able to make it because of work. The birthday girl prepared a simple menu- grilled meat, salads and tortang talong.

As for our dessert, ice cream with raspberry creme

Kati just played with the doll and big bear because there's no other kid around

Pizza Napoli

Pizza napoli is the favorite pizza flavor of the sisters, Joy and Madam Jo. This type of pizza is excellent for those who wish to keep their weight down as there is no mozarella cheese and it has fewer calories compared to other pizzas. They liked very much the taste but not for me. I prefer more the salami pizza with lots of cheese toppings. That's how we start the monday blues, eating our favorite italian foods.

My Life as a Blogger

Blogging have a sentimental quality. I am very proud of my blog posts, a tribute to modern technology and a documented journey of life. Blogs often become more than a way to just communicate, they become a way to reflect on life or works of art.

I have been blogging for seven months now, and its my way of releasing some tension, freedom of expression, sharing, teaching, therapy and relationships. This is my new world, with new web friends and a learning experience.

I'm really flattered when Dirk appreciate my blog or when my friends complement my blog posts, they even suggest a theme. This piece of my mind are treasures which i'm going to pass to my children and grandchildren.

My three daughters on the 3rd floor bar (entertainment area) of our house, they suggested that i should put their picture on my blog

Ooooops, photo first before eating (for my blog)

On Being a Hotel Worker

The transition from being a professor in the Philippines and a hotel worker here in Germany is not that easy. Back home, i used to teach Accounting, Finance, Management, Statistics, Math of Investments and even subjects for hotel and Restaurant Management course. I am proud of my job, its a new experience for me, everyday i meet new faces and encounter different challenges.

As a hotel worker, i will continue doing what i feel is right and will remain dedicated to our work despite the mood swings of my german colleague.

The hotel beauties, actually 9 filipinas are working under one employer but four different hotels. The commercial dryer of one of the hotel is temporarily out of order so we need to transport the handtowels and tableclothes from hotel A to B for drying.

I'm also doing some office work at Dirk's consulting business and having studied MBA-International business consulting at FH-Offenburg is a big advantage.

Today is the birth anniversary of my biological father, Manuel delos Santos Villanueva, Happy birthday Tay and i know you're always watching us from heaven.

Thank God Its Friday

TGIF has become an expression of relief at the end of the work week and anticipation of relaxing over the weekend. So, instead of wordless friday, i'm going to share to you some funny pictures.

mirror, mirror on the wall

Romeo and Juliet

Elephant basketball practice

President Bush heart

Our Small Village

How time really flies and i'm already seven years here in Germany. We live in Nesselried, a small village of Appenweier, a town in western baden-württemberg in the district of Ortenau. Nesselried had its own Rathaus serving its 1400+ residents. Rathaus is not the house of the rats but it is a german word for town or city hall.

Our small village also have a Raiffeisen Markt which sells farm and garden products. They have a strange opening hours and you can see that their stuff is outside the store day and night.

We also have a bakery but there's no display of bread, you need to go inside and choose.

Appenweier and Mont Louis, France had this partnership for many years and we played host to two exchange students

Lunch at Toscana

Today, we have a late lunch at Toscana, our favorite italian restaurant in offenburg. Their specialties are different kind of pizza in which they make their own dough the old fashioned way using their special sauce. They also served pasta, kebap and other german & italian foods.

The Hotel beauties. We have the same employer but assigned on different hotels.

Prayer for Peace

The causes of mindanao conflicts are not generally well understood but over the years it became more complex. What is very clear to all of us is that thousands of innocent people especially the children are affected and continue to suffer violence, poverty and displacement because of these conflicts.

Photo- abs-cbn news
Let us pray and hope that this war between our countrymen will end soon. May the Lord grant us peace that will empty us of hate and intolerance, then we'll turn guns into guitars and sing.

My Mini Model

My cute 3-year old grandaughter Daphne Antonette is joining a photo contest. My daughter already submitted some of her pictures to the organizers for evaluation. At an early age, she really wanted to be dressed beautifully, with make up and accessories. Win or lose, she will still be our mini fashion model.

Like grandmother, like grandaughter

Obi Day and Ate Lita's Birthday

Yesterday, we did drive to Obi, the leading brand in german and european building centers and do-it-yourself stores. We're looking for a rechargeable plant trimmer because the one that dirk bought last week don't meet his expectations. We then proceed to Bauhaus and still don't find the one that he likes.

ATE LITA'S BIRTHDAY


Ate Lita of Sinzheim also celebrated her birthday yesterday. She had lots of guests many of whom i just met for the first time. Ate Lita hailed from Capas, Tarlac and she's really a very good cook. She prepared mostly filipino dishes including pinakbet, relyeno, ginisang ampalaya, etc. and native dessert such as halaya, kuchinta, puto, and many more.


Cool Mom with the girls


Some of Ate Lita's guests

Party not complete without karaoke

Vanessa's Birthday

The 8th birthday celebration of Vanessa was held at their home yesterday. Her friends and relatives came in full force to celebrate with her. As usual, our birthday gift to her is the never ending barbie doll in which she had a collection including its accessories

The bagets came

and the 4gets as well.

Cool Mom in Costumes

Instead of wordless tuesday, i'm going to share to my readers some of my favorite costumes that i did wear on some events.

I wore this arabian dress during our safari adventure in Dubai

Wearing my chinese dress with mask at Fastnacht in our place

Wearing my dirndl in Munich Oktoberfest

My Japanese costume which we bought in Tokyo, Japan and wore it during mutti's 75th birthday in Köln

of course, the japanese girl is not complete without her japanese partner

Analyn's Birthday

Yesterday, my generous friend Analyn whom i fondly called "ninang" or godmother, celebrated her 40th birthday at the chinese restaurant in Bühl Offenburg. It was attended mostly by her close friends.

The birthday girl was gorgeous as ever evident by her nice hat in which we passed around for photo ops.

It was a gathering of friends and the usual updating on each others lives, the laughter, the jokes and the disappointment on the aborted wedding of a friend. We consider Analyn as our supermodel here because of her height and her choice of outfit. In every party, depending on her mood, she always wear the same color from head to foot, sometimes barbie outfit, dalmatian, gold, silver, astronaut,tiger, lion, star wars and whatever theme that comes to her mind.

The day is also a family bonding day for these two families

The Roth Family, Vilma, Arno, Stephanie and Christine, how time really flies fast, the kids are now nice ladies

The Deichelbohrer Family, Joy, Edgar, Kati and Yani

... and soon to be a family of three, Rainer and Leah