I'm back! Oh yes! And I'm back for good. :)

Been away from the blogosphere for almost a month (and I'm so sorry for that) because I had to spend my time with Mark. Yup! He went back home last March 13 for a month-long vacation. Remember my previous post on how I miss him so much?

Our last photo together before Mark left for Abu Dhabi
May 2013

After almost a year of being apart, we were finally back in each others arms. Yay!

Saw this in my drive while I was sorting out some files. I made this illustrations years back for a friend's wedding invitation. :)

Got this "Love Is..." quotes on the net and thought of making an illustration out of it. Drew it in a bond paper using pencil, outlined it with sign pen, scanned it, and then colored it in Photoshop. :)

And because today is Valentine's Day, I guess it's just very fitting for this post. :D

*****

So, what is love?

Love is...


Love is...

Was very touched and surprised with the little something that Mark prepared for my birthday last January, so I thought of doing something special for him too on his birthday today. I initially thought of making a Lebron shoe cake for him, but something came up and I wasn't able to make it.

So I just decided to make a little note for him. I drafted this note on my phone and I was already halfway through it when I kinda thought that I already made something like this before. And when I checked on my previous posts, there, I confirmed that I have made the same note over again, with the same LDR situation as before, but with a just a different order and some additional 'To the one who...' entries. Hahaha! :D

But oh well, I guess it's all what my heart really wants to say, so I'm still posting it. I included a different set of photos, anyway haha! :p

*****

To the one who I can spend some lazy days with...


To the one who I can share my food trips with...

Saw this this draft post on my folder while I was organizing the files in my pc. I originally posted this one on my Friendster page, but since I already had my account disabled, I decided to post it here. This suddenly brought me back to the times when Mark and I were just starting out as a couple. :p

~~~~~

Girls love surprises, right?! Especially when it's from the one they love. A box of chocolates secretly placed in her locker, a sweet "Thank you!" note slipped inside a book that was borrowed from her, a dozen red roses delivered at her office on her birthday with a note that says 'Happy Birthday Honey! I love you!' --these are just a few of the common surprises that guys do (or should i say, girls want guys to do! haha!), which never fail to give kilig moments to girls (believe me! ;p)...and well, yeah..sweet enough to win our hearts! *wink*

But as I was looking back, going through some old stuff, and thinking about these surprises, I have to say that when it comes to guys surprising girls, nothing still compares to my guy's style! ;p

I remembered one time when Mark and I were having merienda with some of my college girl friends while waiting for our next class. While we were eating and having some chit chat, Mark asked for a paper so I gave him one. My friends and I were busy talking about girly stuff while Mark was busy doing something with the paper that I gave.

Just as when we were about to leave for the next class, Mark handed me this...

...a piece of paper folded into small parts, while saying "o sayo na lang..basahin mo.."

Yesterday, August 27, marked the 8th year of Mark and I being together as a couple. We were both looking forward to this day especially because we were apart during our 6th year and 7th year.

Since August 27 was declared as a holiday Monday, we initially thought of having an out of town trip in Tagaytay. But since it is a long weekend, and we got to plan a little late, most of the places that we were eying on were already fully-booked. So we just decided to celebrate our anniversary by spending the long weekend together in Manila. Mark is from Caloocan and I'm from Antipolo, so technically Manila is still out of town for us haha! :p

Here's a sneak peek of what we did over the long weekend. :D

August 25, Saturday

Lunch at Pan de Amerikana (Katipunan)

On August 27, 2004, Mark and I fell in love with each other. Today, seven years later, the love is still the same. Well, even better. So much better. :)

Happy 7th anniversary, my love!

Even after all these years, amidst all this distance, you still manage to make me fall in love over and over and make my heart skip a beat. :D

Thank you! I love you! I miss you!!! See you soon! ♥♥♥

Got this lovely gift from the boyfriend last Sunday. This was supposed to be a surprise, but I already knew of it because of his mom. Mark must have forgotten how close his mom and I are that we talk almost everyday about almost everything. :p

Swatch Menthol Tone Watch

But I must admit, I still got surprised. :p Thanks love! I love it! :) But I would have liked it even more if you gave it to me personally hahaha! I miss you so much! Come back home soon! :)

To the one who I can share my craziness with...

To the one who I can share lazy days with...

To the one who I can share my food trips with...

To my gym and boxing buddy...

To the sexiest man alive...

To my sweetest stress... :p

To the one who always knows how to make me smile...

To the one who makes me fall in love over and over...

To the one who makes my heart skip a beat...

To the one who I want to share the rest of my life with...

To my one and only love...

Happy Birthday!!!

I thank the Lord for this day because He has given me someone like you. :) I love you! I miss you so much! Come back home soon!!! ♥♥♥

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

Got an email this afternoon from Mark. There's nothing really special about it, he just actually replied to the email that I sent him haha! But his last lines were something that I really won't forget and I even found myself in tears after reading it. It's funny though, because I just had to read it over and over just to make sure that I what I read was right! haha!

I'm over acting again, I know, right? hehe..but if you've been with someone who doesn't really expresses himself that much, I bet you'll also feel the same way that I did. :p

Here's another sweet line from my really-sweet-though-not-too-expressive love:

"sana tayo na nga habambuhay..i love you! mwah!"

He's wishing for 'us' to be forever. :') Awww..that's what I'm actually wishing for too Mark..I love you too!!!