thank you, God


We went to Waikiki on the 26th, walked around and took pictures. As we were walking on our way to the Fort De russy parking lot, this person appeared in the middle of nowhere, he was Jamaican, I think, dark skinned, tall person with dreadlocks. he was wearing a decent shirt and shorts with no slippers on. He was walking quietly his face down. I was looking down while walking because Nathan was in a stroller, I was scared, you never know! then as soon as he passed by me he stopped by the bushes and plucked something... a yellow hibiscus flower! and quickly gave it to my mom, mommy said thank you but instead of replying 'you're welcome' he only responded with a soft 'mahalo' (mahalo means thank you in Hawaiian), then off he went. so weird! after that, we all looked at each other and Rachel suddenly said 'he must be and angel!' the flower was yellow and big, its petals were widespread. so pretty! we noticed on our way to the parking lot that most of the hibiscus flowers were already closed since it was night time already. My mom informed Rachel the day before we went to Waikiki that she was hoping that Gully would appear in her dreams carrying a flower to know that he's happy. so weird but true! It was a special night for us. When I saw my watch, guess what time it was? 9:30 pm.


Hello, friends! how are you all doing? for us here, we are doing fine so far. It's been a tough time ever since my brother passed away. but we are trying our best to recover, with God's guidance I know we will overcome these trials being sent our way. My brother's girlfriend Rachel arrived here in Hawaii around Aug. 15th, As soon as we fetched her at the airport that's when we got a call from my mom that Gully is about to be transferred to St. Francis Hospice down by Ewa beach, everything was right timing. Gully was still ok, he still got to sing, chat on the phone, talk story with us but all of a sudden that Saturday the 16th, he started to feel weak and started to talk about things that you know a person would when he is coming close to his end of days. It freaks us out every time he talks about himself leaving us. His request was to be cremated and wanted us to throw his ashes to the sea, which we didn't like, later he told us that we can do whatever we want then as long as he is not to be put in a coffin.

I went home around 6:00 pm that Sunday, the 17th of Aug. He was asking in a weak voice what he would wear on his funeral. I went home and looked through his clothes, no white long sleeve button down shirt so I rushed to buy one for him, I was speeding to the freeway and somehow I wanted to go back to the Hospice, so after preparing for my brother's funeral clothes, hubby ironed it himself since he wasn't satisfied the way I ironed it. to think I wasn't planning to go back since he was still doing good. my mom called me one more time and I told her I was on my way. boy, as soon as I got there his eyes went wide eyed and I knew for sure he waited for me one last time before he left his body. Gully's body was completely numbed already. Rachel told Gully that once he sees angels he should raise his hands, and We saw him did it! he raised both hands and said 'PRAISE THE LORD!'.

That night, Gully's friend who was a pastor stayed there until Gully's last breath, along with his wife and a friend, a missionary from Indonesia. Me and Rachel held his hands until he stopped breathing. Soothing heavenly music was being played in the back, that really broke my heart to pieces because I know any minute he will be gone forever. we kissed and hugged him like there was no tomorrow . little by little his body went cold. we kept on listening if his heart wasn't beating any longer. my mom kept on breathing hard and praying that Gully would soon leave so his suffering would stop already. She couldn't barely see my brother's condition, it was so hard for her. the time was 9:30 pm, A sunday. His favorite day since he loved going to church so much.

He was cremated Aug. 21, 2008. we held a little service for about 30 minutes just the 6 of us. As soon as we walked in the Chapel anticipating what he would look like, there he laid on gurney with lots of blankets and a green quilt over him, he looked so peaceful, like he was only sleeping. We sang and listened to a few bible verses. We couldn't believe he's now gone. for good. the next few days We toured Rachel to the places Where Gully visited here in Hawaii. At home, whatever Gully did that's the way Rachel did. my mom found comfort in her since she was the closest person Gully had in his heart so mom felt that. We donated almost all his stuff to the Cerebral palsy foundation. I am pretty sure Gully would understand that. If we had the space permanently we wouldn't give anything away in a heartbeat. I kept most of my brother's stuff for safekeeping and at the same time will serve as his memories to me.

I am currently planning on his memorial page, Rachel is willing to help me out with it, too. She leaves the Island on Sept. 3rd, along with my mom going to San Diego then to the Philippines. As hard as it feels for us her leaving us, too I just hope we'll all be alright. I don't want her to go far away from me. but since she can't stand being here all alone, I even offered to help her find work so she can be busy. but I couldn't convince her. even spending a few months, maybe a month or two so we can save money for her trip back home. We're in a financial crisis right now since we paid a lot for my brother's funeral. I love my brother and I didn't really care if we did spend a lot since she has no work and Gully didn't had any work either, it was all up to us. I just hope she appreciated everything we did for her. In spite of Gully being gone, she should realize I am still here. We love her. but then We'll just be praying to the Lord to guide her whatever decisions she make.

Thank you so much for all the greetings you guys gave. Most of you saw his pictures there, I didn't share it here anymore since most of his pictures are uploaded on my friendster account. again, thank you. May God bless you all for the kindness you guys have given to me.

what happens in Vegas


No, no, no! I haven't been there yet, if you ask me. it's always my dream to see the city of lights and The City That Never Sleeps. I'd like to try my hands on slot machines, if I ever have a chance maybe beginners luck, who knows. but you know, When you plan your vacation especially if you have a toddler on board, Vegas is not on our top list, not yet at least. Come on I don't think bringing kids to vegas is a top priority, as a mom that's the way I think. When you think of kids, you think of Amusement parks or other educational places out there. Vegas is the best vacation spot for adults, people who wants to get away from everything and just have plain fun. I am no gambler and will never be! but to me Vegas is such a cool place to visit, you know I just love to experience the place, see lots of cool bright lights flashing everywhere, nice shows and concerts of famous people, just about anything you can think of that can happen in Las Vegas. Once more, let me tell you that Shermanstravel.com can help you with their Las Vegas travel deals. There's more to it than playing around in casino's, go food tripping with their world-class restaurant scene and don't ever forget your shopping time. Well, wish I was there.

going away


Me and hubby are planning on spending a few days in San Diego On December to meet up my mother-in-law and some relatives as well, it's been a few years since We last visited them. my Mother-in-law would want us to spend Christmas and New years with them but that would be so impossible since we're not allowed to be on leave on the Holidays. We'll see about that. We need that few days after all we've been through, we need a break from all of the problems we just had. with God's guidance we will get through this. It will be therapeutic for us to go on a short vacation, we'll probably bring Nathan to Disneyland since it was around 2005 the last time he visited Disneyland in Tokyo. Well, are you planning to take one yourself? Why don't you visit Shermanstravel.com, they have lots of travel deals in store for you. take a look at their package selections, read Hotel reviews to see which place you want to stay at. compare rates from hotels, packages and cruises. Plan away that perfect dream vacation you are waiting for, hurry -you just might stumble upon a great deal right now.

get a quote


We are very overwhelmed with our expenses nowadays, a lot of money is coming out of our pocket (whew) but that's ok, it was all worth it anyways. Just recently, our caravan's brake pads went bad and hubby rushed it the next day to our dealer, it was just in the nick of time, too. So anyways, me and hubby are thinking of changing our auto insurance because the insurance we have is such a pain in the neck, it's not even funny anymore. Well, who am I kidding anyway? I am pretty sure a lot of people out there are experiencing the same thing right now. If you want to find the right auto insurance might as well visit onlineautoinsurance.com and take an online auto insurance quote so you can easily compare car insurances from a variety of companies. fill out a quote comparison, it will only take a few minutes and you will easily find cheap prices for the best coverage you need. well, good luck with that.. I might ask for a quote, too, I hope it can help us.

farewell, Gully



Gulliver Raymond Bena
June 30, 1986 - Aug. 17, 2008 (9:30 pm - sunday)

He joined our Savior Jesus Christ on a sunday, his favorite day. we love you so much, Gully. thank you for being there always, thank you for the memories, you will be always loved and cherished... we love you, kapatid! mamimiss ka namin! I'm pretty sure he is happy now and HEALED in the arms of God. I can't believe he started strugglng around 12 noon yesterday. We all visited him and I even went home because we thought that he would still be ok. I bought him a white long sleeve shirt and I was speeding through the freeway (which I don't normally do) I wanted to be back home asap and drive again to the Hospice by Ewa beach. in a matter of minutes my brother passed away... they told me that he kept on asking for me, my brother waited for me until his last breath. thank you, Gully! thank you for everything... we love you!

I'll tell the whole story when I'm completely fine. right now I still can't believe he's gone... We are all so heartbroken yet happy because he is not suffering anymore. God bless to each and every one of you who has been supporting me and my family after all these years and all these months. even with the new found friends we had, thank you to all!


Love, Kit and family

school recap time


As promised, since It's been a long overdued task I'm here to share these pics of my son's school day experience. Their classes started so early, can you imagine that? 29th was the meeting for the parents and teachers after that went to our son's classroom and boy, it was so cute! I felt like a dwarf in the Snowhite and the 7 dwarves story (lol) lil chairs, lil tables, toys, books, you name it. so cute.

Nate did a good job on his testing, thank God. Their first day of school was Aug. 1st actually it was only a half day but the 5th was their first full day of classes from 7:55 am to 2:10 pm, wednesdays they get out around 1:15 pm.


Nathan waiting for his turn for his testing time. (July 29, 2008)





getting ready for 1st day of school, half day only for group A. how exciting! (Aug. 1, 2008)



Nate's school, very simple =)



School is close to the mountains so they really have fresh cool breeze coming down.





father and son. my special boys who earns my heart. =D



As the bell rings... lil reminders for the lil munchkins.



off they go! see ya later, lil buddy!


It's such a nice feeling to see my boy so excited to go to school. he had a fever from his 1st full day of school, that night was terrible! he was as hot as an iron, I tell ya. Some moms told me that their lil kids who went to pre-k got sick the first few days, it was normal. I was happy to meet a few moms there, they were all so nice! everyday Nate had homework and they are concentrating on writing the letter A, I am so thankful Nathan knows the uppercase and lower case letters so he's not having a hardtime catching up, thank goodness. We do our homeworks right away, I read to him everyday and I may say he's getting good at it, reading is key indeed!

unfortunately, what saddens me the most is he had his first time out =/ because he got so playful and somehow had hurt one of his classmates. The teacher told me the first few days Nate was really shy and wasn't really opening up but that day he was just enjoying himself and getting to be a lot more comfortable. TODAY was another day. The teacher called me and told me my son (yesterday and today) was caught in the bathroom playing with water splashing himself and the others with water around their restroom break. If he had done this yesterday she should at least make the effort to tell me about it yesterday at least it was supposed to be prevented from happening again today. I'm going to talk to her tomorrow. We keep on talking to our son about the wrong things he had done in school, It's hard =/ but boys will be boys, I guess. hubby says that Nate's behavior got it from him. Everytime I drop him off I make sure we go through the terms we had just discussed coz, My Lord.... I don't wanna see myself in the principal's office! Nate knows the consequences, we just gotta be firm, no.. wait a minute, I'm the one who's gotta be firm since I'm the softy one here.

I'm proud of myself, too! why? because I can get up early in the morning now! I don't feel tired as I used to be, I sleep earlier now and I get up without worries. but goodness, work is only a week away, I get back on the 21st after being on leave for 3 weeks (my 1st time taking leave this long). SO this is what a SAHM feels like?? It's pretty good, although I still like working now that my lil boy is in school, things got terribly boring around here. Well, I'll end this for now... thank you for reading, folks! God bless to all.
NEW LAYOUT, at last! it's been weeks since I've made this theme, I still loved my background so I just had to change the header as usual there are love birds now (lol) the previous one had a blue bird now there are 2 birds.. @ ate Riss, I just realized pareho tayo ng birdie theme tweet, tweet) nagulat ako nung binago mo layout mo, may bird sa header, so cute!


hurry, hurry


Just as I am about to update for my real post, I have about 30 minutes to pick up my son in school. cripes. ok, I'll be back later to update this. bye, friends!

Debt services


When you're in debt, you're in serious trouble. I'm scared to be in debt, who won't be? I think that's the most scariest thing in this new generation we have today. It's like a pandemic, it seems like there is no solution at all. This website called Pyramid financial solutions specializes in a lot of debt collection services like corporate, consumer, billing and a lot more. Check out their website for more information at pyramidfinancialsolutions.com . Well, if you are interested you may have to consider taking their online auto insurance quote, besides you have got nothing to lose since it's easy, fast and yes-FREE!

more memory, please


You are downloading some stuff on your computer on such a great day, you are thinking that nothing impossible can happen in between your work online then all of a sudden you just realized your computer is acting up every now and then. Your downloads have stopped and every time you click on a website it seems to be loading awfully slow. That's it, you're computer is sick! yes, you need memory! It needs more memory alright. We can always get it at Buy.com, pretty easy as I can say. Their laptop memory is going on special right now, perfect upgrade for new notebooks that are out on the market today. SO don't wait now, go and get your laptop more memory, what's best about it is all orders are free shipping. how wonderful is that?

Dolphin pride!



Yep, it's school time once again and I am sooo happy and proud of my lil boy. He started to go to school on the 29th of July. He did well on his testing date around the 31st and he did well, he made his mama and papa proud, as well as the grandparents of course (my MIL, the most) because she values education very much and she wants all children to excel in school as much as possible. Nate's first full day was around the 5th, I'm glad he didn't cry, to think he didn't go to preschool, how happy we were! I have pictures to share but that will come on my next update probably tomorrow, coz I am so sleepy right now need to get up at 2:00 am have to drop off hubby at work, wake up at 6:00 to get Nate ready for school, school is just 5 minutes away from us, about a mile away. pretty neat school, I love it! I don't think we'll transfer him to Aliamanu anymore, he loves the dolphins on his shirt, proud to be a Dolphin alright. I'm on leave for another week, had to talk to my supervisor on extending my leave coz I only asked for 2 weeks because of my mom being at the Hospital. My brother is in a critical stage right now, he's still at the Hospital, poor guy. thank you for the continued prayers and support, you guys will be in my prayers and my heart as well. God bless...

Fashionably hot


As much as I want to own designer stuff, I hate to say it but I can't really see myself parading down the street with gorgeous designer goods, I just can't. Why, because I can't really afford it and it's not practical for me and my family. When I'm at work and we talk about expensive stuff and I would share my moments, they would tell me that I'm doing the right thing because one day I can buy all the things I want in life, it's just right now family comes first. They told me that they went through the same thing where they couldn't afford to buy the best things in life because they always thought of their families, but now they can pamper theirselves with gorgeous clothes, shoes and bags, as well as elegant pieces of jewelries whenever they wanted. I guess that's life, I always admired fashionable people since I love fashion very much since I love to draw clothes myself, I pretty much appreciate the fashion business and someday I would love to be working in that field, who knows I can always dream, right? well, back to designer talk.. If you love Oscar de la Renta I know I do, you might want to take a look at MarissaCollections.com, It's among the favorite online shops of designer lovers, take a look at products like pumps, sandals, sunglasses and more. boy, would I love to own one.

a silver lining


I'm not really a gamer to tell you the truth, oops, wait a minute.. I already told you guys that. my bad. but yeah, back when I was younger me and my brother are die hard gamers, when the day I turned 16 I just realized games aren't for me. It wasn't long ago when we bought our PS2, it's been 2 years I believe since we bought it, around that time my son wasn't really into games yet because we let him use his little game boy advance instead. My brother and my hubby are the gamers here, my son just recently got addicted to plaing video games and, my Lord, we sure had a tough time taking it away from him because of school. SO anyways, I was browsing around this website at Buy.com, they have this PlayStation 2 System, I think it's redesigned and oh, it's in silver color! I love silver better, I don't know why. but for sure we won't be getting that. because my hubby couldn't find any more reason to get rid of our own ps2, why bother buying another one, right? Well, if you are interested head on now to Buy.com!

to believe or not to believe




I know this is kinda weird, but do any of you guys believe in supernatural beings? Well, I got a reply from my good friend's mom back in the Philippines. They just found out about my brother's condition, I also told them about how their neighbor who was of old age had the very same tumor on the same area at the same time. really weird. When we told my hubby about this he joked that the place must be cursed or something, my mom and my brother rents that 2 storey apartment with a large backyard with a tree and some of my mom's garden vegetables. My hubby's aunt owns that property.

a lot of people kept on telling us that a mangkukulam (witch) had cast a spell on my brother then my mom suddenly realized she had a friend who was quite old and sold fresh vegetables, one day she told a story to my mom about how her daughter's bf who is ready to leave for the states was about to leave her daughter, but she told that boy not to leave or else he might regret it coz she might cast a spell on him. and he never left her daughter for the fear of something might happen to his life. one day, she visited my mom and asked for a picture of my brother, maybe for souveneir or something but my mom refused to do so. That old lady was also friends with their neighbor who just died a year ago because of the same tumor as my brothers.

SO moving on, I got a message yesterday and my friend told me to call right away if I can coz it was very important. I had to ask what it was, surely this morning I opened my friendster and my friend's mom explained everything to me. As soon as she read my message she rushed to an albularyo (herbalist) and told my brother's name to the old man, he wrote the name on a white piece of paper, holding the candle and saying a prayer saying the name of my brother he placed it on top of the name and all of a sudden the old man became unconscious. his head bowing, holding my brother! the old man's voice was an old woman, she was an engkantada (somewhat like a fairy) she was already old because the way the old man was really hunched like an old lady. according to my friend's mom, the old lady lives in my mom's backyard, she got hurt in the shower while my brother was there, she even pointed out where she got hurt, on her chest and her back. my friend's mom asked what was the best thing my brother's family could do to forgive him, the old lady blew the paper with my brother's name on it and she said the best thing was if a family member would come to my mom's house and say a prayer, ask for forgiveness while throwing rice grains in the bathroom where she got hurt. she didn't ask for anything else but for forgiveness. They saw the candle wax formed my brother's name. It gave me chills just reading about it. how did they know about the bathroom? the bathroom is facing the backyard with some trees and some plants. so that was probably her home. the bathroom is a bit small to move around, so that might be it.

As much as I hate to believe it, my friend's mom told me that a lot of her good friends and business owners from our City go to that herbalist for help, and he was really good, doesn't ask for any payment or anything at all. and her friend from Australia was sick and just by using her picture was treated just like that. There's no harm in trying that's what she told me. oh well, I know it's too late for that but with God's help, nothing is impossible. yesterday, I cooked pinakbet and brought him some at the Hospital, he hates hospital food and I couldn't believe my eyes, for the first time ever he ate a lot! he gained back his appetite, thank God. but my mom told me this morning that last night my brother was crying in pain and I think maybe that was the time the old lady back in the philippines using the old man as a medium blew the name of my brother on the piece of paper. weird, huh? I grew up with my mom with a lot of superstitious stuff, I do believe in some and I do it for the sake of being safe. whenever we step on grasslands or just walking through or sometimes if we throw something on the sidewalks my mom would say tabi tabi po to show respect and warning that you are coming so you won't hurt them while you're walking. =/

thank you again for all your prayers, friends... God bless you all!