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Holidays 2025
Here are this year’s Holiday photos. Random shots from all over this December.
This year's table setting was when the LaCo coffee crew came to our house for our Christmas party with the kids.
Our food.
We mommies and the adorable kids.
SD crew Christmas lunch at Edsa Shangrila.
Christmas Eve at my SIL's, the Dairocas' home in Paranaque.
Thank you 2025, Hello 2026!
Triumphs in 2025:
My kid and I have a roof over our head.
We have more than enough food on the table.
We live comfortably without asking for help from a lot of people.
My kids and I are healthy.
I’m own good terms with Josef’s dad despite the arguments mid-year. Time heals wounds, if not all YET.
Realized that LOVE is not something given, it’s earned. Same goes for RESPECT.
Made time for self-care, meditation and me-time.
Kept my circle small.
Met new friends. Kept the good, awesome, old ones.
Dodged negativity
Focused on my children SOLELY.
Worked on my inner peace. Glad to have this kin of peace in years.
Let NO man enter my life.
Thankful for my co-workers, boss and job.
Glad to welcome the new year again. Hello 2026!
Thank you, Lord.
Goals for 2026:
Continue with my daily devotion.
Spend half an hour of meditation/quiet time everyday.
Make time to run again
Take “mini”-breaks.
Make time for self-care.
Do something unplanned once a month.
Be more kind and do an act of kindness as often as I can.
Eat healthy. Lose weight.
Do a social media detox 2 days a month.
Make sure the house is well kept.
Be more organized.
Spend less
Monetize my hobby.
Save.
Keep my circle small and sincere.
No chasing of people who constantly want to go.
If there comes a chance, ONLY take a chance with the love that I deserve.
Stick to these resolutions.
Stay focused.
Always be thankful.
Enjoy life.
Be happier.
Ready to move forward this year, looking forward to moving to my hometown in Q2.
Let’s do this. Fighting.
49th Photo Dump
My heart is so full to have my kids by my side. Happy to have spent it quietly.
Special thanks yo Kafkeyk for always being the ever thoughtful friend who sent me Almond Sansrival, and to Belle and Mayette for the very pretty and dainty ube chiffon cake. You guys made me happy today.
Nth.
I turned a year short of my golden age yesterday. Glad to have reached this age without the gray hairs yet.
I thought it would be a quiet bday. I was thinking of cooking Kare Kare and Crispy Pata but since JL was sick for a week, I was thinking he would not be home to celebrate so I decided against cooking. But thank you Lord, he went home in the afternoon with Yette and Belle. They brought a balloon and a cake. My son coming home made me the happiest.
My uncle also sent me Kimchi, Lumpia and fruits. How thoughtful. My BFF Kafkeyk sent me some Almond Chocolate Mousse via delivery and I’m so touched. What I thought was a quiet day turned out to be meaningful in itself because I spent it with family.
Happy Birthday, my Love.
My youngest celebrated his 5th birthday last week and also his first time to celebrate at school since he’s now in Kindergarten.
We had a countdown starting from “25 more sleeps to my birthday, Mom” to “1 more sleep and I’m 5, Mom”. He’s always been a simple kid. Happy with simple toys and treats. At a young age, he knows that Mom has to work hard so we can live a decent yet frugal life. I’m thankful that I don’t need to explain many times that we have to live within our means. Goes the same for my eldest, who knows that we live on a budget and we cant exceed unless there’s a need to. Thank you,Lord for my children.
Going back, my youngest, on the eve of his birthday, wanted to wait for midnight just so he can say it’s already his birthday. It’s nothing extra but come midnight I got a cupcake and lit a candle on it and sang the birthday song for him. Oh my, he was overjoyed with that small gesture, something that he might forget later on, but to me, it’s a core memory I will hold in my heart forever. His eyes are shining so brightly and said “thank you.Mom” and gave me a big hug like as if it’s my birthday.
The next day, he went to school with the chocolate chip cookies I made for his classmates and the chocolate cake I also made for him (upon his request). He said he wants to bring the cake I make at home and share it with his classmates. We topped it with a planets-and-astronauts themed decor.
So yea, here’s the Moist Chocolate Cake recipe again. I have to put it here for future reference too. :-)
Cake:
2 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 tsp iodized salt
2 cups brown sugar
1/2 cup corn oil
1 egg
1 teaspoon coffee powder
1 tablespoon plain white vinegar
2 cups room temp water
Frosting:
2 cups heavy cream
2 cups dark chocolate, chopped
1/8 cup salted butter
In a bowl, mix the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, salt and brown sugar. Set aside. In a separate bowl, mix oil, egg and water then add to the dry ingredients. Mix everything together and add the vinegar and mix well.
Preheat oven to 180C for 15 minutes and bake for around 45 minutes until firm. Cool first before frosting.
For the frosting, you can make this ahead of time since we need to chill it for a while so it can be pipe-able. Boil the cream. once boiling, turn off the heat and add the chocolate chips/chopped chocolate and butter. Mix well. Chill for 4 hours or even up to overnight.
Once the frosting is ready to use, use a mixer to blend the frosting before putting in a piping bag. Use this to frost your cake.
Sharing his cake below. Not the best looking as we were really superrrr pressed for time. No excuses, but I also had to make about 150++ cookies and pack them. All these within a 15-hour window. Whoa!
Still glad with the results coz my son was the happiest that day. He even told me “Mom, you’re the best. You even made me a cake and cookies for my classmates”. That really melted my heart so much.
I love you, Anak.
Missing you, Mom.
26th year today, I lost my Mom.
She was only 48 then. She's cheerful, kind, and very loving to us, her three children. I was the oldest and the only daughter. I have two younger brothers. My dad was a seafarer, so we didn't get to spend as much time with him growing up. He was away most of our teenage years and was only on vacation for a month every year.
It was not until my Mom passed that Dad decided to stay home and work in the Philippines again. This should be another story later on, perhaps when I celebrate his life in September.
I vividly recall what happened during the last hours of her life 26 years ago. Back story, Nokia 5110 was "the thing" during that time. And fortunately, I had that phone. So Mom would lovingly call me from time to time and would happily ask if I enjoyed having my own phone and being called. She lovingly called me that afternoon and told me to get a cake for her friend (who happens to be one of my best friend's moms) and said I should drop by the dinner party at their house since she can't come anymore, since she was cleaning the house and she was having an asthma attack. I was hesitant since my class was until 7:30PM that day. I eventually agreed, got the cake, and went according to plan.
Fast forward, I got home at midnight, and she was still up, even gave me the keys for the gate. I was surprised she was at the door, waved to my friend, who took me home, and said, "BYE, Ren". To be honest, that felt different. It wasn't her usual self.
So I came in and saw that she was sleeping on the couch because she couldn't breathe well lying down because of her asthma. I felt uneasy, and my brother decided to take her to the hospital at around 2am. I was left because I still had to lock the doors and make sure everything was secured. They went with our neighbor, who's also a close friend of Mom. I couldn't get back to sleep. I was restless. I'm used to seeing Mom needing to go to the hospital for her asthma. She wasn't in the pink of health in the last few months. But that night was different.
My mom's friend came by (the same friend who took her to the hospital) at around 3:30-ish. In her words, "nirerevive sya". I was a Psych major, so I'm kinda familiar with these terms. That clearly came to me as - my mom already passed on. Of course, she was trying to make me know it by not telling me exactly what was happening.
We were at the hospital in 15 minutes. I saw my mom in a stretcher at the ER, cold and dead. My brother hugged me so tight, and my mind went blank. It was just the 3 of us there. I was 22, my brother was 19, and the youngest was 11. My dad was on a sail and we had no way to tell him immediately.
Why in the world did this happen? We were young and all by ourselves. We called our relatives on our mom's side and told them, followed by my relatives on my dad's side. We were so lost. The rest happened so fast. Waited for Dad for 11 days to get home, and the rest is, you know, one of the most painful chapters in this lifetime.
I remembered it today. All the pain. Everything. Then today I realized, oh, was that 26 years ago already? It feels like yesterday.
And now that I'm sharing this story, I miss her more and more. It still breaks my heart not to have her around.
I have two boys now. I could have been a better mom if she were around. I could learn a thing or two from her. I would be happy to be like her. My kids would be so happy to call you their Lola.
Oh, I miss you so much. Mom. I wish I were as cool as you. I wish I were as easy-going as you. It's not easy being a parent. I struggle every day. There are so many ups and so many downs. Yet again, I live, survive, thrive and grow.
Thank you for everything, Mom. Visit me in my dream when you can. I'd be happy to use your tight embrace and kisses any time.
Honored to have worked with such an incredible group of people.. hands down one the best experiences of my life. I’ll never forget you Team Tustin 💕 😢
Akhirnya agenda ramadhan selesai juga!
Alhamdulillah…
Segala puji bagi Allah, Tuhan Semesta Alam yang sudah memanjangkan umur kita hingga detik ini, sudah menyatukan hati-hati kita hingga kita masih bisa merasakan nikmatnya persaudaraan, nikmatnya pertemanan atas dasar ukhuwah islamiyah, nikmatnya pertemanan yang sudah macam keluarga, nikmatnya pertemanan yang masih terjalin kuat bahkan setelah 2 tahun kita lulus sekolah..
Segala puji bagi Allah yang sudah memberikan kita rezeki, baik itu rezeki sehat, rezeki waktu yang bermanfaat, rezeki keluarga dan teman-teman yang senantiasa mengingatkan diri kita pada Allah, rezeki harta yang lancar, rezeki hati yang senang berbagi, hingga kita masih bisa menyisihkan sebagian harta kita untuk saudara-saudara kita yang membutuhkan…
Bukankah ada banyak orang yang punya uang banyak tapi sayaaaaang sekali kalau mau ngeluarin uang buat sedekah? Orang yang hatinya keras hingga berbagi aja rasanya susah.. Bukankah Allah yang membolak-balikan hati manusia? Bukankah Allah yang membuat hati ini jadi ringan untuk berbagi?
Alhamdulillah… Segala puji bagi Allah, Tuhan Semesta Alam…
Akhirnya…
AGENDA RAMADHAN TAHUN INI SELESAI JUGA!!! YEAAYYY
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“Li, gimana kemarin acaranya lancar?”
“Aku terharu pisan euy denger harapan anak-anaknya. Asa bergetar gimana gitu”
“Gimana sih, Li, cara nyatuin orang-orang nyampe bisa bikin acara gitu?”
“Bagus banget pesannyaa. Setujuuu!”
Begitu kira-kira komentar dari teman-teman kita saat melihat salah satu postingan teman kita di instagram tentang acara kemarin.
Emang acaranya kaya gimana sih? Harapan anak-anaknya apa aja sih? Trus ada pesan apa emang?
Check this story out~
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Agenda ramadhan tahun ini mulai jadi perbincangan saat gathering EA bulan April lalu untuk bikin acara lagi pas ramadhan. Sempet ada beberapa ide baru waktu itu:
Bagi buka di jalan sambil buka lapak buat orang shalat magrib
Bersih-bersih masjid
Ngajarin anak-anak ngaji
Buka rekening EA
EA FOUNDATION soon to be
Habis tuuu, beberapa minggu kemudian, berkumpullah EA di STM sebagai rapat pertama EA Berbagi 2017 untuk menentukkan acara tetap dan susunan panitia.
Dan jadilaaah hasilnya kita memutuskan untuk tetap baksos di panti asuhan dengan beberapa pertimbangan, sekaligus membentuk sususan panitia, walaupun akhirnya yang kerja lebih banyak karena inisiatif masing-masing wkwkwk
Sisanya kita rencanakan secara online, mulai dari konsep acara sampai sistem akad. --bukan akad nikah, bukan. Nikah wae kalian mah ah :p wkwk
Hei! pada tahu gak kalian,
kalau dua akad dalam satu transaksi itu tidak boleeh. Itulah kenapa kita membedakan rekening donasi dan rekening bukber. Hal ini juga bertujuan untuk mempermudah kita dalam mengelola uang yang akan kita makan sendiri (uang makan bukber) dan uang yang sepenuhnya menjadi hak anak yatim (uang donasi). Kan serem kalau ternyata uang yang harusnya jadi hak anak yatim, malah kita makan dari es buah atau ayam pas bukber nanti, na’udzubillah, makanya kita buat dua poster ini:
Bukankah berhati-hati itu lebih baik?
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Selanjutnyaaa, rapat nyata kedua dilaksanankan saat dua minggu sebelum acara di STM jam TUJUH PAGI bersama bahar yang belum mandi, beat yang tidak terlambat (wow), liana yang terlambat setengah jam sesuai dengan perkataanya, gilang yang kesiangan habis sahur on the road bareng tony, dan ada juga ahmed, ratna, john, andi yang semuanya pokoknya nyempet2in hari minggu ke STM buat matengin acara ini.
*suasana rapat kedua di stm jam 7 pagi haha*
Daaan sampailah kita pada hari H!!!
17 Juni 2017 EA Berbagi Bersama Panti Asuhan Penghapal Al Qur’an Darul Salam Al Mubarakah
Panti asuhan yang juga menjdi tempat pertama kali kita baksos 3 tahun lalu!
Dipandu oleh Beat dan Liana sebagai MC, kita mulai acara dengan pembukaan. Yang harusnya durasi pembukaan 5 menit jadi 1 menit doang gara2 grogi wkwkwkwkwkwk anak2nya banyak, bo! Ada 40 orang dari yang kecil sampai besar. Habis tu dilanjut tilawah oleh Ima dan Sarah, masyaAllah…. Suaranya bagus bangeeeet nget nget! Aku terharu pas dengernya:’) suaraku bahkan tidak bisa sebagus itu :”)
*Sarah dan Ima*
Habis itu, dilanjut sambutan dan acara yang paling inspiratif: SHARING!
“Ya, temen-temen, hari ini kita bakal ngobrol sama akang kita yang umurnya masih muda, 21 tahun, tapi penghasilannya udah banyak banget!!! 20 juta ada, Kang Romy?”
“Ada…”
“50 juta?”
“Ada…”
“Hayo, temen-temen, kalau punya uang 50juta mau dibeliin apa?”
"Umroh!! Naik haji!!"
"MasyaAllah, trus apa lagi?"
"Naik haji in orang tua!!"
"Coba, Sarah selain naik haji mau beli apa?"
"Gak mau apa-apa pokoknya mau ibadah aja." . . DHEG. "Hei, kamu, anak EA, kalau punya uang 50jt mau beli apa?" . . . "Kiki cita-cita nya mau jadi apa?"
"Mau jadi polisi!"
"Biar apa?"
"Biar bisa ngakepin maling! Biar gaada tawuran. Biar bisa nilang!"
"Mantaap! Bisa nilang biar jalanan tertib ya maksudnya wkwk"
”Kalau Zakariya mau jadi apa?”
”Mau jadi guru, bar bikin orang pinter”
”Mantaap!”
"Kalau Ali mau jadi apa?"
"Mau jadi pendiri PAP3Q"
"Wah apaan tuh PAP3Q?"
"Panti Asuhan Penghapal... Pengamal.. Penghapal, eh, Pecinta.. Pengamal.. Qur'an!"
"wkwk coba ulangi!"
"Panti Asuhan Pecinta Penghapal Pengamal Qur'an! Biar jadi hafidz dan menghasilkan banyak Hafidz!"
"MasyaAllah :""))" . .
Apapaun cita-cita kalian, kunci paling utamanya adalah "Gantungkan setinggi mungkin dan bungkus dengan KEBAIKAN!"
Omat, guys! Ulah hilap! . . Cita-cita mau jd polisi biar hidup nya enak dijamin negara, salah!
Jadilah polisi karena kalian ingin memperbaiki negara!
Cita-cita mau jadi bos Nutri biar bisa makan banyak nutrisari gratis, salah!
Jadilah bos Nutri biar kalian bisa memastikan sendiri kesejahteraan partner-partner kerja kalian! Atau tujuan-tujuan kebaikan lainnya~ . . .
Such an inspirative day!
Di acara ini, kita juga bisa denger cerita romy yg penuh perjuangan ngebangun usahanya.. Baru tahu kalau ternyata usaha romy seberat itu waktu ngebangun Azura Baby Kids :”)
Barakallah, om! Semoga usahanya lancar terus dan cita-citanya untuk bisa seperti para sahabat Rasul yang bisa bro-bro an (bukan bro brother, ya, “bro-bro an” basa sunda maksudnya) untuk kepentingan agama ini bisa segera terlaksana dan targetnya untuk bebas secara finansial dalam jangka waktu tiga tahun bisa tercapai! Biar bisa segera fokus ibadah aja dan segera menyempurnakan agama 😊 Aamiin
Semoga cita-cita teman-teman semuanya juga bisa segera tercapai, ya. Aamiin
INGAT!
Dalam mencapai cita-cita, tidak ada yang namanya gagal. Yang ada hanya TERCAPAI dan PEMBELAJARAN (Rommy, 2017)
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Apa? Kamu belum punya cita-cita?
Cari dong!
Temukan apa sebenarnya tujuan Allah menciptakan kita di dunia. Impact apa sebenarnya yang bisa kita berikan untuk dunia hehehehehehehehehehe
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Setelah sharing, ada persembahan nasyid dari anak-anak panti, dilanjut games, buka, shalat, doa ,dan pulang deh. Alhamdulillah.. Semuanya berjalan lancar! :D
*game hari kebalikan, tim akhwat menang! yeay!*
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. GUYS,
Jangan sampai ini jadi acara terakhir kita, ya!
Semoga acara ini bisa menjadi motivasi untuk kita semua untuk senantiasa menjaga ikatan silaturahim kita dan tidak berhenti menebar kebermanfaatan! Dan tak usah pula kita menunggu-nunggu ramadhan selanjutnya, ayo rajin2 sedekah ke rekening EA mulai sekarang dan kita realisasikan satu persatu ide kita untuk membantu sesama!
Emang rekening EA yang mana?
Itu looh yang ada di poster coklat!
Males nyari?
Nih mimin tulisin lagi:
Mandiri Syari’ah
7108 4698 16
a.n. Ahmad Riva’i
Sekarang namanya masih Ahmad dulu, lima tahun lagi namanya a.n. EA Foundation, Aamiin. Ini juga cita-cita, kan?
Jangan lupa setelah transfer, konfirmasi ke Ahmad atau Darly, ya!
. . . Daaan makasih banyak buat temen2 semua yg udah ikut donasi kemarin. Makasih buat semua pihak yang terlibat dalam acara, baik yang hadir secara langsung, maupun tidak <3
Untuk laporan keuangan,
Alhamdulillah untuk donasi terkumpul Rp8.670.000 dengan Rp1.600.000 nya kami belikan bingkisan buat anak2 nya langsung. Bingkisannya berupa splash bottle Tulip ware (ini bukan endorse) 600ml sebanyak 40 botol. Sisanya langsung kami kasih ke pihak panti (Cak Mus) sebanyak Rp7.070.000.
*itu di dalam tangan2 itu ada amplopnya, guys*
Semoga uang yg temen2 kasih diganti dengan sesuatu yg jauuuh lebh berharga langsung dari Allah SWT. Aamiin.
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Ohya, evaluasi untuk acaranya selanjutnya, antara lain
Absensi! Kemarin beat bilang ini tapi aku gak ngerti juga maksudnya gimana hehe
Waktu! Sebenarnya kita bisa mulai dari jam 15.30. Jangan biasakan ngaret, guys! Orang yg suka ngaret udah kebanyakan. Kita harus jadi orang yg beda!
Yang belum bayar bukber, ayo segera bayar, yaaa. Kan udah makan hehe kasihan teman kita menraktir terlalu banyak orang.
Dengan adanya evaluasi di atas, berakhir pula tulisan yang super duper panjang ini.
Sebagai penutup, kulampirkan beberapa dokumentasi tambahan acara kemarin...
*ciyee beat samaan pose nya sama teteh sebrangnya*
SEE YOU NEXT EVENT, GUYS!!! SEMANGAT MENEBAR KEBAIKAAN!! *muah* ❤ ❤ ❤
