This week had been a rollercoaster ride of sorts for me. Lots of ups and downs. It’s the last week at work before I go on a 3-week break. It’s a bit nervewracking having to finish what I have to do, turning over some projects and making sure that they won’t cause problems for my colleagues. I am truly grateful for my teammates who are willing to pitch in so that we can all take breaks throughout the year. I am specially grateful since this is a long break for me and a lot of things can pop up at work while I am gone.

A couple of weeks ago, as you’ve seen in my previous post, a team from the 700 Club Asia came over to our place for a shoot. It was a short segment on my scrapbooking hobby. They were doing a feature on hobbies and I was blessed to be contacted about my scrapbooking. We had so much fun and it was a great experience for Ariel and myself. We were a bit self-conscious at first but easily got comfortable as the interview progresses. I am very grateful for this opportunity to share my passion for scrapboooking. It’s such a big part of my life and has brought me immense joy and fulfillment. It’s also a great way for me to use the gift of creativity that God blessed me with. I am also very happy that Ariel got to be part of this experience. He has shown me so much support that he really deserves his time in the limelight. The feature was aired last Wednesday, April 13th and I am thankful for the support of my family and friends, specially those who stayed up late to watch the show. I got a lot of text messagaes, Tweets and FB messages, even from people I have not heard from for a long time. So much outpouring of love and support (although I must admit, I coerced some people-LOL!).

This week also marks the end of my 10-week online photography class. It had been an awesome experience. I loved every minute of it. I enjoyed the lessons, the forum, the interaction I had with my classmates. I made new friends and even if I have not seen them face to face, I’ve really connected with some of them, and I know some of these friendships will survive beyond the end of this class. I am so sad to see the end of the lessons. Our teacher had been the BEST! Might be hard to find someone like her. I feel so emotional going through our forum discussions knowing that Karen Russell, our teacher, won’t be there after this week, but I am also very thankful for the lessons learned, not just about photography but about life in general. It’s money well spent, I definitely got more than I hoped for, and I feel so blessed for this opportunity.

We also had a team dinner Thursday night at Inagiku Japanese Restaurant in Shangrila Hotel. The food was great, the company even better. It is sad though because it is our last dinner as a team. Our fun fearless female leader is leaving us to be a full time mom to her 3 wonderful kids. Another colleague is leaving, too, to pursue her personal passion for beauty (she’s an aspiring make up artist). One other colleague is transferring to another department. I still have not digested the implications of these movements to my day to day job, but I’m just sad to see people go.

Finally, we are all set for our UK trip. Our flight to and from the UK had been booked, as well as our entire Scotland tour. I am happy with the hotels and tours that I got for our trip to Scotland. Also excited that I will be meeting one of my photography class friends in Edinburgh! Can you believe traveling halfway across the world to meet someone I’ve met online? I can’t wait! I am also thankful that my brother and sister in law who are based in England offered their home to us and they will pick us up from the airport when we arrive in UK next week. I am thankful that Ariel and I both got leave approvals for this vacation, and even more grateful that the Lord provided the resources for this trip. So blessed! Now, just praying for our Schengen Visa. I continue to trust the Lord for His perfect will so I’m at peace whatever the outcome of our visa application is.

Written by Alby Laran

Leave a Comment

Leave a Reply