The Sudden Demise Of A Well-loved Colleague

This is the first time I experienced losing a dearly loved colleague who was a father figure to all of us. It is a very sad day today as we came to know in the morning that our beloved Mr. Polly (I will call him Polly) has passed away in Karachi, Pakistan while he was on vacation leave. The painful part is that, we just saw him last Thursday in the office with his family in tow including his little grandchild whom we teased as the little Mr. Polly. It was just few days ago... We could still remember his billowy laugh, his happy face that lit up the whole place and his gentle nature. Today, he is gone forever.

He was my Polly. I was his Rolly. Together we were the rolly-polly of the department. I have known Mr. Polly for a decade now and he gave me that monicker and loved to tease me endlessly. He just knew I wouldn't mind. And honestly Mr. Polly, I never mind. It was a nice banter we had all those years. And in one moment, I no longer have Mr. Polly.

We shed some tears but I cried more in silence knowing that my "father" figure in the office is forever gone. There won't be name calling now, someone to bug for answers, no one to give me wise advice or someone to chit chat in the pantry while waiting for the water to boil. Who will call me Rolly now?

It's quite difficult  as we still go about our day to day activity. Leaving the office this afternoon was a bit painful because I have to pass his desk and turn and this time, no one to say "bye Mr. Polly" to which he would always reply, "bye Rolly!"

Today, with a heavy heart, I whispered my last goodbye, "Bye Mr. Polly" to an empty desk that still holds mementos of his existence.

Thank you for gracing our lives with your gentle presence, your light demeanor and your fatherly care and love for all of us in the office. You're not just a colleague to us Mr. Polly. You are a friend, a brother, a mentor and for me, another person I could call my father. I will miss you. I will terribly miss you Mr. Polly. Go towards the light and may you rest in peace eternally. (So sorry, I didn't get to say hi or hello in LinkedIn when you added me just last Sunday. If I had known it was the last, I could have messaged you a very, very long note...Sorry, I didn't do that because I thought, I would say hi to you when you come back from your leave...)

Gift For A Friend

One of my closest friends is celebrating her birthday very soon. I have been scouring the internet for an ideal gift to give her. I gave her bag in the past and some clothes too but I guess, this time it should be different and special.

I am looking for something unique and fancy because she is one of my friends who has always been there in my ups and downs. She has been a loyal friend to me all this time and what better way to acknowledge that but to give her something like silver quarters or jewelry to commemorate her birth anniversary and to show her how much her friendship means to me.

The Last Project

I have mentioned in my previous post about my lack of creative mojo these days. I had it few months ago before it went into hibernation without prior notice. I am quite worried because I don't know when I'll have it back or if it will come back. That's the biggest worry I have about this dilemma.

I am glad I already finished the special scrapbook page I made for my friend's 50th birthday last April. Imagine if I had lost it then; it would really break my heart because I had set my mind (and heart) to create the page for her as a special birthday memento. I am so happy I finished it in the nick of time.

Here are the pictures of the last project I made. I do pray and hope it's not the last because I seriously miss making handmade cards for my family and friends. I still have tons of patterned papers and other craft supplies in my cabinet and I don't want to spoil them.

Please, please creative mojo, come back! I miss you!!! I will welcome you with open arms... and mind.

Good Bye Little Angel

Easter is supposed to beacon a fresh start, a new hope, a new life. My friend's Easter is the opposite. We just received the news that my future-godson did not survive and  whilst in his mother's womb. I know  how devastated my friend and her husband is to find out the news of their unborn. The irony of the whole ordeal is, the baby is due anytime from today until next week. My friend carried him for 9 full months only to find out this morning that he did not have any heart beat anymore.

I feel lost right now. I feel sorry for the loss of a little baby whose parents are so eager to have him come home and instead, he went home to the Lord.

There are things in life that we just cannot question much as we try to understand the reason behind every circumstance. He has a grand plan for everyone. And even if we try to connect the dots why things like this happen, who are we to question?

I just pray that my friend and her family recovers from this loss. I know that no amount of words or sympathy can comfort a grieving mother's heart. I pray for her and the husband to be strong and never lose faith in God. I can only offer my prayers but God will cast His healing love.

To the little angel we will never see nor hold even for a short while, we pray that you follow the path the Lord has made for you. Guide your mama and papa and pray for us in Heaven. So long my little godson. Rest in heavenly peace.

Domestic {cherry} Fab Giveaway!

My fabulous and good blogger friend, Cherry, will be hosting a monthly giveaway in her Domestic {cherry} blog. So, if you're up for great and fabulous loots, head on to her fabulous blog and you might just bag a wonderful prize.

This month's giveaway is a chic CK bag. Want one? Then visit and join the fun!

Pregnancy Around

My friend gave birth last November to a healthy baby boy. She was one of those baby boomers last year. Lately, she has been showing signs of "another" pregnancy. I have not seen her take any prenatal vitamins yet or at least not when I am around. We are just a little concerned because she is sickly lately and slightly anemic. I just cannot help but wonder if she is pregnant again. Her friends think she should give herself enough time to recover. My OB-Gyne once told me not to get pregnant right away because our bodies need some time to recover.

I'm a Guest Blogger!

My good friend, Jade asked me a favor sometime back if I could post for her while she rested due to pregnancy. I said yes in a heartbeat. Of course, I don't mind writing for her.

The topic is about motherhood and this is close to my heart because I am one. Please feel free to blog-hop to my friend's wonderful blog and read on my post. You'll find great articles there too on her journey towards motherhood.

Thanks Jade! It is an honor.

I Gained a Friend

I posted yesterday about my fair weather friend and how I was dismissed from his/her life in just a click of "delete button" feature in Facebook. Well, so much for that. Like the old adage goes, when a door closes, a window opens and same goes with friendship.

I happened to stroll along blogosphere road and did my usual check on new and old friends alike. I was surprised to see a post from a new "blogging sis" in her blog thanking acknowledging me as a new friend. My heart melts and I am honored and really touched.

Her name is Mel. She is the fine author of Mel Cole's Life Experiences blog. Please visit her site and read more of her life stories.

Here is a big thanks Mel. I may have lost one but I truly gained another.

Fair Weather Friend

I am beginning to wonder who are my true friends and who are the fair weather ones. I am a bit choosy with friends and establishing close ties with someone takes a while to develop. I value friendship so much that when a person becomes my friend, he/she becomes a part of my family and life.

It hurts me when someone I consider as a good friend decides to do something immature, say, removing me from his/her friends' list in Facebook. To think I haven't done nor said anything wrong to that person is rather perplexing. As a matter of fact, I have always justified his/her misdemeanors and requested every one's understanding. And how is my sincerity repaid? Cutting me of his/her circulation!

Well, I have come to know today when a common friend told me some good news about this fair weather friend. I thought I should know that information too being his/her buddy. Lo and behold, I checked my friends' list and he/she was not there anymore. I don't recall removing anyone from my friends' list unless they removed me first.

I don't want to stress myself by wondering what the heck went through this fellow's head and decided to remove me. It is not my loss. Good bye and good riddance then ;)

Art Attack - Handmade Baby Album

My creativity strikes at random times. I did this baby album for a good friend as a going-away gift to her. She was not leaving Dubai but her baby was. Well, there are circumstances we cannot control so we have to make great sacrifices. Sending your beloved child is one the sacrifices we, expats, have to make sometimes for the good of everyone.

So, to cheer her up and to give her a chance to remember the happy times, I made this baby album for her. It took me roughly 3 hours to complete the whole thing. I used card board from used boxes and cut them. The edge of each page had been shaped after the word B-A-B-Y. Each page has various pictures of the whole family with James (the inspiration of this whole special project). I used my 3-D stickers and some self-made tags to embellish the pages. I also used patterned papers to cover the card base. I used plenty of left-over ribbons from my stash. I tied a small "boy cap" as a charm on the album rings.

It was so difficult to attach the rings onto the pages. I did all these manually because I did not have any special die-cutter nor a heavy duty paper slicer. My hands ached so bad the next day. However, seeing the happy face from my friend when she saw the album made it all worth the time and effort.

Here's the end-product of my love for a friend: