Blessings

It's 2015 in a few hours. Let me do a last blog post to close 2014 and welcome the new year properly. It's been quite a while now since I last posted an update. I was busy settling into a new job since September. My mind, body and, I guess, all my energy had to zone in into the new job, new bosses, new colleagues, and adjustments in my household and arrangements for the daily care of Garrett and Gabee. 

It's a good time to reflect on the blessings and challenges of the year that was. What a great year it was for me and my family, we capped it off with a vacation up north in Sagada. We had an amazing time up in the mountains, enjoying all-day long cool temperature, and exploring what we could in the three days we were there. There were just so many little anecdotes and beautiful moments that, I think that trip deserves a separate post complete or replete with gorgeous photos of that place (my family in them to vouch for its authenticity, hehe!). For now, let me just run through special events to remember 2014 by. 

Garrett and Gabee each had their moments on stage when they received their school diplomas and moved up, Garrett to high school while Gab to elementary. 

Summer was memorable as it was the first I got to spend the whole time with the two kids. It was the best three months of my one-year extended leave from work. I was completely at their service, packing for trips, taking them swimming, to bookstores, and fast food chains (KFC, McDonald's, and Jollibee, in the order of which one we visited more frequently). When I had their dad's blessing, we ate at our favorite  Cafe Mary Grace. I was just always hesitant splurging my husband's hard-earned money. Heehee! Their dad to his credit treated them to more fancy restaurants like Chelsea, Crystal Jade, Lugang Cafe, Abe, if only to show them how to eat properly in a more refined dining setting. It's difficult to teach table etiquette when we really don't practice fine dining, with all the works, at home.

We had staycations in the metro, where the two kids had a blast getting their fill of reading books and buying pens and stationery from Fully Booked, Power Books and National Bookstore, strolls at nearby malls, and swims in the late morning or afternoon. The first official summer outing was with my side of the family. We spent one weekend at Thunderbird Resorts Rizal. It was the first time for all of us at that resort. We enjoyed the pool with a great view of Rizal's greenery, and dinner at the resort's restaurant. 

We then went solo as a family to Pico de Loro in Nasugbu, Batangas, to celebrate my 13th wedding anniversary with my super loving, super provider hubbs. It was also a great first time in that cove for all of us, and we would want to come back and take with us our extended family. I wrote about that trip on this blog. We loved the infinity pool and swam until night fell. 

For Mother's Day, we checked into Holiday Inn with my 90-year-old Lola, my mother, siblings and nieces. We grabbed Holiday Inn's promo selling rooms at 4,000 pesos a night for Mother Day's weekend. Garrett, Gab and their cousin Bash who loved staying in hotels enjoyed the most. Us adults enjoyed the buffet breakfast. 😉

Summer was extended as the school opening was moved to late July following DEPEd's move to allow schools to align their calendars to the international norm with most schools opening in August globally. It was a very opportune change as we welcomed back to the Philippines Kuya Butch and his family, balikbayans from California, who arrived June first. From the airport, we travelled the next day to Laiya, San Juan, Batangas to celebrate Tatay Ike's birthday at La Luz Resort, the same resort we visited at least six times for the last eight years. I wouldn't be able to describe to you how happy and excited everyone was. My husband's side of the family was complete, full house, with three of their cousins also in our group. I always enjoyed snorkeling in  Laiya, I would bet, every one did, too. We took great family portrait photos in the same spot of the resort. It would be interesting to do a timeline and see how the kids have grown, and how the adults have remained young-looking, hehe, despite the obvious weight gain. 

The rains came early but we had our final hirit during the school break in late June. We drove up north to Baguio and spent three chilly nights and four foggy mornings there. One of the highlights was our tour of BenCab museum and breakfast at Sabel's Cafe. I posted photos of our Baguio trip on this blog. 

Then came school opening and Gab's entry into big school. Gabee didn't take any time at all to settle in as she was already familiar with the school, some teachers, and Kuya's classmates. Her friendly ways helped to blend her in in no time. 

Garrett skipped fifth grade because of the K to 12 program. High school came a year earlier than expected. And with it came more complex projects and requirements and multiple field trips. This school year, I'm happy that he has found a couple of best friends, and he now mingles constantly with certain classmates. He had some come over the house for his 12th birthday. 

We took advantage of a long weekend in August and defied the rainy weather with a quick trip to Subic. We stayed at Kamana Sanctuary where monkeys freely roamed in the mountains at the back of the hotel and the beach in front gave us a great view of sunrise and sunset. 

I went back to work in September to a new post, in a new department. It was a good move and I feel very blessed being reabsorbed permanently, resuming all my benefits and, of course, having regular money in my ATM card. :) 

Garrett completed the Kumon reading program in June and was recognized as an Advanced Kumon student at the Kumon Advanced Students Forum held in Sofitel Hotel last November. That was a big moment for him. We will be back in next year's forum where he will receive the completer's award. 

Christmas came quickly. The week before Christmas, the wonderful news that he qualified to study at the Philippine Science High School, Central Luzon (Clark, Pampanga) campus came out. Wow, we all said, almost in disbelief seeing his name among the 5 percent or 1,000 plus of 23,000 plus takers. He didn't land a spot among the top 240 who qualified to enroll at the main campus. But OMG, it was just a try, with only self-study using MSA and PSHS reviewers, which I bought a few months before the exam. Hats off to my voracious reader! 

And to end the year, as I have mentioned, we pulled far away from the city and communed with nature, closer to God, in the ancestral mountains of Sagada. 

It has been a year to remember, filled with God's grace and overflowing with blessings. I pray the year ahead will see even better days. May all the good even get better. I pray for all that's best for you and your loved ones. I pray the country's elected officials step up and direct the flow of economic gains toward those still living at and below poverty levels. May we all help do our share to help for the good of all. May God keep us in His favor. 

Happy New Year!! Blessings in 2015 and beyond. Thank you for being a part of my little world. 

Checkin' Back In

Hello, it's been quite a while. Hope you missed me. I did miss you that's why I'm breaking my long silence. Lost track of when I last blogged. I had checked and my last “decent” post was over two months ago. I have been silent while my mind has been abuzz. I couldn’t put my thoughts down, as I was afraid of the conclusions I would make if I did. Writing is a way of clearing my mind, going to the core of what’s been bothering me. Writing has to be heartfelt for it to be good; it exposes one’s soul so to speak. It behooves the writer to be true unless that writer is writing fiction or novels. But blogging is different. It’s personal, it’s mostly about one’s life, preferences, passions, advocacies, opinions, wishes, angsts, battles, all reflective of the blogger’s state of mind or, in general, the blogger’s present circumstances which are in large part the source of motivation to write or blog.

The fascination over having someone like you, even if there are just ten of you out there, reading me, empathizing or disagreeing with me, or maybe even bashing me, keeps me coming back. Times when I feel I need a little bit of attention or validation, and some introspection, I take to writing again. The thing with being out of radar for some time is that I start again fumbling, grappling, as I find my way to hitting the subject of this post. Please bear with me.

The last summer was one of the best I've had. I enjoyed it immensely with my children. It was my first summer when I was with them all the time except for a one-week vacation they had with my in-laws and a five-day summer camp that my eldest attended. We went on two outings with my side of the family, three with my in-laws, and one with just me, hubs and our two kids. The last one was with both sides, and I think it’s what the kids would remember the most, the trip to Enchanted Kingdom. But for me, I liked the Baguio trip the most although it was already June and raining when we went, it was like my first time again to experience its fog, veggies, strawberries, flowers, ube, markets. I was pregnant with my eldest, who’s now turning 12, when I visited Baguio before this last trip. Despite all the developments and the negative things said about it, including how its air quality is even poorer than Manila’s, Baguio has retained its charm for me. I look forward to visiting again and exploring it more.

I have amassed photos to keep from the last summer alone. I’m planning to make photo-books of each trip so my family could in a way relive the fun and drum up excitement for future vacations. For many years, a decade now, come to think of it, we’ve stopped printing photos, and just kept them in external drives and the desktop. This, to my little dismay, prevents me from retrieving very old photos and making throwback-Thursday (TBT) and flashback-Friday posts on fb or IG. Seriously! Well, yes, those who have been (tirelessly) following me on fb know that with all the fb albums I have, I can just extract old photos from there. True, true. But, the point is, I believe it’s important to also have photos printed and kept in boxes, or printed straight onto photo-books. Now, I know why I see plastic photo albums always on sale in bookstores. I have an empty one that I bought years ago but never got to use, and may never will.

Looking back again to my summer of 2014, I feel so blessed and happy being able to take my two children wherever. They are spaced six years apart, my eldest, as I’ve mentioned, is turning 12 this year, and my youngest just turned 6 recently. We would take off any time, and I only needed to pack their clothes and slippers. We would sit in restaurants and I could enjoy my meal as they enjoyed theirs. It has always been at the back of my mind, an option until now, to have another child. But, at my age, and at this juncture, it’s best for everyone that we remain a foursome family. I am not saying this in definitive terms, of course, as who knows what might tomorrow bring, right?

Ok, what was I afraid of again? I’m not saying. I have skipped it, thankfully. I will spill though when I have become comfortable sharing it. I’m just happy now for putting an end to my hiatus. I hope I get inspired again to share things happening with me and around me. Writing is fun. I derive great pleasure from it. You should try it. To end, let me share that my son bought yet another notebook and has been madly scribbling his thoughts wherever (I hope not during his classes). Happy thoughts and happy vibes to you and yours. J

Sharing some treasured photos:

BAGUIO

THUNDERBIRD RESORTS RIZAL

HOLIDAY INN

LA LUZ RESORT, LAIYA, SAN JUAN, BATANGAS

ENCHANTED KINGDOM

Of Writing

Just when I think I got something to write about for my first entry this new year, I lose it the moment I open a blank document. I stare at the white screen for a while, type a few words. But it’s no good. The ideas do not play out for me, and so I close the laptop, deciding to wait for the moment when the urge to write comes naturally.

I feel like I have lost much of the enthusiasm that got me "writing" again around the time I left my job last year to focus all my energy on being a mom. Ok, let’s add to that being a wife as well. Hehe! Many times – in the shower, in the car, at waiting areas, or in the grocery – ideas come to me. Phrases, sentences form in my mind. But my lazy self gets the better of me each time I think of the task of gathering my thoughts together, connecting them, and making sense of them to come up with a story.

Maybe I’m scared to face the new year because an even bigger decision than when I went on leave from work needs to be made in the not so distant future. I have to decide if I am going to report back at work. That major decision that's hanging in my head is kind of stifling me to a point of non-action. It compels me to reflect, to assess my needs and wants, to do an introspection. And that, my friends, is very difficult to do. It’s hard to go deeper into one’s heart and confront one’s own fears knowing especially that you live not for yourself alone.

What’s good about writing one’s own thoughts, feelings, aspirations, and what-nots, is that your medium (be it paper or the computer screen) becomes like a sounding board, a counsellor that only listens. It gives you a space to talk, to create, and it allows you to make amends, take back your words, and tell them again in better ways.

I get to know myself better when I write. I love to write, but I’m scared to write because it also brings to the fore my insecurities about this craft. I can not write as often as I want to. There has to be something that inspires me to do so. I am no writer, trust me. To non-writers, my writing may be perceived as good. But I am fully aware that to those who are really in the business of writing, this and my other posts are all “sh**ty”. Yeah, that’s my stark reality. But I’m cool with that because I am not really doing it for business. And this blog works for me. It gets me inspired to write. And since I only write about personal stuff, I need to “live” my life, to get out there and experience "life" so I would have stories to share.

I love the written word. I feel excited to use words I encounter reading the paper, magazines, and books. I like using words that only get to be read because they’re so archaic or technical that you will rarely hear them used in conversations, say in movies. I loved how one of my ex-supervisors (an expat) used words like “perplex” and swears when he was annoyed, “Bloody”. I like to think that words are my friends. They offer me relief, they give me company, they let me be me.

Thanks, my friend, for reading me. You could never imagine how much that means to me. I wish you all the best this year, and courage and faith to face the challenges that it may bring. A happy and prosperous 2014 to you and yours!

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