33

I just feel obligated to post something to remember this day by. Or just until I'm able to get my thoughts together and get over this blogging drought. 

Birthdays make me emotional. Well, for so long birthdays were just something I'd like to celebrate so I'd have an excuse to shop or treat myself to something extraordinary. But that has long past. Now birthdays are a big reminder to me of how blessed I am.

Yes. I worry like crazy each time the thought of the Big C hits me. But those are now rare. For the last 2 and a half years, I just try to live every waking moment like there's no tomorrow. And somehow, that makes me feel better. That somehow comforts me when I go to sleep at night.

Yes today I am 33. And I just want to mark that literally by sharing with you one of my favorite songs:


"Thirty-Three"

Speak to me in a language I can hear
Humour me before I have to go
Deep in thought I forgive everyone
As the cluttered streets greet me once again
I know I can't be late, supper's waiting on the table
Tomorrow's just an excuse away
So I pull my collar up and face the cold, on my own
The earth laughs beneath my heavy feet
At the blasphemy in my old jangly walk
Steeple guide me to my heart and home
The sun is out and up and down again
I know I'll make it, love can last forever
Graceful swans of never topple to the earth
And you can make it last, forever you
You can make it last, forever you
And for a moment I lose myself
Wrapped up in the pleasures of the world
I've journeyed here and there and back again
But in the same old haunts I still find my friends
Mysteries not ready to reveal
Sympathies I'm ready to return
I'll make the effort, love can last forever
Graceful swans of never topple to the earth
Tomorrow's just an excuse
And you can make it last, forever you
You can make it last, forever you 

The Big C and the Picky Eater

I did not expect her to be asking about the missing boobies this early.

But this morning while she was waiting for me to finish dressing up for work, she popped the question: "Mommy, san na (pointing to my left chest)?" (Mommy, where did it go?)

When we were in Antique, I was amazed at how my sister trained my nephew, Gogol, to eat his veggies and fruits. It turns out, she always tells him he'll get cancer if he doesn't eat healthy food. So Gogol does what he is told. He's a very good boy at the dining table. :))

It was a light bulb moment for me. When I heard the question I grabbed the opportunity to inject just enough scare factor on her so she can start eating right. Guess what, it worked! Right after our conversation she moved out of the room, pointed at the fruits on the table and asked for a serving. Talk of taking drastic measures. But a mom's gotta do what she has to do. Hehe.

Here's how the conversation went (sorry I had to share them in Tagalog):

Maia: Mommy, san na?

Me: Inalis ni Doc 'nak. Kasi nagkaroon si Mommy ng cancer kailangan tanggalin ni Doc para mawala na at gumaling si Mommy.

Maia: Ayaw ko ke doc, Mommy. Ayaw ko.

Me: Naku wag ka matakot ke Doc 'nak. Pinagaling nga nya si Mommy eh. Pero para ikaw wag magka-cancer dapat kumakain ka ng gulay at fruits. Si Mommy nung bata ayaw sa mga yun kaya ayan nagka-cancer.

Maia: (labas sa room) Mommy o...mangoes. Kain ako!

You should have seen the silly smile on my face. I just hope this conversation sticks to her memory long enough till her taste buds get use to them veggies and fruits.

Homecoming treats

I come from a family who is quite liberal when it comes to religion. So holy week is never really holy in our household. But what we really look forward to during these times are our mini-reunions. Since my sister and I both had our own families and have been living away from home for quite sometime now, holy week vacations have become a much bigger treat for my parents and siblings. Of course, more than the idea of having the big sisters around it is the kids who really make these vacations extra special.

We are not big on home parties but we always try to find something special to do. Last year we checked in to a newly opened resort in Guimaras and toured the kids around the island to sea starfishes and sea anemones and various corals. They had a blast! This year though we did not have the luxury of time to go somewhere else other than Antique so we settled for a nice swim at a nearby beach. Kids still loved it!

I'm sharing some photos from our recent trip home. I can't wait for next year. I hope we'll have more time to bond by then!

(Yay! I'm learning to navigate picasa and am really starting to love it! It's a very useful tool for people like me who will never learn any photoediting software) Collage sidebar (counterclockwise from the top: my dad teaching Maia how to ride the tire swing while my nephew Gogol makes his crazy pose, kids enjoying an al fresco brekky with my centenarian grandma - 101 and counting!, Maia shopping for her own clay made cooking set, Huwadhuwad and Ibus from the Friday market, Maia and me by the sunset, Beautiful sunset at one of the nearby beaches, Maia's flower bouquet (yes she did the bouquet all by herself), Welcome to Antique sign!

I am Blessed

If I can get away with it, I will choose to rid of all the drama.

But I don't think life has offered me that as an option. It was always either about learning to dodge them or making it through them.

I've always made it through. But that does not always go to show that I chose to fight to make it thru. It always just seem to happen that I get the extra energy boost at that point when I feel like letting go and giving up. I always end up prouder of myself though. And probably that is why somehow someone up there took upon himself to send me the extra boost to make it thru. He wants me to feel triumphant after every drama. He wants me to savor that moment. He wants me to count my blessings.

So everyday, I end up counting and counting. Yes, I am blessed after all. Always am.

Hello There!

I've taken a hiatus far too long from writing. And I miss it so much.

I hope to be back on my feet from this day on.

Early this week I had a light bulb moment. And I'm hoping to make that light bulb moment translate into something more realistic soon.

But for now, please bear with bulleted updates of my boring life. That I will try to do at least weekly if that would help me get back into writing mode.

Health-wise I've just gotten over my beginning of the year C-blues and I'm hoping the last few bits of them are finally gone. It seems like I always begin the year with a cancer scare. I hope next year it will be different. For now, I end this short welcome post for me with a very grateful tone. Being around to welcome the new year is always a good sign for me. Knowing that I still have a full year to make things right and make good, wonderful memories with people I love makes me feel very, very grateful. :)