A Simple Prayer 22

Thank you Lord

for the unexpected blessing.

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Welcome March

February is about to end.  It was a month of  visiting my doctor and undergoing laboratory tests in the process. Got a chance to be with Nate and Nissa when they came over to see us personally and having those talks on Viber too.  Other than these, it was kind of uneventful for me.

I welcome March with open arms. It’ll be summer again soon  and different local fruits will be in season. The cold winds of February and the cold mornings are almost gone.  One thing that I like about the past three months (February included) are the cold nights and cold mornings. Summer though brings a different kind of enjoyment. Sure, it would be hot again in a few days but along with it is the chance to stay outside during  early mornings and late afternoons to garden. We started trimming the carabao grass yesterday which has really grown during the days I was indisposed. It is a little hard now compared to a month ago.  Sometimes I do have a weak grip with the trimming garden scissor that I am using.

Found more Lang Leav books on poetry, Lullabies and Love and Misadventure. I am still reading Memories, one poem at a time. I think poems are not meant to be read  all at the same time. These books are a little easy on the eyes, they are not thick and they are simple to understand.  Lang Leav is a contemporary poet, an international best-selling author. I also came across A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman. The official movie trailer  is on YouTube  but I’d rather read the book first. It is always nice to read the book version before watching film adaptation. You will understand it better. These books are part of my 2017 reading challenge.

Way to go March, I am excited.

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My 1,920th Blog Post

This is my 1,920th blog post, WordPress says. I can’t believe I’ve reached this far after more than seven years of blogging. My four other blogs are not included in this count. If I will include them I will reach more than 2,000.

We attended Sunday mass early today. Left the house at 6am to catch up with the 6:30 am mass. The priest’s homily was good. It was an enlightening one and it made  me feel a little nostalgic. It’s good when it is an application of the gospel, more than repeating it to the congregation. I think we understand it better that way.

Yesterday we celebrated the 31st anniversary of the People  Power Revolution. We were there thirty-one years ago. My son then was only about a year old. I remember the four days of  the military and the people meeting together for one purpose, to oust a dictator and to regain our democracy. Fast forward today, unluckily we have another dictator in the making. It’s been seven months since the new administration  took over but I couldn’t see the light of the day except for more than 7,000 killed in the process. Even our peso which was so strong a year ago is going, down, down, down.  The Philippines is no longer the tiger economy of Asia. Our economy is slowly eroding. It’s sad that we have to be in this again after so many years of enjoying a robust economy.  This administration is vindictive. Last Friday, they jailed its number one enemy in the person of Senator Leila de Lima. She was put to jail based on the testimonies  of  high-profile jail inmates while the latter were granted  state witness status against Sen. de Lima . They are in jail but are given to privilege of having these amenities like air con, televisions, cellphones and the like.So sad really. Baliktad na ang mundo.

I dare not mention names here, perhaps you all know what is happening in our country.

 

 

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That Facebook

Yes, we always say “that Facebook”as if it has no relevance in our lives.

My Facebook account is as old as my blog if not older by a few months. I used to blog before at Friendster  then at  Multiply. Those two eventually  closed.  I had good friends at my Multiply site  and we used to have healthy exchanges  of ideas. A simple blog would garner  so many likes and comments even if I only had more than a hundred friends there.

Here comes Facebook. Occasionally, I link my blog post at Facebook. It is quite easy to get in touch with your friends and long -lost relatives at the site.  You can even befriend those people you have lost touch with a couple of decades ago. One thing though that I don’t like about it is that, it has become a smorgasbord of news and updates  that sometimes are not relevant at all. Just for the sake of having something you could make as shout out  or  maybe just to update your site. There are now plenty of social media used in the internet but I only have three – Facebook, Twitter and of course WordPress.

Lately since the start of the  presidential campaign last year, Facebook has become the source of ugly insults, maligning each of the candidates so to speak.  Until now trolls are active in  posting things that destroys the credibility of the elected officials of the land. It’s ugly and  most of those posts have become viral. It is so easy to destroy a political enemy though  this medium.

One good thing is you get to see the birthdays of each and every one of your friends. Never mind that you are reminded of those dates daily and sometimes you are obliged to greet them even if you are not so sincere to do so. Haha, they must  think that you know all their birthdays. You also get to see their updates. You are even updated with a newly acquired cat or a new born puppy. You get to see all their pictures  from the youngest member of the family to the oldest. Never mind if the pictures sometimes are so blurred that they use those apps on Facebook to make them clear and flawless. And you are a part of each birthday celebration that they have and every traveled places that they go to. Nice you say?  Sometimes it is annoying. Unless of course someone is a true and a close friend of yours that you don’t need to be reminded of his/her special day.

Ah, Facebook where are we going?

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What If

I went back to my doctor yesterday after a series of blood tests which I’ve undergone over the weekend. He interpreted the results and said “”they are all normal, ang galing ng doctor ano?” I just smiled and thanked him for the medications he prescribed earlier. My blood pressure has significantly gone down and so was my blood sugar level.  It is quite hard to have your blood extracted every week , it is a bit harder to go on fasting for several hours too. I have to continue with my medications though for another month until further check-up.

Sometimes, I wonder about the “what ifs” in my life. What if  I didn’t feel that sudden blinding headache and body malaise then I won’t have those weekly laboratory tests and doctor visits.  What if I did exercises every day then I won’t have to suffer and limit my movements now. What if I got conscious of what I ate before then probably,  I won’t have to limit my intake of fatty and starchy food.

We do all have those questions . At some time in our lives, we feel  those blinding curves that make us weak in the process.  It might not just be physical but mentally as well. We dwell on the what if.  What if I did this or I did that? We never would know the repercussions of what we are doing right or wrong until we are in that situation. We could never assure ourselves that everything would be okay as well. We are all responsible though with the outcome whether it  was a wrong decision for us or not.  When we encounter things  that we didn’t think of that will happen, we don’t  know  what to do.

It’s been a lesson learned for me and I learned it well.  At my age, I anticipate some body weakness maybe at a later date or time  but not this. Although most of the family members up to the third degree are prone to high blood pressure, I haven’t heard of one who has elevated blood sugar. I am a cancer survivor that is why I am a little wary when it comes to my health. It might come back any time or (thank God) it might not. It might choose to appear in other organs of my body. Those are the “what ifs” that I sometimes ask myself.

Life is a wonderful gift. Treasure it.

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All In a Day’s Work

Back when I was in high school, I used to watch mom and dad assist my lola (grandmother) cook during fiesta in our place in Quezon City.  They would  prepare dishes and various menus all night long for  tomorrows’ lunch. My lola  usually had our town mates in our province as guests and sometimes some or one or two of my father’s office mates would visit us too  My lola was not my grandmother by birth but she acted as sponsor during my parents’ wedding. We used to live in their place  in a small dwelling at the compound.  Back then I was in awe of her. the way she prepared all those dishes without looking into any cookbook but through experience, doing the preparation and cooking all those years. I also wanted to be a cook too, the word chef was unheard of then.  I would watch them prepare elaborate Spanish and Filipino food.  My father was a good cook too. He taught me how to prepare easy dishes for dinner when he would bring home something from the wet market after office work. It was a case of “do your own thing”while he watched and instructed what to do. I learned somehow through all those afternoons spent in front of the stove.

During summer break when my oldest brother and I were in grade school in the province, Mom would prepare us to join Dad in Quezon City to spend our summer there. We would bring  cut wood to use for cooking. I do remember, our stove was a three-piece ensemble fueled by firewood.  It was only when we were in high school when we used gas stove.  We used to ride on a Pantranco bus to bring us to Manila. My  brother and I would usually count log posts along the way. There were no skyways and expressways  back then.  I also remember that we had black and white TV, a small one where we used to watch news.  My father and one of our neighbors would spend the rest of the night playing guitar and ukulele. Those were the times that  I still remember vividly until now, the guitar-playing days of my dad. None of us his four kids got into any musical instrument except my oldest brother who learned to play a guitar when he was in high school.  Although I used to buy music magazines out of my high school allowance with guitar chords to boot, I never learned how.

Remembering the days of old which bring that certain smile.

 

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Getting Back In

I know, I know. I am trying to get into the mood of writing a blog post again. It’s really been a while. I am excited to get back but when you haven’t written something for quite a long time, its hard to get back all over again. And I really mean one week without a post is like a month for me.

I was again engrossed reading instead. Quiet days, quiet nights without the internet. Opps, one can do it  but I miss writing my thoughts here.  Have I told you that I have advanced reading 17 books? Yes, I have finished reading 35 books in all as of today, a little over  23%  of my committed 150 book reads, It is nice to read a series  again for  a change. I could not find the latest books though. I tried looking for them online but I could not find them.  Susan Rodgers is one of my favorites now. I am planning to reread the saga of Diana Gabaldon. I have several books of hers, some I haven’t started yet. Maybe one of these days I will.

Went back for more laboratory tests. I have to consult my doctor  in a week.  My blood sugar level has significantly gone down but  I still have high blood pressure. Hopefully, this would correct after I have taken several medications. It’s quite hard when you are not 100% fit to do the daily chores you have to meet at home.

I miss blogging, who doesn’t? It’s wonderful to know that slowly my number of followers is building up and my stats  is on a steady climb. I must admit that when you don’t blog regularly, you also lose some friends who follow your blog.  Sorry folks, same old sour grapes all over again.  You are all important to me.

This coming Saturday, there is another reunion  for our old buddies at the bank where I used to  work. Most of us have left and retired but some are still working there. I miss them although we get in touch through social media. It’s a bit different when you see each other personally and make “kumustahans”.

Getting back in, quite a hard task really.

 

 

 

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Reunions

Ah, when you think of reunions, you think of the good old days, way when you were a bit younger, still hale and hearty so to speak.

Our family on my father’s side will have a reunion on February 11. All except one have all died already. Dad was second to the eldest among seven kids but then  my grandfather married again with  eight kids more. Their youngest is a year younger than I am. I’d like to think that among all the siblings, we are so few, four kids, my three brothers and I. My uncles though and my lone aunt had several. My cousins have their own families now and lots of  their children are already married too. Overall, maybe we could reach more than a hundred from the two marriages of my grandfather. Sadly it would be held in the province. Three of my aunts have come  home for a short vacation with one of my uncles. They were inviting us to attend. It would take at least 5 to 6 hours to reach our place.  I am in touch with most of my cousins through FB.  I don’t know most of my nephews and nieces through my cousins personally. It is nice though that even if we don’t get to see each other, we talk online.  Hopefully we’ll get to see some of them when they come for a visit.

The last time I attended  a grand reunion was in 2011 with my high school batch. It was  a lovely affair updating each other on our lives, sharing a meal together   and having nice chats. They even invited one of our teachers in high school.

Sometimes you just can’t  believe that you are really getting old. Those little kids you used to see have somehow grown up. They now have their own families and you have your own grandchild.  How time really flies. Yes I know, age is really just  a number besides your name.  Growing and getting older, that’s what but you also grow in wisdom as you age. What used to be hard to comprehend is now a daily occurrence in your life. What used to be understandable only to grown-ups are just bubbles that burst as you go along.

Growing old gracefully and getting older wisely,.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Those AHA Moments

Lately, I saw this father and daughter singing together on Metaspoon.  The guy played the guitar  as they sang together. The daughter  is probably  about  four or five years old. It is lovely to see them together.

Those aha  moments when you smile and you laugh just because you are happy. Last Saturday, I was surprised when I saw Nissa and Nate at the gate. They took  a commute  from their place to ours just to see me. My son-in-law was left at home early that morning.  They took  their breakfast with us. I inquired if Nissa brought milk for Nate. She said she didn’t because Nate eats a lot during meals so he does not need to drink milk.

We played blocks and touching ball, priceless few hours of being together, with not a care in the world except to laugh , be merry and play. You put yourself  being a child of four, carefree and happy. Picture-taking goes in the back seat  with no attempt to bring your camera out. Or maybe simply, you forget. The things we do to make the moments  something to remember, something to think about when they are gone.

I am reading a beautiful book. It is actually a contemporary  love story. my third book  of love stories since I began my 2017 reading challenge. It’s quite a nice change from the memoirs and historical books I am fond of reading.  The plot may sometimes be exaggerated or overrated but it goes well with the overall appeal of the book.  I am looking forward though to finishing Mary Oliver’s Upstream and Lang Leav’s  Memories. The first one is a selection of essays by Mary Oliver while Memories is composed of poems by Lang Leav. I am reading them  both in installment. a way to prolong the lovely prose and  superb style of writing. Sometimes you wish you could write like they do – wishful thinking if I may say.

Those aha moments. Those moments when you are just enjoying everything. Those moments that are deeply felt  in  the heart. Those unforgettable moments. You want to make them last  forever.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Going Back To Blogging

There are times when you are inspired to write but nothing comes  out once you start typing. Does that happen to you too? I’ve wanted to write a post these past few days but I always get stalled somewhere. I don’t  know why. Maybe, the inspiration  is lacking.

I am glad though that I finally reached 452,00 plus stats and about 2,100 followers including my 90 plus ones at Twitter. It is quite hard to reach a number when you don’t know if most of your followers read your posts. Having a few who are loyal enough in liking and commenting is something to admire and to love. I do love reading your comments no matter how long or how short they are. It only means that you are interested to  know what I write here.

Yes, really, it’s been a while. I wonder when I’ll be able to blog without being too conscious of what I write. I still commit lots of typing errors in between, those added letters that are not supposed to be there at all or some underlined words that are misspelled. Awkward and clumsy fingers to the max, if I may say. Gone are those days when I type so fast without errors. Gone are those days when I don’t even look at the keyboard when I type.

I was bitten by our remaining dog Noki. I was  busy with his neck collar when he suddenly bit my left hand. It was so surprising that a gentle dog like he is has suddenly become ferocious. I had two sessions of anti-rabies vaccine and anti-tetanus injection.  One more to go next week. Noki is under observation until February 13.  He does not go out. He just play around the yard most of the time. His anti-rabies injection though was more than a year ago. On top of my other medications. the hospital gave me antibiotics to take for seven days.

Gosh, when it rains,it pours.

 

 

 

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