When October Comes To A Close

What happened? Got at least ten spam comments on my folder. Good thing Akismet is always there. Thank you WordPress.

I like it that some bloggers who don’t subscribe to my blog are reading my old posts. I guess most of my older ones are way, way better than those I am posting nowadays.  They have more “meat” because I was sharing my plight as a cancer patient and survivor. When I think of those days and months that I was indisposed, I often wondered  how I survived them – frequent lab tests, hospital visits every three weeks and chemotherapy which saps one’s strength. But God is good. He let me have that faith that I get well in the process.  When you pray fervently for your heart’s desires, your prayers are answered in one way or another.

I had an hour of gardening so early this morning. The weather was just fine with an early promise of a lovely day. Looking for more pots where I could transfer my Impatiens plants. It is so nice to see new shoots of Zinnia once again.

I am reading some books about winter and Christmas but I haven’t done any Christmas decoration yet. Years back, we used to put up decor come November 1. I don’t know why, I don’t feel so much inclined to do it this early. Maybe  I am getting really old,  no longer excited to put up Christmas decorations. I have lots of TBR books that I want to finish before the end of the year.

October is about to close, have a lovely and blessed November.

 

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They’re Back

Nissa was still on vacation leave until yesterday. She watched the Backstreet Boys DNA World Tour Manila last night together with a friend. Twenty four years ago, my young daughter became a fan. She bought CDs and magazines of the boy band and  also watched their previous concert held here several years ago. Josef and I had to watch a movie at Ali Mall while waiting for her.

Back then, we all hummed and sang along to their brand of music. They have grown old of course and have regrouped again for this world tour. Nissa was ecstatic. She went to the venue early. She took shot of the group but she posted these photos on her wall at FB, a picture of much older Nick Carter and of the group. She even took a video of their opening number. You can hear the shouts and “kilig” moments of their loyal fans. She booked her ticket six months ago I think. My, but the tickets are so expensive. She also watched other foreign artists who held concerts here before she got married.

A loyal fan. She told me they have a new album.

PS
Watching other videos uploaded by Nissa. The hat dance was lovely 🙂

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Enjoy Shooting?

Yeay, I’m enjoying tinkering with my new phone. The three cameras are great. One is for selfie but I am not fond of selfie, one is for wide-angle shot which can be used to zoom out and shoot landscape. The rear camera is for regular use.

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Heartland Series 20

Yeay for birthday dreams that come true.

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So The Birthday Is Finally Over

I did enjoy it.

Though it was just a simple lunch with my kids, Mommy and Jovy. I wish I could upload my birthday video here which Nissa took yesterday. I am sharing some photos instead.

Ah Oreo, you are part of the family

 

With Mom, she’s 90 years old.

 

Our group photo sans Jovy.

 

The boy with the missing tooth.

 

Josef and Jovy with Oreo of course.

Since pets are not allowed inside the restaurant, one of the waiters fixed our tables just outside the door.

Oh and yes, Nissa brought home a bagful of gifts some of which were given by my niece Liza.

I have refrigerator magnets and key rings again with lots of chocolates, a lovely blouse, condiments for Singaporean dishes,a big bottle of Neutrogena facial wash, Hainanese Kaya Spread With honey. Kaya is a sweet creamy coconut spread made from coconut milk, eggs, and are flavored with pandan leaf and sweetened with honey, Laksa and Tom Yam noodles.

And the highlight of course is purchasing a brand new Samsung phone, Samsung a20s which was newly launched last September 2019.  And I won’t have to add a memory card. It has a 64 GB memory /4GB RAM. a triple camera (13MP, 8MP and 5MP)…lovely

Samsung A20S

It is always a joy to spend an important occasion with the family no matter how simple it is.

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Another Year, More Dreams To Uphold

Let me see, I’ll be turning 63 in a few hours. Another milestone to reach, more dreams to uphold.

I have always said before that celebrating a birthday is like waiting for New Year to arrive.

The past year has been a quiet one, just the way I like it. I was overjoyed discovering new authors and new books. Yes, give me a book anytime, and I’m in 7th heaven.

Thank you Lord for the gift of life.

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My Fave Authors

Did I say I finished two books in three days?  And yes, blogging was relegated to the back seat again.

The Brave

Waited for this book for almost a decade since it was published back in 2009. I love Nicholas Evans. Read all of his five books now. I wonder why he is no longer writing. I haven’t seen a new one since The Brave. The last time I heard of the guy was back in 2010 when he and his family members got sick because of eating poisonous mushrooms.   The Brave is his last publication so far. Alternating between the main character Tommy Bedford’s fast and present, but you are never lost in the story. A lonely childhood, as heartwarming as his other books.

Lost December

Richard Paul Evans, you rock!

Just finished reading this in a day. I love the twist and turns of the story. Evan’s stories have that arresting themes that grips you, some warm tales of family life, triumphs, friendship. They are feel-good stories that make you go on reading till you reach the last page.

Lost December is one of those. I like the relationship between father and son, how they survived the brief alienation from each other and how the son learned how important family is in the end.

We make bad choices at times but the lessons they teach us are priceless. I have this lovely quote from the book:

” In life we all take different paths, some more difficult than others, but in the end, all that matters is whether or not they lead us home.”

Except for his Michael Vey series which are more YA books in character, I read almost all of his books. We are friends at Facebook…haha 🙂 His books  I have are hardbounds and all have lovely covers to boot. I love the quotes written in each chapter of every book. Aside from Mary Oliver, he is one of my favorite authors.

Oh my, and I found two more books by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Half of the Yellow Sun and Americanah. I Am David by Anne Holm has been on my wish list for a number of years now and what do you know, I’ll be reading it soon too.

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A Family Vacation

Thunderstorms in Singapore?

Nissa’s family is scheduled to visit the zoo today (and it’s already fully paid) but she said it is raining. This is their fourth day in Singapore and Nate is enjoying it although twice now at night he had slight fever probably due to fatigue. Yesterday, they were at the Universal Studios the whole day then rode on the cable car afterwards. Nate complained that he was tired 😦 This is Nate’s first trip abroad although every year Nissa schedules trips in different provinces here in the Philippines. It’s a seventh birthday gift for him.

Nice to see them via a video chat with my niece who is staying there. And since Nissa could not use her phone except when they are at the hotel through messenger, my niece let her borrow one of her iPhones just until Thursday before they go home.

Five more days to go before I turn 63. Wonder how it feels to be on my 63rd year. Somewhat exciting but I am getting old.

p.s.
They were able to visit the zoo after all. Tomorrow would be more exciting for Nate, it’s Legoland Malaysia.

So there is a branch of our local Jollibee there at Causeway point Woodlands but according to Nissa, the price is twice more expensive than what we have here in the Philippines.

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I Wonder

Happy  Sunday guys.

It took me a while to finish the book of Isabel Allende’s Of Love and  Shadows. It’s not because the book is not good, it is but I got distracted again by Wordscapes. besides I kept comparing it to the martial law days back in the 70s – the unrest, the dissatisfaction with the government, human rights abuses, the rebellion,  threats, extra-judicial killings, tortures and incarceration of those suspected people against the Marcos rule.

It’s a sad story about love, survival, hatred, fear and oppression. If you don’t want to get caught, don’t voice out  your fears and what you know but keep silent. I admire the poetic way of describing the beautiful scenery in between the brutal attacks by those in power, the police. Come to think of it, there is somewhat a close similarity between the book and what is happening now in ou country.

This government is against drugs and even promised to eradicate it in three to six months. But it’s been more than three years and those  drug lords are still scot-free while the lowly drug users are being killed without due process. I would not elaborate, this can be seen from various happenings in some areas of the country. Although not all police force is crooked, some of them are even involved in the drug trade. Disgusting. Those appointed by the president who are found guilty of misdeeds are being recycled and transferred to other  departments. How’s that again?

Imagine, the allotted budget for health and education were greatly reduced while the personal budget of the president increased by a hundredfold. Is this transportation crisis real? If you’ll see how the commuters suffer everyday just to get to their places of work on  time. Three hours commute not just because of the traffic but because of lack of transport.  You are lucky if you have a car but you still have to leave early so won’t get caught in traffic.

I don’t want to be stressed by what is happening around. I don’t even watch news on television. I am not indifferent though, I feel the frustration of every affected citizen. I feel the hopelessness of those who can’t do anything to change the course of this ugly governance.

Where are we going?

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Heartland Series 19

That lovely feeling of discovering something that brings a smile and inspired thoughts that you have to commit on paper. That lovely feeling of just being there to enjoy the beauty of it all.

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