Here Comes December

I was suddenly  reminded of the song with lyrics like this: and now the end is near…..

It’s not really all about facing the final curtain which is a certainty for all of us but it is more on changing another leaf in the calendar.

And here comes December….finally!

Photo culled from the net.

Looking forward to the cool December days although the start of the month it is marred by a tropical storm coming in anytime next week. Good thing Metro Manila will  not be  directly affected but it will surely bring more  rain.  Weather disturbances this late in the year are usually strong.  It’s the 20th tropical cyclone for 2019.

Falling in line for quite a while and when it was my turn to transact at the ATM machine located at the mall, it suddenly went unavailable because it ran out of cash inside. Since I didn’t want to use my credit card (cause I already paid the December dues in full), I have to wait for another day or go to a nearby branch of the bank to  withdraw some cash. Mall ATMs are so convenient though, it’s like killing two birds with one stone. And there are those ever present mall sales but I don’t usually buy because of foot traffic and sometimes you end up buying something you really don’t need just because it’s on sale. It’s better to be practical nowadays.

I am trying to catch up on my reading, trying romance books this time. I found a seven-novel-box set from seven different authors, done with two, so far so good. According to some reviews, Romance Through the Ages is an excellent read. They are light reading, some are funny, one is a  bit historical. Just enjoying the days waiting for Christmas, doing some general cleaning. We’re done decorating a week ago.

 

 

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How Important Is Your Blog Stats?

Been looking at my dashboard this morning. I hope WordPress would bring back that assessment they usually do at the end of the year telling you how you fared with your blog.

It is nice to know that the most read blog with all time views was my post on Mama Mary  I posted it back in September 2011 and it garnered total views of 23,824. Next in line is my blog about our road trip at Regina RICA which we did at the start of the year 2012.  It has  total views of 10,122. Coming in third is my post about one of our local author’s books The Early Bird Catches The Worm But The Second Mouse Gets The Cheese. It has 8,156 views.The author Francis J. Kong is a very gifted and popular motivational speaker here in our country.  I was surprised at the response I got from that post and most of those who commented were just passersby so to speak. Back in  May 2009, I just started blogging here. These were followed by my earlier posts when  I was hospitalized and underwent chemotherapy ten years ago. My total stats at the moment reached 597,267. Maybe by the end of  December, it’ll reach 600,000 views….wishing.

You know why page views are important too? It’s because they tell you whether your blog content is good or not. They may not always make comments or click like but you know they have visited and read your posts. I check my stats occasionally and I am glad I had reached this number.

 

 

 

 

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GRATEFUL

HAPPY THANKSGIVING to all my wonderful friends in the US of A.

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And Then…

What a busy, busy weekend.

Yes, you heard it right. I ironed several panels of curtains, changed the sheets, replaced the curtains with thicker ones. Oh my, several loads in the washing machine. I’m dead beat. Good thing, the sun is shining. They would dry under the heat of the sun.

We’ re baking again. There are so many orders but not enough time to do everything.  Just helping Jovy and Josef to fill them up.  My goodness, I could not even take a taste test because I am avoiding sweets.

I was able to catch up on my reading though. I usually read at night. It’s been a while since I read thrillers and courtroom scenes that I really love. This love affair started when I read QB VII by Leon Uris several years ago. I am reading some romantic stories now for a change, and some are all about Christmas.

By the way, HAPPY THANKSGIVING to all my friends residing in the US. May you all be blessed  🙂 There is always something we are grateful for.

 

 

 

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When November Ends

November is coming to a close, gently folding its leaves to welcome the cold December days. Ah, the joys of waiting for Christmas!

According to Christmas clock, there are 27 days, 15 hours, 40 minutes till December 25, 2019.

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Before The Rain Falls by Camille di Maio

It took me a while to finish reading this one because I was so engrossed watching I Want, a new app on my tab which features selected movies, news, sports, telenovelas, music and what have you all from the largest network in the country, ABS CBN.

The first time I encountered how gifted this writer is, was when I read her book The Memory of Us. Yes, it is one of the best read I had this year. It may not be that good to some but I love the Catholic aspect of the book. A Catholic seminarian falling in love with a girl of another religion. This is more of a love story than what happened during WWII.

The Way of Beauty  is simply beautiful. Another Di Maio book that I love. when you encounter stories like this, you are inspired to read more.

I looked for more of her books until I found Before The Rain Falls. It’s the story  of how families protect each other, how they show their love, how they encourage each other to excel. It’s the story of a life in prison.

Part of the synopsis reads: “Moving and engrossing, this dual story alternates between Della’s dark ordeals of the 1940s and Paloma and Mick’s present-day search for answers―about roots, family, love, and what is truly important in life.”

I love the characters of Mick and Paloma but Della’s stand out more. Hoping I could read more books by this author. I just love her writing style.

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Cristo Rey

Today is the Feast of Christ the King, conclusion of the liturgical year in the Catholic calendar.

“Feast of Christ the King, also called Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe, is a  festival celebrated in the Roman Catholic Church in honour of Jesus Christ as lord over all creation. Essentially a magnification of the Feast of the Ascension, it was established by Pope Pius XI in 1925″.

Next Sunday is the beginning of another liturgical year in which we start with the season of Advent.  It is a time we look forward to as preparation of Christmas, four weeks of Advent Sundays before Christmas.  The word Advent comes from the Latin adventus, meaning “arrival” or “coming” from the word advenire (ad- “to” venire “come”).

Advent 2019 begins on December 1 and ends on December 24. The themes that correspond to each week are the following:

Week 1: Hope (or promise)
Week 2: Preparation (or waiting or prophecy)
Week 3: Joy (or peace)
Week 4: Love (or adoration)

It was so nice to meet our good friend Fr. Aly again who is now the Parish Priest and Rector of the the Shrine of Our Lady of Light here in our town. For eight years, I’ve missed listening to his lovely and meaningful homilies. He was the one who officiated on Nissa’s wedding eight years ago. Meeting old friends, what a wonderful treasure.

By the way, Cristo Rey are Spanish words for Christ the King. Have a blessed  Sunday everyone.

 

 

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It’s Nate’s Seventh Birthday

The very first time I blogged about you, I wrote this

 “I’m just so proud of you baby. You make my heart swell with love. So what they say is true, having a grandson is one of the best things that can ever happen in one’s life. The joys of seeing you at last – unconditional love, immeasurable happiness”

On your first birthday, I wrote this letter to you:

“HAPPY, HAPPY BIRTHDAY darling baby Nate. Yeay, and you are counting 🙂 How time flies, now you can walk on your own even if they’re just baby steps. It’s time to see the world from a higher place and discover many, many things dear to your heart.

I can’t believe it, was it only a year ago when your Dad and I patiently waited for you to see the world and hear your first cry? Was it only a year ago when your mom excitedly showed us your pictures while she was in the delivery room even if she was groggy from anesthesia? And I promised myself I would write about your growing up years. You’re one year old now and we’ll have more days, months and years to discover the world through your eyes. And may you grow to be strong, smart, healthy and loving and may you continue to possess that innocence so endearing to see in a lovable child that you are. And I wish you all the precious things that a loving Nonna could wish for”.

I love you baby, you are God’s greatest gift to us. We are indeed blessed having you in our lives. Again, happy birthday!

In between, we celebrated your birthdays  in different settings. You have your first airplane ride when you were two. It’s now your seventh year and you have made us proud being a smart, kind, warm, loving and lovable kid,

 

I remember you telling me when we went out during my birthday last month that you won’t have a party since your trip to Singapore and Legoland Malaysia was your gift from your mom and dad. You even said that you have no more money since you bought Lego toys there.  Did you enjoy the trip? It was a big “yes” shout from you.

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Thank God It’s Friday

A friend forwarded this early this morning. Another lovely message to share.

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I Want

I am finally done trimming the carabao grass early this morning. Hooray.

A few days ago, Jovy taught me how to download the I Want  app on my tab, tried it today  and I super enjoyed watching two movies, listening to Pilipino Christmas carols on YouTube and I also watched the final games of the UAAP Season 82  which ended a few minutes ago. I only watch basketball during the UAAP (University Athletic Association of the Philippines) season. Ateneo won for the third straight year with UST coming in second in the basketball championship. It was a lovely game with both sides of players giving their best shots. I think I told you in my other posts that I seldom watch television much less a movie. Occasionally though, I catch some movie adaptations on YouTube. The I Want app is owned by one of the largest networks in the country, ABS CBN. It has news, entertainment, music, variety shows, drama series, sports and movies especially produced by ABS CBN. I had a grand time selecting two movies to watch, one is even dubbed in English which I think was for international release. I finally found it a joy to watch something while in bed 🙂 For a while checking my blog and reading other blog posts and reading  books were relegated to the back seat 🙂 Our local talents/artists are truly gifted.

Maybe I would watch one more tonight before going to sleep.Haha, it’s a marathon.

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