Oh Yeah!

I have these one Catholic page and two Catholic groups at Facebook of which I am an admin. Yesterday one of my co-admins featured me at Sambuhay Interaktib, a Society of St. Paul offshoot from their program every week.

Here’s what she posted at our site.

One of my grade schoool classmates who is a doctor disagreed with the word remission. According to her “remission of cancer means reduction of the signs and symptoms of cancer. Arlene is cancer free for many years now. Not on remission because cancer no longer exists within her. God is so great”.

All these years I also thought that once you have cancer and you get well, you are in remission. Now I learned another medical word with its true meaning.

I do enjoy being an admin of Sambuhay Interaktib. I get to meet SSP (Society of St. Paul) priests and brothers along the way and some members who work mostly outside the country.

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How I Wish….

This is really annoying. Perhaps you are also familiar with my other blog called Dreams Never End which I created through another e-mail address separate from the four blogs I have linked to Dreams and Escapes just in case my free alloted space gets full.

Now here is the problem. I could visit the site when I am not logged in but when I log in, WordPress directs me to create a new blog. I have more than a hundred posts there each with a photo. What is happening? I want to access the site so I could update it. Gosh, WordPress is creating a problem left and right.

Could someone help please?

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A Simple Prayer

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Blogging

What’s happening WordPress? I could not see uploaded photos and cannot even comment? Why?

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A Century Today

Gosh, it’s been a while since I posted an entry here. I had a good time reading every day.

Do you know that if Dad has been alive, he’ll be 100 years old today? He was born on January 16, 1922. As I have said before, I celebrate his birthday and remember him always during his death anniversary. We lost him one December night fifteen years ago after a long battle with ESRD (end stage renal disease) and six months of dialysis. Until his death, I was able to talk to him. That was the time he remembered stories about his parents, our Tatay Ayong and Nanay Maria. My grandmother died when their youngest was born. I haven’t even seen pictures of her but my uncles told me I looked like her, even with some uncanny mannerisms that I inherited. Maybe that’s why I was so closed to them before.

I imagine those times that Mom, Dad and I would sit at the ledge of our garage and talk about anything under the sun while we watched some passersby. Dad was full of those advices that I took to heart. When Tatay Ayong died, his siblings looked up to him, consulting him in any major decision that they have to make. He had other half-siblings (eight in all) when my grandfather remarried. I’d like to think I was closer to Dad than to mom. It was only the three of us (my oldest brother), dad and I when we were in high school while mom took care of my two brothers in the province. I learned how to cook because of him. His half-sisters are all good cooks. He would instruct while watching me cook. That’s the way I learned those yummy recipes while growing up.

What a coincidence! Today, the memorial service of his friend Mama Julian was held in Australia this morning. It was a lovely tribute to a friend my dad was closed too. Wow, Nana Mina was so beautiful.

A picture of the four of them when they visited us back in 2004.

A hundred years, imagine? I miss you….still! 🎉🎈🎊

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Dad And Mama Julian

Last week I received this sad news that our neighbor and friend in Kamuning before passed on. The family live in Australia. Mama Julian was 98.

I remember those days with fondness when we were living in the same place and the same compound. Almost every night, Mama Julian would bring his ukulele to our place and dad his guitar. They would play music together and I would just listen. They could pick chords of several songs without even looking at anything. During lazy days, the four of them – my mom, Nana Mina, Mama Julian and Dad would play cards called Entre Siete in our place. Mama Julian and dad would partner together and they had this what they call dentoy, movement of their heads, sway of their hands and other such nuances which they do together to let each other know what cards he had. Nana Mina and mom could not defeat them. Mama Julian was the godfather of my youngest brother.

His youngest daughter told me this: Arlene, I felt warmed when I hear these very precious moments in the life of your dad and mine. I remember these too.

She said further that truth be told, your Dad was the only true and loyal friend to tatay. He’ll have his memorial service on Sunday via Zoom and that happens to be Dad’s 100th birthday.

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Saturday, Saturday

It’s almost a week now since my last post here. I have to submit to SSS several copies of mom’s photo holding a current newspaper before they were satisfied. Finally yesterday, I received an e-mail that they processed the renewal of Mom’s pension. She is a survivor pensioner so we have to renew it every year just to let them know that she is alive and kicking. She complains about being nervous when she wakes up and this morning she said that her one eye could not see. Otherwise, she is still healthy for her age of 92 going 93 by April. She complains that she could not go out. It’s been three years since she arrived back here. Alden could not fetch her because he is sick. My other brother who lives close by cannot drive yet because he had brain operation a few months ago. I am the only one who could take care of her.

I joined the 2022 Goodreads Reading challenge and committed myself to read 150 books this year. I am done with four. I am never in a hurry though. I choose those new authors and discover what they have to offer. Last year I was able to finish 144 books, an eclectic mix of historical, contemporary, memoirs, one YA book and a couple or three love stories. Here are the books I have rated ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐.

A Winter Beneath The Stars – Jo Thomas

Evergreen – Belva Plain

Redeeming Love – Francine Rivers

What The Wind Knows – Amy Harmon

Knight in Shining Suit – Jerilee Kaye

Long Walk To Freedom – Nelson Mandela ( a memoir)

Cold Mountain – Charles Frazier

The Orphans Of Race Point – Paltry Francis

These are just some of the few titles I enjoyed reading last year.

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It Was A Busy Tuesday

For the fourth time since this pandemic I have to go out again yesterday to get an additional form for mom’s renewal of her Social Security survivor’s pension since it is nearing January 16 which is the date of Dad’s birth.

I was able to contact SSS Cainta branch manager via e-mail. According to him, their branch is already closed since November last year. I have to go to another branch to get the non-remarriage/no co-habitation form, an additional requirement. Mom could no longer write her name so I bought a stampad ink months ago for her thumb marks.

I e-mailed everything, such gargantuan requirements. SSS just want to make sure that the pensioner is still alive.

Speaking of booster shots, I am in a quandary whether to get one. According to a friend whose son lives in Saudi Arabia, they are on their second booster there. Would this be endless meantime that it is in experimental stage? We had about more than 5,000 positive cases yesterday and according to our health department, there are already 7 cases of the Omicron variant. Sometimes, their reports are no longer believable.

Right now, I am on my third book. I joined the 2022 Godreads Reading Challenge. Yeay for 150 books.

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Doodles

Nate said he was bored after our stay at the garden. I told him I’ll read the story of Owen and Mzee, a baby hippo and a 130-year old turtle. It ‘s a true story compiled in a book with lots of photos. He likes it because he has the same name as the baby hippo. He was christened Nathaniel Owen. It’s one of the Christmas gifts I gave him.

When we were done reading, I gave my notebook and a ballpen and he started drawing. I rather like the dotted greeting of Merry Christmas. Boy, he can draw, I took a photo…of course.

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New Year With The Family

We had a great time celebrating together. Nissa, Obet and Nate came over to spend lunch with us. It was a simple but lovely celebration. I had a lovely time playing with Nate at the garden. Posted some shots of him at my other blog Precious Bundle of Joy. Sorry, could not post the link except the title, seems not to work on a tab.

Our group shot with 92-year old mom.

Nate always has that lovely smile.

Our two fur babies Oreo and Cookie with Josef and Jovy.

The two of us, look at my white hair….haha!

With Nissa and Nate.

Our lunch spread.

New Year’s Eve

Nissa took so many shots. These are just some of our New Year photos.

A blessed 2022 to all.

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