Goodbye January, Hello February

We now say goodbye to January. It’s like a whirlwind that has come and gone in a flash. All I could remember about this month are my visits to my doctors, maybe around ten times if I were to count. Always, leaving the house around 6:30 am and coming home around 1 pm. Like clockwork, I had regular lab tests. It was also my first time to undergo CT Scan. In two weeks, I’ll be back again. This almost a month respite is truly a blessing for me. I walk in our village park early in the morning although it is not a regular routine. Once Josef has left, sometimes I go back to sleep.

Looking forward to the month of February. 2023 is not a leap year. We only have 28 days this coming month and before we know it, it’ll be gone. I no longer expect to be operated on for my cataract in the next few months. As long as my FBS does not remain normal, then it is not a go in the meantime. Dreading to go back to the Hub and repeat all the requirements again.

I pray that the month of February would bring us more blessings and greater opportunities in life ❤🙏🙏🙏❤.

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When June Comes To A Close

I wonder why for three straight nights now, I kept dreaming of our old house in the province, younger Josef and Nissa, mom and dad. In my dream, my dad was still very much alive. Sometimes, I could not remember the details. Don’t know what it means.

Got this lovely frame from a friend. I like the positive thoughts it brings.

July is rapidly inching its way in.  This is supposed to be my month-ender blog  but there is nothing much that happened during the month of June except celebrating Jovy’s and Josef’s  birthdays.  All I  did was to fix the garden and read. Yes, I found more books by Carlos Ruiz Zafón who died last June 19, 2020. Zafón’s follow-up, The Angel’s Game , is a prequel to The Shadow of the Wind. His third in the series,The Prisoner of Heaven  is the sequel to The Shadow of the Wind. I have them both. I also found other books by Gabriel Garcia Marquez.  Just finished No One Writes to the Colonel, a novella.

I am delighted to find more authors to follow and more books to read. If there is one positive  thing that this COVID-19 brought us, it’s enough time to bond with the family.

Proud to tell you of my new harvest the other day. Jackfruit cooked in coconut cream with small slices of pork or shrimps, the best vegetable in this side of town. I still have three more which are already  large enough to ripen maybe in about a month.

 

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April Ends, May Begins

I have this nagging pain on my right knee for almost two weeks now. It is not really that painful but I could not sleep at night trying to try a sleeping position that would keep me relaxed. The pain is more visible at night. I tried some liniments to no avail.  It keeps coming back.

Early this morning I went back to my doctor for that much-needed check up.  He prescribed Tramadol for a week once or twice a day or as needed. I took one when I reached home and I am feeling okay now. Hopefully, the pain goes away soon. I have to come back after a week though for uric acid test and for FBS (fasting blood sugar).  Sometimes I just hate going to the doctor. I hate the endless waiting.  You’ll wait for two hours  only to be seen by the doctor for less than fifteen minutes. I get bored waiting. Although there is a television in the waiting area, I don’t usually watch it.

Instead of using a headset when I am viewing a video, Josef lent me his BOSE sound link and connected it to the computer. This afternoon, I tried it listening to some 70’s and 80’s songs then surprise…I watched a movie called Irresistible, starring Susan Sarandon.  Was she going crazy suspecting her husband’s newest co-worker that the latter is trying to attract the former? When things started to disappear in their house, the more she believed that the stalker was her husband’s co-worker. She struggles to prove her sanity and trust on her intuition. It is a psychological thriller alright with an unexpected conclusion. I didn’t expect to enjoy it but I did.  And listening to a well-delivered and clear dialogue added to the attraction. Using the sound link is way, way better than relying on the computer’s speaker.

Time flies, don’t you think? April is coming to a close and May is just around the corner.

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A Thousand Mornings (Part 5)

You’re right, this is my month-ender blog.

So what’s great in a lovely morning? What’s so special about seeing the sun’s face and feeling the morning heat while you are drinking a half-cup of black coffee?  What’s s good about just relaxing and thinking about the thousand mornings in your life?

Yes, I am always inspired by  Mary Oliver’s poems. That lovely volume of A Thousand Mornings is a permanent fixture on my night table.  This is funny though, I read some lines at night when I need to get in touch with my inner psyche and think of what life is all about – its wonderful moments, its disappointing days in between and the little surprises that make one smile and shout to the world, you’re glad you are alive and kicking.

“And now you’ll be telling stories
of my coming back
and they won’t be false, and they won’t be true
but they’ll be real” 

I’ve blogged so many times about Mary Oliver’s thoughts and words since I discovered her a few years ago.  Her words are simple but sometimes they cut deep inside.

What did August bring? Too  much rain and many provinces and even Metro Manila got flooded.  The last week of  August though was like summer, hot and humid during the day, a little colder at night.  I do hope September would be better, not too many weather disturbances and typhoons that clearly affect most parts of the archipelago.

I am in the middle of reading these wonderful books by Lily Zante, The Billionaire’s Love Story. They come in three boxed sets with three books in each one.  I am on the first series of the third set.  Although I am not much into reading love stories, these series are just hard to put down.  Suspense, mystery, family relationship, they have it all and love of course tops it all. These nine installments  vary in length, they are shorter by far compared to other serialized books, more of novellas.  I guess this is the first time I’ve read a love story in nine series.  I remember back in high school when I was addicted to those Mills and Boons books, I loved those with boss-employee relationships, the rags to riches, the various twists and turns but in the end, it will always be love ‘s triumph over adversities in life.  If you are looking for some light but lovely read, I recommend these books.

August is ending and September comes  near.  A nice weekend to all. Happy September days.

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Time To Say Goodbye July

Gosh, where did July go?

And it is slowly melting into the month of August. July….the  uneventful days, the days meeting new friends,  cloudy, stormy and rainy and sunshine in between.  Yes I know, another 31 days to go before the  start  of  the BER months. Not really looking forward to  August since I am pretty sure it’ll be  another stormy month for us. But there is something nice about the changing leaves in the calendar. You wish that dream you had would finally come true. You wish that your health would finally go back to normal. And you wish that everything falls into place. Does it ever though?

Saying goodbye to July and saying hello to August.  My monthly ritual of a blog. Something that would summarize the days and the month about to end and  maybe something more of a surprise in the coming days of August.

I am almost at the finish line of my Goodreads challenge for this year. I just viewed my profile at Goodreads and it says I have about  923 ratings (3.74 average), 289 reviews, # 56 top reviewers and around 1,023 books read since joining, back in 2011.  A well-traveled journey in reading so to speak. I tend to favor historical fiction and memoirs. I love learning about other people’s lives. History has that appeal that contemporary books don’t have.  My most read authors are Robin Cook and James Patterson with 28 books each followed by Luanne  Rice and Richard Paul Evans with 22 and 21 books successively. Kristin Hannah and Rosamunde Pilcher come next with  16 books each.  I didn’t even know that Goodreads has these features, a total number of all books you’ve read through the years. I only follow the reading challenge each year. I follow 19 authors and I have 58 friends but not all of them are readers. some are just there with  updated profiles but no list of books read.

When I talk about books, I can’t seem to stop. Happy August month everyone!

 

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Hello June

And may I say goodbye again to an old month and say hello to June?

Been doing this for quite sometime now,  remembering the days past and looking forward to the days ahead. Except for the wedding we attended during the first week of the month and a couple  of  times  going to the mall for shopping  and dinner, May was quite uneventful. But of course family day once a month is always something we all look  forward to. Never mind if  we just stay at home most of the time and catch up on family news.  There is always something we’ve missed during Viber calls and text messages.

I was thrilled seeing the short videos  and various photos which Nissa took of their three-day vacation in Baler the other week.  Nate is becoming adventurous. At an early age, he is learning to appreciate places and Nature.

Look at how excited he was to discover the place. Last Saturday he told me casually that they were going to Mall of Asia after their visit here and our conversation went this way:

“I haven’t been to Mall of Asia yet,” I said

He answered, “Come with us next time, I’ll tell Mommy about it”.

“I’ve seen the place but I’ve never been inside yet”.

“It’s a big, big place”,  he said.

I think I don’t need to go there just to see it because there are so many nearby malls in our place and they have the same stores that the Mall of Asia have.

Speaking of Baler, I rather like this serene look of the place.  Seeing the sea always makes me feel at peace.

Imagine yourself waking up to this lovely scenery  and  loving the fresh air. Imagine yourself transported to a beautiful place with not a care in the world. I do, sometimes.

I guess, we have to endure another month of humid weather but maybe not as hot as the month of May. It rains in the afternoon in some places but not in our area.  Sometimes it is cloudy.

I wish you all a very happy new month. May it bring you more blessings in life. Fill that blank page with lovely memories. Write that beautiful story. Fill it with love.

Hello June!

 

 

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April Says Goodbye, May Says Hello

Saying goodbye to April and welcoming May again.

I used to blog about month-endings and beginnings  – something to remember and something to look forward to.

April.

Quite uneventful aside from my eye operation done last week, having our pet Oreo and visits from Nissa, Obet and Nate. Official summer here always begins in the month of April. Oh my gosh, and it is so hot. It is windy outside but it is humid.  Sometimes, rain threatens  but that is all there is to it except for those two instances where it rained in the afternoon but never enough to wet the ground thoroughly.  I have to water the garden twice a day because of this heat.

May.

Looking forward to the month of May. I hope the weather will be kind enough for us to experience occasional rain to combat this heat. Based on  previous years, May is the warmest month but we also have rains in the afternoon. This is the time where most families and company employees have their  outings in nearby beaches. Some travel all the way to famous places like Palawan, Cebu, Bohol etc.

Sometimes you dream of early morning walks in beaches, wait for the sun to come up  and take a dip later. You can never stay long under the heat of the sun though, your skin will burn.  Some prefer going to the malls which is the cheaper way to relax and cool off.  You may need just  a small amount set aside for snacks at Jollibee or McDonald’s. Or if you are on the look out for some items to buy, some malls hold sales at this time just before classes start again in June.

Again I am reminded of the song First of May. I just love playing it around this time of the year.

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August Ends

It  pains me that August would end on a sad note.  Even if you have accepted that we  would all grow old and eventually will leave this world, it is always sad to learn of someone dear to you pass on.  I just received a message that one of my aunts (Mom’s oldest sister) died last night. She was 96.  She was bedridden for so long that it surely is a blessing for her to rest at last with the Lord.  I will always remember those days when she would bring their farm’s produce when I go home for vacation.  I will always remember those days when she would allow us (her nieces and nephews) to  get what we like in her small sari-sari store when we were kids.  The memories linger and I feel sad that she passed on. It is always sad and touching to hear and see a loved one die.

Tomorrow starts the BER months which most of us Filipinos always look forward to. No matter how hard life is, there is that inner thrill that Christmas would not be far behind.  It’s my favorite season of the year. Do I hear Christmas songs in the air? I have a friend who said that for her, every day is Christmas. Every day is something she looks forward to. Every day is a day of giving, not necessarily materials things but of time and yourself to others. Just listening to a friend, talking to your kids about anything under the sun, helping other people in your own simple way is a way of giving.

August has been a quiet month but with all those thunderstorms almost every day. Except for that time my high school friends surprised me with a visit, it was just the family and me together.  September is inching its way  and I hope it would be a lovely and productive month for us all.

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Month Endings And Beginnings

Yeay, it’s October.

I miss my month-end post and greeting each new month. It was an uneventful September 🙂 To think we haven’t celebrated Nissa’s birthday yet (together as a family).  Today was all bright and sunny, you wouldn’t think there is a coming typhoon and the prediction is, it would be a rainy one tomorrow. Did a little gardening but I was busy the past days finishing a series of five books. I was hoping there would be book six because it was that good.  I am getting tired of seeing the same face of the president on social media but I don’t get tired of commenting about those faux pas and blunders that he utters every day. It is embarrassing. The words are given weight because he is the president and he has an obligation and responsibility to the people he promised to serve.  Opps, sorry, I promised myself I won’t write a political blog for the next six years. It is so stressful and it is barely three months since he occupied Malacanang.

I could still hear Nate shouting I miss you Nonna, happy birthday over the phone this morning. Don’t worry baby, we would see each other soon and we will celebrate no matter how simple it is.

Early this morning, Josef asked about Gunter Kallmann choir because he was downloading Christmas carols on his phone. He made me listen to some jazz versions of Christmas music.  He is the one counting, not me  🙂  Did I say it’s barely 84 days to go before the day?

May your October days be lots of fun and  full of blessings.  Shalom!

 

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I Never Said Goodbye To July

Welcome August dear, I hope you will be kind enough to limit typhoons that visit our country when you are around.  Please, please, please, no more flash floods that wreak havoc to my peace of mind and stress to those people in a number of provinces regularly visited by storms and typhoons.  We just had three typhoons since the start of the year and I am thankful that they are not that destructive.

July, you were some kind of lazy, you know that? Uneventful long afternoons of sunny skies and sudden thunderstorms but you were kind enough to inspire me to overhaul my garden. Maybe, overhaul is such a strong word, I was inspired to dig the earth and plant more, prune one of our calamansi trees and our lone Gardenia shrub.  I got blisters on my hands and little cuts too but that’s part of a gardener’s life.  I am glad that you gave me enough time to catch up on my reading and discover books that are a delight to read.

I stopped watching the news lately because all they ever show are body counts of dead people on the streets who the authorities say are drug pushers/users but what is sad is there are those innocent victims (students and young professionals) with a promise of a bright future. Mistaken identity or were they at the wrong place at the wrong time? I hate these extra-judicial killings, they violate human rights. Social media say that there is due process when the suspect  belongs to the higher ladder of society but the ordinary man on the street is an easy target.  One thing that I know,  go to the root so the branches would die.  Goodbye July, I hope this time next year, everything would be just as peaceful as before.

Looking forward to more days of reading and since Mom is here, I know August would be a happy month. Our dog Noki is happy too because Mom is around. Our cat Mimi has found a nice bed to take a nap while  Mom watches her favorite programs.

I asked Nissa how I could post the video she took of Nate while he was dancing. The dance moves….priceless  🙂  They attended a birthday party last Saturday.  He brought home a  set of  Robocar Poli  because of his winning get-up, that of  Iron Man!

Here’s my wish for you, may your August days be happy too!

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