Christmas and Lola's birthday

After giving and opening the gifts and after feasting on the noche buena foodies and a dose of sleep, off we went again to the north. Na-ah, not the North Pole where Santa Claus is believed to run a gift factory, I mean the northern part of the country which we travel to via the North Luzon Expressway. Travelling on the 25th towards the north is quite a breeze, especially now that we take the Mindanao Avenue interchange so we don't have to drive and go through the Balintawak Toll Plaza. 

This has been our routine for the past few years -- driving to Lola's birthday bash and meeting her ever growing number of grandchildren and great grandchildren. She turned 82 28 this year (look at her birthday cake! LOL). Speaking of ever growing, I actually lost count of how many are we; maybe I am really that bad with numbers (haha..) but see, we cannot fit into the camera frame so photos with Lola has to be taken by batch. Oh, and of course, the folks up there never fail to ask me about my non-existent love life. I am actually running out of witty comebacks but earlier I used, "wait lang, mag-prepare ka na kasi ninong/ninang ka ha!" then laugh out loud as I flee away (huhuhu....Paskong Pasko eh!).

And so this is Christmas, and in 7 days the new year will come. I still feel like spending the holidays bumming around..hehe, the joys of doing nothing if there is such a thing.

videoke

Malamig ang hangin at ang kalangitan ay unti-unting dumidilim

Mga ulap-ulan naiipon, tinatangay ng hangin

Ang katanghalian naging makulimlim

Habang sa 'di kalayuan may videoke singing

hahaha...pumasok lang sa makulit kong isipan! 

May lakad pa naman ako after lunch, 'wag naman sana biglang umulan! 

Pero promise, I am not attributing the rain clouds to the merry neybors!

mind stretching galore

a cold night and I feel hungry

so I'll eat first before staring again at the lappy

though the sky's quite clear and starry

it's not yet time to be dreamy

Last stretch? 

Ang wish ko lang talaga ay makahinga ng maluwag

...both literally and figuratively

Oh, someone reminded me earlier of yet another commitment that I have to fulfill really soon. 

Whew, pasasaan ba at mauubos rin sila.

When Juana speaks...

Kanina pa ako tumatawa mag-isa sa exchanges na ito:

Ako: ba-bye, alis na'ko (sabay kiss sa cheek ni mother)
Mama: oh, alis ka na? Saan ka pupunta, papasok ka na? (Forced leave kasi ako kahapon)
Ako: ay, hindi! Mamamasyal lang ako! (Sabay tawa kasi may bitbit nga ako documents tapos mamamasyal)
Mama: Ha?? Mamamasyal ka lang? Bakit hindi ka magtrabaho?
Ako: (natatawa pa rin) eh... nakakatamad eh!
Mama: Anong nakakatamad? Nag-aral ka pa ng masters tapos tatamarin ka lang?!
Ako: ha..ha..ha..ha.. alis na koooo!


'Yun eh, listening to taong bayan starts at home!


Happy Tuesday and hello sun shiny Metro Manila with all the cars and different sorts of vehicles trying to squeeze in. In fairness, malamig ang aircon nitong bus but am wondering if I should really be glad -- hello too, carbon foot prints! Last stretch na ito for the year but it seems never-ending.


But seriously, HINDI ako super hero so there!

on coping with changes and facing the unknown

"Storm Chaser" raw ang tawag sa team ng DOST-PAGASA na pumunta sa estimated area where ruby will take a landfall. Their mission: observe and note what happens on the ground...interestingly dangerous but exciting for the adventurous and buwis buhay na serious.


Bigla kong naalala ang pagka inlove ko sa science when I was a girl. Oo nga, I fell in love with science first...yun ang first love ko at next lang si writing (okay, what about eating? Yan ang forever love ko...OO, mayroong forever! 'Pag yummy pa nga eh, forevermore! LOL)


Anyway, maraming naganap at hindi naganap sa life ko kaya hindi ako naging scientist or astronaut. Right now, hindi ako typhoon chaser coz I just run away from the typhoon dahil ngayon ako lumipad pa-Manila from Mindanao area. Oh well, may mga bagay lang talaga na dream mo noon pero hindi natupad; tapos yun hindi mo man lang naisip na magaganap ay siyang nangyayari.


But still, what matters most is how you face life as it unfolds and how well you cope with unexpected twists and turns. And now I think that coping doesn't always mean staying or being the one to prevail. Coping can also be learning to let go, leaving the things that you cannot change and moving on to a life where you can grow more and spread your wings. I have always been afraid of a lot of things, of uncertainties, of the unknown...but lately I realized that there are times when I have to let go of my fears and chase the light.