Today, I am 50 years and a month old

Yes so a month ago, I turned 50. In my very fertile imagination, I had plans of traveling to some distant shores, exotic places like Istanbul (Turkey) and Marrakech (Morocco) came to mind. But in reality, plans don't come to fruition, right? 

Days leading to my birthday were filled with visits to clinics and hospitals accompanying my sister for her medical check ups. Her list of ailments are numerous but when her endocrinologist referred her to a cardiologist because it seemed like she might have a blocked artery, I prayed as hard as I could for HIS saving grace to intercede and heal her.

To make the long.endless.sleepless.nights story short, the cardiologist gave a full diet regiment to strictly follow and more medicines to address her condition. No heart procedures (angiogram, angioplasty) were necessary as the 2D Echogram and the treadmill stress test revealed she has a thick artery wall which restricts oxygen in her bloodstream and her arteries are not blocked.

Her current concern, though is the chronic pain she suffers in her Achilles tendon. She has a condition called Haglund's deformity, where the tendon around her ankle and heel is severely swollen. An injury she incurred several months ago which was left untreated due to her busy work schedule. She walks with a limp as it hurts when she puts pressure on her right foot. I tagged along for several of her PT (physical therapy) and shockwave therapy sessions, as ordered by a rehabilitation doctor. 

With all of these health woes plaguing my one and only sister dearest, celebrating my 5th decade existence on this earth was the farthest thing on my mind.

UNTIL.

During one of her PT sessions, she asked me what I wanted to do for my milestone birthday, I just shrugged and couldn't really think of anything, celebratory wise. I was more concerned about her injury and certainly DO NOT blame her for shelving my travel plans. It is what it is and of course, family members' (good) health must and always come first.

THEN.

She suggested I go back with her to celebrate it in the land of dumplings and dimsum. I thought long and hard about it and agreed because primarily I felt she needed a  helping hand.  We searched for cheap flights, I told the hubby I will be away from Oct. 17-29, 2018. He said 'ok', well it isn't like he had a choice into the matter, I was merely informing him not asking for his permission. Heh!

How does 50, feel?

I don't notice any immediate and drastic change, I still feel the same. I believe, you are only as old as you allow yourself to be, right? 

I feel lighter because I exercise 2-3 times a week, which in my opinion is why I still get my monthly visitor on the dot, like a very precise Swiss clock.

I try to eat right, (well not always) there are numerous cheat days, I tell you!

I am surrounded with a supportive family. (my parents, sister and the hubby).

But the best thing is keeping a positive outlook, be it in love, family matters and well, life in general. Stress and worries (not that we can really live without them) will only add wrinkles to my already wrinkled face. I am proud to say I earned them and wear them with a badge of honor on my now 50 year old face.

I leave with a stanza from one of my favorite songs, The Story:

All of these lines across my face

Tell you the story of who I am

So many stories of where I've been

And how I got to where I am

But these stories don't mean anything

When you've got no one to tell them to

It's true, I was made for you.

P.S.
The 'you' in the above stanza refers to anybody and not necessarily the hubby. Well you get my point, I hope.

Tai Kwun: Centre for Heritage and Arts

I visited HK (Oct. 17 - 29, 2018) for an unplanned, last-moment-decision for several reasons:

(1) I was turning 50 so I wanted to travel.

(2) My sister needed help with her chronic foot injury which limited her mobility.

(3) I wanted to experience that city state during the 10th month of the year.

The weather was pleasant: not too hot so no sweating, not too cold either to merit wearing a jacket. We dined at most of the restaurants on sister dearest's bucket list, went outlet stores shopping, went to Macau (will post about it, soon) and managed to sneak in a visit to a cultural & heritage site.

Tai Kwun is among the newest spots to visit as it incorporates a rich cultural heritage with modernism. It is located in the Central Police station compound which was restored and comprises three monuments - the former Central Police station, the Central Magistracy and the Victoria Prison. There are also many restaurants within the complex and it has developed into a vibrant night life spot for locals and expats.

It is readily accessible through the mid-levels escalator which was how we reached the place, one early evening just before 7 P.M.  It was interesting to explore the Victoria Prison and learn about the different methods of torture and punishment for the criminals. It took us almost two hours to fully appreciate this complex. A short show featuring Michelin.boy.like.giants performing to music was amusing to witness as we were about to leave the premises.

Good place to visit for everyone who wants to try a different experience.

Ilocano Cuisine

At 12 noon, we were back at our hotel after our Pagudpud tour.  I simply chose the attractions which were must-see sights as our time was limited. There were a few others like several waterfalls which we will reserve for our next trip, whenever that may be. We checked out from our hotel and were on the road by 30 minutes past noon time. It was so hectic, we barely had time for even a quick shower but we loaded all our pieces of luggage into the car and found the correct national highway to take us all the way, home.

The scenic road passed by several towns in Ilocandia and two hours later, we were in Laoag City. This was a planned stop as we wanted to buy some pasalubongs from the market like longganisa, bagnet and crunchy chicacorn.

I googled for suitable restaurants to have lunch and came up with three options. The first one did not have parking while we got lost looking for the second one. By then, we were hungry and cranky already so we gave up the search for the third one. hehehe. Luckily, I chanced upon a restaurant which looked presentable enough as it was located near a hotel named Balay da Blas.

On the outside, it looked quite ordinary but once you enter, it felt like you were transported into an old house with many artifacts. It exuded a museum-with-many-antiques vibe so it was a quaint little place to have lunch. I am glad we picked Saramsan Ylocano Restaurant in Laoag City.

We were 'tired' of eating longganisa, bagnet and pinakbet which are common fare in any restaurant in that region. So I decided to go vegetarian and ordered the Poque Pogue Salad (eggplant, tomatoes, and loads of onions) and Inabraw (seasoned vegetables cooked in fish sauce and tukmem broth). The food was okay, nothing special but the ambiance more than made up for it.

After lunch and buying pasalubongs, we shoved off.  Except for the few toilet breaks at gasoline stations and a 9 P.M. McDonald's dinner in San Fernando, La Union, the hubby drove 10 hours straight to our home in Quezon City, What a brave soul!  =)

Another Pagudpud post

Indulge me with more posts about our Ilocos Norte trip last May 2018. I better finish them before this year ends or else it would be old news, much delayed as it is already by now. A vivid part of my blissful memory bank.

Our next stop was the Bantay Abot Caves located in Sitio Gaoa in the small town of Baloi. I believe it was a full 10 minutes drive from the Patapat Viaduct. Our driver dropped us off by the side of a road and told us to go down a steep flight of stairs. 

Bantay Abot Cave is a not really a cave, it was more like a mountain rock formation which has a hole in the middle which was caused by an earthquake. So when it is high tide, the waves come splashing into the 'cave'. 

The rocks, the waves from the deep blue sea and some green vegetation on top of the cave all combined for a formidable sight of nature. You can enter the cave and the view from the other side is equally stunning as the calm blue sea make its presence known in all its majesty. 

Just be extra careful as those rocks leading to the cave are covered with moss so they tend to be slippery.