Hello Again .... Hello =)

 Sorry, I haven't been around this blog much.

We are still under community quarantine.

6 months or is it 7 months now?

I've lost count.

Less restrictions, though.

So I can go out now.

No need for quarantine pass.

But.

Still I limit my outings.

I don't want to get sick.

If I do.

Who will take care of my parents?

They are in their 80s now.

83 and 84 to be exact.

Dad fell in the shower.

Hit his head.

Took him to the ER.

Thankfully no clot.

Just some bruises on his arms.

And a nasty bump at the back of his head.

My mother has developed an ear infection.

Doctor said there is a mass/tumor in her ear.

Needs a biopsy.

Yet.

She is stubborn.

Insists she is too old.

Persists on painkillers.

Been pestering her to go for the biopsy.

But.

There is so much I can do.

I can't force her to go.

So yes.

My parents are aged.

Need more TLC.

So yes.

I don't want to get sick.

So I stay home.

Surviving on Netflix.

Insomnia is getting worse.

Even if I want to sleep in.

I can't.

Because.

The bratty kid next door is very noisy.

Oh well.

I will survive.

We all do.

So take care everybody.

Be safe.

Stay healthy.

The Sound of Silence

I live in an apartment complex with four doors.

We have one common gate for all the tenants.

Ours in the one nearest to the gate.

So you can imagine how noisy it is when someone opens the gate.

The newest neighbor moved into the second door, around February, this year.

A married couple with a young son.

The wife works so she is not home during the day.

The husband stays home and takes care of the kid.

The precocious kid is very noisy.

Of course, you would say kids are naturally noisy.

But I know of other kids who are well behaved.

They don't talk back at adults.

They always use 'po'.

But this kid is different.

He interrupts conversations.

When my hubby was talking to our landlord near the gate.

The brat shouted at the top of his voice 'what are you talking about?'.

In the vernacular, naturally.

In short, the kid is very irritating.

All day, he is out of his house.

Screams, shouts and roams around in his little toy car.

But I understand, he is a kid.

What I cannot comprehend is the father.

He is the adult.

He should be the one disciplining his child.

But.

No, he doesn't.

Sometimes, he joins in the screaming session of his kid.

I am really upset that our new neighbors have no respect.

Respect for other neighbors' privacy.

Respect for the tranquility of the place.

Just plain respect.

We have lived in this place for 12 years now.

Only now that I feel the urge to move to another place.

But we are still saving.

Saving.

Saving.

So may Lord have mercy

I need loads of patience.

Because I work from home.

I need the silence.

Or else I cannot concentrate.

My beast mode is raring to go out.

But I need to stop myself.

So help me, God!

Blue screen

More than a week ago, my laptop experienced the blue screen of death.

I tried restarting it several times.

But to no avail.

Thankfully, I have a recovery disk stored in a portable hard drive.

Thus.

I was able to open it.

Back to the default settings.

It took me the whole day.

To download everything.

From updates to apps I use on a daily basis.

Yet.

I am broken hearted.

Because I lost all my files.

Work files.

Personal files.

I must have pressed the wrong option.

But nevertheless.

I am still glad.

My laptop works now.

I admit, it lowered my morale.

All I did was watch Netflix.

But.

I snapped out of my stupor.

Trying to recall what files I lost.

One day.

At a time.

Life goes on.

Indeed.

Yesterday

Yesterday, I went out for the first time since the lockdown started in March 16.

After 3 months of home quarantine.

I wore a face mask, had hand sanitizer in my bag.

It was difficult because I wore my eyeglasses.

It kept fogging up.

My face was also all shiny due to humidity.

So the mask felt constricting.

But it is a small price to pay, right?

So yes I went out.

I had to pay the real estate tax for my former residence.

The place where my parents live now.

Long overdue, since it is supposed to be paid during the first quarter.

But the lady at the land tax section was very kind.

She told me she won't charge the penalties, due to the lockdown.

Bless her soul.

Even though I was willing to pay whatever it cost.

The city hall was packed with people.

I was really fearful because social distancing was not implemented.

I stayed far away from the person who was in front of me, in the queue.

But then this snarky security guard shouted at me to come forward.

I snapped at her: there should be social distancing.

The thing with me is I may be a quiet person.

But when someone is snarky with me.

I have no qualms, asserting my rights.

I tend to be quite loud but within reason.

So much so that even my hubby tells me, I should be more tolerable.

Even before I got off the car, D told me 'kalma ka lang ha'.

Little did he know, my beast mode resurfaced.

I did not tell him.

It is best he doesn't know.

Lest, he won't accompany me na.

So yeah, yesterday I went out again.

Fearful yet quite relieved I ventured out again.

To get some fresh air.

To pay taxes.

Like a dutiful citizen.

A citizen who loves her country.

The land of my birth.

P.S.

Today is Dr. Jose Rizal's 159th birthday.

May we never forget what he stood for.

Even though, the youth nowadays malign him.

But then,  'youth is wasted on the young'

So God, help us!

Quotable

 I came across this quote on someone's FB page. 

I believe it is hugely applicable to my life.

More specifically my married life.

We all know I didn't get what I passionately prayed for.

But.

Instead, my hubby got several promotions.

I have become a stronger person.

We went on several road trips.

Traveling is in my blood.

I was only 4 years old.

The first time I rode on a plane.

So.

Yes, this quote is indeed true.

I'm glad I came across it.

It gave me an idea for a short post.

=)

12 years

Today 12 years ago, I got married to a kind and funny soul. 

We met on Friendster - an online avenue to stay in touch with friends.

Eventually, Friendster shut down and replaced by a gaming site.

But I am glad to say we are still going strong. =)

The first 3 years were chaotic.

A blurry period of hospital visits.

Blood extraction, TVS ultrasounds, daily intake of fertility medicines.

A few months of HGC injections every other day.

All of which were unsuccessful.

Nights crying to sleep, even crying when I saw babies anywhere.

One day, I had enough.

It was draining our savings.

Taking a huge toll on my sanity.

D agreed and to date that is the best decision we made.

We might not be parents but we have each other.

So for me, that is a big bonus.

You see, if you asked me at 26 years old.

Or even when I was 34 years old.

The last thing I wanted was to be tied down by marriage and kids.

Now 12 years later, I am now married.

Without kids, but life is good.

I have supportive parents.

A generous sister.

A roof over our heads.

Food to eat.

Luxuries to boost.

So I am thankful and blessed.

I do have one item on my wish list.

Our own house.

But for now, it remains a dream.

Today, it is a stormy day.

And we still have a pandemic to deal with.

But we can weather any dark clouds.

With.

More prayers.

More saving.

One day, some day.

A tiny house to call our own.

No more pandemic.

No more storms.

Until then, I remain grateful.

Content.

Blessed.

Amen. 

Merry Month of May

It is the fifth day of the fifth month and boy is the sun blazing at full blast here in enhanced community quarantine territory.

Yesterday, the heat index was a whooping 41 Celsius degrees. I took 3 showers and still felt all sticky from the humidity.

This is our lunch today. Stir fried vegetables with margarine. The thing is when we first got married, 12 years ago, I didn't know how to cook.

My late mother in law when she was in town for a month for our wedding, she even told me in no uncertain terms that not knowing how to cook is NOT a laughing matter.

But she is from the old generation who believed that a woman's place is at home, serving her husband and taking care of the children. So she had nothing on me because we don't have children and my hubby serves me (not a feminist thing!) but nah, I was not offended, at all.

A lot can happen in 12 years, mind you. Now I do all the cooking because I work from home. I can whip up a meal from scratch thanks to the numerous recipes I find online. But this certain dish, I learned from the hubby. It is a tedious process  of chopping, then boiling each ingredient first before stir frying them with butter or margarine, salt and pepper to taste.

Cooking is my form of exercise nowadays, from slicing, dicing and chopping each ingredients to the actual cooking phase where I need to wear a hair net to keep the bucket of sweat from my forehead to drop on the pan. It is a major exertion and exhaustion effort. But when the hubby compliments me for the meals then all the fatigue just evaporates and I smile. =)

So far, the ECQ is until May 15 and by the look of things, it might be partially lifted in some areas. But if you ask me, I think it would be a huge risk to venture out, knowing that most of us have not been tested so who's to say who amongst us is virus-free?

Yet I understand the wicked blow this quarantine period has dealt to the economy. Scenes of people lining up for hours in this extreme heat just to get cash from the government is heartbreaking. There is only so much government can do, really. And no I am not politicizing the situation, just saying how it is.

To date, we have received two relief goods package. It had around 12 canned good mostly sardines, some meat loaves and karne norte (corned beef) and about 5 kilos of rice, total. Good quality rice, mind you. But the brands of the canned goods I am not familiar with so it will just stay in the pantry for now.

Hubby is the only one who can go out to buy food and medicine as his name is on the quarantine pass which was issued by the barangay. He has gone out only 3 times during this entire period and I insist he should self quarantine for 14 days every time he goes out of the house. 

He would also buy supplies for my octogenarian parents who are stuck in a condo unit even though they are getting restless and want to go out, very badly. But they are in the high risk category and you should see my long text messages to them repeatedly telling them to stay put, especially my 83 year old father.  The situation is reversed now, it is the grown up children telling the parents what to do. 

Ok lunch time! 

"What's the buzz ... what's a happening?"

My earliest memories of hearing music is when we were living in New Delhi, India. Mid 1970s in our bungalow made of red bricks in a tree-lined village. I was about 5 or 6 years old and my sister was just a toddler. 

We had a tiny garden and a porch area in the front of the house with a black gate made of black bars so people outside could see this area. But it was a gated community so we were in a safe and secure neighborhood. I would ride a small bicycle with a side car (sister in the side car) within this tiny area and I remember being as happy as I could be. =)

Inside, my parents had this record player with speakers blasting the "Jesus Christ Superstar" vinyl album. It was loud and often on repeat mode that to this day, I can still remember some of the songs by heart.

Back in 1970, Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber released this rock opera album with lyrics by Tim Rice. Later, it was turned into a Broadway musical. It depicted our Lord, Jesus Christ in a very different light. He would preach and minister to his flock by singing songs, no dialogue at all.

During that time, it was considered a blasphemy. And I remember quite well when a colleague of my father at the Philippine Embassy dropped by our house, she berated my mother for playing such a blasphemous album. But did my feisty mother listen? No way!!! In fact, she made it much louder and told the nosy colleague to mind her own business. :D

So that early exposure to my very first musical made me appreciate other musicals as I grew older. I saw "Les Miserables" (my jaw dropped at the scene where Inspector Javert jumps to his death!) and "Cats" (large "felines" purring near your seat during intermission time, terrified me!) several times when they were staged in Singapore in the early 1990s.
I watched "The Phantom of the Opera", "Miss Saigon" (sans Lea Salonga), "Sunset Boulevard" and "Starlight Express" in 1995 when my mother, sister and I visited London. 

Last year, I won two tickets to "The Phantom of the Opera" musical which was staged at the Solaire Resort & Casino. It was an Australian production and it revived my love for musicals and brought back so many memories.

But my ultimate favorite has always be "Jesus Christ Superstar". In fact, I have a tendency to listen to the whole album during Lenten season. No I don't find it blasphemous, at all. I am quite secure in my Roman Catholic faith and nothing will make me question my strong belief.

Here is my favorite version of the song Gethsemane performed by the great Ted Neeley in the 1973 Jesus Christ Superstar musical:

Easter Monday

Tis the day after Easter, in this part of the world - the enhanced community quarantine has been extended until the end of this month.

Frankly, I am doing alright.

Except, I'm missing craving for my favorite frappe and a donut because it is very very hot.

But I am doing alright.

I have worked from home for more or less a decade now.

So I am home all the time. Only difference, the hubby is also home.

It does take a bit of adjustment, for me.

I am used to having our tiny space, all to myself.

From 8 A.M until 9 P.M, every weekdays.

But I am doing alright.

We have enough supplies to last for about 10 days.

We have a roof over our heads.

We have our own separate offices.

But I DO miss my parents.

We see them every weekend.

Now resort to communicating through video calls.

But I am doing alright.

It feels a bit strange NOT to hear mass on Sundays.

It was equally difficult to observe the Holy Week.

The Holy Father Pope Francis saying mass in an empty Vatican was solemn and also quite sad.

But I am doing alright.

I leave you with a stunning performance by tenor Andrea Bocelli on Easter Sunday at the Duomo in Milan, Italy.

In 2000, my sister and I revisited Milan and even went up on the roof top of the Duomo for a great view of the city.

Seeing him sing there brought back so many memories of a period in my life.

I call my days of wine and roses.

A time when I was a carefree bon vivant.

But I am alright.

Bataan Day

This year, Araw ng Kagitingan falls on Maundy Thursday, and for a practicing Catholic, it is a day of contemplation and solemnity for me.

This post is to honor our brave fallen soldiers who valiantly fought for our freedom. Day of Valor (April 09) commemorates the fall of Bataan in World War 2. The Allied Forces consisting of around 78,000 Filipino, Chinese and American soldiers surrendered to the Imperial army of Japan on the dawn of April 09, 1942.  Annually, the Araw ng Kagitingan ceremony is held at Mount Samat. I am posting pictures of the Mount Samat National Shrine war museum's extensive collection.

I also salute our modern day heroes who are working very hard to fight this pandemic - our health workers. May God continue to bless and guide you in your efforts to heal the afflicted and contain this pandemic. 

Mount Samat: Shrine of Valour

September 26, 2019: After we checked out from Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar (overnight staycation), we headed to Mount Samat in Pilar, Bataan.

Backgrounder: When D said he wanted to go to Las Casas for his advanced birthday treat, I googled local attractions within its vicinity. My search revealed museums and small markers signifying the importance of the place during WW2. Plus Mount Samat, a 545 meter mountain which was the site of one of the bloodiest battles in our history.

In early 1942, Allied Forces (American troops) fought the Japanese Imperial Army in the Battle of Bataan. I absorbed all information with gusto - the Shrine of Valour, its Memorial Cross, its museum + the zigzagging road to reach it.

Then I got afraid: can our 23 year old classic sedan survive the steep climb? For days, I kept hounding D, pestering him about it. I would also flip flop on whether we should include Mount Samat in our itinerary, at all. He studied the terrain, the mechanics of the gears for steep climbs and he reassured me it is very feasible. I was ecstatic yet still apprehensive. 

After a quick lunch at some roadside eatery which served okay food at cheap prices, we followed the sign leading us to the Memorial Park. At first, we were on the national highway,  a well cemented two lanes road. Once we turned left, the paved road was within a densely forested area, we encountered a small slopes here + few sharp curves there. We reached some steep climbs, my knuckles were white from holding very tight. I got dizzy looking at the numerous zigzag patterns on Waze so I switched my phone off. I was too nervous and held my breath the entire time as I felt the sharp turns, the steepness of the climb.

At some point towards the final stretch, our car was making noises I've never heard before, but she (yes, our car is a female) shouldered on. When I saw the white gate, the checkpoint at the entrance, I finally let go of my firm hold. We were praising our little car, when we parked I literally kissed its dashboard from relief. My anxiety level was at its highest but we made it to the top. Yoohoo!!!!

It was around 2:20 PM, a very bright, sunny and warm Thursday afternoon. There were SUVs and our tiny car was the 3rd one present at the parking slot. I had my umbrella, my portable fan, my cooling towel. I was ready for another climb, this time on foot.

Path to the base of the Cross

Look at those rocks! Quite difficult to step on and walk.

A daunting 448 steps zigzagging footpath which is said to be made of rocks from Corregidor, stained by Japanese blood. It felt like cobblestones and it was rough on my ballet flats, I had to stop several times to catch my breath even as the view from up there was quite literally breathtakingly panoramic. Two people in their 50s, drenched in sweat,  yet in high spirits finally made it to the top. =)

We stopped a bit to catch our breath and take in the view. The Memorial Cross is 95 meters tall with the Cross arms at 30 meters wide. At the base of the Cross, an 11 meter tall sculptural slabs designed by National Artist Napoleon Abueva depicting some scenes from our rich historical past.

Artist Napoleon Abueva's design

From the base of the Memorial Cross, there is an elevator to take you to the viewing gallery situated in the arms of the Cross. There is a row of chairs in the middle and from the small windows you can see a panoramic view of the entire Bataan peninsula. 

We spent about 10 minutes there then it was time to return to the cobblestone like pathway yet again in the blazing sun. Our target was to explore the marble colonnade designed by Lorenzo Castillo. An open space which includes two bronze urns, the altar of Valour and three panels of large stained glass windows designed by Ceno Rivera. 

Life in the time of pandemic.

So the entire of Metro Manila is officially under community quarantine, starting today March 15 up to April 12, 2020.  Note, it is NOT a lockdown as people can freely move around the metropolis. Those living outside of Metro Manila but working in NCR need to present their work I.D for them to enter. Checkpoints are now stationed near borders at the North Luzon Expressway (NLEX), South Luzon Expressway (SLEX) and towns like Marikina, Pasig, Quezon City that share borders with Rizal Province, Cavite and Bulacan. 

Everyone is encouraged to stay home. Or if they have work, they need to get home before the curfew hours 8 P.M - 5 A.M.  These are good measures implemented by the government but I believe it is a little too late as there was a massive exodus of people leaving the National Capital Region with long traffic jams at the expressways.

So while we are under community quarantine (not a lockdown), what guarantees do we have that those who left Metro Manila in a huff, are not carriers of this contagious virus?  None. All we can do is pray, it won't spread like crazy as our healthcare system is already stretched to its limits with the 140 and counting positive cases, so far.

Yesterday, March 14 D and I went to the supermarket so we could buy some essential goods like bread, coffee, rice, canned goods for my octogenarian parents who live in a condo unit. What greeted me were empty shelves where stacks of alcohol bottles, hand sanitizers, alcogels were displayed prominently just a week ago. Even the entire bread counter was depleted of any supplies.

I only had a small trolley but saw other families with 3-4 members each with their own carts filled to the brim. Panic buying, storing supplies like it was the end of the world, mind you it is not! This is being selfish because clearly the community quarantine guidelines states that groceries, supermarkets, pharmacies, hardware stores will remain OPEN during this period. So why have carts full of items?

I noticed there were only a few people with face masks because there is a huge SHORTAGE for them. D & I have a few left and gave most of them to my parents. I instructed my parents to stay indoors, and just give me a list of their maintenance medicines when they run out. But for now they have enough supply.

I have to admit I have sleepless nights worrying over them. This pandemic is further adding to my fearful days and insomnia filled nights. Valid fears but there is nothing much we can do but pray this contagion is eradicated sooner than soon. 

"Remember March, the ides of March, remember" - William Shakespeare  

So help us Lord!

Post Valentine’s Date

Last week, the day after Valentine's day, we had dinner at a restaurant. We would dine in this establishment from time to time, especially when it was pay day as it is a bit pricey. I only get to eat in above.my.budget places when my sister dearest is in town, she likes to treat the entire family. We were conversing about D's class, he just came from his Masters class, the food had arrived so we were eating and talking about a number of stuff.  Midway, I remembered we had not taken our picture, so we asked this waiter to take it for us. He got my cellphone and positioned himself across our table saying "dito ako pwesto, para payat si Ma'am!" I was shocked and blurted out "hoy payat naman ako ha!!" then smiled for the picture.

Thing is, I adjusted my exercise routine when I lost so much weight in the early part of 2019. Last year, I exercised 5 times a week at home. I did 45 minutes of aerobics complete with 2 pound dumbbells in each hand. A YouTube exercise video which was recommended by my sister dearest's endocrinologist. The mid part of 2019, I reduced it to twice a week and then around September 2019, I completely stopped exercising. Mostly because D noticed and remarked I was too thin and told me to eat more. In fact, friends I have not seen in ages, the first thing they ask is why am I so thin?

I would just shrug and say I exercise a lot. But mainly, I believe we Filipinos are the only persons on earth who upon greeting someone we haven't seen in a while, we would comment on their weight. Sure, I am guilty of doing that too. Yet I take offense when someone I don't know like a waiter, of all people would make such a remark about my weight. But I just prayed for him and told my thin self not to sweat the small stuff. 

So I didn't talk to his manager nor complain on their FB page. (1) I didn't get his name, too busy eating and chatting with my Valentine. (2) it would waste a lot of my precious time and (3) I don't like making a big fuss because people might think I am too sensitive, being righteous or snotty.

I am secure and happy with my body, and no one will break my spirit! :)

Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar

To take my blues away from not going through with our trip (yes I am still very frustrated), I shall post more pictures that remind me of an enriching & historical experience! Happy moments to add to my memory warehouse, an advanced birthday treat for my hubby, last September 2019.