Gratitude Challenge : Day 3 (Family Member)

When I was 4 years old, when my parents were both working, they could not tend to their four children at a time. So they have to split us up. My grand mother offered to get and bring me and my second brother with her to be taken care of for the meantime. From Luzon to Mindanao, our childhood resumed in an entirely different place as happily (because we got no choice) as we could be and met new playmates and friends despite the language barrier.  My grandmother became very fond of us since there weren't any grand children living in her house. My kuya became her favorite. And my auntie Ruth, the youngest sister of my mama, still a young lady at that time, had grown a soft spot for me and became my new mother. She's a bit mature for her age, I guess almost all the girls in their generation were, helping my lola in taking care of us. My auntie Ruth, who I call Auntie Ot2x would be the one to bring me to a water pump / poso across the street to help me take a bath, she'd dressed me up, and bring me to my morning class in kindergarten and would put me into my mandatory nap every afternoon. She did those everyday whenever she's not in school. She and I slept together every night. We had a mother-sister-daughter kind of bonding when I was little. She took a BEED course in college and I remember when I was in Grade 2 that she'd let me help her check the test papers of her students which I truly enjoyed doing. I commend her for juggling studies with her mother duties to us altogether. There was an instance when she ran away from home because she had a great fight with a family remember, I cried real hard when I watched her pull clothes from the closet then threw tantrums after she left. But she came back though. And I  was so happy.

In 1997, My parents with my eldest bro and sister arrived from Luzon and moved in to my Lola's house after the mining corporation in Zambales got bankrupt. My real mother decided to stay as a house wife while my father had to get a job abroad. Even if my real mother was already around, the bond I had with my aunt did not cease. It continued towards my elementary years up until high school, attending my PTA's and recognition days whenever my mother is too busy with our mini tindahan. My auntie Ot was my confidante. She was the first one to know about my menarche (pagdadalaga) and the first one I told about my eye vision problem. There were many things about me that only she knew first. I also remember when I was six, I told her that I didn't want her to marry and have any children because I wanted her to have me as her only baby. But she had a baby, and when my cousin was born, I treated it like my own brother. I will always care for her children the way she generously cared for me like a daughter. My auntie Ot will always be my second mama even if my bond with her is stronger than my own mom.

 

She's also an epitome of a strong woman. She'd been knocked down so many times in life more than anyone could ever imagine (both the ones I witnessed and didn't) but she endured and stayed strong through it all. She's the black sheep, the rebel, and a frequent mistake maker, but among my mother's sisters, she's got the purest and biggest heart of them all. She's one of my most cherished member in the family. And I thank the Lord for my auntie Ruth.

Gratitude Challenge : Day 2 (Physical Health)

Today, on my second shot for this challenge, I am thankful for my over all health status. I do have some physical deficiencies in me (medically speaking), like being Myopic aka nearsighted that had gotten worse since I started wearing glasses, and having some skin problems  that I've no idea how to get rid off. My myopia used to be a huge struggle on my activities of daily living especially during college days when I am still 2 eyed. But thank goodness it became manageable,  thanks to contact lenses and prescribed glasses even it makes me look more dorker and lame as before. Other than that, at this very moment as I am typing all these, I feel physically perfectly presumably fine. I don't know how's it going with my internal organs in there , but I hope they too are  just doing all too well as much as I feel from the outside. Thank you Lord that my cells, veins , pulmonary arteries and my neurons are functioning  normally, that they haven't given up despite me not being mindful about healthy lifestyle and diet (huhu, excessive rice and sweets, name it) ...Thank you for my hands and my feet and for my whole being. Thank you that I am now sitting comfortably on my house's bed and not in any hospital's bed. Thank You for my Physical Health.

Gratitude Challenge : Day 1 (A Friend)

So here goes my first post for the Contagious Gratitude Challenge, being thankful for a dear friend. If you ask me how many friends did I make in the entire years of my existence, I'll say it's quite plenty. But If you ask me how many remain and kept for so long, it's only just a few that I can count them with my fingers. There were more than one friend on my mind when I was thinking who's going to be the star of this post. But I've chosen one because she's my favorite of them all. A friend who'd been so close to me since college. Many found their real friends in high school but I found mine during college. I do have few high school friends that I'm still communicating with in the present but I didn't really know what firm friendship means 'til I met the friends who made me cherish the whole college experience so much.

 

I am thankful for a friend named Beverly. I call her Bevs, and sometimes for the sake of teasing her, Bebang. We've been friends for like four years already. We became classmates and instant friends since 2009 and I don't exactly remember HOW. I love her because she's a sum of all the amazing things a person could ask for in a friend. She's like a big sister to me. She's funny without her realizing it, She's maldita in all the right way, She's a diligent student,  more diligent than I was. A very responsible daughter and a very obedient sister. I will hardly forget all that she is and what a friend she was to me back on our student days and beyond. She'd save me a seat every time she knows I am going to be late in class. I always arrive late in class. And she's the one who'd text me to hurry up. She's the friend who'd always ask me why I didn't show up in our NLE review class and would make me feel guilty that I was wasting my review tuition. She's my conscience whenever I feel like going home in the middle of a review session because I'm too sleepy to listen. She's the friend I crammed up with minutes before taking that darn third part of our nursing licensure exam (which was a very bad idea), She's the friend I used to exchange stressful, worry thoughts with, She's the friend who knew me very well and stayed beside me despite my shortcomings. She's the friend who knows who's the guy I am currently attracted to and all the guys I was hopelessly in love with in the past. Loseeer. HAHA. She's the friend who's already worried why I haven't gotten myself a boyfriend yet. She's the friend who knows my present issues and recently told me to never give up...

 

Whoah. My eyes are a bit stingy now I can feel the tears coming out. Time to stop. Lol.

 

Thank you Lord for Bevs, a very precious friend , that I promise I will always treasure. She's in Norway now and God,  I miss her.

 

 

" We don't need a certain number of friends, just a number of friends we can be certain of."

A Challenge : 21 Days Of Gratitude

I read a quotation somewhere (probably Pinterest!)  that said "Be anything but Ungrateful". Life is an unending paradox of pain and joy and everything else in between, a wheel, it's what we compare it with. Yikes, Corneh. But it's a fact.. Whatever point in life you're stuck right now, is it something you're likely to thank for? When things seem perfect and fine, yep, it is so easy to say THANK YOU LORD! But when you're down , dreary , frustrated and hopeless it's just so hard to be grateful at all. Somehow, what keep us going even when we're dragged back and down by the weight of our problems, are the things that brightly shines our way even in the littlest way possible. Things. Stuffs. People. Which and whose values and impacts we tend to forget when the blinds are down. 

I'm actually on a very tight situation right now. I'm not a very optimistic person, I can be if I force myself to, but I'm more of like a Realist. Maybe half pessimist and half optimist. Whatever. So when I saw this post on Pinterest (Pinterest again. Yes. I'm addicted to it), 21 days of Contagious Gratitude, it instantly made me so interested! Contagious indeed. I thought right then that I'm definitely going to do this thing because It sounded so cool and less pretentious than the "100 happy days" that currently exist around Instagram and Facebook. Tell me, how can a person be happy for 100 days consecutively?  Yeah I know it's just  a "pampa-good vibes" kinda thing but It obviously won't work for me since I am not feeling very happy lately and If ever I'm going to be, I'll just be too lazy to post a happy picture every single day.  Not this one, though. It'll only take 21 days and not necessarily each day. I could miss one day when I feel lazy. Hahaha. Also, what made me wanna do this is  that, it's a chance for me  to go back to blogging. I've abandoned this blog for almost a year already and there's nothing I can do but shake my head for not keeping my words to update this from time to time. I decided to put it here instead and not in my social media accounts because it's always safer to sound corny when you write it up on a blog. Hehe. Anyway, this is my lineup of stuffs to thank for each day. I copy most of it on that post I saw on Pinterest.

Day 1 : A friend

Day 2 : Physical health

Day 3 : A family member

Day 4 : A defeat that made you stronger

Day 5 : A book

Day 6 : A teacher 

Day 7 : A skill/talent you possess

Day 8 : Adventure/Travel that opened your eyes

Day 9 :  Creation/Nature 

Day 10 : A time of day

Day 11 : A Co-worker/Colleague

Day 12 : A book

Day 13 : One thing in your bedroom

Day 14 : A person that made a big impact on you

Day 15 : An opportunity

Day 16 : A trait you love most about yourself

Day 17 : A job

Day 18 : A child

Day 19 : A place

Day 20 : Parents

Day 21 : Can't live without

Now let the days of gratitude begin. :)

I may not be the happiest person right now, but I can be the most grateful.

 

Marianna Paige - Her Words and Tumblr

Constant TUMBLR users like me would definitely agree that TYPEWRITER Quotations has become one of the favorite post to be re-blogged on everyone's dashboard. Some termed it "typos" or "words" while I just simply refer to it as some random poetic pieces from various modern people who are gifted enough with creative brain capable of awesome vocab. Typewriter quotes are what we call them, because they are words  literally typed from a typewriter. I don't know why it became so "in" for tumblr bloggers, but I guess maybe because words when typed especially on an old papyrus/rustic piece of paper will make it look whimsical or creatively vintage , a theme that never goes out of style on making poetry looks poetic , putting some visual effect of touchy-feel on it.  Aside from typewritten quotes, hand written ones are also a constant re-blog in tumblr , especially when majority of those who recognizes them relates to its every line. Admit it, when you come across with some words you've never said before yet you realize it's exactly the  things you wanted to say if only you've formed them right up in your head, it's totally a pull of string from your very core. Hehe. Wow that was deep. But yeah, It's true right? Some of us aren't born verbally expressive, that is why we borrow words and we quote them.

This is exactly what made me tackle about this certain person from tumblr who makes honest to goodness beautiful essays. She's Marianna Paige. Her first essay that I've seen was in Instagram posted by Lauren Young and here's why I loved it :

 

 

Don't you think it's beautiful? Ahhh! Insert three hearts here! Hehe.This is exactly what I'd also write to my future lover if - let's say - if I'm as clever as Marianna Paige in carefully choosing the right set of words to mean what I say. The second time I saw another essay piece of her was on Pinterest so I immediately googled her name from there on and found out she's no famous author but just a regular girl somewhere. And she's in Tumblr!  Marianna , on how I notice her regular tumblr posts is just a 20 year old normal blogger who also curses  like a normal person and procrastinates a lot about the usual shits of life. I bet she never expected nor intended for her name to spread across the web. What I also like about her style aside from being direct while still sounding poetic is her depth and brutal honesty about the real thing. She once pointed out in her blog that everything she writes about are not based on the liking of her readers but on how she just wanted to channel down her thoughts regardless of how emo-ish and sobber she might sound. Indeed, when you want  heavy thoughts of yours unloaded , might as well be direct and true and express it the right way, be it in the form of arts, music or writing. Coz you never know it might turn out like a mirror , where people look at it and they see themselves too.

 

Here are the other samples of Marianna's works :

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"You make list on your head about what you want in a lover, like brown hair and a sweet voice. A sharp mind and a soft heart , a sense of humor that actually makes you laugh like you mean it. This and That. And it's all bullshit because people aren't lists. And I've always wanted to be the person who made someone realize that. I want to come cross someone with a list in their head that is nothing like the person I am, and I want to show them what they didn't even know they were looking for. People who think they know what they want are fooling themselves. Nobody really knows what or who they want. Not until it's right in front of them." - Marianna Page

Click to visit Marianna's tumblr page and view her complete archive of writings. 

 

 

 

Batang ‘90s : Part I – Childhood Toys

1990 is my birth year and by the time it started and moved towards the first 2 years of 2000, the years that held most of my happy childhood memories were brought to pass. As far as my memory is concerned, I was able to recall those significant objects that become symbolic of my juvenility days. I am quite grateful that I was allowed to enjoy my childhood and was left to become a kid and act just like most of the kids in our neighborhood were given the privilege to. Although there were moments when my mother would always make us help on the household jobs and on our owned small selling business, she wasn’t really that strict on allowing us to get dirty and play outside. And even if we aren’t that rich, we still received fair accumulation of toys to enjoy.

So as part of my project ‘90s posts, I’ll start with enumerating my top favorite ‘90s TOYS. Some of these had now become obsolete while others were recreated.  And I’m sure most of the pictures below are very familiar to you too, well, unless you aren’t a mighty ninety’s kid. Hehehe. Here we go.

1. Mattel Dolls

These used to be one of McDonald’s happy meal collections of mini Barbies. I remember I got three; two of them looked exactly the same as the picture here. It became trendy to young girls around years ’96 and ’97. I would bathe them, made them beds from folded handkerchiefs, cut their hair and even brought them with me to church every Sunday mass.

 

2. Brick Game

Who wouldn’t remember these, for Christ’s sake? This puzzle game is also popularly known as Tetris but uses tiny gray blocks instead.  It’s quite addictive and served as a very good past time for bored kids and teenagers when PSPs and Nintendos were still unaffordable. It was later on refurbished from bulky handheld gadgets into cellular phones replicas that will make you looked like you’re texting when in reality you’re just busy filling the blocks. And hey, I could still remember that familiar tone it makes whenever the lines are cleared and every time you leveled up.

 

 

3. Old School Gameboys

Thanks to my father who bought us one when he was abroad. This became handy when I learned how to play it and when I got addicted playing the Tamagotchi-like game , I forgot the name, where I get to take care of an alien pet  that looked more like an onion with a face , nurture it until it lays egg and die and so forth. Gameboys before are still set with tapes to be inserted in the back unlike today when Gameboys are being made with built in memories.

 

 

 

4. Play-Doh

Play-Dohs are the same with Clays but probably safer than Clays I think. And I remember it is softer and malleable than most normal clays were. It’s a great medium to get creative back then, when my sister and cousins and I would mold something fun out of it, mostly food forms, so we’ll have some pseudo foods to use during our play house sessions. I guess Play-Dohs are still well appreciated by kids ‘til now.

 

 

5. Rainbow Slinkys

Having to toss this non-complex spiral creation with my hands was just enough bustle to keep me entertained whenever I don’t feel like joining in to outdoor vigor. My slinky doesn’t last for days, though. It becomes all tangled up soon after I’m bought with a new one.

6. Troll Dolls
 
I can’t remember exactly why trolls became so “in” as toys. They looked cute at the same time creepy. I was able to collect some, those kinds with no gems stuck on their bellies.

7. Marbles / Jolens

Geez. Remember those days when you get to compete against your play mates on who have collected the most number of Jolens?  There are lots of ways to play marbles and one of them was to aim and shoot it into a dirt hole, rocking it like billiard and golf balls. I remember I was so fascinated with the colorful insides of a marble, wondered how it’s made, and if I’ll ever get to retrieve the ribbon like something inside these crystal balls if I break them, but turned out, they are just colored ball glasses. Jolens aren’t extinct yet but how we used to play it on our own before, even us girls, made us truly remember the days.

 

 

 

 

8. Polly Pockets

This is the only toy item in this list that I didn’t get the chance to own but the toy I consider as one of my favorite toy ever. My childhood best friend named Maricar would let me play her beautiful sets of polly pockets every time I went to stay at their house to play. I just adore its miniature cute details, the mini objects forming  a mini salon, mini spa, mini mall, mini resort, and you get to manipulate these tiny people around it. I enjoyed it so much, well actually,  I got crazy with it!! Hehe.

 

 

 

 

9. Anime Cards/Teks

In bisaya terminology we call these small cards, “teks” while the act of playing it was commonly called “apir apir”. Nyahaha. These cards usually held the faces of the famous cartoon characters from those popular afternoon TV shows before (Dragon Ball Z, Flame of Recca, Pokemon etc.).  I’m guilty playing this with my boy cousin. I don’t really collect cards, I would only gather a few and play it with my cousin then I get to own more if I win. Playing it was just simply placing the card faced up in your palm, then using the same hand with the card sticking to it , you’re supposed to give your rival a strong high five. Whoever gets their card lying on the ground faced up, he wins more cards from the other.

 

 

 

 

10. Paperdolls

For us little pinoy girls, (us commoners. Hehe)  not getting the chance to own or play paper dolls was a childhood not completely lived.  Unlike today, when the cost of a peso could still buy us something decent, it was pure joy to go to a street vendor or a mini store to pay only one peso for one - if you’re luckier, more paper doll sets. My best friend Mimie and I used to be so “into it” that we didn’t really care if we should be getting junk foods instead. We see to it that we had that latest Sailormoon  , the Jessie and James or the Power puff girls set then we’d go on through the summer collecting, dressing up our cardboard dolls and playing them up ‘til we’re sick of it.



 

 

 

11. Plastic Balloon

 

The famous plastic balloons formed from those cheap colorful pastes  packed with that tiny tube stick. I was feeling proud with myself every time I created big clear balloons , loved popping it up with holes so I can blow more air into it, until it bulges and pops away. Sounds gross, but I sometimes thought of chewing it like a bubblegum coz it tastes good. Hehe.



 

 

 

12. Jackstone

 

Although I sucked a little with this kind of game, it’s my favorite indoor play. The bouncing of the ball and the satisfaction you get for scooping up the entire “stars” would give you a goody feeling. My sister used to be the pro on this while I’d only make it up to picking one and then two stars.

 

 

 

 



13. Snake n’ Ladder

 

Visual representation of the cause and effect of life.  You know, Karma. We’ve been playing it since childhood. Hahaha.

 

 





 

 

14. Tirador

Best defense for bullies but unbelievably painful when it backfires and hits you.

 

 

15. Yoyo and Trompo

 

I still don’t know how to play yoyo longer than one minute for a decade now. Shame.

 

 

 





Facebook Addiction : An Opinion

Just A thought.

Unless you're an overseas worker who constantly needs update from family and friends, I think it's best and healthier for some people to reduce their time off from using FB. Instead of dwelling too much time reading who says what, who went where, who's going out with whom and peeking over whatever else's are going on with everybody's lives, why not start living yours? Or continue with your own productiveness connecting yourself more to what's happening in real world than here online. Why is it so important for you to know what's everyone been doing on a daily basis? When you yourself should be doing fine.
Why won't you , for once, try to stop scrolling down the newsfeed area, log out and look around you, you might get to notice that your bathroom needs some cleaning, the plant outside needs some watering, that your little cousins or siblings need someone to play with or teach them math, that somebody around you might need some friendly talk more than any of your FB chat mates does, or you can go somewhere nice, or do something non-sedentary. You can measure up how much hours you consume online and try to imagine yourself using those hours into completing sensible tasks, you could have accomplished more. You might not even know that somebody around you got it long abhorring your lazy ass. And for me, it will be more exciting to find a long lost friend or a high school batch mate down the road and catch up with their stories that you've missed for years, then be surprised with it , coz hell yeah, Facebook didn't tell you first. My point is to not detest facebook completely, Of course not! I'm also using it as frequently as necessary but my regard is how much time I'm giving in to waste. Well. This is something to ponder on. Are you a facebook addict? Is it healthy? Did it caused you good? If your answers to it were Yes, and No and No. You're too old now to not know something about self control.