Tuesday, November 3, 2015

MOMENTS: A LATE PUBLISH

Note: This has been sitting in my Draft Folder for some time now. I wrote this in November 2015, and only now (March 2016) did I realize that I have yet to publish this. If there are any grammatical errors or slips, my apologies. I didn't proofread or make further edits other than this addendum note.

In a short span of time, motherhood has taught me a lot of things already. I learned that I didn't just become a parent but I've also gained my youngest best friend - my son. I realized that there is no such thing as little moments with him. The shortest hug, the slightest touch, the quickest kiss -- they're all too big and overwhelming. If only I could freeze a moment in time...


So here's one reason why I blog my MOMents. I could never tell time to hold still even for just a moment but I could at least document moments here in my blog. When my son is grown and I'm all wrinkly and old, and when the time comes that my mind fails, I hope to still vividly recall and feel in my heart those moments through the records in this blog.

Mr. Kulit Paulit Ulit

I didn't get enough sleep the other night. In fact, I went to bed at around 8:00 in the morning. I pulled an all-nighter working on our church's financial records. It wasn't like I had a humongous pile of work to do. It's just that I waited and procrastinated, and so I got behind and did some catching up on it. I knew that was going to happen and when I don't get enough sleep, the tiniest annoyance could set me off. Who doesn't, right? So I kept reminding myself not to blow my fuse up at the pettiest of things. It's my fault that I was sleep deprived. My son doesn't have anything to do with it, so he doesn't need snarling and gnarling from me especially when he's just being his usual naughty self.

Around 9:30 in the morning, my boy woke up. He was pleasant. He was playing with his toy in his bed, so I asked him to lie down beside me. He is already used to me not being a morning person, so he obliges whenever I tell him that I still want to lie on the bed and catch some zzzzs. After a short while, he asked for milk, and so I got up and got him milk. We both laid on the bed while he drank his milk. He then grabbed books and asked to be read. I obliged. He was already up and about playing at that time when I was reading to him. Soon after, he said he needs to use the potty, so I took him to the bathroom and helped him. In his active energetic mode already, he accidentally hit me, so I frowned. I didn't say a word but he saw me frowned.

We then went back to his room and I once again laid down in bed. A few minutes after that, I decided to finally get up. There's no way I could catch winks anyway with a toddler in active play in the same room with me, so might as well get on my feet and get going. The moment I stood up, my son definitively said, "Mommy is awake. Mommy is awake. Mommy is awake..." He said it repetitively though. That's just how he is. He will keep on saying something until he gets reassurance and confirmation from either his Mom or Dad, which we do almost every time. This time, I purposely ignored him though. He persisted and kept on saying, "Mommy is awake..." He has already gotten used to receiving constant affirmation from us even when he's already stating an obvious fact. I want him to learn and know that it's okay -- we don't have to repeat or say everything back to him to assure him. I want him to develop self-confidence.

"Mommy is awake. Mommy is awake. Mommy is awake...," he went on. I was waiting for him to stop, so I remained quiet and went about fixing the bed. When it dawned on him that he wasn't going to get the reassurance from me, he changed his tone -- sweet, slow and calm -- and said, "Good morning. Good morning, Mommy."

That broke my heart. I melted. I thought I was teaching him to be confident and independent, but when I thought about it, he is just a 2.5-year-old boy. He understandably still needs reassurance from his parents. In due time, he will be all on his own, and I will be phased out of his life, but until then, I ought to give him all the reassurance a sweet, innocent child needs, kahit pa Mr. Kulit Paulit Ulit na :)

Mr. Kulit Paulit Ulit wearing a Dreadlocks Rasta Hat
~ October 23, 2015 ~

OH, THE PLACES I'VE BEEN!

This is just to keep tabs of the places I've been and the miles I've racked in hopes that in the future I'll be able to document here in my blog and share a memory or two from each of my travels near and far. Having said that, this entry will be updated every now and then.

PHILIPPINES

My hometown.

I grew up in an era when tourism wasn't as affordable and accessible as it is now, and for that I wasn't able to travel as much as I should've. Being raised in a city at the South, our family took pleasure on summer outings to the hot springs and resorts in Laguna.

Tagaytay was the next option especially when the weather got scorching hot, and I remember having been there a few times with my family, one time with high school batchmates on a retreat, and another time with my college friends.

My paternal grandmother was Ilocana and if my memory serves me right, I think I've been to Ilocos Sur twice or thrice. I have memories of going to Vigan very quickly on our first trip to Ilocos when I was about 6.

My paternal grandfather hailed from Southern Leyte, so my my family embarked on a road trip one time to go there. This trip is one for the books. It was my first time to go on a looooong drive as such. Of note, this happened in 1993, back when ferry transportation was not easily available. The travel took longer than the actual vacation itself. We drove all the way from Muntinlupa to Liloan, Leyte and back jampacked on a not-so-comfy jeep. I celebrated my 13th birthday partly stranded on the Matnog port waiting for a ferry that would take us across the island. One of the highlights of this trip was seeing Mayon volcano on its active state. It was nighttime when we passed by Bicol, and so the fiery lavas dripping down the volcano's perfect slope was a sight to behold. It looked like a lighted cigarette in the dark. The volcano continuously spat red, oozing lavas out of its mouth, and I can still vividly picture it in my mind. It was just amazing to watch especially for a young urban girl like me. It looked dangerous and scary but so beautiful.

My mother is from Pampanga, and for a couple of years we lived there. I went to school in Bulacan while we were there. I got to go to fiestas on several occasions, and witnessed Mahal na Araw traditional parades and ceremonies.

I visited Baguio twice.

In 2010, when I went back home for the first time after being away for 5 years, Vince and I took my family to Boracay. Another first time for me. We also visited his family in Caramoan Sur. We went island hopping and saw Gota Beach from afar. We also stayed overnight in Naga and visited the Cam Sur Watersports Complex.

Other than the regular pasyal around Manila and nearby urban cities, trips to StarCity, Enchanted Kingdom, and the likes, and mall trips, unfortunately for me, I haven't really explored much of the touristy side of the Philippines.


CANADA

My home away from home.

I moved to Toronto 10 years ago. I pretty much stayed within Greater Toronto Area (GTA), Ontario. You know, Vaughan, Mississauga, Scarborough, MarkhamNorth York, Barrie, Brampton, Niagara, etc. I occasionally went on camping and fishing trips as well as fruit picking with my church family. I used to play volleyball (beach and court) with my BFF and later on with Vince too. One time I went with few friends to Montreal, Quebec, and spent a day *speaking* or at least pretending to speak French. Hehe! Oh, and one time, when Vince was looking for a job, we were interviewed in Kinmount, Ontario.

I had a lot of fun in Toronto, AND a lot of heartaches, disappointments, and frustrations as well. It was a coming-of-an-age experience for me, and that is why, Toronto will always be in my heart.


UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

My current home.

The first time I stepped on Uncle Sam's soil was in 2009. It was because of Vince that I hurriedly applied for a tourist visa, so I could come and see him when he moved here. I wasn't a Canadian citizen then and I procrastinated on obtaining my citizenship but when Vince left, I sensed the urgency. Talking about what love can do to someone. LOL.

Anyway, I'll jog my memory the best I can to list the places I've been to around the US. I'd rather not stress myself so much though in making this list extensive, so for states or cities that I've been to several times already, I'd just list the state name and not go into elaborate details anymore.

  • New York
  • New Jersey
  • Pennsylvania - I lived here for a couple of years.
  • Maryland
  • Washington DC
  • Florida
  • Georgia
  • South Carolina - Anderson and Hilton Head Island
  • Missouri - St. Louis and Kansas City
  • Hawaii - Oahu. Babymoon. I hiked, ziplined, jet skiied, parasailed, snorkeled, ocean kayaked, stand-up paddled, and a lot more fun things I did while there. I was able to cross off a lot of bucket list items in this trip including Pearl Harbor. I was 6 weeks pregnant and it was a rollercoaster vacation for me. My pregnancy hormones weren't very cooperative. I was nauseated and sick for the most part but I was undeterred. Girl power! 
  • Illinois - Rushville, Chicago, Schaumburg
  • California - San Diego, San Francisco and Bay Area (San Pablo, Daly City, Concord, etc.), Monterey
  • Nevada - Las Vegas
  • Arizona - Grand Canyon West/Skywalk and Hoover Dam
  • North Dakota - We visited my sister-in-law and her family in 2017
  • Massachusetts - We went around Boston, and visited Thomasland in Edaville in November 2017.
  • Virginia - My parents visited the US again in 2018, and we did an East Coast trip with them while they were here. We stayed in Virginia for the most part of our week long tour.
  • Alaska - July 2019
  • Tennessee - November 2019
CARIBBEAN


You can take me out of the island but you can't take the island out of me. We are water babies!

  • Jamaica - Late honeymoon in April 2010. Came back in May 2015 for my birthday and Mother's Day with our first born. Yeah mon!
  • Bahamas - May 2014
  • Mexico - Cancun and Chichen Itza in October 2015. Chichen Itza is a bucket list item crossed off ;)
  • Dominican Republic - Punta Cana in October 2015, March 2017, May 2018, May 2019
  • Puerto Rico - Carolina and Old San Juan in March 2015
  • Bermuda - Vince attended a conference in August 2017. Vonn Kaleb and I, of course, tagged along.
  • Grand Cayman - Another conference for Vince in December 2017, which means, another out-of-country family trip for us. Score!


EUROPE

  • Switzerland - September 2019
  • Italy - September 2019
  • France - September 2019
  • Germany - September 2019

~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~

As you can tell from my post above, I have yet to explore a lot of places - South America, Asia, Australia, and even Africa. The world is sooo vast and big but in due time and if God allows, I'm making it my oyster ;) So, in that regard, I'm making a separate post for my bucket list. Stay tuned, and recommendations are very much welcome ;) Let's do this!

You can read more of my travel stories and see pictures here: GLOBETROTTING

Sunday, November 1, 2015

THE SUNDAY CURRENTLY #2

We just got back from our weekend getaway in Florida. I mentioned in my previous post that my son suggested going to the beach but because we still have unused Aquatica (Seaworld) tickets, we decided to go there instead. My little boy didn't get his beach fix but the good lot of sand in Aquatica, the rapids, and the wave pool made up for it. 



So now that I have access to a laptop, here's my entry for The Sunday Currently:


CURRENTLY

Reading

I'm still reading The Book Thief and the Bible. I thought I'd be done with the book of Job this week but I was unable to finish it. I still have about three chapters left, so I'm making it my goal to finish it within this week and start Exodus.

Writing

this blog entry.

Listening

to my father, mother, husband, and son all talking at the same time. LOL. We're Skyping and trying to iron out the details of my parents' flight this weekend. Yehey! We're excited for their arrival here. Super excited!

Thinking

of the tasks I have at hand. I need to stop procrastinating. Ayayay!

Smelling

what little Arroz Caldo left in my son's bowl. 

Wishing

for a smooth and safe travel for my parents. With all the "laglag bala" incidents at NAIA, we can't help but feel anxious and worried for them. Pray, pray and pray. That's what I need to do.

Hoping

to finish my Christmas projects on time. I'm currently hand sewing throw pillow covers. I finished two already and I still have to make 8 pillow covers and 1 bench cushion cover. I'm also going to make an advent calendar for Christmas countdown. Honestly, with zero to little artistic juice flowing in my blood, I'm going to need lots of Pinterest ideas and DIY tutorials for these projects to materialize. 

Wearing

my regular house clothes.

Loving

my very loving and supportive husband more and more each day. We had just celebrated our 5th anniversary, hence, the weekend getaway. We would've gone somewhere romantic with only the two of us, but you know, with a toddler in tow all the time, that's never going to happen. LOL. That's also one of the reasons why we're so excited that my parents are finally coming! Hehe. Date nights and couple getaways already brewing and in the works. Ahihihi!

Wanting

to lose weight and a couple of inches particularly in my midsection. This tummy bulge has got to go away ASAP. We're thinking about baby #2 next year, and I want to lose about 5 pounds more before we start the baby making project. Haha!

another haircut. I'm thinking of chopping off a good chunk of my hair. I just had a haircut recently, and as expected, my hair had a growth spurt since then.

Needing

to book a hotel for the weekend. We're always traveling, going somewhere, even for just a couple of days or so, and I'm not complaining. #thankful

to do our church's financial records. I really need to work on this. I'm two months behind now. Uh oh!

Feeling

stinky. I haven't taken a shower yet. Hehe!

Clicking

the keyboard. Dvorak typist here.

Feel free to join the meme and link up at The Sunday Currently by siddathornton

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