GRATITUDE JOURNAL

In less than 24 hours, eldest son is flying back to Manila for yet another trimester on his second year in the university. Although not as worrisome for me this time around compared with last year's episode of anxiety attack which lead me to palpitate and be subjected to 24-hours of holter monitoring, I'm now a bit more conditioned (I think... I hope...) and ready to be momentarily separated from him. What makes me somewhat at ease is the thought that he has shown positive traits he wouldn't have easily learned if he were in Cebu conveniently enjoying the comforts of home and having nannies at his beck and call. Because Jerry and I bit the bullet and sent him off on his own, he has definitely become an independent young man who learned his responsibilities from experience, from the mundane task of keeping his shared condo and personal stuff clean and orderly to the more challenging task of managing his meager monthly allowance, plus grown up stuff he has to deal with o...

We treated her to dinner for her birthday last December. And because she is not well enough to venture outside the confines of her bedroom, we marked this special day in May by a visit to her place. It's been a long time, it seems, since I saw her last. Mommy sat quietly as Jerry and our sons told her stories about work, school, our recent vacation in Manila with my side of the family, and other family updates. We showed her pictures as well. Despite the limiting effects of her illness, she would laugh at the stories, occasionally ask questions or contribute to the conversation. I just sat by the edge of her bed and took the whole scene in and savored the moment... It's really been a long time since my last visit to her house. We stayed here during the first seven years of our marriage. This is where 2 of our 3 sons spent their toddler years. And for that, we will forever be indebted to her. When it was time for us to leave, we greeted her again a happy mothers' ...

In a gathering of relatives, it is common to hear greetings accompanied by: "Ang taba / payat mo ngayon!" ("You look fat / thin"). It is such a prevalent practice especially coming from the elder generation that I fear (but I hope not) it has become part of our Pinoy culture. Sometimes I would nudge my mother after she had remarked something like that. To which she would tell me later on, "I meant that as a compliment!". Probably... but to the recipient of such a comment, it might come off negatively. Anyway... Fortunately, I didn't hear any of that when we went to attend a wake for Jerry's maternal uncle. After the customary (re)introduction of our boys, the aunts would say "He is tall / big / handsome!" (said in Fookien which Jerry promptly translated for me). That certainly had a good ring to my ears. There was one comment though that stood out, not because it was negative, but because it was amusing. Jerry's aunt, upo...

Paparazzi shot of the paparazzi wannabe When it comes to photography, it's hit-or-miss for me with the point-and-shoot camera and even more so with the dslr. However, no matter what the outcome is, I still am fond of taking photos especially if they're of travels, family, friends and occasions I want to preserve (digitally). Some enthusiasts I know have chosen their particular niche in photography: fashion, food, landscape, nature, celebrity, etc.... I have actually dabbled in some. And where there is amateurish or not so stellar pic after taking the shot, there is "post-processing" to the rescue. Somehow, I still end up with decent looking photos (for my taste) worthy of a space in my Flickr account and in my blog. One day at Maxim's while enjoying a tall glass of iced mocha at Cafe Au Lait, I chanced upon a celebrity a few meters away from where I was sitting with my family. My immediate reaction was to reach for my point-and-shoot camera, check the...

It's not entirely a new thing. Wikipedia says "Coupons first saw widespread use in the United States in 1909". These days, there is a proliferation of companies that sell coupons or vouchers, that entitle the buyer to discounts. Examples are Ensogo, Deal Grocer, Metro Deal, Cash Cash Pinoy, Crazy Deals etc. (This is not a sponsored or paid post, btw). It's the new marketing medium now as these vouchers market stuff that you normally would patronize. Good for people (like me) who love eating out when schedules or funds permit. Like fish to water, I naturally signed up for these and now get daily email notification about discounted stuff. I watch out for discounts from restaurants, resorts, and hotels. However, before I buy, I do a bit of research to see if the discounts are the real deal. Some establishments would package an offer like it's value for money when in fact, it's their regular price. During our recent stay in Manila, we were able to use ...

If there's anything that I feel was the highlight of our Manila Ocean Park visit, it was the Aquatica musical fountain show. It was a 25-30 minute spectacular mix of light, water and music/sound, making for an awesome show for the whole family. It costs P250 (weekdays) or 300 (weekends, holidays) per ticket. At the time of our visit, they had a P99/ticket promo if you signed up at their website - a huge discount if you ask me. It would have cost us quite a sum had it not been for the promo that we were fortunate to take advantage of. Because of that, even the extended family with nephew, niece and nannies were with us to watch. LOL. For those who have seen Sentosa's Songs of the Sea, Aquatica is very much like it for a fraction of the cost (even without the promo tickets). Or it's like a more animated version of the complimentary Bellagio musical fountain show, but you would have to be in Las Vegas for this. And that's another story.

Wearing black in this sweltering summer heat while exposed to the afternoon sun is simply silly. I could be like that at times, wearing something not fit for the occasion. Oh well. The show wasn't to start until 430pm but we wanted to have good seats for Jake's sake, that we decided to line up early. The sea breeze from Manila Bay gave a cooling effect, fortunately for me, and it helped that the Manila Ocean Park organizers put canopy on some parts of the bleachers as well. We made sure to be under the shade. It wasn't the first for the big people in our group, but it was Jake's first or second time to see a sea lion show, and without having to go to Hong Kong, Singapore or a farther place at that. Such a precious moment every time he gets all excited and "hyper" seeing the sea lions do their tricks. And it was so, for the 30-40 minutes that followed. Shows like this are made for the kids indeed, and this one at Manila Ocean Park definitely made ...