the weekend that was

• my brother (the father-to-be) celebrated his birthday yesterday, and we had a nice lunch at Kamayan sa Palaisdaan. my sister-in-law’s family was also there, and i always enjoy their company.  a visit at this restaurant wouldn’t be complete without tilapia and crispy pata. ahhhh. great food, great company, good scenery, and the weather kinda cooperated. Happy birthday my dear brother!

• did my laundry, or just part of it. with the very fickle weather lately, it’s quite hard for our clothes to get sun-dried, so some of the “important apparel” (jeans, usual office clothes) get laundered by a wash-dry-fold laundry shop that we patronize. they do a great job washing our stuff, and the clothes smell soooo good! it also makes my room smell so nice, hahaha!

• had a massage at this “spa” that i frequent. i wouldn’t even call it a spa, because it’s very basic—nothing fancy or frilly, but the massage rocks! they specialize in thai massage, which tends to be on the hard side, which my achy back prefers. the place is clean, and comfortable enough for non-picky me. this is my “luxury”; something that i need when i need to pamper myself. i’ve been through a lot lately, and i believe i deserve this.  i expect to have a good night’s sleep, and a sore feeling tomorrow.

• since the “crisis” that happened over a month ago, i’m doing my best to live each day by and with faith. God listens. God provides. God takes care of things. God takes of us.

Have a good week ahead!

Not years, not tears.

“ Count your age by friends, not years. Count your life by smiles, not tears.”

John Lennon

I turned a year older a few weeks ago. It was my first birthday without my Father around—still trying to grasp the fact that my brothers and I are orphans. Never mind that we are “old enough” already,  there’s still that part of you that gets lost forever when you lose your parent(s).

But then, I still have a lot to be thankful for. Sometimes I am surprised by how much grace God has given me and my brothers to get through the things we’ve gone through. And of course, now and more than ever, I love my brothers so much more.

30-something and loving it. Taken at Sulyap Cafe on my birthday. Photo by JHernandez.

Thank you Lord, for another year. Another year to be a better person, another year to do good in my life. The fact the I celebrated another year, is a blessing in itself.